General Warranty Question

[ronheater70]

To start, Im having no issues and am currently pleased with our Setup (3436 Fl fifth wheel) have had a few minor issues and pleased to repor it has been good to us.
However I just got the poo scared out of me based on My brothers experience.
He has a 2 year old camper (NOT A WINNIE) that developed a roof leak, that created a soft spot and was ultimately quoted 9500 dollars to repair it. His 10 year roof warranty was denied because he hadnt brought it in for roof inspection twice a year. And in all honesty, he never even got up on the roof. Insurance would only cover it if it the leak was caused by damage. Ultimately this was the case as once inspected better it was discovered a small crack in the skylight.

Now, I myself have a nice 10 year roof warranty as well as extended warranty on everything else. Unlike My Brother im on my roof just about every time I leave a campsite to sweep off any debris.. I give it a good inspection about once every 4 months or so and have added a little dicor to a few places that were probably o.k but i wanted to be proactive. I always figured with me doing that, and having receipts for Materials I would be safe.
Do I need to schedule yearly or bi yearly inspections to keep my roof warranty intact?

I also inspect and reseal (if needed) my slides about twice a year. Whats the general thought on this?

I believe it turned 1 year old in August.

 

[creativepart]

A couple of comments:

You will need to document twice a year inspections for the 10-year warranty to be honored. You can do the inspections yourself, but keep a log book and note every thing you find and fix. Keep receipts for sealant. Photos wouldn't hurt.

Next - you never use Dicor on a Winnebago roof. Winnebago uses Silicone sealants on all of their roofs and if you put Dicor over remaining silicone sealant it will appear to hold, but you can easily pull it off with your hands because it can't stick to the silicone. You must use a silicone based sealant/caulk to "touch up" any area lacking in full coverage.

Oh, you can fully remove the OEM sealant, clean it so not a trace of original sealant exists and the replace it with Dicor but the chance of you removing all the silicone is pretty slim.

NuFlex 311/Hengs 311 is the common choice. But heck, you can even go to Home Depot and get some DAP, GE or Gorilla Waterproof Caulk & Seal 100% Silicone Sealant as long as it's 100% silicone.

Keep all receipts with your roof inspection diary.

PS. The obvious trick here is that if you do all of that roof inspection you will not have any roof warranty repairs - Winnebago wins.

 

[ronheater70]

I will start keeping a diary of it then.. I think I can go back and get a bill of materials bought. Thats good info on the Dicor, I thought that was the industry standard. It seems to hold work Fine, But I will get the recommended material on out.

My Thoughts exactly is that if it is inspected proper thee would never be a need for a warranty, and like you said Winnie wins, but I want to be safe, just in case!
Thanks for the response!

 

[Wyatt-WO]

A couple of comments:

“Next - you never use Dicor on a Winnebago roof. Winnebago uses Silicone sealants on all of their roofs and if you put Dicor over remaining silicone sealant it will appear to hold, but you can easily pull it off with your hands because it can't stick to the silicone. You must use a silicone based sealant/caulk to "touch up" any area lacking in full coverage.”



PS. The obvious trick here is that if you do all of that roof inspection you will not have any roof warranty repairs - Winnebago wins.

I always appreciate what you have to say, but that blanket statement about never using Dicor is not true on all Winnebago roofs.

It’s probably true on 90% of them, and from what I’ve read, most all fiberglass roofs, but not on our rubber roof.

Our Intent model has a TPO rubber roof. The front cap is fiberglass. The joint between them is sealed with Dicor EPDM self-leveling sealant.

This isn’t my opinion, this is from Winnebago Customer Care with whom I spoke just today, in order to proffer an authoritative opinion. They asked for my Vin number, researched all my questions, and came back with the answers I just posted. I also have the phone call recorded which I can transcribe if anyone is interested…

So I guess my point is, not all Winnebago roofs are the same and you need to contact Winnebago to find out exactly what’s going on with what sealant you need.

 

[ronheater70]

I always appreciate what you have to say, but that blanket statement about never using Dicor is not true on all Winnebago roofs.

It’s probably true on 90% of them, and from what I’ve read, most all fiberglass roofs, but not on our rubber roof.

Our Intent model has a TPO rubber roof. The front cap is fiberglass. The joint between them is sealed with Dicor EPDM self-leveling sealant.

This isn’t my opinion, this is from Winnebago Customer Care with whom I spoke just today, in order to proffer an authoritative opinion. They asked for my Vin number, researched all my questions, and came back with the answers I just posted. I also have the phone call recorded which I can transcribe if anyone is interested…

So I guess my point is, not all Winnebago roofs are the same and you need to contact Winnebago to find out exactly what’s going on with what sealant you need.

Well the factory roof has the same Look as Dicor from the other 3 prior RVS I owned and was told to use it on. I used it in about 4-6 tiny spots over the last year that I felt were just slightly defecient in coverage and it sealed up fine, stuck to the joint good and all of that. Being one their largest fifth wheels, Maybe its a different scenario, But im gonna call them to make sure. I have my Paper work and Vin ready so I will call them Monday afternoon and check! That being said I cant imagine it hurting anything, possibly not sticking as well, is that the concern? It was applied overtop of existing sealant and joints and not the roof itself.

 

[creativepart]

Winnebago motorhomes have sealant guides online and owners can easily look up their model and know the correct sealant to use.

Towables unfortunately do not have this level of information on their RVs. So a call to Winnebago would be necessary.

I try to not make blanket statements about Winnebago RVs because they make so many models and have done so for so many years that there probably are no hard and fast rules about how an individual RV has been made. So I apologize if I misled any one.

And, yes Ron the Dicor will go over the silicone sealant just fine and appear to do the job perfectly, but if applied to silicone it will pull right off in your hand once fully dried. Certainly it will do no harm. It just won’t last. I don’t know exactly what sealant is on your Winnebago, just that, in general Winnebago uses silicone based sealants. It’s not the roof that the Dicor won’t adhere to, it’s the silicone in the other sealants used by the factory that create the issue.

Here is the sealant guide for a 2018 Intent 26m. It shows that sealant 184188-01-CHT is used on the roof cap joints and elsewhere on your roof, Wyatt. That Winnebago part number is for Nuco 311 Silicone Sealant as I mentioned above. So, I’m not sure where the discrepancy lies.

Here’s a link:
https://www.winnebago.com/Files/Files/Winnebago/Resources/Diagram/Sealant/000043995.pdf

And a screenshot:

 

[Wyatt-WO]

Winnebago motorhomes have sealant guides online and owners can easily look up their model and know the correct sealant to use.

Towables unfortunately do not have this level of information on their RVs. So a call to Winnebago would be necessary.

I try to not make blanket statements about Winnebago RVs because they make so many models and have done so for so many years that there probably are no hard and fast rules about how an individual RV has been made. So I apologize if I misled any one.

And, yes Ron the Dicor will go over the silicone sealant just fine and appear to do the job perfectly, but if applied to silicone it will pull right off in your hand once fully dried. Certainly it will do no harm. It just won’t last. I don’t know exactly what sealant is on your Winnebago, just that, in general Winnebago uses silicone based sealants. It’s not the roof that the Dicor won’t adhere to, it’s the silicone in the other sealants used by the factory that create the issue.

Here is the sealant guide for a 2018 Intent 26m. It shows that sealant 184188-01-CHT is used on the roof cap joints and elsewhere on your roof, Tim. That Winnebago part number is for Nuco 311 Silicone Sealant as I mentioned above. So, I’m not sure where the discrepancy lies.

Here’s a link:
https://www.winnebago.com/Files/Files/Winnebago/Resources/Diagram/Sealant/000043995.pdf

And a screenshot:

That’s pretty darn helpful. I looked everywhere on their site and never could find that. (We’ll, I guess not everywhere, or I too would have found it…)

Q. How did you manage to translate the cryptic Winnebago sealant codes into real world applications?

As for the discrepancy, it is odd, but perhaps no more odd than FORD changing their oil requirements on our V10 from 5-20 to 5-30w without telling anyone…

 

[creativepart]

Q. How did you manage to translate the cryptic Winnebago sealant codes into real world applications?

A. Google. They are not cryptic codes they are Winnebago Part Numbers.

As for the discrepancy, it is odd, but perhaps no more odd than FORD changing their oil requirements on our V10 from 5-20 to 5-30w without telling anyone…

They do change these guides from time to time. Usually, they update the Sealant Guide when they do.

I've known them to change some Manus Bond 75 to other sealants on the all important drip rail installation. But I've never known them to change a silicone sealant to a non-silicone sealant. But, that said, understand that I don't have complete and total knowledge of these things. Only what I and others have seen.

I have spoken to Winnebago customer service reps that had no idea of what all is used and built into our RVs. I do know there are some reps that are inexperienced or under trained. I know this because I've spoken to a few of them.

Forums are an accumulation of opinions by non-professional every day users. Some of our opinions are correct and some are not. It's the job of everyone to take these opinions and decide for ourselves what is the most correct.

 

[creativepart]

Bare in mind, when sealing any new item to the roof of your RV Dicor works just fine. It's just when it's applied to any OEM installation that was sealed at the factory that there is an issue.

I installed two solar panels and an antenna cable plate to my roof using Dicor and they've held up just fine.

In hindsight, I wish I had used NuFlex 311 so everything would be the same. Its one thing for me to know about the mixed use on my roof, but I'm pretty sure I won't own my RV forever. I worry that the next owner will not have a clue even if I notate it in all my records.

 

[RayIN]

A fact; the 10 yr. warranty is only for the EPDM membrane not underlying material or sealants. Thus the inspection requirement.

 

[ronheater70]

I wanted to follow up on this, as I just got off the phone with Winnebago (Pleasant experience, not a long hold time and quick!)
For my Fifth Wheel, They recommend Dicor Self Leveling which is what I used so far in a few places.. Ill double check everything on the next warm day. But at least I have it out of their mouths now so I can relax.. Like i said was just a couple places that in all reality were probably fine but I just am over cautious! Thank you!