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Old 04-08-2021, 04:52 PM   #1
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Front Fiberglass hood falling off of 2018 Vista LX

I know there are other threads about this same problem. I went to service my Vista LX 30T before leaving tomorrow on a trip. I opened the hood and the attack point for the right side just fell off. I have read what others have done to repair this and I am trying JB Weld 5200. I sanded the old mounting material and the metal bracket. Cleaned it all and then clamped it down with the JB Weld. My grip isn't just with the latch, I got to checking and everything on the front end is attached that way. Half of them have some play in them. What were you thinking Winnebago? What a poor design, these Vehicles go down the road as they say, like an earthquake is happening and your trying to hold it together with a poor glue. I have owned 3 RV Motorhomes and this is the First one to have this kind of problem. The other two were different brands, a Forest River Lexington and a Four Winds Hurricane.
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Old 04-09-2021, 09:33 PM   #2
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Glue is not the answer, IMO. After all, it was glue that failed to begin with. If I were in your position with a 2018 I'd use screws. Stainless flathead screws.

I wrote a couple ad free articles about how I did it...without glue, and after years, I can say using screws works great!

The first two links are about the problem you're having: Body Work

Good luck with whatever method you chose to use...
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Old 04-12-2021, 06:25 PM   #3
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I used 4 stainless (smaller than 1/4-20) bolts that have decorative head. Painted them black, and connected the hood brackets through the hood. Black matches other accents on my Vista. Should never be a problem again.
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Old 04-25-2021, 06:06 PM   #4
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I tried epoxy twice. Wasted a lot of money because you can put enough pressure to get the epoxy to hold. The third time I used three 6/32 screws with washers and nuts on the inside plus some J B Weld. I was able to paint the screw heads so they don’t show all that much. So far it’s held for two years. I’m also very careful latching the hood and if I take my unit in for service I warn the techs about the issue. I too wondered what Winnebago was thinking when they did this. There are numerous places on my front shell that are epoxied to metal. This is plan by Winnebago that you won’t own this coach in three to four years and this problem would belong to someone else.
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Old 04-25-2021, 08:26 PM   #5
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What do you folks think? Isn’t it time Winnebago do the right thing and fix the problem? I have seen this issue of items (especially hood brackets) being epoxy glued to the front fiberglass and failing too many times to count. Come on Winnebago, make us proud! You are better than this! You goofed! Own up to it and fix it!
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Old 04-25-2021, 08:56 PM   #6
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Very unlikely they'll change anytime soon, mitchoe. They've been building them like this since the mid '90's that I know of. My '02 was built using expoxy, and the OPs 2018 was too. So they have a long history using that method of attachment.

Winnie is immune to criticism about this I think, for several reasons, but I'm just guessing of course...

1) The method is initially inexpensive at the factory with few failures during that process.
2) Few of them fail during the warranty period or they'd come up with a new method.
3) It's an income stream as they charge bundles of money to repair those out of warranty panel failures that come to them. So do the dealers. And I'd imagine, mobile techs.
4) It's possible that the method will last years before failing.

In my case the RV was 14 years old when I noticed the problem. Have no idea whether or not those loose panels I found would just drop off one day, but I didn't want to find out either. I've gotten into the habit of checking before every long drive though. I just wander around the RV and push and pull on the fiberglass here and there, evaluating looseness.
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Old 04-25-2021, 09:02 PM   #7
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Yeah, Jim, you’re probably right, just disappointing. Went through the same stuff with my 2015 Itasca, ended up bolting ‘em on with screws and nylon nuts, like a lot of other folks.
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Old 04-26-2021, 06:37 AM   #8
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front hood bracket falling off

I too had this same problem and took it to truck center that works on rvs. They did not remove the old glue first and reglued it, it feel off again. Decided to tackle this myself. The adhesive that I used was 3M Marine Adhesive Sealant 5200, NOT the quick setup version. I removed old glue, wasn't as hard as I anticipated. Rough up the surface of the metal bracket. I applied a thin layer of adhesive and let it set for awhile so it was not dry but still tacky. Applied the metal bracket spread a thin layer of adhesive over bracket and clamped for 24 hrs. Next day came back and applied an oversized piece of fiberglass roofing mesh overlapping the first layer of adhesive that was over the bracket. Applied another thin layer of adhesive and clamped. Make sure you overlap the mesh with adhesive. You can come back with another layer just to keep it honest after another 24hrs. and clamp for at least 48hrs. Do not put pressure on clamp for a couple of days. My temperatures were in the 60's when I did this application. If it is colder than this you need to add more time for setup of adhesive. Its important to use thin layers on each pass, try to keep it smooth, don't goop it on. My application is holding traveled 550 miles couple days after and no problems. Interestingly enough, the opposing bracket was a little loose so I figured I would run a layer of adhesive over that too. I prepared the day before by liberally wiping it with lacquer thinner. Next day it was solid. The lacquer thinner apparently melted down the original glue and hardened it. Consequently, didn't fool with this one just left it alone. I did use a makeup mirror to see what I was doing. Good luck.
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Old 04-26-2021, 06:45 AM   #9
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Forgot to add that I strapped both brackets with plastic snips to something under hood just incase the adhesive does give away again so I don't loose the brackets. First time it feel off in the beginning I found it hanging on a lower assembly. Got lucky with that.
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Old 04-26-2021, 10:54 AM   #10
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From reading many similar threads, it's pretty clear that adequate prep is key and failure is most likely the result of poor prep at the factory and not the epoxy method itself. My 2002 is still OK, presumably whoever did the original work did a good job. Monytaker's approach is a good one. Personally, though, if I find I have a problem, I'm using screws and adhesive.
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Old 04-26-2021, 11:59 AM   #11
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I had this same issue. Finding JB Weld did not hold, I tried Gorilla Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive. Still holding great! I also attached a little something extra to it in case it falls off again. As others have mentioned, preparation is key. Grind all the old epoxy off both sides to give the new adhesive something to grab onto.
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Old 04-26-2021, 05:04 PM   #12
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I was able to chip off the old glue with a 3 and 1 blade. Came ready with all the tools of destruction but thankfully it came off pretty easily.
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