4200 side patio issues

[jam20ster]

Has anyone had issues with the side patio and stress cracks in the fiberglass? I have had mine only a week and have already noticed stress cracks in the bottom right of patio just where the aluminum trim is bolted on.

I called heartland directly and they said the to send picks and they would contact Lippert and start a warranty claim. Hopefully this won't be an on going problem.

It very well could have been there before I purchased and I just didn't notice.

 

[BLHFUN]

Been there, done that.. Be glad you don't have a full body paint with scrolls. Both my back door and side patio separated and had to be replaced. It's likely the glue used between the laminate and plywood failed. I'm surprised to see a 16' 4200 with the support leg having this issue. Extensive conversations with lippert over this issue and I assumed they fixed the problem. Full body paint, means it's going back to the factory. I had two dealers bid the job at around 20k. Yes, 20,000.00. For the side door alone.

 

[Jim-Lynn]

I just had my side patio door replaced a few weeks ago. When it was open, it was all delaminated and full of water. The rear was OK. It was a quick fit but never thought it was worth that much. I know Lippert makes the doors for Heartland, this must be costing them a ton of money.

Jim

 

[Power-Stroke]

Jim-

What do you mean by "full of water"?

Jay

 

[Jim-Lynn]

When the patio was set up & we walked on it, it was "mushy". There was water trapped under the flooring. They replaced the complete patio.

 

[Power-Stroke]

That's what I thought you meant! I'm glad to know they covered the replacement; do you know if they ever diagnosed the cause?

 

[tomsws6]

Guess , ill need to check when I get off work... Ours is set up so I haven't even looked at the underside of it in awhile..

 

[Jim-Lynn]

That's what I thought you meant! I'm glad to know they covered the replacement; do you know if they ever diagnosed the cause?

Heartland does not make the side patio or rear ramp door. They are manufactured by Lippert & to my understanding they have had very few issues.

 

[Jim-Lynn]

Just needed to update on the July discussions we were having on the side patio. WELL like Bart, my rear one has started to delaminate & will be switched out. Our dealer is 4 hours away, but are looking after us. They contacted Heartland and after quite a few photos of the problem areas, and the decals, apparently the new door is on the way the Canada. Now Bart, you know the cost of the door, I can not imagine the shipping and duty coming to the GREAT white north. After all this, we still love the rig.

Jim

 

[BLHFUN]

After all this, we still love the rig.

Jim

Ditto - Love my Rig.

 

[ndmac]

Mine is doing similar thing. I noticed fingers in the door laminations and the aluminum angle under the hinges rolling and separating on each end, then I looked closer and the frame under the hinges is failing.
Local Heartland service center came out and is contacting them about replacement. Glad to hear Lippert/Heartland standing behind these.
Side note: My side deck has never been out during inclement weather so I was surprised it failed this early. (7-8 months since I bought it.)

 

[ndmac]

I just had my side patio door replaced a few weeks ago. When it was open, it was all delaminated and full of water. The rear was OK. It was a quick fit but never thought it was worth that much. I know Lippert makes the doors for Heartland, this must be costing them a ton of money.

Jim

Jim,
Can you elaborate on how they replaced yours? Did you have to take it to Factory, Dealer or send it to you?

 

[Jim-Lynn]

ndmac; I was at the National Rally in Indiana in June and the service techs from Heartland noticed the side deck. They looked after it there. The rear deck is looked after from my dealer. We send Heartland a photo of the decal on the rear door, they decal up the new one and ship it complete. Since the side deck was replaced, we have not had any issues. Between our dealer and Heartland they were BOTH great to deal with.

 

[ndmac]

ndmac; I was at the National Rally in Indiana in June and the service techs from Heartland noticed the side deck. They looked after it there. The rear deck is looked after from my dealer. We send Heartland a photo of the decal on the rear door, they decal up the new one and ship it complete. Since the side deck was replaced, we have not had any issues. Between our dealer and Heartland they were BOTH great to deal with.

Thanks Jim.
My tech was not sure how they might handle it.
Sounds like they might send it to dealer for us.

 

[OptimusPrime]

Has anyone had issues with the side patio and stress cracks in the fiberglass? I have had mine only a week and have already noticed stress cracks in the bottom right of patio just where the aluminum trim is bolted on.

I called heartland directly and they said the to send picks and they would contact Lippert and start a warranty claim. Hopefully this won't be an on going problem.

It very well could have been there before I purchased and I just didn't notice.

We are currently working with Heartland to bring ours into their service center for side deck replacement and a couple of decals replaced on our 2016 Cyclone 4200HD. The side deck is mushy. We rarely have the rear patio deck down so I'll make sure we double check that. We don't want to use our dealer as we have had to many issues with the work they have done there. We have had to redo almost everything the dealer touched. That's another story though! Heartland has always been excellent to work with for us! We love our unit and have absolutely no regrets purchasing it. We have been full-time with the youngest of our five daughters since December 18, 2015. Again, we love, love, love our Cyclone!!

 

[jam20ster]

Sorry I haven't been on the forum for a while. I did eventually get the door replaced under warranty. The door shipped fast, however it was a joke that they took almost 2 more months to send the proper decals. They sent my every decal for every color they made before I finally got the right ones. I sent them picture after picture. Finally they got it right.

I haven't noticed any mushyiness (if thats even a word) on either of the patios we have had. We are currently full timing in ours and leave the patio open 24/7. I am one of those people though that is constantly inspecting everything as I worry about the little details. This has saved me many a time, but drives my wife crazy!

 

[jam20ster]

I guess I spoke to soon. After 3 months with the new patio door we noticed the floor is bowing up in the middle. When walking on it, it gives, from what must be water damage. I did contact Lippert directly since I am now out of warranty thru Heartland, and they informed me the new door has a 1 year part warranty (got lucky again).

This new door is going straight to the local truck accessory shop to be sprayed with rhino liner before being installed.

 

[1994tiger]

Took mine to dealer last week of September. Heartland said they would send new door as long as I paid for labor. First they sent rear patio door. Had to send back. Then sent side door. Then took forever to get decals. Sent decals but not all of them. This process took over six months. Finally got my camper back in April.

 

[Rigman123]

The side patio ramp is made from a foam core and 1/8" luan plywood on both sides. Luan is not water resistant and will rot shortly after being exposed to water thus leaving you with no structural integrity at all. I have a 2016 cyclone 4250 we bought 4 months ago in perfect condition and with the patio ramp left open for 3 months, the flooring is already going soft.

If Lippert would imbed all the fasteners in a waterproof caulking like 3M 4200, there would never be a problem. If they would use a better material than luan plywood there would never be a problem. This is a lot like boats which have a balsa wood core on deck and if all fasteners are not properly bedded in calk the balsa will rot quickly.

Im going to inject Git Rot epoxy into my soft area to harden up whats left of the luan plywood.

I like the idea of covering entire surface in truck bed liner to seal up everything. I will buy the DIY stuff and roll in on . If this doesn't work, I will find a better composite board that does not use wood. They make this stuff for the marine industry.

 

[Sowie]

I agree with Rigman123 that the main cause is the bolts not being sealed up. I believe the main ones of concern are the handles that bolt through the deck material. If you notice the inside has a torx head type of bolt that is actually hollow. The end of the bolt is supposed to plug the hole up. Mine swelled up just below the handle and when I took the handle off it had rust around the outside of it. The bolts going through the aluminum frame are a little better off as any water runs down the inside of the channel and out the bottom when it is closed. I noticed how all of this works when I drilled the holes to reinstall the brackets for the railing on my new door. I too am having rhino liner sprayed on both my patio and ramp doors covering all of the torx nuts. As a bonus to fix how hot the black deck can get I chose to use a light gray color. The cost is about $300/door. Well worth it if it does the job.