2022 Keystone Cougar roof holes

[cichra]

Hello, we have a 10 month old Cougar that we took in for normal maintenance. We are being told that there are holes in the roof caused by twigs and sticks. I don't understand why an RV roof would be so fragile; we have been to normal campsites, no off the grid type of camping. The service manager told us that campsites have a lot of trees. Really? They are saying we have to file a claim with our insurance to get a new roof. How do we know that the roof wasn't defective to begin with? How could a 10 month old RV already have holes in the roof? Please advise. Thank you.

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum

Did they show you pictures? Rubber roofs are flexible and yes tree branches can poke holes in rubber roofs, if you pull/push the trailer through them.

[cichra]

We cannot recall a time when we would have pulled through tree branches. All the sites we’ve been to are large enough and clear enough for RVs. We have parked under trees and I’m surprised that a twig/ stick falling into the roof would cause a hole.
We are waiting for them to send pictures.
Thanks.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by cichra

Hello, we have a 10 month old Cougar that we took in for normal maintenance. We are being told that there are holes in the roof caused by twigs and sticks. I don't understand why an RV roof would be so fragile; we have been to normal campsites, no off the grid type of camping. The service manager told us that campsites have a lot of trees. Really? They are saying we have to file a claim with our insurance to get a new roof. How do we know that the roof wasn't defective to begin with? How could a 10 month old RV already have holes in the roof? Please advise. Thank you.

Unfortunately it sounds like you haven't looked at the roof, ever. There's no way you can definitively say "it wasn't there, or it was there, before this maintenance. Your warranty requires periodic inspections and sealing (if necessary) of roof seams and protruding objects like tank vents. Pictures are great but I would be visiting the dealer and have them show you the damage. A "twig falling" will not damage an RV roof but a branch dragging across the roof will. Hitting a tree branch is not uncommon if you aren't aware of your trailer height as you typically won't hear it happen inside the truck.

[cichra]

You are correct; I have never looked at the roof but my husband has. He checks to see that there is no debris before pulling the slides in. Yes, he is going to inspect the roof before we decide what to do. As we are new to RVing, you could also be correct that we were unaware of an overhanging branch hitting the roof. However, thinking back to where we have been in the last 10 months, we can’t recall any area where that could occur. Thanks for your suggestion.

[Canonman]

When we first upgraded from our bumper pull to our Cougar 5th wheel I was not used to the extra height. Scraped a few branches before learning to "look up" a little higher
Travel trailers are taller than automobiles and finding a few low hanging branches is pretty common. Most of the time a minor tear or puncture can be repaired. EternaBond is great stuff. That and a tube of Dicore self leveling sealant might be all you need depending on the problem.
https://www.amazon.com/EternaBond-RV...25094148&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Dicor-551LSW1...88948135&psc=1
Welcome to the Forum and Best of Luck with your repairs

[sourdough]

Where is the dealer? If you took it in for maintenance hopefully it's decently close. If mine called and told me something like that the SM and I would be up there on the roof determining what's what. As we see on the forum (and other places) it's hard to determine details from a picture sent over the internet.

Some thoughts; since your husband has been up on the roof he should know if it was torn or not. A tear is pretty obvious. Your Cougar roof can withstand quite a bit of "stuff" but tree limbs won't be one - but he would know that...right? If so what about damage done at the dealership? If he KNOWS it wasn't damaged prior to taking it to them he needs to be there right away and determine what those "holes" look like.

I have had dealerships try to slip damage by me including telling me that a bent awning arm and scrape down the side had to have been there before I brought it to them....yeah, right - they got to repair/replace all that. All that to say you need to have eyes on the situation and keep all possibilities open in your mind. Holes don't "just appear" overnite in an RV roof. Tears are generally obvious as are staples/nails pushing up. As another thought, what was the scope of work they were to be performing?

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by cichra

You are correct; I have never looked at the roof but my husband has. He checks to see that there is no debris before pulling the slides in. Yes, he is going to inspect the roof before we decide what to do. As we are new to RVing, you could also be correct that we were unaware of an overhanging branch hitting the roof. However, thinking back to where we have been in the last 10 months, we can’t recall any area where that could occur. Thanks for your suggestion.

I tore my roof on a tree limb; never sure exactly when it happened but noticed after I was set up at an RV park. I could have sworn I didn't contact a limb but the proof was in the torn roof. I contacted Progressive, my insurance company, and they bought me a new RV-Armor.com roof because a new rubber roof would have cost about the same or a tad more. I paid my deductible and now have a lifetime warranty roof that is MUCH stronger than a rubber roof and requires NO maintenance. I have a 2002 Cougar 5th wheel and the roof warranty transfers with the camper and would be a selling point if I were ever to sell which isn't likely. If you or your husband would like details, drop me a PM.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by cichra

You are correct; I have never looked at the roof but my husband has. He checks to see that there is no debris before pulling the slides in. Yes, he is going to inspect the roof before we decide what to do. As we are new to RVing, you could also be correct that we were unaware of an overhanging branch hitting the roof. However, thinking back to where we have been in the last 10 months, we can’t recall any area where that could occur. Thanks for your suggestion.

It's not only campgrounds that have low hanging tree limbs. I've seen plenty of residential streets that don't have the truck traffic to keep the trees "trimmed". One habit I have when ever taking a camper or a motor vehicle serviced and that's taking photos. That way you have a record of what it looked like when you turned it over to their custody.

Before retirement I traveled extensively and I photo documented rental cars before I took them and when I returned them. One time a rental car agency in ST. Louis sent me an email accusing me of doing several thousand in damages. There was no lot attendant when I dropped the car off so I think whomever damaged the car just figured it would be their word vs mine. Well I emailed them back with the before and after rental pics (each one time & date stamped) and never heard another word. They didn't even have the decency to apologize. Point is, you have to CYA these days more than ever.

[pdaniel]

Originally Posted by cichra

Hello, we have a 10 month old Cougar that we took in for normal maintenance. We are being told that there are holes in the roof caused by twigs and sticks. I don't understand why an RV roof would be so fragile; we have been to normal campsites, no off the grid type of camping. The service manager told us that campsites have a lot of trees. Really? They are saying we have to file a claim with our insurance to get a new roof. How do we know that the roof wasn't defective to begin with? How could a 10 month old RV already have holes in the roof? Please advise. Thank you.

What type of roof? TPO?
Where are the holes and what are the sizes?

You can repair those holes (which the insurance company may only authorize) with eternabond tape and Alpha Systems self leveling seal (if the roof is TPO).
I had some holes and small tears in my roof and used the Eternabond and seal.
Sounds to me the stealership is trying to solicit work.

[foldbak]

If I were you I'd inspect the roof personally. I had a TPO roof replaced under warranty at 2.5 years due to staples coming through. Seems to me you'd know you hit something if it was enough to tear or puncture the TPO.