festx
04-09-2014, 09:21 AM
We purchased 2013 286QBS in June of 2012. Since then we've had structural issues with the unit. Shortly after the purchase, the luan underlayment began to buckle at the seams in the bunkhouse. I had the dealer repair it during the winter of 2012, and fortunately it was completely covered under the warranty. The dealer repair job is not holding up though. The joints where the linoleum was cut to get at the underlayment seams is now peeling up and do not line-up, but I can deal with that.
While the camper was in the dealer to repair the flooring, I also had them take a look at the slideout seals, because I noticed some water infiltrating the bottom of the slide out during rain and sometimes from the AC unit condensation. The dealer couldn't reproduce the problem. Since then, I have been managing the water/leak issue with towels, and when we are not using the camper for an extended period I cover it with a tarp.
When I uncovered the camper this year it rained the very next day and the leak appears to have worsen. I towed the unit to a different shop last weekend to get a second opinion. They got back to me with some bad news. They said the bottom slide out seal is surprisingly in really bad shape considering the camper is not two year's old yet. He said that it didn't even pass the flashlight test meaning that they saw light coming through the seal. The repair estimate was $3500 - $4000 given that the entire slide had to be removed to replace the seal. The shop is extremely reputable and this year is their 50th year in business, so I trust them. The camper is out of warranty, $3500 is more than our entire vacation budget for the year, so even if I were to get it fixed, we couldn't afford to use this year. I'm not sure what to do next. And, not only has the leak worsened, the same underlayment issue is now happening in another spot in the camper. Any suggestions? This is not what I expected when dumped big $$ on a new camper.
While the camper was in the dealer to repair the flooring, I also had them take a look at the slideout seals, because I noticed some water infiltrating the bottom of the slide out during rain and sometimes from the AC unit condensation. The dealer couldn't reproduce the problem. Since then, I have been managing the water/leak issue with towels, and when we are not using the camper for an extended period I cover it with a tarp.
When I uncovered the camper this year it rained the very next day and the leak appears to have worsen. I towed the unit to a different shop last weekend to get a second opinion. They got back to me with some bad news. They said the bottom slide out seal is surprisingly in really bad shape considering the camper is not two year's old yet. He said that it didn't even pass the flashlight test meaning that they saw light coming through the seal. The repair estimate was $3500 - $4000 given that the entire slide had to be removed to replace the seal. The shop is extremely reputable and this year is their 50th year in business, so I trust them. The camper is out of warranty, $3500 is more than our entire vacation budget for the year, so even if I were to get it fixed, we couldn't afford to use this year. I'm not sure what to do next. And, not only has the leak worsened, the same underlayment issue is now happening in another spot in the camper. Any suggestions? This is not what I expected when dumped big $$ on a new camper.