Crack in fiberglass above rear slide DS

[gedwards1149]

Hi all, I have a 2016 Cougar 303RLS that has developed a crack. I called a repair shop and there plan would be to remove paneling inside the rv and repair a frame weld, then do the repair on the fiberglass. They don’t know when they’ll be able to get to it so I’m thinking of removing the paneling myself OR cutting through the Filon and luan to expose the frame crack (if there is one) and putting in a new piece and repairing and painting the area. Any suggestions on which method would be best? I’ll have it professionally welded if there is a crack. Open to any advice. Thanks.

 

[RJS3791RD]

Sorry to learn of your situation. We had a crack in the wall on a front slide last year. I am a big DIY person and complete most of my own repairs (disc brake conversions, water heaters and electrical). After reading the repair process and seeing how the repairs were made, I would never attempt this repair myself. All of my repairs were done from the outside. It would suspect it will definitely require some welding as well as some additional reinforcement of the walls and then the outside finish work.

Good luck!

 

[chuckster57]

When I worked in an RV collision shop, we did all the repair work from the exterior. We cut the filon in the middle of the framing so we would have something to anchor the repair to, or we would add a piece of wood to create a base for the seam. It’s not for the average DIYer but is doable.

 

[wiredgeorge]

Can't say I can recall a crack in the location the OP shows us in his images. Most of the cracks are towards the front on the driver side and on units with east/west slideouts in the bedroom. A local RV seller had a wonderful shape Holiday Rambler 5th wheel with a bedroom slideout and it had the crack below and just to the front of that slideout in the location I noted previously. Walked away fast. And it was one of the nicest, reasonably priced 5th wheels we have seen; everything else looked new.

 

[CUTiger80]

I have several similar cracks in my 2019 Montana. It is probably due to what the industry calls frame flex except it generally has nothing to do with the frame. It is a result of welds breaking loose where the wall structure is attached to the frame. We have one at the front on the ODS where the nose transitions and 2 above the slides on the same side. Keystone is picking it up to have repaired at the factory.

 

[JRTJH]

I have several similar cracks in my 2019 Montana. It is probably due to what the industry calls frame flex except it generally has nothing to do with the frame. It is a result of welds breaking loose where the wall structure is attached to the frame. We have one at the front on the ODS where the nose transitions and 2 above the slides on the same side. Keystone is picking it up to have repaired at the factory.

Interesting that Keystone is repairing your trailer. It's a 2019 model, so it's 5 or 6 years old, clearly out of warranty, so can you share some of the circumstances on how you navigated that kind of repair???? Thanks

 

[CUTiger80]

Interesting that Keystone is repairing your trailer. It's a 2019 model, so it's 5 or 6 years old, clearly out of warranty, so can you share some of the circumstances on how you navigated that kind of repair???? Thanks

We originally took it to Affinity RV in Goshen IN in October to have them evaluate it. They took all of the necessary measurements, photos, etc. and sent to Keystone. They have been known to cover all or part of the repairs. We also had a “floor crowning” issue that was out of spec. After returning home I got a call from Keystone indicating that they were covering the repairs and transportation to/from SC.
If you suspect that you have a frame flex problem I would highly recommend that you get in touch with Keystone and Tammy at Affinity and send them photos. And, even if it takes several days to get there, go to Affinity to have the repairs done. They are super nice people and are the experts in making these repairs and know who to talk to at Keystone to expedite the process.
Keystone is picking ours up in June for the repairs and we are planning to go pick it up in order to confirm that there are no issues with the repairs.
Good luck!!

 

[JRTJH]

CUTiger80,​

That's great news. I'm glad to see some positive comments about a dealership AND about Keystone RV company. Many times, it's all "generalized negative comments" such as "Keystone RV doesn't care" or "Don't buy a Keystone, the warranty is not worth the paper it's printed on".... It's good to see reports of a dealership that does report accurate, detailed facts about a problem and Keystone's response to such dealer involvement. Too many times, a dealer will simply report, "Fiberglass cracked above the slide" and with nothing more than that, Keystone has nothing to confirm what really is the problem, so they have no alternative other than to "protect the investor's investments".

I can say that EVERY warranty issue with our Cougar has been met by Keystone with positive results, even the ones that were found after the warranty expired (although during the first few months after expiration). Keystone has been very responsive and helpful with all the communications I've had with the company and with my dealership. I can't say the same for some other dealerships around this area and ones we've shopped during our travels...

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[Rayco]

I am pleased to hear people have had good experiences with Keystone supporting the warranty and even post-warranty. We just came over to Keystone after owning 3 Jayco's and 2 Coleman's before that. Our Pennsylvania dealer (Fretz RV) was phenomenal in getting Jayco to cover issues with our 3 Jayco units. My experience has been be kind to your dealer's service people and they will do great work for you!

 

[jxnbbl]

I am pleased to hear people have had good experiences with Keystone supporting the warranty and even post-warranty. We just came over to Keystone after owning 3 Jayco's and 2 Coleman's before that. Our Pennsylvania dealer (Fretz RV) was phenomenal in getting Jayco to cover issues with our 3 Jayco units. My experience has been be kind to your dealer's service people and they will do great work for you!

In reading many of these I've found that if you have a 'good dealer' that documents real trailer problems and acts as your advocate...they are usually covered. Getting that work done schedule wise is usually the problem.