M-22 Exterior Delamination

ccsada

Member
Wondering if anyone else is experiencing delamination on the exterior just below the forward corner of the slide? I can't attach photos as I am a new user.

We factory ordered our 2011 model M22 last year and picked it up in April. After taking it out of storage this spring and upon washing the trailer I observed the delamination just below the slide. It starts at the corner of the slide cutout and runs down to the bottom of the trailer in a ice cream cone shape. I was 1 month past the the 1 year warranty so I quickly emailed Heartland with photos.

Heartland replied that if it is a delamination they will cover the damage however if it is water damage there is no warranty. My worry is that its right below the seals for the slide so there is definitely potential for the damage to be caused by water. However if this is the case than maybe there is a problem with the seal system design for the slide.

I called the service department at my local dealer to get them to look at it. They informed me that in order to assess if the damage is from water or a factory defect is to inspect the damaged area by actually disassembling the damaged area, which could take up to half a day. This inspection would be at my cost and not covered under warranty with is estimated at approx $600.00. This doesn't include repairing the damage! The dealership informed my that usually water makes its way in through screws that hold in moldings and seals as often the screws are not properly sealed at factory.

Generally we love the trailer. It pulls fantastic with our Ridgeline and the layout suits our family. I did have some small warranty issues but they were quickly resolved to my satisfaction. I just hope that this delamination is an isolated issue.
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
ccsada, At this point, the best you can do is send pictures to the factory. Also, try to respond to a few more threads here on the forum so you can reach a status that allows you to post pictures. If it is from water intrusion, a decent body shop may be able to clean it up and do something to prevent further problems. I hope everything works out for you.
 

ccsada

Member
Thanks for the response. I am now able to attach photos and have included a couple.

I have sent pictures to Heartland and their position is until it can be verified if its water damage or not there is little they are willing to do. I did take it to a body shop today for a quote and they figured the repair could be made for around $300.00 depending on how extensive the damage really is. He also stated he didn't think it appeared to be from water damage but couldn't be certain.

At this point my cheapest option by far is to take it to a body shop for repairs as spending the money for the dealer to determine if the damage is from water or not is more expensive and doesn't address the repair. The only risk is if the damage is worse than it appears the body shop repairs could skyrocket and I could lose out on dealer support and warranty should there need to be more extensive repairs.

As I said before I hope this is an isolated incident which is why I was wondering if anyone else has had the same problem. Hopefully this is the case as I really do like the trailer. The good part is at least the delamination is in an area that is not eye grabbing and not an eyesore.
 

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Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
I'm no expert but from that angle it doesn't appear to be from water intrusion. I'm guessing they'll cut the skin and open it up enough to put in some adhesive, close it up and resurface. Should be an easy fix.
 

charlie51

Active Member
If you end up letting the body shop fix it post some pictures of the after look please. I have 2 spots like that on my 2009 Sundance. 1 is below the vent for the fridge on the left side of the TT. The other is below my black tank flush inlet. If it is fixed and unnoticeable i may check into that as well. Good Luck.
 
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