I spoke too soon!

[RV4FunFixer]

Freddy,
If you could email me pictures of the area that you want to bond together I can recommend some of the products that are available to the general public but you have to know where to get them.
The Pontiac Transport has SMC panels,rear quarters,door skins, etc bonded to a steel frame and I have repaired/replaced many of them.
We actually bond sections of steel 1/4 panels onto vehicles and have had them involved in another accident without the bond joint failure.
Also give the dealer a chance..I took my TT in for warranty work on other issues and after picking it up I realized I forgot to have them look at my slide out awning and determine if it was a warranty issue. I told them I would hook it back up and drag it back over for them to look at. The service manager knows my level of ability involving repairs and that I have bought my last 2 TT from them and without hesitation said that he would order one for me and I could pick it up and install it myself if I wanted. I ask if he needed to see it he said "No,just give me the old one back..I'll handle Fleetwood and A&E for you."
If Winne won't help let's see if we can get together and come up with fix for you.
Mike

 

[Freddy-WO]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by RV4FunFixer:
Freddy,
If you could email me pictures of the area that you want to bond together I can recommend some of the products that are available to the general public but you have to know where to get them.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the offer, but I think I got it now. I stopped at an RV dealership and spoke to a service mgr. there. He showed me what they used to bond hood brackets to fiberglass.

It is a CarQuest product called Weld Bond, and a pack of it costs something like $33. I also bought the "gun" that's used to dispense the glue for something like $44.

 

[abn]

My two cents....I would not trust any glue.

We had the right front fender come loose while going down the road when the cheap screw holding the steel brace broke. The only thing left holding the fender at that point was two sided tape (which of course failed). Duct tape solved the problem until we got home.

The permanent solution. I replaced the cheap screw with a stainless bolt. I then drilled four holes thru the panel into the square tube behind it and put in pop rivets.

You hardly notice them and I no longer worry about that panel coming loose. If I see a problem developing with the hood, I'll do the same there.

 

[Freddy-WO]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by abn:
We had the right front fender come loose while going down the road when the cheap screw holding the steel brace broke. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The same thing happened to the driver's side fender on mine, except the screw didn't break.

The glue holding the fender to a vertical, square tube failed!

If it wasn't for glue I don't think Winnebago could build a motorhome!

 

[Freddy-WO]

Finally!

Got the hood cover to fit properly in both horizontal and vertical positions! It took some time to figure out what each adjustment (mine has 8 different adjustments) did, and how to make them work together to get the cover centered in the hole.

I'll know how to do it again when the bracket bond breaks on the other side.

 

[rg]

You have to file suit in the state that Winnebago is incorporated in or the settlement will not do any thing. You would have to get the settlement then pay a lawyer to try and transfer the settlement to that state. Can we say lots of money. Now how many years has this been a proven problem if only 04 then it was a production run and the problem only came from actual rode use. Good luck and hope you have deep pockets.

 

[Freddy-WO]

Thanks for the advice. However, this state operates on a completely different legal system than the rest of the country. And, there are laws here that protect the buyer long after a "warranty" has expired.