Coleman/ Fleetwood warranty for roof leak

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semajp

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Feb 22, 2011
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I have a 2003 Coleman Utah  pop up with a roof leak and had initiated a warranty claim to replace the defective roof, and was due to have delivered a new roof cap this spring. Today I received a call that FTCA is out of business. just wondering if anyone out there has experienced the same problem with the Alumilite roof. or knows of any other legal recourse in receiving compensation for a roof that FTCA knew that was a defective design. feeling pretty frustrated now after paying 10k for that camper with a roof that's rotting away. 
 
Unfortunately you are now a creditor of a defunct company. Legally FTCA owes you on the warranty, but your claim is so far down the list of creditors it will probably never receive a dime.  FTCA's investors and suppliers lost millions, so your claim is not going to get any special attention or compensation.

Depending on what the damage is, it may well be possible to repair it. There can't be anything to exotic about the roof construction in a pop-up. Photos and a description would help.
 
WE ARE IN SAME SITUATION.  SURELY THERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO OR SOMEONE THAT WILL STAND BEHIND US.......THIS IS COMPLETELY A RIP-OFF AND SHOULD GAVE SOME KIND OF RECOURSE ON OUT PART!  I HATE TO BE THIS WAY BUT IF IT TAKES BEING A VERY B**** AND TELLING ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHAT A CRAP COMPANY "FLEETWOOD" IS THAN I WILL.......
 
The companies you are complaining about don't even exist anymore, so snarling about it does not good at all.  The old Fleetwood (no relation to today's Fleetwood RV, a motorhome only producer) sold the Coleman Camper business to FTCA and FTCA became responsible for your warranty.  Now FTCA went bankrupt. And the old Fleetwood also went bankrupt, so it does no good to complain about them either. I'm afraid you are just out of luck on your roof warranty.
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
[snip]The old Fleetwood (no relation to today's Fleetwood RV, a motorhome only producer) sold the Coleman Camper business to FTCA and FTCA became responsible for your warranty.  Now FTCA went bankrupt. And the old Fleetwood also went bankrupt[snip]

FCTA did not go bankrupt, they were simply closed by their holding company, Backstreet Capital. Not only did they leave us high and dry (I too was waiting on a warranty replacement roof), they left Coleman in a tight spot. Unfortunately, no word from Coleman has come forth. Not that would help us Fleetwood owners.

According to an article I found today, Backstreet Capital (FCTA's old parent company) sold the FCTA inventory to Maryland based Beckley's Camping Center. I suppose you could call to see if they'll sell you a roof, but I wager you'll pay retail for it. Fortunately for me, my dealer repaired the roof and worked out a pretty good deal for me. Yes, I paid for the repairs, but to be honest, I didn't pay much more than the shipping on the new roof from FCTA would have been. On the inside, it looks brand new, it's only on the outside that you can see evidence of a "repair".
 
We have a 2004 Sequoia Highlander pop up camper by Coleman that now has a roofing problem.  We found ours when we were trading it in on a new travel trailer.  The popup was to be our trade in but was found not tradeable because of the damage.  It was so unfortunate that Fleetwood went out and left us all so out of options.  But in tragedy come opportunities and my question is, does anyone know of a company that is making replacements for these roofs?  If so, can we know where they are located? 
 
Does that mean if you are looking to buy a used popup to not buy a Fleetwood or Coleman as there will be no support on it?  We even looked at a 2010 never used Cleman...
Thanks,
andrea
 
I'm not sure what "support" you would be looking for on a used trailer. Most components come from separate component  vendors (Atwood, Dometic, etc) and are readily available on the aftermarket, and there is no general warranty after 12 months anyway. 
 
well I have over the winter removed the rotting headliner and replaced it with 1/4" plywood, removed, cleaned and re caulked the roof rail and applied silicone to all seams and all the screws on the rail that seemed to be the source of the leaks . cost about $100 for three sheets of plywood and silicone caulk, and about 10 hours to replace. at least now the camper is useable.
 
I'm sorry to here that FCTA is out of business.  I was hoping to get my roof replaced.

Last year our roof developed several small cracks and one large one, about 18" long, over the internal roof support.  Along with the cracks, in several places the ABS shell debonded from the substrate.  At that time I contacted my dealer and was told that FCTA would replace the roof, but that it would cost $1500 to have it shipped to California. After hearing that I decided to fix the roof myself.  My fix wasn't completely effective, but I'll describe it here anyway.  Perhaps someone else can use my experience as a starting point and improve on my procedure.  I used a syringe to inject water-activated polyurethane adhesive (Gorilla Glue) beneath the ABS shell to re-attach it to the substrate; and Devcon Plastic Welder to fill the cracks.  Below are the steps I followed:

[list type=decimal]
[*]Remove the internal support to reduce pressure on the roof.
[*]Drill holes in the ABS shell just big enough to fit the syringe into.  Space the holes 3"-4" apart.
[*]Inject water through the holes.
[*]Inject the water-cured adhesive.
[*]Weigh down the areas where you injected the adhesive with boards and bricks.  Wait 24 hours for the adhesive to cure.
[*]Use a Dremel tool to widen the cracks into a V shape.  This creates more surface area for the epoxy to bond to.
[*]Drill small holes at both ends of each crack for strain relief. (This discourages crack propagation.)
[*]Mix the Plastic Welder adhesive and use it to fill the cracks and the holes.
[/list]

This procedure worked except that other areas of the ABS shell have debonded since last year and the large crack opened up again.  I think the Plastic Welder adhesive was too brittle and couldn't flex with the roof. I've covered the crack again with a silicone rubber based adhesive. Only time will tell if that will work. Some web sites recommend using a "Plastic Welder" device that heats the ABS until it melts.

We've had a couple of other problems with the roof.  The rubber gasket around the edge has come loose at the front and the awning track has widened to the point where it won't hold the awning anymore (we had to put in extra screws). Considering all these problems I was planning on biting the bullet and paying the $1500 to get the roof replaced, but this is apparently not an option anymore.

It really doesn't surprise me that FCTA has gone out of business. We had a lot of other problems with this trailer that I've had to fix over the years. The build quality doesn't impress me.
 
I own a 2007 fleetwood  E2 folding camper,  My roof leaks like many others do and wish that there was some one to fix it.  Unfortunately warranties are only worth paper there written on for people like us who have this issue.  My brother has a E3 and it leaks as well . When I was younger I worked in a fiber glass  shop and have to decided to use what I know to fix the roof .  I have started to disassemble the roof and though about creating a guide to help those who feel hung out to dry  the fix is only going to cost 150.00 dollars and 12 hours to complete, I will try to take pictures for references.      big Dan in Florida
 
Well as they say, we are all screwed, blued and tattooed  :(.  I have the same issue with my 2003 Utah.  I went to a local RV dealer.  They initiated the process of getting a roof replacement.  I was "approved" and gave the dealer a $500 deposit for shipping.  While waiting for the roof to be manufactured, Fleetwood and the dealer went out of business.  However the the dealer strung me along for a year and half before they went out of business.  Then they just disappeared.  I was surprised since this dealer had a 20 year presence and a good reputation.  I tried contacting the dealer to get my money back but no response.  Luckily I had put the deposit on a credit card.  The credit card company came to bat and at least I got my deposit back.  However I still am need of a new roof.  There is minor damage to the inside of the roof, but the screws which hold the curtain rails by the bed and dining area have rusted and fallen out.  All in all not very pleased with this product.  Shortly after a year of ownership I had to replace the power converter.  My old pop-up, a '94 Coachman which this Coleman replaced, never came me a day of problems.
 
FTCA has not gone bankrupt. I have been in touch with the bankruptcy court of Western Pennsylvania where FTCA/Blackstreet Capitol Management Corp filed for bankruptcy, (they filed March of 2011). I was told by the court trustee, that, a motion was made by one or more creditors to have the case dismissed. The judge in this case granted dismissal of the bankruptcy proceedings. So officially there is no bankruptcy for FTCA. I spoke with court Trustee Lisa Swope. The proceedings were dismissed back in October of 2011. She did not elaborate on which creditor(s) made the motion for dismissal.
After discussion with the court Trustee, I made contact with the Better Business Bureau for a recourse of action to hold FTCA responsible for the warranty obligations due to the owners with lifetime warranty on their roofs. The BBB listened to my story about the faulty roof and the situation with FTCA ceasing operations at the PA manufacturing facility. I also told them of the decision of the courts. The Better Business Bureau suggested that as owners without any recourse for warranty coverage may want to contact their lawyers to see what may be able to be done in these cases. This I will do as soon as I find the time to do so. I believe that a class action suit needs to be created to get some restitution from FTCA on these roofs. Any interested parties feel free to email me.
In the mean time I am not going to wait for any decision from this process to have my roof repaired. I will try and have the repairs made by either Line-X or Rhino Lining. I have heard that this process has had a great deal of success. After I speak to Line-X, I'll post a report on the cost of such a repair. I will save all of my receipt's for any repairs, just in case some court steps in an make a decision on who should pay for these repairs.
So all is not lost just yet, contact your lawyer, post your results, don't just sit there and take this crap from a company famous for take overs and liquidating the company after that and shoving it to their workers and the owners of their products. Speak up, be heard, contact your lawyer, squeaky wheels get the grease! Bob 
 
You can't get blood out of a stone, even with the help of a lawyer.  Bankrupt or not, they appear to be out of business and out of money. The fact remains you are still one of many creditors of FTCA and your chance of collecting is slim.
 
In the same boat.... 05 Utah - but I knew the roof issues before I bought it used and I don't believe the 'lifetime warranty' was transferable.  Anyways - I am partway into a full rebuild - everything down to the aluminum skin - then build it back together.  Just have a couple of questions. 
1) Has anyone replaced the roof side/edge material (styrophone/paneling) with composite deck boards?  I weighed it out and it is an additional 30lbs (approx).  But since I removed the A/C, I will be still lighter than before.
2) Suggestions for the best adhesive for Aluminum to composite(plastic).

TJ
 
New here so pardon my ignorance if this has been asked already. I am looking to purchase an '06 Fleetwood Utah that has the roof rails leak that unfortunately has leaked into the ceiling. What are the ceilings made of and does anyone have pictures of a removal and repair of the ceiling? I'm handy enough but with being unsure of the composition of the roof I am nervous about buying this camper.

Any help/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
 
We also have the same problem with the leaking roof on the Fleetwood Evolution. We took it to an RV repair shop to have the section where the AC is located strengthened by adding an extra support on the inside. The support was supposed to take the sag out of the roof thus preventing puddling around the AC gasket. In addition they were to seal all seams and replace all damaged ceiling tiles. All worked well for the first week but on the second week the leak redeveloped and appears to be worse than before the repairs were made. All this resulted in an $800 repair bill. Needless to say the camper is going back into the shop tomorrow. Hopefully the shop owner will make it good.
At this point we are also interested in the possibility of joining a class action lawsuit. Just wondering if you have you heard any more info on the possibility of one being filed against FTCA?  I did some research on the internet but found nothing.
Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated.

Bill 
 
I HAVE A 08 FLEETWOOD E3 THAT I AM STILL PAYING FOR, ROOF LEAKS, CEILING IS BUBBLED ON THE INSIDE,CAN'T TRADE IT IN DUE TO ROOF LEAK, DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. BOUGHT A FLEETWOOD BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BEST ONE OUT THERE,LITTLE DID I KNOW IT WAS A PIECE OF CRAP.
 

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