concerns about slide roof tape

Hello all! I am new to the forum and the potential new owner of a 2010 2998 sundance bunkhouse. We put money down on it last week but they are going through it doing a full prep for us before we take it home. So I do not have it now and still have my Jayco in hand.

During my "inspection" of the unit while on the lot, I climbed on the room and walked around. I noticed on the dinette slide there were 3 small bubbles and the tape that must act as a seal was somewhat pulled up. Just looked like it was a bit aged and needed to be replaced. The bubbles were in the center of the slide. Again, they are pretty small (2x3) or so. There is no delamination anywhere on the unit. Believe me.... I know delamination because my jayco is shot! Previous owner didn't take care of it at all and I didn't know what to look for when I bought it! But I have gone over this camper with a fine tooth and comb and this is the only area of concern for the most part. If the dealer was going to retape that edge would you be hesitant to purchase this unit? The dealer said it was normal. It did sit out all summer on the lot and it was extremely hot in Illinois this summer! So I can somewhat believe what this guy is saying plus from what I have read it may be a bit normal. I don't have pictures...sorry. The rest of the roof looks good. The camper was only used 5 times in 2011 and the guy traded it in on a bunkhouse with a outdoor kitchen. Only reason for trade was to upgrade.

I guess the other area of concern was in the bunkhouse. There is a window that is the emergency exit. The kids had it open one time when it rained and the wallpaper is wrinkled. The dealer said there is no damage structurally and he can straighten the wallpaper. He said the walls are all aluminum. I can't hardly believe that! If water got in there, doesn't it wrinkle the luan that the wallpaper is glued to? Is there anything deeper in the wall that can soak up the water and cause problems. I have no problem walking away from teh deal, but if it is fixable I want to repair it. I was hoping someone could fill me in on the structure of the walls. My concern is if water got in and there is evidence on the wallpaper, could it be deeper in the wall and eventually cause delamination from the interior of the wall.

I have always in the past had older units and battled various issues. I am sick and tired of fixing other peoples mistakes and want to purchase a newer unit that will provide us several years of reliable service. That is why I am asking questions. If the roof slide isn't a major concern to anybody and feel like replacing the tape and making sure all the seals are good before we leave the dealership is a good ideal, I will still get it. The paneling in the bunk is a bigger concern for us. I understand how that can happen and it is a honest mistake with rain, but if it has the potential to be a structure problem, I will run away from the deal. The guy said they stuck some tester in the wall that senses moisture and said it was dry. I want to see that test done again in front of my own eyes!

Tell me if I am right or wrong please!!!

Looking forward to more conversation with everyone!

Todd

Hi Todd,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. I'm sure you'll find a lot of useful information here as well as a bunch of friendly people who are willing to share their knowledge and experience.

I think you're asking good questions, and your skepticism over the dealer's answers is probably appropriate given that most sales people work on commission.

I might be misunderstanding your description regarding the top of the dinette slideout. It sounds like you're describing a slideout with a rubber top that has bubbles in the rubber, and some kind of sealing tape that's loose. I'm not familiar with Sundance construction, but I wouldn't have expected that. Hopefully a Sundance owner will jump in with help.

On the wallpaper issue, I would think you could run your fingers over the wrinked area to feel the wall underneath for warping. If it's just the paper, I'd expect it the wall itself to feel ok. All aluminum walls? Again, I'm not sure, but I would think aluminum framing is more likely. If there's no damage other than to the wallpaper, maybe checking for residual moisture would be sufficient. But I'd also take a very hard look at caulking all around the area and on the roof.

I'm sure others will offer their opinions shortly.

I have a 2012 3300ck and our 3 slides have no bubbles on the top of them. Do you mean that debris or something seems to be underneath? I have a few bubbles/wrinkles on the main roof but that seems to be normal because from what I understand the EPDM is not completely glued down. As for sealing tape, I am not sure. I'll climb up on top when I get home and take a pic or 2 to post.


Steve
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Yes. I have sealing tape where the slide roof meets the outside of the slide. Can't upload a pic right now.


Steve
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picture is sideways. Right side is the side away from the rig.


Steve
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I have an '06 big Horn 3600RL with 4 slides. I replaced the sealing tape at the end of last season because it had bubbles and was starting to curl at some of the edges. It pulled up rather easily, and then the surface was cleaned and dried. After that process new tape was laid down. The biggest issues was the coast of the tape. It is very expensive. Perhaps the dealer would replace the tape if it was a deal maker. Good luck.

We have Sundance 2998 RB.I have no bubbles on top of slides. I left a window open one evening. Got some rain in but most ran out the weep holes to the outside. Got carpet wet but didn't cause paper to wrinkle.

Thanks for the info guys. I looked at it again last night and talked to the guy. He said if there were any concerns, he would take care of me. With that being said, I think we are going to move forward with the purchase on Saturday. REally looking forward to getting into a good trailer!!

Hopefully you don't hear from me too often, but I am sure there will be some small questions along the way.

Tweitekamp said:

Thanks for the info guys. I looked at it again last night and talked to the guy. He said if there were any concerns, he would take care of me. With that being said, I think we are going to move forward with the purchase on Saturday. REally looking forward to getting into a good trailer!!

Hopefully you don't hear from me too often, but I am sure there will be some small questions along the way.

Click to expand...

Try to take someone who knows about rvs because a salesman will tell you what you want to hear

I'd suggest having the dealer replace the tape before you close the deal - ours has curled tape on two slides and needs to be replaced.

My guess is the roof wasn't clean at the factory when the tape was originally installed since ours also has bubbles.

Mike