342 nimbus 07 delamination

Topic: 342 nimbus 07 delamination (Read 1071 times) previous topic - next topic

342 nimbus 07 delamination

September 21, 2014, 08:41:14 pm

What to do? I have two areas one on each side under each bedroom slide.One side has pulled away around an inch and is about a sq ft. The other is loose around the edge and water would come out of it when you pressed on it now it is dry. What to do...my thoughts are to clean it out and put liquid nails in it and press it back together with a wedge against a wall. This what I was told a shop would do.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #1 – September 21, 2014, 09:16:40 pm

Me, I would talk to xtreme and FT and see what they would do and see if FT will cover it.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #2 – September 21, 2014, 09:48:55 pm

I called them they did not offer any help other than a couple of places in fl I could take it

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #3 – September 21, 2014, 10:25:35 pm

Actually that is what I would do (but maybe not L Nails). I would ask the experts here on what to use to hold to foam etc but pressure to hold it in would surely work, and a lot cheaper.
JohnH

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #4 – September 21, 2014, 10:37:20 pm

You could clean it and dry it out then insert the proper resin and then vacuum bac the slide. That would suck out the excess resin and probably give you the flattest repair.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #5 – September 21, 2014, 11:10:40 pm

Gorilla glue polyurethane adhesive comes to mind. Pretty sure that was what was used originally.

As far as pressure I have fixed several old ftx coaches by parking the coach in a concrete loading bay and put a big piece of thick plywood against the coaches side where the separation occurred.

A large diesel inner tube was placed in between the two surfaces and the tire inflated.

Worked well

Or two coaches parked side by side.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #6 – September 21, 2014, 11:12:41 pm

You may find that the foam insulation behind the delam fiberglass is incompatible to many adhesives and will self-destruct similar to melting the foam.

This is why delam repairs may require removing fiberglass, putting in new foam, new glass & gelcoat, adding to cost.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #7 – September 21, 2014, 11:20:19 pm

When he was speaking of delamination, I was assuming he was talking about delamination between the layers of Fiberglas. If applied pressure indicates that all you have is delamination and not failure of the Fiberglas and the supporting substructure, then all you should have to do is properly insert the correct resin/catalyst compound and apply pressure with a vacuum bag. This is what you do to delaminated composite flight controls on aircraft and I am it would be sufficient to repair the sidewall of an RV.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #8 – September 22, 2014, 06:29:59 am

We are now beginning to see many issues with the 2007 year Nimbus. I too had delamination issues with my 2007 Nimbus around the drivers window. I see to my dismay, that we are now hearing about another delamination issue here. This is now the forth person with a 2007 Nimbus with delamination issues. Unfortunately, these coaches which are well built, are showing their first serious issues as they age. Watch around the areas where the front/rear cap meets the side walls for water penetration. Here, the company tried using a fiberglass strip glued over the seam to waterproof of joint.Unfortunately, the amount of glue used was minimal at best and allowed water penetration. Additionally, water seepage around the windows are another area of great concern for water penetration between fiberglass and internal foam.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #9 – September 22, 2014, 07:17:23 am

Agree with Steve, Gorilla Glue.
Try to blow loose debris out with low pressure air.
Drill a few small holes to put new grease fittings in, buy a new cheap grease gun, fill it with Gorilla glue
and pump until it comes out at the edge. Take a suction cup and work it in and out to insure complete coverage.
The glue will expand so block it with some 2/6's even with the skin on each side of the delamination.

Remove the grease fittings before the glue cures!
You can get the holes filled even with the glue.
A little dab of paint and it will look OK!

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #10 – September 22, 2014, 08:44:26 am

FT had some trouble with slide delamination in 07. The switch from fiberglass in the slide rooms caused the issue. FT should cover this, or at the least assist in the repair. The switch to a better adhesive worked for a FT owner I know in Nac. He had to fight it as usual, but he had FT warrant the repair. However, he is the original owner of the coach.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #11 – September 22, 2014, 09:15:51 am

We recently had a small area of delamination repaired at FT on our 1996 U320 I spent several days in the fiberglass shop watching and "supervising". The issue with delamination is almost always water incursion. The glues used in the original laminate layup is not waterproof. Water causes the original glue to release from the foam. Look for a leak! The FT fix was to remove trim, inject an improved glue now used in current production and then use plywood and bar clamps against a sturdy wall to apply pressure for 24 hours. The repair was successful. I explored several types of glues and suggested them to FT, however, in the end, I went with their process due to the compatibility with the foam. The foam is a Styrofoam product, although a closed cell foam. Many glues / solvents are not compatible with this type of foam. Whatever you use it must be pliable if the repair is to last.
I would certainly try to get this repaired at FT. Steve Laivler in the fiberglass shop knows what he is doing and is very accommodating.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #12 – September 22, 2014, 09:17:57 am

The problem is on the coach wall itself. It has come loss from the wall under the slide. The problem looks like there was not enough silicon placed on the seam and water has worked its way between the fiberglass and the wall. I can clean out the areas remove loss debris on the walls . But what adhesive to use. I think all of the seems need to be resealed with the black silicone . All FT wanted to tell me was to bring it to them. They would not admit to any problems with fiberglass separating from the wall.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #13 – September 22, 2014, 12:20:14 pm

Well, if they asked you to bring them the coach then if it were me, I would certainly do that. I wouldn't expect them to "admit" to anything over the phone with you. They have no idea what's involved without seeing the problem first-hand. I think your best bet is to get the coach to them and then plead your case for them to cover the repair.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #14 – September 22, 2014, 12:41:51 pm

We had a delam fixed at FOT. They used an Henkel adhesive that was activated by spraying water on it if I remember right.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #15 – September 22, 2014, 01:39:50 pm

Quote from: John S – September 21, 2014, 09:16:40 pm

Me, I would talk to xtreme and FT and see what they would do and see if FT will cover it.

I completely agree. I tackle a lot of projects myself, but I would take this one to the experts and try to get Foretravel to cover at least a reasonable portion of the repair cost.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #16 – September 22, 2014, 01:50:12 pm

This is not just a FT issue as my friends 2006 C Coach slides have similar problems that we fixed last winter while in mexico. They used a corner strip to cover the edges of fibreglass sheets around slides. These had been coming loose and falling off. I used very thin 3m VHB tape then a couple of very small rivets as their slide uses the exterior rubber seal so is not affected by the strips. I guess the best way is to let FT see it and maybe come to a resolution with them at some of their cost.I would fix it myself if I had the issue as even with them paying 50% it would cost me a couple thou in fuel/ etc to get there and back
JohnH

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #17 – September 22, 2014, 02:16:11 pm

I am not a full timer and it would be hard for me to get to FT. This does not look to be a hard fix if I knew the right adhesive to use. I am scared the trip there may make things worse . I will try calling them again an see if I could get some more information out of them. Thanks

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #18 – September 22, 2014, 02:44:36 pm

Talk to Steve in the fiberglass shop, he will gladly share what glue they use. He told me, but I don't remember. It is a polyurethane adhesive.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #19 – September 22, 2014, 05:11:18 pm

Quote from: Peter & Beth – September 22, 2014, 08:44:26 am

FT had some trouble with slide delamination in 07. The switch from fiberglass in the slide rooms caused the issue. FT should cover this, or at the least assist in the repair. The switch to a better adhesive worked for a FT owner I know in Nac. He had to fight it as usual, but he had FT warrant the repair. However, he is the original owner of the coach.

I too was the original owner of my Nimbus and had to really push Mr. T to allow some cost of the repair to be covered. We had to cover most of the labor ourselves. When first speaking with Mr. T ( warranty manager) at FT, he first said since the coach was out of warranty is was not their ( FT ) problem. After some dialogue and many conversations over a period of days, we finally came to some understanding.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #20 – September 22, 2014, 06:32:34 pm

You are between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Foretravel has no legal obligation to repair your coach and if you don't repair the coach, the value of your coach will fall more than the cost of the repair. If you don't want to attempt to repair the delamination yourself, then you are going to need to pay someone else to do it. If you are unable to take the coach back to Foretravel, then you will need to talk to someone Foretravel recommends. It is always possible that you can entice Foretravel to expend some goodwill to offset some of your cost, but I am guessing the amount would be negligible considering your costs of taking the coach that far.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #21 – September 22, 2014, 06:38:53 pm

I would see if parliament in FL can work with it.

Re: 342 nimbus 07 delamination

Reply #22 – September 22, 2014, 06:41:25 pm

It is hard to sort out the differences between design flaws that cause failures, and other wear that causes failures/issues. The 2002 Endcap problem was a design flaw according to some folks at FT, and "not our issue" to others. Some they "helped" a lot, some they helped little.

I know delamination was common in early Fleetwood motorhomes that were kind of "thrown-together", but I really wouldn't have expected it in a FT unless kept in a really nasty climate.

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