Plywood shift under roof membrane

Thoughts and/or Opinions

Our camper is at CW for all the warranty work. One of the items I pointed out was movement in the roof at a seam towards the front cap (about 1 foot off). This is the response from CW re: the problem.

"He said the roof seam seems to be caused by a slight shift in the plywood used on the roof underneath the membrane. He said although it doesn’t happen all the time, it is not entirely uncommon and that the concern arises when the bubbling separates from the plywood, which in this case it does not. The way it sits, the front panel is raised slightly rather than the second panel so it maintains the aerodynamics and should not have a further issue due to constant wind contact trying to lift it up. He is going to submit it through warranty so that in the very least it is documented. He is unsure if they will approve it as the membrane is still taught and he can see no further issue, but we will sure try."

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I would take some pictures and forward to Heartland for their review.I don’t believe a lot of people have a lot of faith in some of the work or responses from CW service departments.
You will need to have your Vin number when calling Heartland.
The response from CW about aerodynamics etc gives me a not so warm and fuzzy feeling that they know what is wrong and trying to baffle you with some doo doo.

What CW said is more than DOO DOO!! Even with hip boots it would be hard to walk though being that deep.

Can you post a picture? I am having a hard time picturing this. If one of the wood underlayment panels is raised up higher than another underneath the rubber material, that's not correct, period. But whether it's an urgent need to fix or not, is up to Heartland. I would contact them directly with your photos, and request a repair center that has a strong reputation for this type of repair.

TravelTiger said:

Can you post a picture? I am having a hard time picturing this. If one of the wood underlayment panels is raised up higher than another underneath the rubber material, that's not correct, period. But whether it's an urgent need to fix or not, is up to Heartland. I would contact them directly with your photos, and request a repair center that has a strong reputation for this type of repair.

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I am unable to get a picture of the roof as our camper is at CW for a laundry list of warranty repairs. I will do my best to describe it. I added it to my list the 2nd or 3rd time we had the camper out. I was up on the roof sweeping off the leaves and realized there was movement at this particular seam. Imagine if you were to face the side of the camper with one foot to the left of the seam and one foot on the right. Put your left foot down you can feel the movement. Lift your left foot up and the roof comes up. I would say maybe 1/2 of an inch. There is not that movement to the right of the seam or at any of the other seam on the roof.

Before I call Heartland, I am waiting to see if CW determined if the spot on the interior is also a shift in the plywood used for the sub floor. There is a 1 foot+ spot in front of the entertainment center that developed early on under the linoleum. It runs parallel to the entertainment center, the same direction of the seam we have a problem with on the roof. However, this seam is a little further back than the roof seam.

We have a M32.

UPDATE: Re: Plywood shift under roof membrane

Spoke with Heartland (once again, what an incredible company to deal with) regarding the plywood shift under our roof membrane.

Heartland says NO to CW response! Heartland states it is a relatively easy fix as the 12-18 inches on the sides are not adhered. The tech can go from each side with a long glue gun to properly tack the panel down. Even though it will probably not reach the center, there should be enough to properly secure the panel.

If this fix does not work, and it fails after my 1 year warranty, will Heartland stand behind it?


And the spot on the interior is a drill bit that was left behind and covered by the linoleum.

Re: UPDATE: Re: Plywood shift under roof membrane

klp605 said:

If this fix does not work, and it fails after my 1 year warranty, will Heartland stand behind it?

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If Heartland provides direction on how to fix the problem, and CW executes correctly, but it doesn't work, I'm pretty sure Heartland will stand behind their direction after warranty expires.

If CW doesn't follow instructions and their work is at fault, it gets dicier. No manufacturer wants to pay the service people a second time if it's the service people making the mistake. Heartland might still stand behind it, but they also might expect CW to cover the second repair.