Crack Found on Slide

Getting ready for our 3 month trip and while applying 303 I noticed a small hairline crack in the skin on the slide. About 4'up and 5" over from the entrance door slide. Don't think this will hurt our trip. The crack looks to be about 3" long. How would one go about fixing this without going to a dealer. Don't know if it's a surface crack or what but since I've noticed it, I want it fixed. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Gosh Frank, sorry to hear about Lil Guy's ouchie. Didn't anyone ever tell you to never wash or wax your own cars and RVs, there are always imperfections and now you know. Now that that is out of the way, look for someone in your area who does fiberglass work and talk to them. Most dealer's will just take it to someone else, they don't do fiberglass work. I put a big gash in the door of my SOB one time and when I took it into the dealer's for some electrical work I asked the mechanic if they did fiberglass work and he said yes, but they took to someplace else to get it done. Then he told me where to take it, and they did real good work, you could not tell it had ever been scratched. Also talk to boat dealers, boats get lots of fiberglass damage and the boat dealer just may have someone who does it, or he could send it to the same place the RV dealer will. Hope you enjoy your trip, keep us posted.

George

I haven't contacted HL yet. Thought if I could find out what the material is I'm dealing with, I'd fix it myself. Very minor, just don't like knowing it's there. Even thought about putting some clear fingernail polish over it in case water could seep through it. It's a hairline crack. Hate to put a bandaid on it.lol Thanks for the reply George.

I would look for flexing in the side wall or a broken weld causing the crack. It is something deeper than just the crack.

hoefler said:

I would look for flexing in the side wall or a broken weld causing the crack. It is something deeper than just the crack.

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Frank, Hoefler is correct, something had to cause it, it is getting stress from something. Mine on the SOB was when I turned too sharp and rubbed against a mail box. All the damage to my boats was usually hitting the dock, etc.

George

This hairline crack is on the outside wall of the slide, not the side of it. I don't see how stress could have caused it. It's a very thin line. What would be a temp fix so I can take our trip. Don't know if water can get into it or not.

If only worried about water seepage. Gorilla tape is awesome and it comes in different colors.


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Chuck, Victoria, and Miss Callie

Frank, take close up pix and send them to HL service now. I am unclear as to the crack location. Is it on the slide wall itself or on the slide opening wall? Either way....something is putting stress on the fiberglass causing a stress crack.

Bob is correct. You have a warranty and it may be covered. The material is fiberglass with Gel-Coat. Anything other than tape may make the repair harder to do. But if it is a hairline crack, they may have to open it up more to do a proper repair. Gorilla tape will seal it and not come off by itself.

You have to look close to see the crack. Is is very slight. On lower right of pic is the front flashing about eye high on outside face of slide, not the side of it.

I once used awning tape (it is a clear cellophane tape) to cover a hairline crack until I got it fixed. I just wanted to seal it from water intrusion. The awning tape is very sticky and held up very well under all weather conditions.

Thanks Jim. I'll do that till I get back. I talked to HL and am sending them pics to try to determine the cause. Going to let it go tillwe get back in the end of September. Thanks for the replies.

Spoke to James at HL customer service to get advice on quick fix before our 3 month trip. He seemed concerned as to the cause and requested pics of the small cracks. Without going into details of the conversation, He was extremely nice and professional. I have no doubt that HL will stand behind any issues that may arise. Thanks in advance to HL customer service.

The crack in our '16 BH3750 was from a previous repair at the factory before shipping, it has been a nightmare, hope yours goes smoother than ours.