Preventitive Maintenance Caulking

We had a similar condition on our previous Bighorn and just wanted to check for caulk on our new one. Guess what "no caulk"! Job takes about 15 minutes and will save you a world of grief later.

Remove the end caps on your slides and check for caulking on the 45 degree cuts. Fill the gaps and replace the caps.

The time spent now will save costly repairs in the future.

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Wow good catch, thanks for the info, I almost hate to check, our coach is 4 years old now.

Although this is not as separated at the 45 degree cuts as our previous Bighorn, there is always a cause for concern. Check out our previous post on this condition HERE.

Thanks for the heads up.
I get to have fun this August getting the old stuff off and something better to seal it up with, from your link I'll probably head that route.

Thanks again!

ParkIt said:

Thanks for the heads up.
I get to have fun this August getting the old stuff off and something better to seal it up with, from your link I'll probably head that route.

Thanks again!

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Most of the factory applied caulk (other than the self-leveling Dicor on the roof) can be easily removed with a small plastic paint scraper. I've also used a flexible metal one, with the corners rounded with a file to remove it. With a little caution, it's easier than you think.

JohnDar said:

Most of the factory applied caulk (other than the self-leveling Dicor on the roof) can be easily removed with a small plastic paint scraper. I've also used a flexible metal one, with the corners rounded with a file to remove it. With a little caution, it's easier than you think.

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I still keep a stock of plastic grout removers, they have the rounded corners on them to keep me from using a utility knife (yea, that could be bad news). Doesn't mean my smaller putty scrapers don't see the light of day though but it did take Grandpa a couple of years to teach me how and when to use them.

Grandpa was the King of marine and TT maintenance. He knew us kids were free labor

Guess we can't assume anything with these RV 's as they are sort of mass produced and I think they depend on the new owner to fine tune the assembly.Its almost like luck of the draw,what will require repairs.Its all got to do with safety and government involvement but an RV is not an automobile and probably no one will die if the roof leaks.I think these dealers have to show more higher quality standards but is the consumer willing to pay.

So , I check my caulking frequently. If I see anything I don't like, I fix it. You can do that or grind your chops about how crappy the HL QC is.

JohnDar said:

So , I check my caulking frequently. If I see anything I don't like, I fix it. You can do that or grind your chops about how crappy the HL QC is.

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Aw come on John, we all know every SOB out there has the same problems...that anyone will admit to anyway

I remember when slides were introduced on a mass scale. Used to see delaminated side walls on the entire side of the unit, crumpled corners and U shape droop of a slide. Some would just fall out tooling down a smooth freeway.
Fun times...

ParkIt said:

Aw come on John, we all know every SOB out there has the same problems...that anyone will admit to anyway

I remember when slides were introduced on a mass scale. Used to see delaminated side walls on the entire side of the unit, crumpled corners and U shape droop of a slide. Some would just fall out tooling down a smooth freeway.
Fun times...

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I was being sarcastic. If you don't or won't due regular inspection and PM on your rig, stuff will happen. For the most part, my rig is as about as good as it gets. Not perfect, but what is?

JohnDar said:

I was being sarcastic. If you don't or won't due regular inspection and PM on your rig, stuff will happen. For the most part, my rig is as about as good as it gets. Not perfect, but what is?

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This is what happens when two sarcasms post on the same topic

Doesn't matter what you are talking about when something is built; stick and brick, has wheels, uses gas or propane...everything has to have routine maintenance or it isn't going to last.
My Grandparents had their Airstream for about 20 years and used to do the caravan for four months traveling from Canada to Mexico and round the states. They never had a problem for two reasons...Grandpa was always checking the trailer and tow car and if he found something, he'd fix it himself. Back then if they had a warranty it was simple and short, you were responsible for checking it and more often than not repairing it.

Sometimes I wonder if we overshot the mark on beauty vs the beast.