Leaky after 2 years???

[bglanning85]

So was getting oil change and State inspection and went ahead and asked for a SealTech leak test - as we have seen a couple of times water leaking in a light fixture and then a vent over the cab over.....

Boy - was this a suprise! This is what the tech wrote!

CORRECTION: COMPLETED: MULTIPLE LEAKS FOUND ON THE UNIT ON THE FRONT CAP AROUND THE CLEARANCE LIGHTS. THEN ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IN FRONT OF THE AWNING AT THE TOP, AND ABOVE THE DOOR IN FRONT OF THE AWNING. ALSO AROUND THE MIDDLE OF THE OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT DOOR THEN THE SEAL FOR THE MAIN ENTRY DOOR AND AROUND
THE DOOR FRAME AT THE TOP OF THE MAIN ENTRY DOOR. THEN ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT OF THE P/S REAR COMPARTMENT DOOR AND THE FRESH WATER FILL OUTLET. THE REAR CAP HAD LEAKS AT ALL OF THE TOP CLEARANCE LIGHTS. ON THE DRIVER SIDE THERE WAS LEAKS AT THE
TOP REAR OF THE GUTTER RAIL AND AT THE SLIDE SEAL TO THE REAR. ALSO AROUND THE GLASS ON THE SLIDE OUT AND AROUND THE CITY WATER CONNECTION AND THE FURNACE DOOR. THERE WAS A LEAK ON THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT CAP AT THE TOP OF THE UNIT AND FRONT CAP CORNER WHERE IT MEETS ABOVE THE DOOR. I THEN WENT ON TOP OF THE UNIT
AND LOOKED AT THE DIE CORE THE FRONT CAP CORNERS ARE NOT COMPLETELY SEALED TO THE EDGE OF THE ROOF AND WHERE THE FIBER GLASS AND THE ROOF MEETS NEEDS TO BE RESEAL. THERE IS ALSO SHOWING VOIDS AROUND THE DIE CORE ON THE ROOF VENTS AND
THE REAR CAP AND BY THE LADDER RAILS WHERE IT GOES INTO THE ROOF. IT IS MY RECOMMENDATION TO CLEAN THE ROOF AND OVERLAY THE ROOF. AND ALSO TO RESEAL THE EXTERIOR REFER TO PICTURES AND ADDITONAL CHECK IN SHEET WHERE I FOUND ON LEAKS.as that an ordeal.

Attaching a few pictures of the many "bubbles" they found. The roof seems the least of the worries...should this be like this after a little less than 2 years? Or did i miss some maintenance I was suppose to do???

$1600 in labor to seal.....phew...

[ducksface]

Three things to remember:
1 his job is to sell you things, a lot of things.
2 do what he said to do.
3 you'll never see the rot caused by any of those leaks until you're in the many many thousands of dollars worth of repairs and a month of down time if you don't do #2(#2, all the crap we're supposed to do)

[bglanning85]

Yeah - i definitely want the roof to not leak for sure... wondering if all of those other side/exterior leaks could be diy with simple silicone or other sealant??

[ducksface]

Never silicone.
Removing the old stuff sucks, installing the new stuff sucks.
I'd ask them to tell me the hours for the non roof stuff and then decide if, say, $200, was worth wrangling all the tools and rags and caulk.

As long as it was in the shop, a shop as thorough as the estimate seems, I'd just have it one and done.

[Bob Denman]

I hate to say this...

But "Ducky" just might be onto something.

This Technician needs to do a whole lot more "Showing & Explaining"; before I'd sign anything.

Is it possible that he's right?

Of course it is.


I just kind of hope that he isn't...

Good Luck!

[bglanning85]

Yeah - i am kinda there too..... its like 8 hours to clean and overlay the roof then about 1.5 hours per side to seal all the other exterior leaks - x 3 or maybe 4 sides I guess. So like 16 hours at 185 per hour...i shoulda been in RV Repair!!!!

[Bob Denman]

... And I should have married that rich, mute nymphomaniac!

[ducksface]

I have a friend who honestly, no bull, dated a nymphomaniac(supposedly diagnosed) who owned a liquor store(verified).

The reality of it all quashed the fun of the reference.

[bglanning85]

Ok - well that just made my day - despite the pain...we will see if I fork the cash or brave it...but I am definitely going to a liquor store owned by a nymphomaniac first!!!

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by ducksface

I have a friend who honestly, no bull, dated a nymphomaniac(supposedly diagnosed) who owned a liquor store(verified).

The reality of it all quashed the fun of the reference.

WOW!!

[Judge]

When I read your tech's report, I'd say I'm not surprised at all. But the real question is whether it is accurate.

While I have not been involved in motorhomes long I have been doing a lot of homework and I'm a quick study. I learned even more when I visited the Thor Factory Service Center in Wakarusa a few months ago from the guys that fix these rigs.

One of the biggest areas of concern for leaks in a Class C is the cab-over area. If you look how it is constructed it is a nightmare to keep free from leaks for a few reasons:

- The cab-over on most Class C's are constructed from several pieces and all of those pieces need sealed and maintained regularly whether they are joined together.

- There is a tremendous amount of flex in the cab-over (and other parts of the coach) as you drive. Over time that flexing and weathering will cause the sealant to pull away from all of the mating surfaces. Again, regular maintenance is key. Depending on each situation inspection and maintenance could be 3 - 6 month intervals.

One of the things that sold me on my Magnitude is the cab-over is a one-piece design and it is designed to hold 500lbs.

Then you have to look at every surface where a hole was cut or a screw was inserted in the roof, body, etc. Roof, sides, front and back.... like the fresh water fill port, etc.

My old Outlaw 29H had outdoor speakers. As nice as that was it was another area for water intrusion that needed to be maintained regularly. They cut big holes in the side of the coach for the speaker and didn't do the best job sealing them to the body at the factory. Then the silicone over the tops of the plastic grills need to be checked and replaced regularly.

You get the idea......

If your are going to spend the time and money to dig out all of the old Dicor and have it replaced, the next thing I would do is go over every area that was sealed up with EternaBond tape. That should help reduce the amount of maintenance you need to do going forward and help keep the leaks from reappearing..... as much at least.

[bglanning85]

Yeah i like the idea of the EternaBond - bought the self leveling Dicor Lap sealant in preparation for what they found - and some of the tape as I would really like to fix it once - at least for a long time!

[axis earl]

Sounds like some of the problems we had with our new Axis. Front marker lights, rear tail lights, molding on the exterior of the couch slider-leaked. You were smart to have this checked before you experience real rotting. I would suggest you get it all professionally sealed and move on.

[bglanning85]

Yeah I am there now after getting over the sticker shock and researching on DIY. While it seems doable - how do you know if you fixed it... So thanks for all of the advice - always trust what I get from here the most. Lesson learned to spend more time on the roof and looking at the outside - and less time with the Whiskey! :-D

[Pete'sMH]

Keep in mind that even after fixing everything it won’t stay fixed. I inspect my coach top to bottom 4 or 5 times a year and almost always have to fix something. Mine is just a visual check so I’d not be surprised if I’m missing things a pressure test would find. Leaks are the Achilles heel of the RV world. But given how much damage an undetected leak can cause I’d say it’s worth whatever it takes to plug verified holes! Congratulations on being proactive and good luck.

[bglanning85]

Thanks Pete - I learned several things not to wait for according to manuals... like 10k is not the right oil change time for something that sits - luckily i was only at 5k but will be more in the 3k or 1 year - as we dont do much more than that!

I still struggle with how the heck do you know if there is a leak - without the SealTech or other professional leak test. Visually everything seemed good to my novice eyes!

[Pete'sMH]

I’ve never had a pressure test done as I’d want to be very sure of my tech. Is it possible to use too much pressure and actually cause seals to fail? Finding and repairing leaks is how they make money..... Water is relentless but it’s not pressurized. I look for a smooth unbroken seam of sealant on each and every seam or penetration and I spend maybe an hour or two at each inspection.

[Hooligan2]

My cabover windows leaked. I used a leaf blower and soapy water to find the leaks. It was important to keep the blower at least 3=4 feet from the windows or you just overpowered the seals. Very apparent with slideout seals. the Air just went right past a non-leaking seal as the blower got close. Don't know what kind of overpressure the sealtech uses but that might be a factor in the number of areas targeted.
. Some of the fittings like the water inlet may have to be removed new caulk applied.
The dicor sealant usually does not have to be dug out and redone. Simply clean, fill any cracks and then I apply a fresh layer of dicor over the old as long as it is not lifting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvQK...ature=youtu.be

[halfprice]

I read or saw a youtube video that's says dicor should be removed from seams, the area cleaned and primed with eternabond primer before eternabond tape is put down on the roof

Anyone have experience or knowledge about this.

I used eternabond on a couple small places on my roof but not where there was dicor. I just cleaned the roof how I normally do and put the tape down. Its holding fine

I'd like to put the tape along the front and rear caps. And maybe the sides as a preventive measure against leaks. But I want to do it right

What the best and proper way to clean the surface

Jerry

[IDguy]

Originally Posted by bglanning85

Yeah - i am kinda there too..... its like 8 hours to clean and overlay the roof then about 1.5 hours per side to seal all the other exterior leaks - x 3 or maybe 4 sides I guess. So like 16 hours at 185 per hour...i shoulda been in RV Repair!!!!

$185 per hour is twice what you should pay. The repair people don’t have Phds.

Find a local RV guy. Not a big dealer.