ATF: Landmark - EDM Roof wrinkles

I recently took delivery of a Landmark San Antonio and notice wrinkles in the rubber roof. Evidenly the membrane was not laid and adhered to the roof very well. Is this a long term problem and can these wrinkles be repaired or smoothed out. This not providing good advertisement for your product because many people have noticed this and are dismayed at how an expensive product like a Landmark can pass any reasonable quality control. Please advise me of my options
Thanks
Dave

Re: ATF: Landmark - EDM Roff wrinkles

A picture of your roof would be helpful. Some wrinkles in the EPDM/TPO roof material is a pretty normal condition. Every RV I have had has had a few roof wrinkles. Unless yours are someting extreme, my first impression without actally seeing them, would be not to worry too much but keep an eye on them to make sure they don't grow larger. Call Heartland Customer Service or email them some pictures just to document the issue during the rigs warranty.

Best Wishes!

I talked to the service department who have seen the wrinkles and they think that are OK. They also said to take pictures and keep track of them with inspections over time. I will also keep Heartland informed for warranty reasons. My extended warranty will not cover the roof and the dealer claims a 12 year warranty by Heartland if I inspect the roof annually for leaks and other problems. EDM roofs are new to me and I am not sure of their long term endurance which cause a little anxiety.

dave10a said:

EDM roofs are new to me and I am not sure of their long term endurance which cause a little anxiety.

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EPDM roofs are quite common on the majority of RV trailers and 5th wheels. Here is a quick info sheet on EPDM and some info I got awhile back off the internet from Dicor (supplier of EPDM for RV roofs).

Re: ATF: Landmark - EDM Roff wrinkles

dealer claims a 12 year warranty by Heartland if I inspect the roof annually for leaks and other problems.

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Don't accept the dealer claim without checking yourself - if he's wrong, he won't stand behind what he told you.

It's more likely that the Dicor roofing material is warranted only against defects in the material for 12 years, with warranty on the material coming from Dicor. As to defects in the installation, Dicor will undoubtedly tell you since they didn't do the install, they can't provide warranty on the install.

Installation of the roof is waranteed for 12 months by Heartland. If you have an installation problem, you'll need Heartland to cover it during your 12 month coach warranty period. Installation of new roofing material can run many thousands of dollars. Obviously, the issue needs to be decided correctly within 12 months.

The good news is that your servicer doesn't think the wrinkles are a problem (and presumably won't be a problem in the future). The bad news is that your servicer doesn't think the wrinkles are a problem (and doesn't think Heartland would pay to replace the roof).

Maybe a 2nd opinion from a different servicer would be helpful.

Re: ATF: Landmark - EDM Roff wrinkles

Thanks for the information. I will try and get Heatland to make an official and binding decision for the furture. I think the wrinkles are cause by poor installation.

Re: ATF: Landmark - EDM Roff wrinkles

dave10a said:

I think the wrinkles are cause by poor installation.

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May be a contributing factor but it happens with every manufacturer using rubber/vinyl roofing materials and seems to be a "normal" condition. "Solvents in the adhesives, which are not allowed to evaporate, cause distortions or bubbles. The wet adhesive distresses the membrane causing wrinkles. Depending on the substrate and the amount of wet adhesive, bubbles or distortions in the membrane may eventually be absorbed by the membrane and disappear." Mine never did but they also never got worse (knock on wood).

Best Wishes!

dave10a said:

I talked to the service department who have seen the wrinkles and they think that are OK. They also said to take pictures and keep track of them with inspections over time. I will also keep Heartland informed for warranty reasons. My extended warranty will not cover the roof and the dealer claims a 12 year warranty by Heartland if I inspect the roof annually for leaks and other problems. EDM roofs are new to me and I am not sure of their long term endurance which cause a little anxiety.

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The roof warranty is on the roofing fabric only. No labor, no sealants and I believe it is also pro-rated besides. Does not require inspections although it should be done a couple times a year in my opinion. The cost of the roofing material is relatively small compared to the entire cost of a new roof. This "roof warranty' is almost useless in reality but it sure gets pushed by the dealers as if it's a big deal. You can do your own inspections by just checking the sealant on all the seams and touching them up as needed. I have never seen a RV roof without a few wrinkles. I wouldn't worry about them at all....Don

Take pictures and contact Heartland Warranty Dept. directly, you may get different (better) answers then having the dealer contact them on your behalf. Send them pics, and explain the situation. Don't blame anyone, just explain what has happened. They may be able to guide you to a satisfactory solution.

Erika

I've been on my new (4 months) Big Horn roof a couple times and see no wrinkles ('sound of knocking on wood') ....

Whe I first bought my 2010 BH it had several wrinkles in the roof. When I questioned about it, they told me it was normal and not to worry about it. Now two years later those wrinkles have turned into bubbles. I am now sorry I didn't push the issue back then because now nobody will help and I'm on my own with a mess that I believe was a result of poor installation.

Dan, this may help your bubbles. In '82 we bought a new Buick with a padded top. First trip over the passes to Eastern Washington and back, a couple of huge bubbles appeared in the roof. Took it in to the dealer and the service manager came out with a hypodermic needle and let the air out. No more bubbles and we went over much higher passes after that. It was about the only thing he did right but that is another story.

Since this is ask the "ask the factory" thread, where are their comments? It is possible that the surface was not "prepped" properly which causes the glue not to adhere properly. I think it a twist of logic to believe wrinkles and bubbles are normal without real factual reasoning with test results to back them up.

Dave,
What was the outcome? I have a similar problem and was wondering what the resolution was to your problem? Thanks....

Re: ATF: Landmark - EDM Roff wrinkles

No resolution the dealer claims that they can't do anything because Landmark considers it normal. I checked other Landmarks at various RV shows and found that many have wrinkles. Mine are not too bad, but some others were much worse. I don't know the the manufacturing process Heartland adheres to, but I intend to find out when I visit their plant in a few weeks on my way back home. I did not make an issue of this with the dealer because I simply don't trust their workmanship.

Re: ATF: Landmark - EDM Roff wrinkles

Dave,
Thanks for the reply. I have wrinkles as well on my new Big Country and am concerned. I would be very interested in what the factory tells you. Thank again...
Greg...