Water in Basement - 2016 Fleetwood Bounder

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1PlasticMan1

1PlasticMan1

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 23, 2014
Posts
295
Location
Pocono Pines, PA
I have subject coach and everytime we get a hard rain, I get water in all basement compartments on the driver's side.  This last rain, I got water in one basement on passenger side also.  Anyone else beside Judy having a similar problem with a Fleetwood coach?  Dealer replaced gaskets on driver's side few days ago, leaks just as bad.  One of the compartments is made of metal, and has no drain hole.  Dealer waiting to hear back from Fleetwood as to what to do next. :'(
 
I know of someone who just bought a new Winnebago DP and has the same problem. He has not gotten any satisfaction with the company who sold it to him. When I last talked with him he said he was starting lemon law legal action.

If you can find someone smart enough to figure things out, you might get it fixed. I volunteered to look at it, but he said he was tired of fooling around and ready for the legal action.
 
It sounds like it could be something as simple as the basement door seal not sealing properly - not making 360 degree contact with the inside of the baggage compartment door. You can usually tell if that's the case by looking at the inside of the baggage door that's leaking, and look for the mark made by the door seal. It should be 360 degrees around. If not, you may have to pull the seal loose and reposition it so that it makes full contact with the inside of the door - or have the dealer do it under warranty since it's a new coach. It's one of those QC issues (or lack thereof), we find in RVs. I had a loose section of a seal in one of my compartment doors but found it before it had a chance to leak. I used Gorilla Glue to re-glue it back in place and it's been holding fine for more than two years.

Kev
 
I have taken it back to the dealer who replaced the gaskets with gaskets that Fleetwood sent them.  Still leaks.  Dealer tells me that his contact is going to talk to his supervisor about a fix.  This was yesterday. 
 
Sounds like the problem may be something more fundamental than a leaky gasket. Any chance you could swing by Decatur, IN, and let the factory fix it? RV dealer techs often do not have the skills, especially on body repairs, to do the more challenging jobs.  The factory service at ARG (parent of Fleetwood, American Coach and Monaco) is outstanding. Worth a long drive!
 
Is the compartment big enough that you could climb inside with a flashlight while some stands outside and locks it? If you can see daylight, you will find where the seals are not making contact. Also, making a place for water to drain out should not take more than a well placed hole drilled on the bottom.
 
I purchased a leak detector from eBay to locate some roof leaks that I was trying to repair.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EM282-Ultrasonic-Leak-Detector-Transmitter-LED-Air-Water-Dust-Leak-allsun-/121666324019?hash=item1c53e0c633&item=121666324019&vxp=mtr

The detector came from China, but it was received in about 2 weeks. I was not able to use it because of the Styrofoam insulation above the ceiling. I placed it in the refrigerator/freezer. It was able to detect very minor leaks in the door gaskets. I believe it might be helpful in locating your leaks.

Look it over.
 
Put a very bright light inside the compartment, battery, no cord, and close the door. Check the seal.

Scooter
 
The latest from Fleetwood is that they are making a new set of doors that are thicker so they will press against the gaskets better.  My son-in-law, after looking at the door panel that the gaskets press against suggested that because the panel is pebbled ( rough surface), perhaps the gaskets won't make a good seal.  Have put Duct Tape on panel where gaskets meet.  Waiting for rain.  Fleetwood swears that no one else is having this problem.  Lucky me! ::)
 
Given all that has been done already re the door seals, and given that nobody else seems to have problems with Fleetwood bay doors (mostly all the same construction), I'm thinking the water intrusion is coming from somewhere else. Water runs downhill, so bay door seals have little to do with keeping water out when the coach is standing still (driving is a different story).
 
I have the same coach and am experiencing the same issue.  Were you able to get this resolved?
 
Yes, Debbie, the problem was resolved by Fleetwood sending smooth door panels to place over the existing pebbled panels.  That solved the problem.  However, am concerned about the life of the door latches, as I really have to slam the doors in order for them to properly latch.  Going to Fleetwood next week to take care of several items that the dealer couldn't resolve.  ie LED lights made in January, 2015 that burn out quickly.  Fleetwood is replacing all 30.  The valve for determining city water, normal, winter and fill was found to be defective by Fleetwood a while back and it became a problem for me during our last trip. Had the put out a recall noticed on these items, the dealer could have fixed.  They are replacing that next week also.  There are more, but no need to droll on. Love the coach, but hate the QC that Fleetwood has.  Maybe the new building will correct the problems.  PLEASE Forum members, don't tell me that there are always problems with a new coach.  I planned on it, but not to take over a full year to resolve, and numerous trips to the dealer, and now going to Fleetwood to hopefully resolve them all.
Gary, yes, water does flow down hill, but the smooth panels solved the problem.  Knew it would because before the panels came in, used duck tape on the pebbled doors where the gaskets meet the doors and that solved just about all of the problem.
 
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