Water Leaks in 2 of 3 Slides - 2013 Cougar 280RLS

[airforceret]

I'm hoping to find and resolve these on my own and not have to turn these into warranty repairs as dropping it off at the dealer is a major inconvenience to me.

1) The lower curb side kitchen slide leaks the most and with the least amount of rainfall. I find the water along the back wall and nearest the refrigerator base. This is about the middle of the slide. My first thought would be the air vents outside for the fridge and running down the inside wall to the floor. But how do I verify this and if so, resolve this? I've thought about covering them in plastic to see if it stays dry when it rains.

2) The upstairs bedroom slide is wet in one corner towards the front (in the slide itself). It could be the window, but there is also the wiring that comes in through the wall for the slide that it could be tracking down and dripping off somehow.

In looking on the roof of the slides, there doesn't appear to be any defects and the (3rd) living room slide has yet to show any signs of leaking.

Because the rain was a deluge, I'm wondering if it could be as simple as backing up beneath a seal, or running down a lip somewhere and getting inside. There is a visible (albeit small) lip at the bottom of the slide that runs up underneath the rubber seal that could be the culprit.

Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome! Thanks

[billb800si]

Originally Posted by airforceret

I'm hoping to find and resolve these on my own and not have to turn these into warranty repairs as dropping it off at the dealer is a major inconvenience to me.
1) The lower curb side kitchen slide leaks the most and with the least amount of rainfall. I find the water along the back wall and nearest the refrigerator base. This is about the middle of the slide. My first thought would be the air vents outside for the fridge and running down the inside wall to the floor. But how do I verify this and if so, resolve this? I've thought about covering them in plastic to see if it stays dry when it rains.
2) The upstairs bedroom slide is wet in one corner towards the front (in the slide itself). It could be the window, but there is also the wiring that comes in through the wall for the slide that it could be tracking down and dripping off somehow.
In looking on the roof of the slides, there doesn't appear to be any defects and the (3rd) living room slide has yet to show any signs of leaking.
Because the rain was a deluge, I'm wondering if it could be as simple as backing up beneath a seal, or running down a lip somewhere and getting inside. There is a visible (albeit small) lip at the bottom of the slide that runs up underneath the rubber seal that could be the culprit.
Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome! Thanks

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It may be a major inconvenience to you but if there's a leak inside the wall that could end up very MAJOR!!
You don't want any delamination or mold started there. That's big bucks $$$.
Take it into the dealer and have them fix it correctly.
Then request a pressurized leak test. My dealer ( General RV- Wixom, Michigan) does this with every new unit sold. They connected a huge intake blower and pressurize the inside of the unit. Then they go around the outside of the trailer with a soapy spray solution. If they see bubble appearing then there's the leak. You can't make a unit water tight but they know that window seals etc... should be water tight...
Good luck,

[airforceret]

Thanks Bill. If it becomes a major issue I will take it to the dealer under warranty. I just got done a week ago doing a complete window reseal on my 2011 Palomino Camper that went unresolved while under warranty and ultimately became my responsibility. It went back to the factory for over a month.... and still leaked!!! And all it took for me to fix it was $5 in butyl caulk tape and actually pulling and thoroughly cleaning and reinstalling the tape / window. All they did was apply a small bead of sealer around the outside of the window that didn't last... And in my opinion this is all too typical of many warranty repair jobs as it's been my understanding there is little or no profit margin in warranty repairs.

So for the $200 in fuel to run it to the dealer, I'll give it a go first. I've done almost all the repairs on my campers since I got my first one in the early 90s. Sadly, almost every dealer repair I've had done, I've either had to fix it again myself due to poor craftsmanship and/or lack of detail or pride. I'm quite anal and very detail oriented being retired military, and honestly most don't live up to my expectations so in all fairness to them, I tend to at least attempt to do it myself first.

There are almost always some areas prone to leaks that require special attention, or have come to light post manufacture. Just inquiring here in case someone knows of anything in particular to look out for.

[airforceret]

Had plenty of rain this weekend. Neither slide leaked.

Conclusion is that it must take intense heavy rains to make them leak. Long steady rains seem to be ok.

Looks like we may be closing her up for the winter soon anyways!!!