bb size holes in fiber glass

glarnold · 12-13-2008, 06:34 AM

A small problem has been developing in our 2000 Adventurer 37G. Small bubbles (3/8 in) have been showing up on the vinyl strip just above mid level, on the sides. Then they pop, and leak out some nasty brownish goo that makes a stain. Some have broken off, and it looks like small bits of the fiber glass are gone. Any body else had this problem and any idea how to prevent/correct it?

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

G L Arnold

glarnold · 12-13-2008, 06:34 AM

A small problem has been developing in our 2000 Adventurer 37G. Small bubbles (3/8 in) have been showing up on the vinyl strip just above mid level, on the sides. Then they pop, and leak out some nasty brownish goo that makes a stain. Some have broken off, and it looks like small bits of the fiber glass are gone. Any body else had this problem and any idea how to prevent/correct it?

Thanks for any help or suggestions.

G L Arnold

Rocket Heart · 12-13-2008, 09:26 AM

If you do a search on this forum for "bubbles in fiberglass" you'll see several articles regarding the "bubbles" - most say it is a delamination problem.

Sure hope this helped.

glarnold · 12-15-2008, 06:49 AM

Thanks. I had looked at these, and they don't seem to match. Looks I may be the only one with such a problem.

Thanks for the information.

G L Arnold

ChasA · 12-15-2008, 03:36 PM

It may be osmotic blistering that may be caused by water getting under the vinyl and into the gelcoat. Google "osmotic blister" and you find a lot of info as to the cause and cure. These mainly deal with boats left in the water a lot, but may apply to fiberglass in motorhomes as well.

Izzyblueye · 12-16-2008, 03:26 AM

glarnold" I have had the BB sized holes in my fiberglass walls. If your coach is of the late 2000 - early 2001 vintage. Winnebago as well as other manufacturers received bad wall panels from their supplier. These, "Pops", as they call them, start after a year or two and continue to develop until the coach is ruined. The factory replaced my entire body in 2008 with new walls. (The only way to fix the problem). They tried repair, but it did not hold. You probably should call Bryan Funke at Winnebago and discuss it with him. Be prepared to send pictures of the problem to him. Be prepared to submit comprehensive documentation. Winnebago took care of my problem at no cost to me.

glarnold · 12-16-2008, 04:48 AM

Thank you, Homer. That's the information I was looking for. I'll contact them right away.

G L Arnold

RASwift · 04-04-2009, 11:57 AM

glarnold, I have been searching thru postings in all forums looking for anyone who has a fiberglass blistering problem similar to mine.
I have a 2002 Winn Adventurer 35U which we purchased used in Sring 2006. It had only 8,230 miles and no blisters. Over the last 3yrs it has gradually gotten worse. They started out as, barely perceptibly, round blisters and then become approx 1/4 inch chips out of the thin fiberglass surface. The large panel on which they form in a small area is not at all delaminated. It is as if the surface is so porous that moisture gets into the fiberglass from outside.
I would like to hear more about how you have proceeded. I took mine to the local Winnebago dealer when it first started, but they would not talk to me about it or come outside to look at it. I cant believe that we are the only ones with this problem. Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

SantaTom · 07-07-2010, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Homer

glarnold" I have had the BB sized holes in my fiberglass walls. If your coach is of the late 2000 - early 2001 vintage. Winnebago as well as other manufacturers received bad wall panels from their supplier. These, "Pops", as they call them, start after a year or two and continue to develop until the coach is ruined. The factory replaced my entire body in 2008 with new walls. (The only way to fix the problem). They tried repair, but it did not hold. You probably should call Bryan Funke at Winnebago and discuss it with him. Be prepared to send pictures of the problem to him. Be prepared to submit comprehensive documentation. Winnebago took care of my problem at no cost to me.

Homer,
Could you please help us...we are in the process of trying to fix our bb holes. I contacted the company and there reply was...we can't help you. Can you please give me the contact info so we can have our replaced?
Thanks,
SantaTom

scalman · 07-11-2010, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SantaTom

Homer,
Could you please help us...we are in the process of trying to fix our bb holes. I contacted the company and there reply was...we can't help you. Can you please give me the contact info so we can have our replaced?
Thanks,
SantaTom

I need the same info because i have the same problem. Can anyone help

livingaboard · 07-12-2010, 01:49 AM

it probably isn't delamination or osmosis crap. It is the bad crappy filon panels that were mentioned earlier.

The same thing is happening on my 2000 suncruiser 35u. It is getting worse and worse. I contacted Winnebago a couple years ago and then agreed to send me entire new panels for the rig. The only problem is that I would have to pay the labor which was about $20,000 dollars. Not economically feasible to do that.

I am living with it for now and am sickened by the fact there is absolutely nothing I can do to prevent any more damage unless I shell out big bucks.

I spoke to an rv repair place and was told they would have to grind down the entire outer surface of the filon panels from front to back. I forgot what they said they would have to do to fill the sides back in. Maybe it was fiberglass. Not sure. It was expensive.