Fiberglass bubble on slideout

[Silverado23]

I am in the process of purchasing a new(unused) 2010 North Trail travel trailer.

I am working with the dealer with a few issues but have come across a issue the dealer is saying is normal.
The problem is what appears to be a delamination bubble in the fiberglass in the between the dinette and sofa windows in the slide-out. The bubble is near the top of the slide out and extends down about 1 foot and is approximately 3 inches wide at the top and tapers down to about 1 inch at the bottom of the area in question. The fiberglass is raised in this area about 1/8" or so. I havea photo of this area. When you press on the area it flexs somewhat.

The techs at the dealer is saying that this is normal and not delamination and says all trailers have this. I am skeptical that this is normal as I looked at a number of fiberglass sided trailers at this dealer both new and used. although you can see an outline somewhat of the aluminum frame below the fiberglass, I found nothing that resembles the area in question or that flexes when pressed.

Any one have any ideas if this is normal?

 

[jimtoo]

Hi Silverado23,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

From your description this does not sound normal. I would suggest you post pictures after you make another post for more opinions.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

 

[JohnDar]

I agree with Jim, that is not normal. Sounds more like delamination of the wall board outer covering is taking place.

 

[PeternLiane]

I agree too. It sounds more like delamination then anything else. We saw this on a couple of the new wilderness trailers too. We were told that this was normal. But after years of owning and looking at trailers it couldn't be normal.

 

[dougw]

I have one In My front b.r. slideout about the size you discribe. I would agree that this is not normal and you will have decide if the deal is worth it or not. Just don't sign anything till its fixed, not after or it might never get done. I decided to leave mine for now with the hopes it won't grow and that fixing it won't make it worse.

Good luck
doug

 

[Silverado23]

Thanks for the feedback,  I am glad to hear that others think that the delamination is the most likely issue.<br>I sent an email on to Heartland Customer Service for them to consider also.  I will post pics as soon as I can.<br>

 

[TravelTiger]

Talking to HL is your best bet. Send lots of pics. Even if out of warranty, talk to HL to make sure it's not a defective wall panel.

E

 

[Silverado23]

Here are photos of the fiberglass area in question.
The general area is above the window line between the two windows.

 

[jmgratz]

Call HL Customer Service and have your vin handy. They will steer you in the right direction. Looks like a defect to me.

 

[TravelTiger]

Silverado,

Those look similar to the delam we had. Ours was about 2 feet long, about 4" across. Just appeared suddenly during the hot hot summer in Texas. Here is my thread. If it was water damage, Heartland told us they would not be able to help us, as caulking around the windows is an owner-maintenance issue. However, when the saw the pics, it was determined they were willing to help. HL never said why they offered to fix, but I am happy they chose to be generous outside of the 1 year warranty.

I would talk to HL and see if they feel this is a defect. Can you get some pics of the slide-out roof? Regardless, I'd make sure it was fixed before I purchased.

 

[jayc]

Have you bought this unit yet? If so, follow the others direction and call Customer Service. If not, have the dealer take care of the problem before you put your name on the dotted line.

 

[Silverado23]

No. We have not signed off yet. Most of this came up during our PDI. The dealer and techs keep saying it is normal. But I don't think it is. Thank you for everyone's input. Most of the other issues have been resolved but this and a "city" water connection leak remain along with a few more minor issues.

 

[SJH]

You have gotten some great information with the above posts. From my personal perspective, unless you are getting a very good deal on this specific unit, I would be inclined to "keep shopping". The North Trails are very nice RV's. This one is two years old with a delamination issue. There are many on the market and I believe there are now 2013 models in the lots. On a side note...you might also check the date code on the tires. Not unusual for a 2010 to have tires manufactured in 2008/09. Many believe the useful life of a trailer tire is 5 or 6 years.

Best Wishes in your Quest.

 

[Silverado23]

Thank you all for the input on the delamination issue. Between Heartland and the Dealer, the fiberglass issue was repaired and looks like new. We now own the North Trail 31BDSS.

 

[mnkamper]

Sounds like a really good thing you had done a thorough inspection and got the issue fixed!
Congratulations on the North Trail!

 

[brunomisty]

One question how did they fix a delamination issue ?? Why I ask is we just traded in are Sundance that had spots of delamination several were good size

 

[Silverado23]

One question how did they fix a delamination issue ?? Why I ask is we just traded in are Sundance that had spots of delamination several were good size

They cut out the fiberglass skin that was bad. Then fixed the underlying seam. Replaced new fiberglass and blended the entire area to match including new graphics. The repaired area can be detected if you know what to look for but the overall repair would not be noticed if you were not aware of it being repaired.

 

[TravelTiger]

Glad they took care of you!

Erika