Rubber Roof Hole

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If you don't want to file an insurance claim, a commercial flat-roof contractor might be able to patch that if they can get a good bond above the trim piece.
 
I had a branch fall off a tree and poke a hole the size of my little fingertip in the rubber roof. It was a couple of weeks before I discovered it, so there was further damage to the interior ceiling of the coach. My insurance(Progressive at that time)did not balk at replacing the entire roof. The logic was that by replacing the entire roof, there was less chance of problems down the road than if it was just patched.

As far as quality of workmanship, that's a crap shoot. When the shop got done with the roof on that coach, you couldn't tell it had even been replaced. The coach I have now had it's roof replaced at a different shop before I bought it. It's got a few bubbles and a crease in it that bug the crap out of me. Doesn't leak though, so I'll live with it for a few more years.

Read a lot of reviews for the shop you choose, and if possible talk to other customers.
 
Old_Crow said:
I had a branch fall off a tree and poke a hole the size of my little fingertip in the rubber roof. It was a couple of weeks before I discovered it, so there was further damage to the interior ceiling of the coach. My insurance(Progressive at that time)did not balk at replacing the entire roof. The logic was that by replacing the entire roof, there was less chance of problems down the road than if it was just patched.

As far as quality of workmanship, that's a crap shoot. When the shop got done with the roof on that coach, you couldn't tell it had even been replaced. The coach I have now had it's roof replaced at a different shop before I bought it. It's got a few bubbles and a crease in it that bug the crap out of me. Doesn't leak though, so I'll live with it for a few more years.

Read a lot of reviews for the shop you choose, and if possible talk to other customers.
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Thanks for the reply! I took the camper out for a few days with the family this past week (Sam A. Baker State Park in Missouri). The duct tape I put on it has held well and it's actually rained like crazy a few days ago...I've been keeping a close eye on it. I take it back to the dealer on Monday for them to take a look at it. I spoke to a few people at the campsite I went to and everyone of them said I should just put some "Flex Tape" over it that it'd be crazy to replace the entire roof. One guy showed me where he had used some Flex Tape in a similar place as where my issue is and said it's lasted a couple years with no issues. So...I don't know...I'll see what the dealer says and think about if for a few days. I appreciate everyone's advice and replies.
 
NY_Dutch said:
Regardless of how your current roof problem is corrected, go ahead and get a roll of Eternabond tape to keep on hand in your RV anyway. It's very useful for both permanent and temporary repairs that can make the difference between a spoiled trip and a good time with just some minor inconvenience.

Just a couple of weeks ago I got a call from a friend to take a look at someone's trailer in the same state park I was in. The owner had accidentally backed over a folding chair when returning from a dump station run, and an aluminum pipe poked a hole in his fortunately empty black tank. With 10 days left on his stay, he hadn't been able find a dealer that could get him in for a repair in less than a week. A little square of aluminum flashing and a layer of Eternabond and he was back in business. Will it last forever? I wouldn't count on it, but it did get him through his stay and home again until it gets a more permanent repair. I've also secured cracked A/C shrouds, repaired fiberglass damage, a convertible car top, a kayak, and yes, even roof damage with Eternabond over the years. As with many adhesive products, the key to success with Eternabond is the surface prep.
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A roll of the Eternabond tape is must in every camper with the rubber roofs first aid kit. You will learn what things you need as you travel, I carry a whole list of just in case. RV repairs run as high as $130 an hr. so you learn so DYI.
 
I like the roll of eternabond tape suggestion
FOR SMALL holes you can also get 11" Squares (or 12" not sure) but the tape works for tears and such the squares won't cover
 
Here is $0.02 more. To allow some "tech" to remove the roof and re-apply a new one. For that little ding you are creating your own "Pandora's Box" of new potential leaks in my mind with total roof replacement. I guess it is how flat is your roof? How may cut outs for AC etc are up there? Professionals, maybe.

I would get a razor knife cut the tiny damaged sag area out as it looks like it is hanging or pushed down past the style line.

I would then get some rv caulk and try to rebuild the shape of the original roll with a putty knife and plastic spreader and then let that dry for a day. Then I would get a piece of eterna bond with overlap of at least 2" beyond the damage. Somebody said you can buy 10"x10" pieces.

I would then get rattle can krylon (Black) and tape, scuff with green pad and Paint to re-Black that lower portion. The white will be a little off color.

I think if you don't reshape the roll with caulk it will look crappy when you roll eterna bond over the damaged area.

I think you stand a huge chance of crappy work getting a dealer to replace it. How often do they do that task? Can you apply a roof with a cell phone in one hand?
 
X-Roughneck Strike 3 said:
Here is $0.02 more. To allow some "tech" to remove the roof and re-apply a new one. For that little ding you are creating your own "Pandora's Box" of new potential leaks in my mind with total roof replacement. I guess it is how flat is your roof? How may cut outs for AC etc are up there? Professionals, maybe.

I would get a razor knife cut the tiny damaged sag area out as it looks like it is hanging or pushed down past the style line.

I would then get some rv caulk and try to rebuild the shape of the original roll with a putty knife and plastic spreader and then let that dry for a day. Then I would get a piece of eterna bond with overlap of at least 2" beyond the damage. Somebody said you can buy 10"x10" pieces.

I would then get rattle can krylon (Black) and tape, scuff with green pad and Paint to re-Black that lower portion. The white will be a little off color.

I think if you don't reshape the roll with caulk it will look crappy when you roll eterna bond over the damaged area.

I think you stand a huge chance of crappy work getting a dealer to replace it. How often do they do that task? Can you apply a roof with a cell phone in one hand?
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Roughneck...you "hit the nail on the head"! That is exactly what I'm worried about. That...they replace the roof and it causes more problems that if I would have simply patched those areas myself and...from what I've read...the whole roof replacement could cost as much as $12K. So, I've pretty much decided that I won't let them replace the roof. If they want to patch it...fine...I can go with that, unless they want to charge me $5K for that...then...I'll just do it myself.
 
You can get a 48" small roll of Eternabond for as Little as $9.99 on Amazon - enough for most any emergency repair and a permanent fix for typical holes or cuts. Look for the RVEMT [RV Emergency Tape] package from Eternabond.

Amazon.com: EternaBond RVEMT Roof Seal: Automotive

Amazon.com: EternaBond RVEMT Roof Seal: Automotive
www.amazon.com

You can also get roof repair tape at many hardware stores - it doesn't have to be the Eternabond brand to be reliable and effective. It's often called roof seam tape.
 
I know eternabond tape lives up to it's reputation, but there's still a hole under that tape(so call me OCD).
I was just thinking about this this morning. I have an ancient satellite dome on the roof that came with the coach. It works, but won't receive the HD channels and takes a long time to aim. I also have the old batwing TV OTA antenna that is frozen and useless. I'd like to remove all this clutter from the roof.
I had my roof inspected and resealed this summer, and the guy said that the next time it's due for a reseal it needs replaced. Didn't surprise me, I've been up there and seen it myself.
The process of replacing the roof is to take all the stuff off the top(a/c's, vents, antennas, etc). Then they strip the membrane off, repair any damage to the underlayment and apply a one piece membrane across the entire roof. Then they cut the holes for the vents etc. I feel like this will be the optimum time to ditch the dome and the batwing because that will be that many less penetrations they make to the new membrane.
When they did my previous coach, they left the useless roof rack off and saved poking like 24 screw holes in the new membrane. The insurance company had absolutely no problem with replacing the whole membrane for a hole the size of my little fingertip. I even got new covers for the refer vent, tank vents, and the crank-up vents in the deal(but's that's because I know the guy who owns the shop and my RV was like 20 years old at the time).
 
HelpMeLOL said:
Roughneck...you "hit the nail on the head"! That is exactly what I'm worried about. That...they replace the roof and it causes more problems that if I would have simply patched those areas myself and...from what I've read...the whole roof replacement could cost as much as $12K. So, I've pretty much decided that I won't let them replace the roof. If they want to patch it...fine...I can go with that, unless they want to charge me $5K for that...then...I'll just do it myself.
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I had to repair my front end caps due to leaks. My problem is the sweat from the AC was running across the roof and seeping into the Cracks. I gouged out the seam and caulked with RV caulk and I built rolls instead of sharp uneven angles that will trap air, and then rolled a piece of eterna Bond over the crack 50/50 overlap. You can patch that with eterna bond and then scuff and rattle can Krylon to make a long lasting repair. That darn eterna Bond is some STICKY stuff, be careful when you remove the film on the back because once it sticks it is STUCK.

I am not sure what kind of quality repair persons are out there (and I know there are a few) but I darn sure would not have a entire roof replaced for a nick. Guess what...You going to do that other side to match the hole probably next year....LOL

Good Luck Brother!

Here is a old post I did...on my leak (with Pics). Eterna Bond is King. Below link is wordy, but hey, I ramble. Can't help it.

Adventures in DIY Roof Repair, Hosted by X-Roughneck

Well, I knew it was bound to happen. I finally got bored sitting around the house fresh off a hand operation with one good hand and nothing to do so I decided to knock out a Roof repair of the Seep Leak I have on my Beautiful 2017 Winnebago Aspect 30J. No better time that the present is my...
www.rvforum.net
 
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First...I'd like to thank everyone who responded to this thread. I know nothing about RV repair and everyone's opinion was greatly appreciated!

Second, I have to state that I like the RV dealer that I purchased my RV from. I purchased an RV from this dealer back in the late '90s and my experience was great. It was the father of the current owner. But...I never had to utilize their service department. I've never utilized the service department of any RV dealer so...I wasn't sure what I was getting into.

Well...I took my current RV into the dealer yesterday and right off the bat they said they'd patch it...a new roof replacement was totally uncalled for. The original person I spoke with was the salesman who, I guess, briefly spoke with some tech and told me about the roof replacement...basically...I spoke with the wrong person. The salesman was great that I purchased from but...evidently...he didn't know much about roof repair.

So, I took the RV in and immediately the tech said...no problem...they'd patch it and I wouldn't even know it was patched unless I got on top and looked at it. When I told him about what I had heard about a total roof replacement he immediately stated, they do good work but, a total replacement is never going to be just like the factory...it just isn't and...they try and patch if at all possible. They do, do many roof replacement but...it's just not like what you'd get from the factory.

In the end...this whole ordeal is going to cost me a couple hundred bucks because, there was some damage to the awning and a couple places on the back.

He also stated that...a total roof membrane replacement would cost around $5,000...not $12,000.

So...not only do I love the purchasing experience of this dealer but now have total confidence in the service side.

When I get my camper back...I'll post some pics of the repair.
 
Well...GREAT NEWS! I got my camper back and it only cost me $433! I had the small hole in the front and a couple spots in the rear plus...my canopy plastic cover was busted (the canopy continued to work fine).

Now I feel like a complete jerk for even worrying about it or...thinking they might take advantage of me. I was just really worried and bummed I damaged my brand new camper. Anyway...here are the pics.

They just taped the whole whole side...there were only small holes in the front and back. You don't even notice unless you get a ladder and look on top.

So...there you go. If you all ever run into a similar situation...don't freak out...it won't break the bank to fix.

Thanks everyone for replying and all you suggestions...super appreciate it!
 

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HelpMeLOL said:
Thanks Gary for the advice...I very much appreciate it!
So...I'll probably still take it over to the dealer and have them look at it. If they try and replace the entire rubber membrane (an insurance claim) do you think I should let them or...just tell them to patch it? From what they've told me...to patch it...they'll have to take a bunch of trim off and undue the seem of the rubber roof on the side I damaged - seems kind of in-depth for a simple patch job but...I'm clueless about the process.

What would you d
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HelpMeLOL said:
Hello...my first post so...please be gentle! Lol

So...I have a 2021 Forest River Wildwood 273QBXL...we took her out for the first time this past weekend (3/12/2021 to 3/14/2021). When I was pulling out of my driveway...I clipped our basketball goal and took it out. As a result, it put a hole in my rubber roof...a small hole in the front and couple in the back. It also damaged my canopy but...it still works. I was surprised because...the basketball goal wasn't touching the trailer and I couldn't hear it catch the goal when I was pulling out. Yeah...I'm pretty sick about it.

Currently, I have put duct tape over the holes to keep any water out and I inspect it daily...the tape seems to be hold good.

My questions are these:

  1. Is it common to tear a rubber travel trailer roof? Is this something I need to be better prepared for?
  2. Is this something that is going to cost me $10,000 to fix? I've read that replacing the rubber membrane can cost that much.
  3. I'm taking it into the dealer on April 4th for them to fix it...I was thinking some kind of simple patch but they're talking replacing the roof and creating an insurance claim.
  4. The tears seem very small - should this really result in the replacement of the entire roof? Or...is the dealer just trying to churn business?
  5. In your all's opinion...what should I do?
Thanks in advance for the responses...I'm kind of freaking out and appreciate all the help and guidance.

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Carry the tape and seal with you at all times, don't leave home without it. Patch the holes as quickly as possible. A little water leak can reek expen$ive havoc. Ask me how I know...
 
Adventurers said:
Carry the tape and seal with you at all times, don't leave home without it. Patch the holes as quickly as possible. A little water leak can reek expen$ive havoc. Ask me how I know...
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That's basically what the put on it...isn't it...eternabond tape. I did order a roll...looks the same. Of course...they took off the trim and did it right. But the tape looks the same.
 
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