Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 13, 2025 ...

Why not eternabond front and rear roof joints and be done with it?

March 23, 2016, 07:45:02 pm

I am looking at the roof seams where the front and rear end caps meet the roof on my '99 U320.

I'm wondering if there is any reason not to remove the metal cover strip, fill the void with something (3M 5200?) and then Eternabond over the joint?

Also wondering about other exterior body panel seals in general.  I'm not referring to anything that I might want to remove later - just the body panels.  Obviously I wouldn't want to Eternabond on the sides in such a way that any of it showed, but assuming I won't be ready for a visit to Xtreme for another 18 months, what do folks recommend for sealing up the vertical and horizontal seams on the sides?  I have read various different strategies from the past.  3M 4000 has been mentioned.  I even called Xtreme, was given the shop foreman who told me that the original sealant used in the seams is silicone.  He said that even though paint won't adhere to slicone, that's what he recommended anyhow.  I can only imagine that he plans to remove all the silicone before painting, then replace it after painting?  However - here is my dilemma:  (1) I have do do *something* as the coach is 16 years old, and I can see sealant retreating from surfaces all around;  (2) If I am going to do something, maybe I can do something that would eliminate the need for Xtreme to reseal all seams (assuming that's what they would do even if I'm only asking for stripes and full body buff.)  I don't know.  Any recommendations out there?  I have heard that eternabond is very well named - it seals (provided it's applied correctly) and won't come off.  Has anyone tried to eternabond seams under the metal strips, then put them back?  Is there a reason not to do this?  I have no idea!  Anyone?

Quote Selected

Re: Why not eternabond front and rear roof joints and be done with it?

Reply #1 – March 23, 2016, 08:15:41 pm

This is a helpful question for us too.  As you may know, the use of Eternabond is very popular among Lazy Daze owners for sealing the riveted joints and seams on the roof.  A good number of LD "pros" swear by the stuff and report excellent results for periods longer than using various kinds of sealant.  I know that once you use Eternabond, it can be very time consuming to remove.

We've wondered if the use of Eternabond adds or subtracts from the overall appearance and value of the RV, which is of course just speculation at best.  When I've seen pictures of a "professional" job using this tape, it sure likes neat and tidy.

I hope others on the FT forum can help both of us with your timely question.

Quote Selected

Re: Why not eternabond front and rear roof joints and be done with it?

Reply #2 – March 23, 2016, 10:08:25 pm

Paul,

I see that as two very different questions:

Can Eternabond be used on roof seams (not visible)?  YES, but have seen only a very small number of leaks on Foretravels over the years caused by bad cap to coach seams.  Are you seeing signs of water leaks.

If not, my suggestion is to check all the screws on the roof to cap seams.  If they will not torque (we are talking inch-lbs here), pull and check.  If the screw bad/rusted/eroded, replace with SS screw of same size.  If hole wallowed out, either go with next dimeter screw or drill out and fill with epoxy and redrill an use original size screw.

Again, leaks on Foretravel roof to cap seams are VERY rare-- don't over think this unless there is a problem.

Quote Selected

Re: Why not eternabond front and rear roof joints and be done with it?

Reply #3 – March 23, 2016, 10:21:56 pm

I agree with Brett,these things rarely leak.

Quote Selected

Re: Why not eternabond front and rear roof joints and be done with it?

Reply #4 – March 23, 2016, 10:38:14 pm

Brett - you hit the nail on the head right there - "Overthink" is my middle name...

I always expect to get bitten by alligators and figure it's better to drain the swamp - but to your point - I have definitely shot myself in the foot before trying to ward off trouble...  (How is that for mixing metaphors?)

So looking at the seams, (pictures attached) I still feel compelled to do *something*, given the age of the coach (almost 17.5 years) and what I see as the not-so-good condition of the seals (on the outside at least).  I guess I should have mentioned that I also plan to remove the satellite dishes, seal up the holes (probably with dicor + Eternabond) then pressure wash the roof (moderate, not high), then go over any splitting seals with dicor.  Just regular stuff.  It would pain me to do all that and just leave the cap seams as they are.  Should I just do likewise - apply some dicor - or just leave 'em?  Am I crazy?

Regarding the side seams - I understand that *is* an entirely separate matter, given that they are all visible and that they may not be as critical as roof seams.  I haven't taken pictures yet, but the sealant is definitely receding in lots of places - and I guess I feel like these seams should get some maintenance in any case rather than addressing them only after discovering a leak.  I am also thinking I might save a bit of paid labor later on if I were to address the side seams now in such a way that Xtreme doesn't have to do anything with them.  I just don't know what that would be or for that matter if it would be a good idea or not.

Quote Selected

Re: Why not eternabond front and rear roof joints and be done with it?

Reply #5 – March 23, 2016, 11:12:40 pm

With all this rain lately I noticed one of my rear closets showing signs of water leakage . After checking, I found that water was leaking through a crack on the roof, where the rear cap mated up to the body under the trim. I cleaned the area and used dicor to seal everything. I plan on having the roof painted at a later date so I figure this should solve the problem for now. No telling how long I've had this leak and didn't know about it. There is no easy way to get into the ceiling above the closet to check the area for damage. As easy as it is to access the area under the trim I would recamend that everyone check under that trim and reseal it. Probably needs to be done every time you reseal the skylights etc. My coach is a 2006 model. Not really that old.

Quote Selected

Re: Why not eternabond front and rear roof joints and be done with it?

Reply #6 – March 24, 2016, 07:00:27 am

I had a leak on the front cap seam on my 91GV I took it all loose,cleaned it with a scraper and used Dicor self leveling sealer on the top seam and Dicor non sag sealer down the sides. Rescrewed it all back down. No leak now.

Quote Selected

Re: Why not eternabond front and rear roof joints and be done with it?

Reply #7 – March 24, 2016, 07:46:11 am

RT,

In your 3rd pic it shows the top of your ladder and the non skid pad.  With the darkening around the edges of the skid pad you need to think about removing it before it gets any worse.  The reason being the darker it gets the more heat is generated and there have been several cases where the heat has caused the roof to delaminate in that area. Next time you talk to James at Xtreme he can give you an in depth explanation.

Pamela & Mike

Quote Selected

Re: Why not eternabond front and rear roof joints and be done with it?

Reply #8 – March 24, 2016, 08:58:47 am

X2 to Pamela & Mike's remark, Geez--
Ours looked dark tan on the anti-skid landing pad with some signs of delamination. Xtreme did some digging and found a spot where a CB radio antenna had been deleted and resealed years earlier with some mystery stuff, tape and Dicor.

Cutting the non-skid back revealed a small, wetted Luan area with potential future funk. Rance cut the plywood out, gorilla-glued a matching piece in place, re-fiberglassed the area to look like new.

Lastly, we had spotted this problem at Xtreme a few months earlier while re-doing the headlights. James' team does a "roof walk" as part of his service and points out areas that may need attention or repair. I scribbled down a checklist from Rance and have them all crossed off now. I'll quote him, "Most water problems start with the roof." Amen.

Quote Selected

Re: Why not eternabond front and rear roof joints and be done with it?

Reply #9 – March 24, 2016, 09:02:34 am

Paul,

Were it mine, I would carefully remove the old sealant on either side of the roof to cap trim and cap trim to cap, then use blue tape to mask both trim and roof (approx 3/16" from seam on roof and approx 1/8" up the side of the trim). I am partial to Sikaflex 221 in white.

Lay a bead of calk between the tape lines.  Use your finger (yes, with disposable glove) to firmly press it into the gap/meeting of trip to roof and trim to cap. Immediately pull up tape and resmooth with your finger.  Neat, clean and virtually permanent.

Remove each screw, checking that each will torque up.  If not SS, replace with SS.  Use a dot of Sikaflex 221 around the uppermost threads so that there is sealant as the head bottoms out in the trim.

Quote Selected

Re: Why not eternabond front and rear roof joints and be done with it?

Reply #10 – March 24, 2016, 12:48:21 pm

Paul, Brett has the right idea but I would first clean all the mold and stains off roof AND remove the non slip mat. If it where me I would take up the trim strip and clean it well of any old sealer then caulk  along trim line and replace the strip with all new screws along with a dab under head as Brett also said.
I have mentioned it many times on Forum that the roof is the most overlooked item by RV owners and can cause the most trouble. Check those (all of them) screws on a regular basis and replace as needed along with sealing them. Simple but so important to a long life of a coach.
JohnH

Quote Selected

Re: Why not eternabond front and rear roof joints and be done with it?

Reply #11 – March 24, 2016, 01:21:15 pm

The driver side roof seam on my 96 U320 was leaking when driving in the rain. I cleaned the seam with methylEthylKetone (does not dissolve gelcoat) and resealed with Butyl, without removing the aluminum strip. Has not leaked for five years.

After removing a satellite disk, I filled the through hole with spray can expanding foam and patched the roof with fibreglass cloth and resin, then sealed the surface and screw holes with Marinetek (marine epoxy gelcoat repair). This provides an almost invisible life long repair which will never leak. This repair may be visible, depending on what colour your roof gelcoat has become, however, it will only be visible when on the roof.

Quote Selected

Re: Why not eternabond front and rear roof joints and be done with it?

Reply #12 – March 29, 2016, 07:17:55 pm

On my last rig I used eternabond liberally to fix numerous leaks and it did a good job.  All leaks were fixed.  On this rig I used eternabond as a preventative measure everywhere it made sense.  The front and rear cap would be another place it would make sense.  It is a bit uglier than resealing it the traditional way though.

Quote Selected