2005 Vectra 40 AD

[SGKane]

Originally Posted by binkley2

Wow! that looks great. How long did it take you start to finish? How do the stips come down? Just pry off or is there a trick?

I only did the section from the galley to the front (I'll probably do the bath room and bedroom this summer). I think I spent 3 days taking down the vinyl and scraping foam off. Its truly is a messy job. I think we are still finding pieces of foam . With two of us working we got the new ceiling up and trimmed out in two long days.
The trick to getting the strips off is to push hard in the center and peal on the side with a paint can opener. It takes a whole lot of patience to salvage the old strips. I did not have that kind of patience so I called Winniebago and they sell the new strips. I don't remember what they cost but at the time I thought it was a deal so I just ordered the amount needed.

[Honwing]

Purchased a one owner 40AD with 70,000 miles last June 15th in Spokane, Washington. Previous Owner always had it Dealer maintained and garage kept. Unit is like new but needed a little updating. Looking at removing the mirrors in the galley and replacing with tile. is there a best way to remove the mirrors? Also ready to replace the carpet in the lounge and the bedroom with leftover Costco Harmonics Laminate flooring. We installed this same flooring two years ago in our Florida Beach house and still looks brand new. Humidity has not bother it at all. Already replaced 17 light fixtures with LED. What changes have you made.
Absolutely love this coach and in our first year of ownership we will have travelled at least 13,000 miles which includes a round trip from Seattle to Carrabelle, Florida and back. As far as the ceiling ours looks just like the day it left the factory. Wish I could keep it garage kept like the previous owner.

[SGKane]

Removing the mirrors was one of the first things we did. I just didn't like looking at myself when I was at the dinning table. It wasn't that bad, I wore leather gloves just in case but didn't break any. If I remember, I just took a putty knife and work it in behind, cutting as I went until I could lift it off. The really hard part is removing the goo left behind.
I covered up the area with a small stone tile, it came out pretty nice.
I can't help you on the carpet as that is a project I haven't done yet.

[imnprsd]

Your work looks great! Can you elaborate a little bit more so the rest of us can learn from your experiences? Below are my questions:

==> The luan sheet plywood and vinyl-foam are pressed under the batten strips. Do these battens need to be removed as part of the refurbishing process or can you leave them up?

If you took the battens down, were they reusable and did they go back into the channels okay? And, what color paint matches the cream color (Ivory) vinyl best? Can you order these battens from Winnebago?

==> Where did you buy the vinyl material? Please share your source and price and how close of a color match you got?

==> How did you access the area above the passenger slide out? On my 40AD model the passenger slide has a TV cabinet that limits access to about 2 feet of the ceiling in some spots! Can you send us a picture of this side of your coach?

==> Did you take on this project to save money or was it because you could not find an RV dealer or repair shop that would do the work? I have tried talking to 4 or 5 of them (all repeatable in their own right), but none of them gave me the impression they have attempted this repair before. One dealer quoted me $1,500/panel but made no commitment the vinyl color would match.

[binkley2]

Originally Posted by SGKane

I only did the section from the galley to the front (I'll probably do the bath room and bedroom this summer). I think I spent 3 days taking down the vinyl and scraping foam off. Its truly is a messy job. I think we are still finding pieces of foam . With two of us working we got the new ceiling up and trimmed out in two long days.
The trick to getting the strips off is to push hard in the center and peal on the side with a paint can opener. It takes a whole lot of patience to salvage the old strips. I did not have that kind of patience so I called Winniebago and they sell the new strips. I don't remember what they cost but at the time I thought it was a deal so I just ordered the amount needed.

I still have not done anything with mine, but your account of the effort you put in is encouraging. Looking at the sagging ceiling in this otherwise beautiful coach, every time we go out is driving me nuts. I had a major mishap the last time we went out, the motor in my awning apparently stripped out the gears, and my awning deployed at the very beginning of a 3 mile bridge in a pretty good wind storm. Tore up a lot of stuff, as I had no choice but to limp all the way across the bridge before I could do anything. needless to say, that put a damper on an otherwise nice Christmas outing. I'm hoping my GS warranty covers the damage since it was a mechanical failure, Sub freezing temperatures has prevented taking the coach to Camping world for repairs yet, as they leave the rigs outside and I don't want anything freezing while it waits for them to get to it. As soon as it warms up, I will be dropping it off. If this expense is covered, I will be getting back to my ceiling. Great work on your rig an thanks for sharing.

[imnprsd]

Is this your big awning or the smaller awning over your entry door the sprung open?

If it's the door awning, you can search for my post on how I fixed the stripped gear...

Regarding the ceiling vinyl repair issue, I'm sure there will be more and more of us that will have this problem. It's not caused by a leaking roof. Rather, in my case: a) I think I may have created the ceiling bubble by applying a vinyl cleaner the season before. Why? I read the "stuff" in the cleaner will affect the glue between the vinyl and the foam. (Note: The foam is really well glued to the luan wood panel. The problem is the vinyl glue to the foam.) Or b), I left my coach in Montana over the winter and the freeze affected the glue. I say this because the ceiling had no bubble when I stored the unit, but there were bubbles when I picked it up! Also, I found all the silicon in my shower needed replacing after the deep-freeze. (I don't know? But these are other things to consider when trying to find out why some coaches are having problems while others are not. Others speculate humidity and heat have something to do with bubbles forming in the ceiling. And my coach was a Texas-Dallas based coach for the first 12 years!

Lastly, my ceiling bubble are all on the drive's side! Why? I see in the pictures from SGKane that his bubbles are on the driver's side to? How about everyone else? Is there a pattern here? (Hot? Freezing Cold? Humid? Vinyl cleaners? Driver's side only? ...Please share your thoughts and let's see if there is a pattern here? It's not an installation problem from what I can tell. It's an supplier problem; i.e., vinyl supplier is the one who glued the vinyl to the foam!!! Not Winnebago.

Regarding parts:

==> When I called Winnebago 6 months ago, they said they don't sell the batten strips or the vinyl any more. Ugh! So if anyone knows where to order these parts, and for how much, that would be really helpful.

==> And besides the other questions I hope to receive information on (listed in previous posts) I am particularly concerned about this: How can replace the vinyl above the passenger slide-out when there is so little access?

Do I need to take off the 5" of molding that runs the length of the cabinet or remove the slideout... which sounds like a huge different problem? ...And I'm particularly concerned about how to access the ceiling area over my TV cabinet that is twice as deep as the middle part or even over the refrigerator?

...And I really don't want to start this project until I have confidence I can finish what I start?

...And I have to have the vinyl and battens before I begin or before a dealer begins; that's a given. But the dealers I have talked to have not researched this and are not very convincing when it comes to doing a ceiling repair. So we really need the Winnebago community forum to help us all out! Many thanks in advance.

[SGKane]

Lastly, my ceiling bubble are all on the drive's side! Why? I see in the pictures from SGKane that his bubbles are on the driver's side to? How about everyone else? Is there a pattern here? (Hot? Freezing Cold? Humid? Vinyl cleaners? Driver's side only? ...Please share your thoughts and let's see if there is a pattern here?

In my case it actually started on the passenger side, above the refrigerator. However it got worse over the couch on the drivers side. Before I purchased this MH it sat for a few years in the Florida sun. I always assumed that was the cause.

Regarding parts:

==> When I called Winnebago 6 months ago, they said they don't sell the batten strips or the vinyl any more. Ugh! So if anyone knows where to order these parts, and for how much, that would be really helpful.

I did my ceiling in late August 2017. At that time I was able to order the plastic strips. My brother (who has the same coach) was able to salvage the plastic strips by carefully removing them with a paint can opener. You push hard in the center and carefully peel the edge. I do not possess that amount of patience.

==> And besides the other questions I hope to receive information on (listed in previous posts) I am particularly concerned about this: How can replace the vinyl above the passenger slide-out when there is so little access?

You are correct in that Winnebago no longer has the replacement vinyl. I called Lichtsinn RV and their parts guy was able to match it very very close. The color is spot on but the texture is ever so slightly different. It is so close you could almost get by with replacing one panel.

Do I need to take off the 5" of molding that runs the length of the cabinet or remove the slideout... which sounds like a huge different problem? ...And I'm particularly concerned about how to access the ceiling area over my TV cabinet that is twice as deep as the middle part or even over the refrigerator?

This is where you do have to get a little creative. We made some molding out of cherry wood to hide the cuts. On the passenger side, we made a flat molding. You simply cannot reach all the way back to clean the old foam off. I cleaned as much foam as I could reach. Cut the new vinyl so that it was approximately 6 to 8 inches past the clean area. The flat molding helps keep in in place. We did not put molding above the TV or refrigerator. Just couldn't figure how to attach. We've put several thousand miles on it since the new ceiling and so far (knock on wood) its holding.

...And I really don't want to start this project until I have confidence I can finish what I start?

...And I have to have the vinyl and battens before I begin or before a dealer begins; that's a given. But the dealers I have talked to have not researched this and are not very convincing when it comes to doing a ceiling repair. So we really need the Winnebago community forum to help us all out! Many thanks in advance.

[rogerlee]

Roger lee here
on my ceiling I had the luan panels installed right over top of old ceiling. we pulled off the plastic strips and the strips under them are screwed to the ceiling. the guy had sanded and painted the panels and he purchased flat strips of trip and painted those. he used an air stapler to secure panels to the ceiling only stapling along edge and a couple at every hole he had to cut out. he installed 9 panels and trimmed them out in 1 day. It may not be as pretty as the vinyl that was there BUT it is not sagging down and never will again. We did't have the shower and bathroom done because they are still tight. the holes that were cut in vinyl by winnebago looked like they had been cut with chain saw so it was a disaster waiting to happen no way could they have to expected to stay secured when the holes were cut allowing air from A/C to get under it.But like I was told your unit is 12 yrs old thats as long as it should last. hope this helps with your decision as to what to do. all the material and paint came from Lowes. almost forgot about securing above TV, mine is open enough to get the air nailer under it to staple it

[binkley2]

Unfortunately it is my big awning. It did considerable damage. The rolling bar out at the end now has a belly bent into it and the front support arms are mangled. I had just pulled onto a three mile long causeway coming out of South Padre, with no where to stop, in a rain storm with high winds. I had no choice but to limp it across the bridge. I am taking it to Camping World next Friday with hopes that my GS warranty will pay for it since it was caused by a mechanical failure. They have already told me that if they cover the damage, they wont cover the fabric. Not sure, but I don't think it got ripped, but the fabric is much less expensive than the rest of the mechanism. I never really liked the awning anyway, since it does not have enough pitch to shed water. Maybe the replacement unit will be better so I can actually use it once in a while.

As to your other questions, my sagging is on both sides. It started on the drivers side, I was able to figure out that it started due to the cabinets above the driver's seat pulling on it when the rig flexes. Now it extends all the way back to the kitchen but mostly just on the edges. Now, I have substantial sagging above my TV cabinet, which sags all the way to the fluorescent light fixture in the center. The previous owner had a high end coach builder remove the vinyl in the kitchen area and replace it with very nice paneling that matches the cabinets. I don't know if they removed the slide to get over the refrigerator or not, but I do know form talking to them, that they paid a LOT of money to have it done. I plan to extend that paneling all the way to the front of the coach soon, but I will use a cabinet shop in my area to do the work. I will do all the tear out, they will just do the installation and trim work. Large scale remodeling in my house has kept me from getting this done up to now, but I am hopeful that I will get to it very soon, as the sagging vinyl absolutely drives me insane every time we take it out.

Good luck on your project.

Originally Posted by imnprsd

Is this your big awning or the smaller awning over your entry door the sprung open?

If it's the door awning, you can search for my post on how I fixed the stripped gear...

Regarding the ceiling vinyl repair issue, I'm sure there will be more and more of us that will have this problem. It's not caused by a leaking roof. Rather, in my case: a) I think I may have created the ceiling bubble by applying a vinyl cleaner the season before. Why? I read the "stuff" in the cleaner will affect the glue between the vinyl and the foam. (Note: The foam is really well glued to the luan wood panel. The problem is the vinyl glue to the foam.) Or b), I left my coach in Montana over the winter and the freeze affected the glue. I say this because the ceiling had no bubble when I stored the unit, but there were bubbles when I picked it up! Also, I found all the silicon in my shower needed replacing after the deep-freeze. (I don't know? But these are other things to consider when trying to find out why some coaches are having problems while others are not. Others speculate humidity and heat have something to do with bubbles forming in the ceiling. And my coach was a Texas-Dallas based coach for the first 12 years!

Lastly, my ceiling bubble are all on the drive's side! Why? I see in the pictures from SGKane that his bubbles are on the driver's side to? How about everyone else? Is there a pattern here? (Hot? Freezing Cold? Humid? Vinyl cleaners? Driver's side only? ...Please share your thoughts and let's see if there is a pattern here? It's not an installation problem from what I can tell. It's an supplier problem; i.e., vinyl supplier is the one who glued the vinyl to the foam!!! Not Winnebago.

Regarding parts:

==> When I called Winnebago 6 months ago, they said they don't sell the batten strips or the vinyl any more. Ugh! So if anyone knows where to order these parts, and for how much, that would be really helpful.

==> And besides the other questions I hope to receive information on (listed in previous posts) I am particularly concerned about this: How can replace the vinyl above the passenger slide-out when there is so little access?

Do I need to take off the 5" of molding that runs the length of the cabinet or remove the slideout... which sounds like a huge different problem? ...And I'm particularly concerned about how to access the ceiling area over my TV cabinet that is twice as deep as the middle part or even over the refrigerator?

...And I really don't want to start this project until I have confidence I can finish what I start?

...And I have to have the vinyl and battens before I begin or before a dealer begins; that's a given. But the dealers I have talked to have not researched this and are not very convincing when it comes to doing a ceiling repair. So we really need the Winnebago community forum to help us all out! Many thanks in advance.

[cbeierl]

[QUOTE=imnprsd;3812121...
Regarding parts:

==> When I called Winnebago 6 months ago, they said they don't sell the batten strips or the vinyl any more. Ugh! So if anyone knows where to order these parts, and for how much, that would be really helpful.
....[/QUOTE]

In my 2005 Vectra those 'batten strips' are

138359-01-01A COVER - ROOF BREAK - PEARL CREAM/PLASTIC - 96"

and they snap onto

138403-01-01A TRIM - ROOF - MILL (which also comes in 96" lengths)

Both of these are available today according to the Winnebago Parts folks at Lichtsinn RV just down the road from Winnebago in Forest City. I just ordered one of the covers to replace one I broke. I would suspect that these are the same parts used in your coach, but they can verify that for you given you Winnebago serial number (not the VIN).

[rogerlee]

Just saw your post, the guy is a Mennonite cabinet maker and a pastor. we didn't remove anything other than the strips between panels. He purchased 4X8 sheets of Luan panels and sanded and painted them the color we selected. we didn't replace anything in the shower area only living area and bedroom. He used staples to hold up panels and only stapled along edge of panels and air vents.We like the looks of the ceiling it isn't perfectly smooth .