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Old 04-13-2015, 02:59 PM   #1
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Meridian hood attachment adhesive failures

I have just joined the forum, so forgive me if this topic has been beaten to death already. The locking brackets and rubber stop brackets on my 2011 34Y Meridian front hood are falling off due to the failure of the adhesive which attaches them to the fiberglass. From my searching, I see that this was a very well-known problem a few years ago, but I am shocked to see that the problem is still occurring. Is there anything new on this topic, and has anyone come up with a better solution than re-gluing with J B Weld or similar epoxies? Thanks
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Old 04-13-2015, 05:16 PM   #2
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Algonquin:
Welcome to the forum.
As a former boater, there is a great product made by 3M - 5200 Adhesive/Sealant. It is a permanent flexible adhesive that will hold almost anything to anything and offers some flexibility in the joint - unlike epoxies. I used it on the rear grill of my Journey when the epoxy failed four years ago and it will never fail again There are many former boaters on the forum who will attest its application in the RV world. It is available in toothpaste size tubes and caulking cartridges at West Marine and other marine stores.
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Old 04-13-2015, 05:39 PM   #3
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Thanks Bob. I see you are from Southern Ontario. Do you know where I can get the 3M sealant in the Toronto area? Also, I see there is a quick cure version of the 5200. Would you recommend this product?
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Old 04-13-2015, 05:50 PM   #4
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Gorilla Glue it will wick in all the places and stay bonded. Just make sure you follow the instruction with the water.Do not remove the old stuff because that is your shim but scratch it up a little to help the bonding.
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Old 04-13-2015, 05:53 PM   #5
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I have used 3m 5200 many times but WOULDN'T trust it to hold in this aplication . I used marinetex (2 part epoxy) and stainless steel bolts when the rear (motor) cover came lose( 2013 itasca ellipse) after about 6months after we bought it (new) I trusted my ability more than camping world
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Old 04-13-2015, 05:55 PM   #6
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Thanks Bob. I see you are from Southern Ontario. Do you know where I can get the 3M sealant in the Toronto area?

Do you have Home Depot up there? They carry it.

I used JB Weld on my previous coach. It was a 2006 Journey. JB works great but you need to sand the metal bracket to get the powder coating off first.

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Old 04-13-2015, 07:21 PM   #7
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Fixed mine with Goop after sanding 5 years ago. Still rock solid. Put Foop also around entire metal seam of bracket rkl
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Old 04-14-2015, 09:41 AM   #8
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If you want an adhesive tailored for the job try this:


http://www.summitracing.com/parts/smm-39537


It's used by body shops to attach fiberglass and plastic panels to metal substrates and framework. I used it to reinstall a headlight bucket and grill assembly in our 2001 Adventurer. We had the motorhome another 6 years and had over 100,000 miles on the odometer with no reoccurrence of the problem.


The key is to thoroughly clean both the metal and fiberglass parts before applying the adhesive. The adhesive has an open time of about 30 minutes @ 70*F so there should be plenty of time to properly position and clamp parts for curing.


There are many other things that will provide a temporary cure. This product has proven itself to be a permanent one time fix. It's a little more expensive than some other products, but you'll only have to do it once.
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Old 05-15-2015, 07:38 AM   #9
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Has Anyone contacted Winnebago on this issue seems like it is a safety issue if a panel comes off.
Camping world has attempted fixes on mine with the original material and it has not held.
it appears that on all the connections on my horizon that the material never bonded to the metal and Winnebago is counting on the material that squeezes through the hole in the metal brackets to hold everything together. the material does not bond to the metal.
I have had both the front gen and rear diesel access doors break away from the hinges. now I'm in Moab with the lower back bumper fender break loose 3/4 of the way good thing I caught this because a if the rest of the brackets broke loose It would of done great damage to my tow vehicle or to someone following me.
I used gorilla tape to hold it until I get back to Portland. I always carry gorilla tape in my motor home for such cases
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Old 05-15-2015, 04:32 PM   #10
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My 2005 Itasca Meridian gen hatch started de laminating from the under frame. I've seem others attempts at repairing and many failed again. I went to the auto parts house and picked up a fiber glass repair kit. I held the hatch to the frame with clamps while I over layed the glass cloth over the frame and resined it to the hatch.

So far so good. I dout that the frame will detach from the hatch again. It may not be the preferred way, but, that's how I did it.
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Old 05-16-2015, 07:28 AM   #11
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I would 2nd, (or is it 3rd) the 3M 5200 suggestion. I have been using it in marine, and other applications for more than 20 years. as 3M states, it is a permanent adhesive, and as an interesting side note, will even properly cure under water.

I used it on my Itasca rear cap bracket, about 4 years ago, where the original padhesive failed. It is still holding solid. In fact, the only problem I have had with it is trying to remove something, after it has cured.

It is sold in Lowes, H.D., Ace Hardware, etc., in both small tubes and caulk-gun cartridges. Store leftover tubes in the freezer, and just remove a few hours before you want to use it again. I have found that will tremendously extend the shelf life.
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Old 05-18-2015, 01:29 AM   #12
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5200 is a great adhesive, especially for the roof seam, but I'm not sure it's the one in this service. I've prepped the fiberglass and any mating steel and used epoxy with excellent results. Anything I have done has stayed that way
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Old 05-18-2015, 02:15 AM   #13
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I used JB Weld slow cure on my front generator access door when some of the brackets came loose. two years later, when the rear engine door came loose, I used a super strong construction adhesive, but it took several days to cure, so I used some JB Weld, quick cure, in a few small spots with the construction adhesive. The JB Weld held the whole thing in place while the adhesive cured over several days. All is very solid.


I think the problem stems from bad surface preparation at the factory. If both surfaces had been properly prepared, the epoxy should be a lifetime thing.
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Old 05-18-2015, 02:23 AM   #14
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It's simply amazing after all these years that Winnebago can't seem to figure out how to attach things properly when us schmoes can permenantly fix it with a trip to the hardware store. Is it that hard?
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Old 05-18-2015, 01:41 PM   #15
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It's simply amazing after all these years that Winnebago can't seem to figure out how to attach things properly when us schmoes can permenantly fix it with a trip to the hardware store. Is it that hard?
I drilled thru and used 1/4-20 bolts. also the paint shop they use needs to go.
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Old 05-19-2015, 02:25 AM   #16
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I drilled thru and used 1/4-20 bolts. also the paint shop they use needs to go.
That too. I can't believe these two issues continue to plague Winnebago. It's pretty clear they are aware of the problems but choose to do nothing.
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Old 09-04-2015, 03:34 AM   #17
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Meridian hood attachment adhesive failures

Just posted this on another thread too.
I fixed the front cover with a bead of 3M #5200 700 psi Marine Adhesive around the entire frame. It took 7 days to cure but it will never come loose again. I think this stuff is going to way out perform epoxy since it has some (but not much) flex in it. Makes sense since its formulated for boats that also move and flex.

I used stainless steel rivets instead of bolts on the rear engine door. It was an idea from a friend I like better than the bolts:
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Old 09-04-2015, 05:34 AM   #18
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OK my 2 cents, 3M 5200 is too flexable, great stuff but the way the hood opens and having to make contact with it when you lean in to check anything I used another marine product by West (Six-10) comes in a tube with a mixer end, lose that mixer thing, or the entire tube has to be used. I used that on my Journey hood that fell off after the teck was recharging the AC. I also McGivered 2 braces out of square stock down to the frame, now you can do pull-ups on the thing.
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Old 09-04-2015, 05:50 AM   #19
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We had the front fiberglass pop off the generator slide when it got caught on some bushes. I was closer than I thought pulling forward. We thought about a lot of different adhesives but did not trust any. Ended up just using liquid nails and four 1/4" carriage bolts. Painted the heads with touch up paint that came with the MH. No one even notices them and we feel better about the fix. Funny the brackets it was originally only glued to have pre-drilled holes.
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Old 09-04-2015, 06:15 AM   #20
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1/4 inch stainless steel button head bolts both front and back doors and rear skirt.

Peace of mind is priceless.
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