Damaged front (plastic) diamond plate

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   Just got my brand new RP180 back from a local hitch shop to have my new Equalizer 600/6000 WDH installed. I LOVE the hitch, but it's the 'modifications' to the trailer that the mechanic did that I could do without.
Apparently, the tech banged the square sway bar into the front of the trailer and put a nice sized square hole through the plastic diamond plate. From what it looks like the inner layer has been cracked too.

I was NOT happy. It was the shop owner who first saw the damage, when he was showing me the new hitch. 'Oh, what did you hit here?', he said.

I was stunned, as there had been no damage the day before when I brought the rig up to the shop. He took photos of the damage and called his tech, who promptly denied any knowledge to it at all.

Fortunately Matt, the owner, is taking full responsibility and said that he will pay to fix the damage, including ordering a new part for the front and having the inner layer filled with resin.

He was not happy either and told me that he would have a 'Serious talk' with his tech about the problem the following day.

My question is this:

Should I have him just order a new plastic diamond plate panel from Forest River or should I upgrade and pay the difference in the cost of the part to have a real 'metal' diamond plate put in?

I didn't realize that the factory plate was only plastic (and the tech probably didn't either).

It seems like, since the factory piece will have to be removed anyway to repair the damage, I might as well end up with something better than what I started with.

I thought it best to ask here, incase someone has replaced this panel before, to get some advice before asking the shop owner about it.

1. Would a real piece of metal diamond plate be substantially more expensive than the plastic part?
2. Can it be substituted without a lot of additional work?

It seems like having real metal in the lower front of the trailer would be better than just plastic, and since it has to be replaced anyway....

The piece measures 15 inches by 6.5 ft.

Thanks for the advice,

ONT

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OldNeumanntapr Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 May 2018 Location: CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 204	Topic: Damaged front (plastic) diamond plate Posted: 30 Jun 2018 at 2:14pm
	Just got my brand new RP180 back from a local hitch shop to have my new Equalizer 600/6000 WDH installed. I LOVE the hitch, but it's the 'modifications' to the trailer that the mechanic did that I could do without. Apparently, the tech banged the square sway bar into the front of the trailer and put a nice sized square hole through the plastic diamond plate. From what it looks like the inner layer has been cracked too. I was NOT happy. It was the shop owner who first saw the damage, when he was showing me the new hitch. 'Oh, what did you hit here?', he said. I was stunned, as there had been no damage the day before when I brought the rig up to the shop. He took photos of the damage and called his tech, who promptly denied any knowledge to it at all. Fortunately Matt, the owner, is taking full responsibility and said that he will pay to fix the damage, including ordering a new part for the front and having the inner layer filled with resin. He was not happy either and told me that he would have a 'Serious talk' with his tech about the problem the following day. My question is this: Should I have him just order a new plastic diamond plate panel from Forest River or should I upgrade and pay the difference in the cost of the part to have a real 'metal' diamond plate put in? I didn't realize that the factory plate was only plastic (and the tech probably didn't either). It seems like, since the factory piece will have to be removed anyway to repair the damage, I might as well end up with something better than what I started with. I thought it best to ask here, incase someone has replaced this panel before, to get some advice before asking the shop owner about it. 1. Would a real piece of metal diamond plate be substantially more expensive than the plastic part? 2. Can it be substituted without a lot of additional work? It seems like having real metal in the lower front of the trailer would be better than just plastic, and since it has to be replaced anyway.... The piece measures 15 inches by 6.5 ft. Thanks for the advice, ONT

StephenH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6417	Posted: 30 Jun 2018 at 4:41pm
	Consider the weight difference between the plastic panel and a metal panel. The plastic is meant not to absorb the impact of the bar, but the stuff kicked up by your tires. The panel on our 2016 RP179 with probably about 20,000 miles on it since we got it back from the factory after being repaired (not sure if it was replaced or not) is in great shape. After all, look at a lot of modern autos. They have plastic panels also.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

mcarter Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 07 Apr 2016 Location: Greenbrier, TN Online Status: Offline Posts: 3419	Posted: 30 Jun 2018 at 4:51pm
	I have done diamond plate work. First the panel from FR is what the come with and what the sell with. If you want to go with metal, the price will go up. Anything you add will have to be cut and sized, made to fit. Not impossible but the dealer who did damage will not be liable for improving your panel over and above stock. The weight is minimal, not a big deal, but the sizing and addition of a custom part will change the job. I need to go look at mine because I had some issues with front diamond plate and I don't recall it being plastic. Will update when I get chance.
	Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."

mcarter Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 07 Apr 2016 Location: Greenbrier, TN Online Status: Offline Posts: 3419	Posted: 30 Jun 2018 at 5:24pm
	Mine is in fact a plastic product. I had an issue where the floor material fell out of the bottom ledge that supports floor. I had to reinforce with metal addition to keep water damage away while towing. Several 178 owners have experienced same.
	Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."

DenisP Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 23 Dec 2017 Location: Massachusetts Online Status: Offline Posts: 15	Posted: 30 Jun 2018 at 6:55pm
	I added aluminum diamond plate to my 2010 171 as an upgrade to reinforce the front of the pod. The diamond plate was custom cut from a 2' x 8' of diamond plate sheet and the remaining diamond plate was shipped also (which I used to line the wheel wells for added protection). The aluminum diamond plate was available in several colors and total weight was minimal. It was a great modification.
	T@b 400 with solar Formerly 2010 171 2013 Tundra TRD

DenisP Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 23 Dec 2017 Location: Massachusetts Online Status: Offline Posts: 15	Posted: 30 Jun 2018 at 7:03pm
	http://diamondlifegear.com/trailer-stone-guard.htm link to the trailer guard diamond plate I used on the 171
	T@b 400 with solar Formerly 2010 171 2013 Tundra TRD

Pod People Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 22 Sep 2011 Location: Chapel Hill,NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 1088	Posted: 30 Jun 2018 at 9:11pm
	Unfortunately, the same thing happened to us. I had one of the equalizer bars set against the front of the trailer. Laura started lowering the trailer to hitch it to the tv. As the trailer slowly dropped down, it slowly punched a perfectly square hole through the front “diamond plate”. It piereced the fiberglass exterior and the layer of plywood that it is attached to. The hole did not penetrate the interior wall. I used a heavy guage piece of aluminum that I cut to. About 4”x6” . I drilled holes on all sides and painted it flat black. I also painted 6 sheet metal screws(#12x 1”) flat black. After the paint dried, i coated the back of the plate with silicone and screwed it onto the front of the plating. I made sure it was square and plumb and it looks as if it is the cover to a port or something important. Nobody would ever think it was a repair —except everybody on this forum. It is not as bad as you think. Make the dealer do what you think is right, but it is an easy and good repair. Maybe you can repair it yourself and get some shop credit or?... Vann
	Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179

Tars Tarkas Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1452	Posted: 30 Jun 2018 at 11:05pm
	My Pod, like a lot of others, doesn't have the diamond plate. I knew they are plastic, and I've thought about getting some material and adding it to my Pod. I think it's mostly aesthetic rather than protective, and the protection is more from road tar than anything else. But it looks nice and substantial. TT
	2010 176 FJ Cruiser