Roof/cap seal

nachtmsk · 03-11-2015, 11:31 AM

Hi,
Just looking over the rig in hopes of camping soon and while looking on the roof I noticed the strip/seal that runs along the length of the front cap is coming up on one of the edges (see photo).
It's a ST270 BH and still under warranty - I will be bringing it in soon to deal with some other smaller issues.
I don't see any leaking in the main cabin in regards to this seal/strip.
Just wondering what, if any opinions or comments anyone has about this.
Similar experience?
Serious issue?
Thanks!
Mike

**Lloyd** · 03-11-2015, 11:55 AM

Is it open thru the roof? I wonder what caused it. Did you hit a tree limb or something at one time or another?

If you haven't had water intrusion you are very lucky.
I don't think I would leave it open like it appears to be, but hesitate to tell you "seal" it up until you can be sure things aren't wet underneath it.
If you aren't going to be taking it in right away, I think you should see about getting something over it to seal it before the rain starts.

Even a sheet of plastic with gorilla tape over it would be better then nothing.

OhioMark · 03-11-2015, 12:13 PM

Get it into the dealer ASAP. I had the same issue, but not so apparent from the outside of the cap at first. Look at your cap..see any ripples that were not there in the fall? Your cap on the driver side looks suspect.

For us, they were subtle at first, but got worse. The cardboard backing on the cap draws water and expands over time. We ended up going back to Crossroads and have it factory repaired under warranty, which was good since they had to pull and replace the cap as well as other issues for over 28 hours of work plus parts.

harley · 03-11-2015, 01:29 PM

Looks like another crappy job by the installers,probably missed the 'meat' that they were supposed to hit OR they had the torque guns set to high and stripped the screws or broke the heads off and just put sealant over it and sent it out the door...gotta get their quota and go home early...

drcook · 03-11-2015, 03:09 PM

Ours broke loose. The heads of the screws popped off. We were told it is "routine maintenance" to catch and fix issues like that.

Luckily my wife spotted ours soon after it popped up. I sealed around it, ran a bunch of screws back in and everything pulled back into place. Then I sealed it up good.

If it was me (and I did) I would check and replace every screw on the outside of your trailer with stainless. I put sealant on the threads of each screw before putting it back in.

nachtmsk · 03-11-2015, 04:01 PM

Lloyd -- no I didn't hit anything. It was fine last fall. It's been sitting in my driveway all the time. I check it from time to time. I just noticed this the other day.
Thanks for the other replays. I'm not going to start driving in screws though, I'm not comfortable with that. I already told me dealer about it. Waiting to hear back.

Tim D · 03-11-2015, 06:40 PM

Cover it up and get it in ASAP. Just cause you don't see obvious water intrusion doesn't mean its not happening. Keep your photo's too. Good luck.

OhioMark · 03-11-2015, 07:53 PM

Good advice from Tim D. You can open a warranty case with Crossroads on your own via the 800 number. I sent pictures of my cap to customer service. They came back a week later and said, yep, you have damage. bring it in or take it to the dealer.

I looked at your photos on my computer when I got home. That mid section slightly buckling on the drivers side looks like ours did. That buckling is the cardboard backer expanding.

nachtmsk · 03-12-2015, 07:20 AM

Mark -- Thanks to you and all others for the advice.
Regarding calling Crossroads directly. Is there some advantage towards doing that rather then just go through the dealer? If I do that I'm wondering if the dealer will feel I went behind their back.
Also, if the dealer just wants to put some putty and screws on the problem and a few months down the line (my warranty is up in May), the front cap buckles, would I still be entitled to warranty service? From what I've read on this group Crossroads is pretty good about things like that.

OhioMark · 03-12-2015, 08:01 AM

Regarding calling Crossroads direct, it depends on the end result you want. My cap damage didnt look like much from the outside, but they had to peel back the roof, pull the cap and strip it down to bare wood, replacing the cap and everything underneath. I just didnt feel comfortable having a local dealer doing that level of work.

My unit was actually 2 months out of warranty and since it was in indoor cold storage and I physically did not have access to the trailer until late May, they honored the warranty, I was only out the 2 night stay and travel costs there and back. But it was a no-brainer for me. My dealer is actually the same distance as the Crossroads HQ.

I would think if you started a claim with Crossroads and subsequently went to your dealer for the repair, they'd be fine as long as you were up-front as to what you've already done. If you get a claim started, you're actually saving the dealer the time and energy to work the claim. The local dealer here said Crossroads warranty process through the dealer is PIA (pain in the backside) and takes forever.

If the dealer does the old "throw a load of self-leveling sealant on the probem", you still may have the damage and not sure what Crossroads would do. Your still dealing with them at the end of the day.

It's too bad your so far away from Topeka (Indiana), otherwise I'd tell you to just go to Crossroads. Maybe make a family vaca out of it?? If you got little ones, you about 3 hours from Cedar Point in Sandusky OH...Easily the best amusement park in the country if not the world (although I love Carowinds!).

nachtmsk · 03-12-2015, 08:30 AM

Mark,
A family vacation is a possibility. I'm in NC. I'm wondering, how long did it take for them to fix it once you dropped it off? We could stay in a hotel when they are fixing it and then camp on the way back down. I just checked the maps, it's about 600 miles. Not too bad actually.
Mike

OhioMark · 03-12-2015, 08:32 AM

I didn't push them but it was about week. The repair ticket showed 28 hours of work.

nachtmsk · 03-12-2015, 08:35 AM

Thanks,
A week is no big deal. I was thinking several weeks to a month. Whenever, I call my dealer he's always making it sounds like they are crazy busy.

nachtmsk · 03-12-2015, 08:36 AM

One more question, when you brought you camper in, did you take out all of your stuff (bedding, etc...). Or could you leave all that in storage bins? I'd like to have it all so we can camp on the way back down.

OhioMark · 03-12-2015, 09:16 AM

I would hazard to guess you can leave it. we took everything out but I saw other trailers onsite with "stuff"

nachtmsk · 03-13-2015, 07:46 AM

Just to update this thread. I sent the photos to my dealer and called them on the phone. They agreed it looks serious. I have an appt. to bring it in on Monday. This will be my first interaction with their service dept. but they seem to be very responsible and professional.
They suggested I fill the gap with sealant for now in case of rain and that's exactly what I did.
I'll try to remember to post back here when it's resolved in case anyone else has a similar problem.
Mike

Tim D · 03-13-2015, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nachtmsk

Just to update this thread. I sent the photos to my dealer and called them on the phone. They agreed it looks serious. I have an appt. to bring it in on Monday. This will be my first interaction with their service dept. but they seem to be very responsible and professional.
They suggested I fill the gap with sealant for now in case of rain and that's exactly what I did.
I'll try to remember to post back here when it's resolved in case anyone else has a similar problem.
Mike

I am sure everyone would like to hear how this is resolved and your experience with the dealer and CR.

Alchemistic · 03-13-2015, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nachtmsk

Hi,
Just looking over the rig in hopes of camping soon and while looking on the roof I noticed the strip/seal that runs along the length of the front cap is coming up on one of the edges (see photo).
It's a ST270 BH and still under warranty - I will be bringing it in soon to deal with some other smaller issues.
I don't see any leaking in the main cabin in regards to this seal/strip.
Just wondering what, if any opinions or comments anyone has about this.
Similar experience?
Serious issue?
Thanks!
Mike

Call #888-226-7496 right away, get problem recorded w/ CR RV for warranty. Backup phone call w/ E-Mails (acripe@, & acox@, & who took call) that clearly shows "CCs." Document & Save all contacts (for years)
When telling CR RV of problem make it sound as problem won't allow camper to be used & if not fixed "ASAP" may destroy whole front of trailer.
Angie, Tom, Terry, all will wave problem off as your fault don't belive them! Get recorded so they canNOT claim later CR RV knew of no problem(s) ever w/ you trailer.

nachtmsk · 05-12-2015, 06:52 AM

Hi Everyone,
I wanted to post an update on this thread. I did bring my ST back to the dealer. They kept it for about 6 weeks, which was fine, I wasn't going to be using it then.

They took care of all my warranty items, which included:
- New LED light strip in the Awning
- New Kitchen (inside and outside) counter top -- the ones we had warped.
- Fix on the city water connection (it was sticking out because the pipe in the wall was too long)
There were a few other issues as well.
The biggest issue was the front cap.
The had to take it off and replace it. Water did indeed get in and started to cause it to ripple. They said the wood under it was fine though, no rot.
The place where the cap attaches to the roof also started to pop-up at the edges (see the photos I posted earlier). They said the screws that Crossroads uses are too small so they used longer screws and some extra sealant.
Talking to the service manager, it sounded like all of my issues, particularly the front cap were very common and they seem to fix them all the time.
Very happy I brought it in and that all of this happened before my warranty expired, which it now has.
I thought about an extended warranty, but after talking to the dealer, it seemed very limited and was expensive.

Take care,
mike

**Lloyd** · 05-12-2015, 07:36 AM

That is sure good news Mike! Thanks for posting your out come on this.
It's nice to hear and read a good positive report.

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