Roof membrane and sealant failure for a Fuel 287

Kelrhonda

Member
We recently purchased a Heartland Fuel 287 from Camping World in Texas. We have only had this unit for 15 months. Last month in August, 2022, my husband climbed up to do his customary inspection on the roof and camper to find the sealant had given way in the front on both sides and the roof membrane was now retracted back from the sides. We immediately called Camping World and took the unit to the Alvarado TX location. Approximately 10 days later they called to inform us that although this was apparent manufacturer issue with lack of proper sealant application, Heartland's warranty will not honor or cover the repair. When contacting Heartland Warranty in Elkhart IN we were informed that the sealant was not properly maintained and the integrity of their product was in essense not to be questioned.

I was asked if i had a copy of the policy, i said no this was not provided to us nor explained to us. However, when i offered to obtain pictures of other Fuel roofs for obvious comparison to the seam of putty dispursement on other units in comparison to ours which were what appeared to be dots of thin putty, i was informed that we must inspect the unit within the first 90 days and maintenance the sealant. However, we have been inspecting this sealant which is how we were able to immediately identify the defect and issue, hence taking it to Camping World.

The Manufacturer Warranty of 1 / 3 year for workmanship and product quality along with quality of products used for such an important part of the structure is now falling back on us as the purchasers to have to pay out of pocket for. Then to add insult to injury per inspection of the roof by the service technicians at Camping World it is clear that at the manufacturers level the rubber on the front of the roof was torn and clearly pushed back under to hide.

What can we do to be made whole again for a new Fuel that we have only used 5 times and inspected, maintained and watched more frequently than others have in this forum. Had we had not been so diligent on our continued inspections we would have not caught this defect and potentially solid structure permanent loss? Honestly, this is agreecious and what would fall under a violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
Short of a complete new roof on my own dime, I would consider Eternabond RV roof repair tape available on E-Bay in rolls of widths up to 6 inches over all exposed wood surfaces. I would then do some sort of complete roof sealant like Flex Armour, or Henry's Tropi-cool 887 Elastometric coating.
You might want to contact Dicor (RV Roof coatings) if you already haven't done so.

The policy on roof coatings and 90 day perennial caulk inspections has been the biggest warranty shortcoming of the RV industry and Heartland. From what has been posted on this forum over the past few years, Heartland under the ownership of Thor, Inc. has become pretty heartless about warranty coverage in comparison to the original 3 guys who started Heartland.
 

sengli

Well-known member
I feel your pain. These warranties are really hardly worth the paper they arent printed on. If it were me, I would look into an aftermarket solution like the crazy seal do it yourself system, or maybe even one of the flex armor roofs with a lifetime warranty.
 

jude

Member
I know exactly what you are feeling, we bought a 2022 Road Warrior in February it was missing furnace ductwork we were told to take it to Cleburne mega center it was there for 4 months several other things happened to it while it was there every time we were supposed to get it back it needed slide columns or locks missing on and on I finally got it back and it still wasn’t fixed. It had the ductwork but the furnace wasn’t together I have had it back in my shop still working on it every day still haven’t got to use it going to use it this week today found rain gutter leaking onto slide leaking past tape behind trim behind the couch this water from air conditioner
 

jaktexas

Member
2nd trip out in our 2021 260 Fuel the roof blew up like a balloon and popped. Camping World sent pictures of scratches on our a/c cover and antenna to Heartland and they refused to cover it under warranty because they said we hit something. Ended up claiming on insurance and refused to let CW fix it. CW service is a joke at best!20220527_174039.jpg
 

NYSUPstater

Well-known member
I know it wouldn't be cheap or covered under insurance or perhaps if you talk w/ them they may just go for it---maybe not all of it, but have you considered by chance RV Roof Armor or the other one? One comes to you, the other you have to take it to one of their installers. Another member had their rig done a year/2 ago and the product sealed the cap and onto sides w/ no worry about water intrusion let alone around vents and all on top. Lifetime way to boot. Sadly, our rig is a '18 made in '17 and I had to re do the side sealing a year/2 ago and see it's not holding up well. So not sure if I want to do it again or the RV Roof thing. DW will probly want the cheap way out! LOL
 

jaktexas

Member
I found an independent RV repair shop and had what they called "beaver coat" installed. Lifetime warranty and it looks better than the original. It's like the RV Armour, we'll see how long it lasts.
 
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