Repair Work Done at Grand National Forest City

[sightseer 30B]

We are contemplating attending GN for the first time this year coming from Connecticut.

My question is about the factory repairs that are performed that week. On my entry door, the lower inside panel got wet sometime in the past and the wood(?) panel behind the vinyl surface is bulging and soft. Is replacement of this panel a job that can be performed by factory service that week?

If so, do I need to make a service reservation now or wait until I arrive and hope I van get the work done in the 3 days (Monday - Wednesday) I plan to be there? Can I pre-order the material to replace the damaged piece?

It's a Sightseer 30B.

Thanks,

Wayne

 

[sightseer 30B]

We are contemplating attending GN for the first time this year coming from Connecticut.

My question is about the factory repairs that are performed that week. On my entry door, the lower inside panel got wet sometime in the past and the wood(?) panel behind the vinyl surface is bulging and soft. Is replacement of this panel a job that can be performed by factory service that week?

If so, do I need to make a service reservation now or wait until I arrive and hope I van get the work done in the 3 days (Monday - Wednesday) I plan to be there? Can I pre-order the material to replace the damaged piece?

It's a Sightseer 30B.

Thanks,

Wayne

 

[jcar6109]

I would recommend making a reservation now or in the near future. Service time will most likely be all booked up by the time you get there. Call the Winnebago service and see what they recommend or what their guidelines are. You will have a great time at the GNR.

 

[CaptBill-WO]

I don't think that Winnebago will take reservations for repair work for the week before, or the week of the GNR. When you get there, you have to go to the service desk across the street from the rally grounds, and get on a list. They allow something like 3 or 5 items to be listed for service, and then you check the list that they post on several locations at GNR as to who gets in that day.

You drop it off at the repair center at 8:00 AM, and pick it up at 4:00 pm, whether the repairs are completed, or not. If it needs to go back the next day to finish, you get it back over there again at 8AM.

The order in which they take repairs is first come first served, during the GNR. I'm pretty sure this is the way it still works.

 

[richierich-WO]

I would call Factory service now, let them know what you want done, maybe parts might have to be ordered. Either way, even though the GNR is lots of fun, when you drop your coach off at 0630, yes early, you might not have much fun running back and forth checking with the service guys, if they call you about a problem that they found. Most people who drop there coaches off for service work,and have to return the following day, try to get a space in the service parking lot, to spend the night.Makes getting to the service area much easier. Cell phones really help, if a question comes up technician will call you. During the rally, winnebago will only do 7 items to repair or service. This is due to the large amyount of coaches to take care. But do go to the Rally, we enjoyed it very much, this one coming up, will be our 4th. We go every other year.

 

[Dsouthw524]

Ifyou caan, try to stay longer so you can enjoy the GNR. There is a lot more to do than time to do it if you try to do it all. For example, try to take a factory tour or two. If you have not done so, you will be impressed with the tours that W.I.T. members are able to take. You get to go to the departments and see how things are made as opposed to the overview tour non-members take. As I am sure you know, there is a lot of entertaainment and vendor booths.

 

[Hikerdogs]

We had a similar problem with the door on our Adventurer last year. If you're somewhat handy with tools it isn't a big job to remove the door and repair it yourself.

When I removed our door I laid it on a couple sawhorses in the garage. Then I removed the screws around the perimeter of the frame and carefully removed the frame from the door body.

Next I removed the door skin by popping the screw covers off the outer belt strip and removing the screws. I slid a wide putty knife between the fiberglass skin and the luan plywood. It came apart easily and there was no damage to the paint.

In our case all the damage was below the strip so I didn't try to remove the upper skin. The plywood had gotten so wet it delaminated. I carefully removed the top 2 loose layers and dried everything over night. When the loose layers dried they warped a little but they were easy to straighten out with a little pressure.

I cleaned the surfaces of all the wood and applied a good coating of contact cement. When the cement set up I put the first 2 layers together and clamped them for a couple hours. I repeated this step for the top layer of luan and one more time for the fiberglass skin.

When everything was dry I put a small bead of clear silicone around the inner and outer perimeter of the door and reinstalled the frame.

Before reinstalling the door I drilled 3 5/16" diameter holes in the bottom of the frame (per the factory rep at the GNR). That way if a small amount of moisture does get in it will either drain out the bottom or have enough air circulation to evaporate.

It's been a little less than a year since the repair. We've put on another 9,000 miles and all is working well.

 

[sightseer 30B]

Thanks for the input on repairing the panel. Especially the tip about drilling the drain holes.

Frankly I am affraid of what I will find if I open the door up. But I won't know if I don't try.

I really think I need to replace the panel since it is feels so de-laminated at this point.

I believe that this problem started at the dealer lot. Since the unit was a left-over, I suspect that the door might have been left open to the elements more than once.

I can't see where any water can be getting in unless the door is left open to the elements, and I never allowed that to happen.

I'm going to do some research to see if I can order a new panel. Or I can make one up and put the States Map on it so I don't have to match color.

Have to wait for a little warmer weather as well.

Thanks again,

Wayne

 

[Hikerdogs]

Sightseer 30B: I don't believe the door on our coach has ever been left open to the elements. We ordered it in Nov. of 2000. It was delivered to the dealer on Jan 31, 2001. We immediatly took delivery and drove it home to our garage. The only time it's outdoors is when we are on vacation. We're pretty careful not to leave it open if any kind of weather is threatening.
From what I was told the panels are as weatherproof as possible, but there's always a slight chance some moisture can get between the frame and the outer panel. Especially after many thousands of miles pounding down the road. The holes in the bottom are supposed to allow the minor amounts of moisture that do get in to dry qiuckly. Without the holes there's no way for the water to escape. It just keeps evaporating into trapped air as the door warms, and condenses again everytime the door cools.

The moisture in our door had been there long enough to form a black slimy mold. Fortunately I was able to remove it all and put the door back together as good (or maybe better than) new.

 

[sightseer 30B]

In my case the unit just hit 10K in 2 years of use. The delamination is to the inner door panel, not the fiberglass side. It is the panel that would be exposed to the rain if the door was left open.

The unit was on the dealer lot for a whole summer before I purchased it as a left-over in September 04, so ther was potential for it to get wet more than once.

I am very interest to see what the fiberglass skin side looks like as well.

I think I will drill the holes this weekend and help ventilation to dry it out when the temperature gets back above freezing. I wish I had thought of drillig the holes when I first noticed it. Perhaps I would have let the trapped moisture out and stopped the further deterioration.

Thanks to everybody for the feedback.

Perhaps I will just go and just enjoy GN instead of spending my time dealing with repair (unless something else goes wrong).

Wayne