Outer side Seams

We had a different issue on our 2015 179: the front outer shell started buckling in the middle. Our dealer said this was a manufacturing defect and arranged for the trailer to be brought to the FR factory in Oregon last October 2016.

Not only FR, but where has quality control & pride in your product gone? We are fortunate to have had only minor issues with our 179. We hope everything gets resolved to your satisfaction. Oh, I am a strong proponent of letting FR know about your issues. Even though the pod had been at the factory, the higher-ups need to know what you are going through.

Update on my 2017 rpod / r pod 180 side seam separation:

I ended up doing the repair myself. Fortunately, as I mentioned previously, I noticed the problem and was able to glob on some temporary sealant prior to any water damage occurring. This meant the fix was not rocket science nor did it require a major disassembly of the camper (at least not in my opinion it didn't). Initially, I tried to go to the Forrest River dealer to get it repaired. But, I was only 6 weeks from the end of my warranty and the dealer had at least a three month backlog due to being " short handed". Because this warranty problem and because the other warranty problems on my list of needed repairs were not rocket science, I just went ahead and did all of the work myself. My work (none of it, including the work on the side seam), I'm sure, doesn't look as professional as what the dealership would have done. But, it is adequate.

On a side note, I didn't find the twelve month warranty to be very useful. It's really, due to the logistics of returning to a dealer as well as fitting into a dealer's busy busy schedule, more like a six month warranty. If one waits beyond the first six months to get the warranty work performed, one runs the risk of bumping into personal logistical and dealer scheduling issues which might result in one's warranty expiring before the work can be performed. In my specific case (and this is something I don't believe I've before mentioned on this forum), I've got the time, tools, and ability to perform many types of repairs. Although I would not attempt to remove and rebuild the entire side wall of a RV. Many of the other types of typical repairs (mine, for example, included leaky plumbing, unattached wood trim pieces, a broken power converter, building a proper support for beneath the shower, gooping sealant next to the refrigerator in a spot missed during manufacture, resealing the roof with dicor, resealing the "seams", and let's not forget repair of the side seam separation) are done easily by me. And, because I view this as a hobby, I can appreciate the joy of getting into the details of the ongoing repairs (for me, it's more enjoyable than and preferable to spending time without my camper while it's in for repairs). Perhaps someday RV ownership will be more like car ownership (i.e. easy access to a dealer network for warranty service, short turn-around repair times, longer warranties, longer intervals between required ongoing inspections and service). But, in the meantime, we hobbyists have something to keep ourselves busy. So, maybe, for now, it's better just the way it is.

I don't know how the dealer fixed it, but the huge gap is gone. It looks like they reinforced the "sagging" area with something solid yet flexible in between the cap and the frame because I can faintly see a rectangle outline of some sort. There is still a small gap there that they filled in with sealant, plus redid the caulking/sealant around the frame.

Fred,