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Old 03-14-2016, 06:38 AM   #1
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Hello: I am presently thinking of purchasing a "05 Vectra with the 350 cat engine.. I have been told that there are 2 serious issues re roof and side wall separation and windshield water leakage due to rust at the framework and poor sealing technique. Does anyone have these problems and how were the fixed.
If they were fixed I would like to know how and what the approximate cost would be.
Thanks, Jl
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Old 03-14-2016, 06:49 AM   #2
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Roof and side wall seperation just involves removing old caulk at seam and resealing. I recomend using the original winnebago sealant or something similar like Proseal. DO NOT USE SILICON on it. We had an issue with the rusted frame on our 1999 Ultimate. Windshields were $900 each side and cost to weld new steel in frame and seal frame with rust inhibitor was $1200. Insurance paid for windshields as they were cracked when we brought it in.So our cost was the $1200.
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Old 03-14-2016, 06:52 AM   #3
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Owned two Winnebago's and the roof to sidewall issue is best resolved by putting a strip of 2" Eternabond tape over that seam. Or, clean and recaulk with some good urethane caulk like 3M 4200/5200 or Geocel Proflex caulk.

Windshield frame rust is a possibility in any Winnebago of that era. Telltale signs are rust stains on the dash. You can also pull the thick rubber trim around the outside of the windshield and see if you can see rust but not always visible. If it does occur, the glass will break. Only fix is to remove windshield/s, deal with the rust and replace windshield. I had the passenger side glass break due to rust on a 2002 Journey and it cost me $1,000 for new glass and labor to deal with the rust.
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Old 03-14-2016, 08:35 AM   #4
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Thanks for the input. I would like to know if the glass installer did the frame work or was it a special metal shop and then then the glass guys did the windshield?
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Old 03-14-2016, 07:18 PM   #5
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Thanks for the input. I would like to know if the glass installer did the frame work or was it a special metal shop and then then the glass guys did the windshield?
In my case, I took the coach to a trusted auto collision repair shop who also did RV work. Guardian Auto Glass removed the glass, the body shop repaired the rust, and Guardian installed new glass.

I am told the glass folks have the ability to deal with the rust but I cannot confirm that from experience.
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Old 03-14-2016, 10:54 PM   #6
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We have a 2004 Vectra and so far we have had no issues with either thing. We've replaced the windshield twice from stone hits and had it checked each time for rust and there was none to speak of. No leaks ever. Sidewalls are good, knock on wood. I think if your rig is good now you should be OK but it is fixable. Just keep an eye on it. Most things can be repaired if you catch it early. Seal all the roof seams with eternabond like the other person said. We did it as a preventative measure. Cheap insurance and peace of mind. Good luck. Winnebago is a great product but like all of the manufacturers, there will be issues.
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Old 03-14-2016, 11:04 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Johnlit View Post
Hello: I am presently thinking of purchasing a "05 Vectra with the 350 cat engine.. I have been told that there are 2 serious issues re roof and side wall separation and windshield water leakage due to rust at the framework and poor sealing technique. Does anyone have these problems and how were the fixed.
If they were fixed I would like to know how and what the approximate cost would be.
Thanks, Jl

Johnlit,
Well Sir, first off, the "roof separation" is not nearly as common as you may have been lead to believe. Of the thousands and thousands of Winnes and Itascas that have been manufactured with this style of attachment of the roof-to-side wall process, just how many have seen partial, semi, or full roof separation? We read of SOME on here. But what is the ratio of "problem coaches" to those that are still cruising down the highways, with zero problems?

I'm not saying it doesn't happen, it does. But, it sure as heck would not stop us from purchasing another Winne or Itasca with the same process. Our coach, an '04 Itasca Horizon (same unit as Vectra of that era) 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT, is 11 years old. About 6-7 months ago, I noticed about 3-4' of roof seam, leading from the front cap attachment overlay point, towards the rear, to have small cracks and some separation between the glue/sealant and the roof fiberglass.

Well, we here in Lake Havasu City AZ, have an RV repair center called 3Ts RV. They are supposed to have one of the closest relationships with the factory that there is. So, I popped on down to them, to consult about what kind of roof glue/sealant to use, on my 3-4' of separation. Their answer, 100% Pure Silicone!!! I asked: "Are you sure"?? They repeated, "100% Pure Silicone.

So, off to Home Depot I went. I picked up some Silicone for exterior use and, headed back home. I cleaned out every inch and microbe of old glue/sealant that was separated and, even some that wasn't. I wiped it all down with alcohol about a zillion times, prior to the install of the Silicone.

Now, many on here were not happy with what I used and, in short order, told me. But, I was not about to dig all that nice, clean, efficient work out of that gutter that I had just completed. So, that was as stated, about 6-7 months ago and, I inspect those two repairs on a monthly basis and, so far, there is ZERO indications of any break-down of that repair. So, we'll see.

I don't have any of the windshield rust that others have had so, I cannot comment on that side of things. Good luck on your search.
Scott
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Old 03-15-2016, 06:57 AM   #8
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If you use Eternabond on the roof to sidewall seam, you can forget monthly inspections. In fact, you can forget about it completely. I put Eternabond on my Journey in 2005 and it was still holding fast and in great shape in 2013 when we traded the coach.
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Old 03-15-2016, 12:05 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smlranger View Post
If you use Eternabond on the roof to sidewall seam, you can forget monthly inspections. In fact, you can forget about it completely. I put Eternabond on my Journey in 2005 and it was still holding fast and in great shape in 2013 when we traded the coach.
Hey sml,
While I may be relieved of some of the roof/seam inspections (which I really don't mind since the coach is inside our RV garage attached to the house) I simply could not stand to look at what to me, would a hideous looking repair on such a nice looking coach. You could see that tape from a mile away. Sorry but, I just can't do that to that coach.
Scott
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Old 03-15-2016, 02:54 PM   #10
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Hey sml,
While I may be relieved of some of the roof/seam inspections (which I really don't mind since the coach is inside our RV garage attached to the house) I simply could not stand to look at what to me, would a hideous looking repair on such a nice looking coach. You could see that tape from a mile away. Sorry but, I just can't do that to that coach.
Scott
Since I am about to put Eternabond on my coach this spring, I have to ask if you have ever seen it on that seam on a coach? Or if anybody has any pics I would love to see them.

I plan to use the light grey on my Sage Adventurer. Looks like it will blend in fairly nice.
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Old 03-15-2016, 05:41 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by smlranger View Post
If you use Eternabond on the roof to sidewall seam, you can forget monthly inspections. In fact, you can forget about it completely. I put Eternabond on my Journey in 2005 and it was still holding fast and in great shape in 2013 when we traded the coach.
My '02 doesn't look like it has any separation yet, but I want to be ready. Do you have any pics of your old Journey's roof?

I'm a big fan of Eternabond, but like others, would like to see how it looks on the Journey's roof. Maybe get some idea of how far over the edge the tape would be placed.

Thanks.
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Old 03-16-2016, 12:22 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Jim_HiTek View Post
My '02 doesn't look like it has any separation yet, but I want to be ready. Do you have any pics of your old Journey's roof?

I'm a big fan of Eternabond, but like others, would like to see how it looks on the Journey's roof. Maybe get some idea of how far over the edge the tape would be placed.

Thanks.
Jim,
Our coach, is a full body painted coach. And that means, it's painted, all the way up and over the sides, front and rear caps. And, it's multicolored paint. So, the way I picture the use of eternabond to be of any value in this particular application, would be to "bridge" it between the lowest part of the curve of the roof, to the gutter. Now, to me, that just doesn't seem right. SML used it and, so have others but, it just doesn't seem right as a quality repair or, any form of preventative maintenance.

I can see using it on a clean, well prepared seam or crack ON THE VERY TOP of a coach, but, not as a bridge between to components, with an air gap, underneath it. Now, I guess you could do what I did and really clean out that gutter and, somehow form that tape into that gutter and over the edge of the gutter but, it to me, would still look hideous. I'll take my chances with the Silicone repair that I did.
Scott
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Old 03-16-2016, 06:00 AM   #13
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My Journey was not full body paint so the walls and roof radius were white when I put on the eternabond so it looked just fine. They make other colors but if I had paint with multiple colors, I agree with FireUp, I would not have used the white tape. I would also never use silicone and would have likely used Geocel Proflex caulk. It is good stuff.

Later, I had the coach fully painted with 5 colors. I used a fair amount of white in the color scheme so did not have them paint the roof radius. The coach looked like new when I traded it and no one ever said anything about the 2" strip of tape along the seam.


Here is a blog I did when I had the coach painted. There are some before and after pics.


http://www.irv2.com/forums/blogs/1549-smlranger.html
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Old 03-16-2016, 06:14 AM   #14
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In our case, the roof-to-wall separation issue had more to do with old sealant giving up, than anything else. The fiberglass roof simply tucks down behind the rain-gutter assembly and is held in place by a "caulk-like" substance. It was tired and cracked when we first discovered the problem.

The fix was to scrape it all out (not as much work as it sounds) and to replace with new sealant. We used clear Lexel. It is important to use top-quality and flexible sealant to hold the fiberglass in place.

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Old 03-16-2016, 10:28 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by smlranger View Post
My Journey was not full body paint so the walls and roof radius were white when I put on the eternabond so it looked just fine. They make other colors but if I had paint with multiple colors, I agree with FireUp, I would not have used the white tape. I would also never use silicone and would have likely used Geocel Proflex caulk. It is good stuff.

Later, I had the coach fully painted with 5 colors. I used a fair amount of white in the color scheme so did not have them paint the roof radius. The coach looked like new when I traded it and no one ever said anything about the 2" strip of tape along the seam.


Here is a blog I did when I had the coach painted. There are some before and after pics.


http://www.irv2.com/forums/blogs/1549-smlranger.html
I read your posted blog entry ^ and see that your and my '02 Journey's have/had the exact same color scheme, at least before you painted it. Great posting. Thanks for that.

My Journey, like yours, was well cared for by the previous owners. The vinyl striping and decals is/are in excellent condition with only a couple places that show the need for some touch up paint.

Here's how it looks this morning. I hope the vinly gives me several more years:



This is the only place the vinyl needs attention...so far.



The scratches only go as deep as the vinyl.

While I was looking at the pictures of your paint job, I did not spot the Eternabond. I'm interested in how far you rolled the 2" Ebond over the radius.

I had my last rig painted, a '94, DP 37' Bounder, in Mexico as I travel there quite often. Entire lower basement section was painted, the vinyl stripping removed from the upper section all around and painted back on. Mirrors, steps, and the backup camera bracket were all painted too. Strangely, the 'Bounder' decals, logos, and trademarks were, and still are, in pretty good shape. (They should make all vinyl stripping from that type of vinyl).

Went with the colors the painter suggested from his pallet for both convenience of the painter, and attractiveness. I think it came out fine. When I bought the rig, the basement paint was all faded, and the vinyl stripping all cracked. And just got worse from there.

(For any interested lurkers, it cost $2,000 for everything, including a wax job. Had it done in Mazatlan 4-5 years ago, at the RV park I was in. I stayed in the RV. The artist that did all of the painting used an airbrush for accuracy, the paint was high quality Automotive paint).

Just sold the rig a week ago and think the paint job helped it sell quickly.

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Old 03-16-2016, 11:44 AM   #16
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Thanks everybody for making this request of mine so very interesting with great answers
and so many easy solutions.my nest step is to get the vin# and check if all the recalls have been done. Does anyone know how to do this?
Thanks, JL
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Old 02-19-2017, 09:19 AM   #17
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It took almost a year to get 'Round2It' but I just finished having the edges of my Journey's fiberglass roof taped with Eternabond. Here's a picture...



The highlights of the install were:

1) Wash and optionally wax the roof shortly before tape installation;
2) Two workers make short work of the job, approx 45 minutes was all it took;
3) Scissors, bristle brush, rubber roller, ladder are the tools needed.
4) Two rolls of 50' X 2" tape from Amazon allows a continuous taping on each side.

Here's my blog write up: Roof Edges...

[I assume Johnlit was able to find his vin and check for recalls. What I usually do is enter this into google, "Recalls for vin# **********". That usually works or gives a link to somewhere that has the info].
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Old 02-19-2017, 09:28 AM   #18
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When we were in the market for a used coach, we looked at two different Vectras. Looking underneath, I saw lots of rust and the engine compartment was also very rust prone. Other coaches the same vintage didn't show half as much rust. This was the rust you could see and I was afraid there would be many places that I couldn't see in jeopardy. For us it put me off the Vectra although i did like the inside and most everything else. jmo mark
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Old 02-25-2017, 05:59 AM   #19
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Why hasn't anyone mentioned Dicor sealant? They make two types, one for flat surfaces and the other for curved and vertical surfaces. I think that is what should be used instead of the tape unless there is a cut. In regards to using silicone, it won't last as long as the Dicor. I bought our MH used and the previous owner had installed a Magic Fan. Six months after buying the MH I noticed a water leak at the fan. When I checked the roof seal I found that the prior owner had used silicone and it looked like Swiss cheese. The other roof seals from the factory looked great. They were done with Dicor. I cleaned and resealed with Dicor.
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Old 07-01-2021, 09:00 PM   #20
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Has anyone used a product called "Solar Seal 900" instead of silicon. This product is a terpolymer and as described "bonds tenaciously. I used to use all the Proflex, Sikkaflex, silicone variants on my Fifth Wheel but Solar seal 900 never cracked or dried out. Professional roofers and siding installers use this product exclusively.
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