Ugh- found some water in the overhead bunk- what to do.

[travisc]

Well it finally happened to us- I was getting ready to prepare for Memorial Day weekend and found some water in the overhead bunk- It wasn't a lot so I started looking for where it might have gotten in- I found the Overhead seem along the passenger side above the door to have a loose seem of calk- great- so I peel at it a bit and push in it and found quite a bit of moisture- after taking some screws out and breaking about 2-3 feet of caulk seem I have a bit of water coming and out and looks like a little separation between the layers below the filon-

I am in a bit of a quandary here- do I try to fix them myself- or pay a local shop to do this- I think have the ability but would like some guidance here- our RV is a 2008 Winnebago 24' Access, we plan on keeping it a long time. I'd like everyone;s take on this- should I repair it myself- or should I find someone on the SouthSide of seattle to do this for me- I am in kent and really don't care for most of the RV shops local to me- but I am open to suggestions.

This hits me in the gut pretty hard as I think we need to cancel our weekend camping plans to let this dry out.

I posted these with tinypic and setup with 640x480- hopefully these are the right size

[travisc]

We paid $700 for both sides to be resealed and glued back together from the below the doors to above bunk on the roof.

[trnfla]

Glad you found a good person, please share the repair costs since a lot of us have the same issues on winnie's.

[fizikpal]

I have a 2002 Shasta and I have had not leaks to speak of. I had a pressure test done a few months back and got some spots repaired. After talking with the guy at the shop, he convinced me to recaulk the entire motorhome.

So now I doing a section at a time, removing old caulk with a razor and cleaning it before recaulking. He suggested using auto pinstriping tape to get professional look seams. Seems to be going so good so far. A lot of work and time and only have a 1/3 of the unit done. But it is something I can do and I am ensuring quality control.

[crasster]

With so many RV leaks in the overhead cab, I vote they start making them out of PVC entirely, skip the wood all together (or anything else that can ROT), and make a couple of weep holes. LOL It's gonna happen and we all know it.

[travisc]

Yep- good news- I got it back last night- I'll post pictures later but I found a great guy to do work in Orting, WA- he takes side jobs now and then and did a really good job putting it back together and in a very short amount of time- he over estimated based on what he saw- and then delivered well under both in time and cost.

More details coming- if you need Fiberglass or body work this is a good contact.

[62Doka]

Any updates or is it still too soon?

[travisc]

We looked at using TorkLift central RV but they are not taking any jobs like this- due to a downsize in their shop and sales space. Little disappointed.

We were directed to a private individual in the Orting Washington area- he will be doing some filon replacement and redoing the corners- I'll share more details after the repair.

[travisc]

Well we decided to take it to a couple of RV shops for a quick look and ended up leaving it with TorkLift RV in Kent, they'll tear it open and give us a call with options.

[k9-keno]

I have a class C bought a 2001 with 5000K on it. Got it from a dealer with a 90 day warranty. After first trip and HVY rain found water pouring in for years in the front window (hate that window). It had rotted everything on the bed and front near window. Dealer had to replace it all 5000.00 under warranty because it was a health and saftey hazard. So now I keep everything sealed up and check it all the time. I also have cracking on my seals all the time in the same place you have your leak...I seal that part 2 times a year due to flexing. As another reader wrote its not pretty to seal that part but effective.

[travisc]

We were looking at central Washington next week also- I had a guy from craigslist stop to take a look at it- and his suggestion is get it in a dry shop and he'll repair/reseal for $300 seemed like a pretty honest guy- says he's been doing work for 12 years- I am waiting for some references before I make any decisions- I'll also take it down to a local dealer for an estimate. He also said seal it up and take it out for the weekend.

[toyotaspeed90]

Side note - I'm planning to take our C East of the mountains.... the weather, even off I90 where we're going (within WA state still) is 70-76 and sunny.... maybe change where you're going instead of cancelling going altogether.

[ZONEZZ]

Not wanting to sound "cute" but you could temporary seal it and drive it down here then park it with the windows open and a fan on the table for about a week and it will be dry for sure, and I mean dry. Then make the repairs and go see the Grand Canyon! At 100+ and 12 percent humidity...think about it. Just an idea but I know it will work. Good luck.

[ron_dittmer]

travisc and CloudDriver,

Your stories and others shared is the reason why I consistently stress a seamless B+ cap or seamless cab-over bed design. I know this doesn't help you one bit, likely even irritating. I do appologize for that. I say it only for other readers stumbling through here.

This happening on a young 2008 Winnebago does seem out of the ordinary. I do hope your repair cost will be less than anticipated, the down-time short, and results satisfactory & long lasting.

[travisc]

I appreciate everyones comments on this- we have a "wet" weekend ahead of us- that makes it tough to get this dried- I also will get a couple of quotes to get this done- while I have the ability- I really don't have the time- comes down to 2 kids below 2 years old and a fulltime plus job with commute time added. Previously mentioned was torque lift's RV- I've been in the store side but not the shop so I'll check with them- and I have a "craiglist" guy coming over- yeah I know- be careful. This really comes down to getting it down right and in a reasonable amount of time.

I have dried the inside out with a heater and open the outside up to ventilate it- but we have the next 5 days of rain-being this is on the bottom side I am less concerned- but it will take longer.