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Water damage - how bad is this?
Hi all.  My friend is looking at a used 2005 RB and as an owner myself, I came to look at it with him. It's overall in excellent condition, BUT there are water stains along the driver side of the overcab bunk. It is dry now but clearly there has been water getting in (from the window?). There is also a very small crack on the exterior at that location. Pictures attached.  Is this an obvious walk-away? Is that crack coming from a weakened frame? We told the owner we want to pull up the plywood and inspect underneath. What should we be looking for? Any advice would be much appreciated. It's obviously a huge decision and trying to do right by my friend. Many thanks.
Re: Water damage - how bad is this?
Reply #1 –
Quote from: dtgardiner  - 
Is that crack coming from a weakened frame? We told the owner we want to pull up the plywood and inspect underneath. What should we be looking for? Any advice would be much appreciated. It's obviously a huge decision and trying to do right by my friend. Many thanks.
Time to get your ice pick out and to start probing the entire area.
It's the best way to determine if you are looking at rot or mearly  water staining.

The crack in the cap probably isn't the source of the leak but should be sealed, along with roof and possibly the window frames.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Water damage - how bad is this?
Reply #2 –
Many thanks Larry. So any sign of rot is our main concern at this point, and presumably what should make him walk? Is the frame directly under that plywood, and is it relatively easy to pull up, or will we have to tear into it? Thanks again.
Re: Water damage - how bad is this?
Reply #3 –
I doubt if any potential seller going to allow you to tear up the paneling to examine below for rot.
If you find soft spots, where the ice pick penetrates easily, my instinct would be to walk away, unless you or your friend are up for a challenge.  Repairing cabover damage is a PIA.
As I mentioned before, it may just be water spotting from cold weather condensation or from spilled water.

Beyond this, I would need to personally inspect it to make a recommendation, there is no way of remotely knowing if and how bad the damage is.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Water damage - how bad is this?
Reply #4 –
As Larry said, it's unlikely that the crack in the "wrap" is the source of the leak, but the photo of the base of the cabover appears to show extensive areas of water stain, "creep" staining on the paneling above the cabover floor, and darkening of the plywood, which indicates to me that the damage may well be more than just "cosmetic". Examine the windows in the cabover; if the channels are full of gunk, it may be that the weep holes are blocked and water has repeatedly backed up in the channels and spilled over. (The windows are not shown in the photo.) If there is evidence of leakage around the frames (inside and out), or breaks in the seal on the roof, that's potentially the source of the leak (if there is one.)

I would also very thoroughly check the front seam where the cabover nose joins the roof; my 2003 was delivered with a crap job of sealing of this seam, and the poor sealing job would have caused problems had I not discovered it pretty quickly. I dug out pockets and "bubbles" of dirt and water, some penetrating well into the seam seal, cleaned and dried the area, and re-sealed it. Just a FYI to check this area (and the rest of the roof) very carefully.

Please post the results of what you discover; thank you.
2003 TK has a new home
Re: Water damage - how bad is this?
Reply #5 –
Quote from: JCT  - 
I would also very thoroughly check the front seam where the cabover nose joins the roof; my 2003 was delivered with a crap job of sealing of this seam, and the poor sealing job would have caused problems had I not discovered it pretty quickly. I dug out pockets and "bubbles" of dirt and water, some penetrating well into the seam seal, cleaned and dried the area, and re-sealed it.
The two front corners of the roof are trouble spots seen on almost every LD roof I sealed in the past.
As Joan mentioned, it's common to find bubbles, filled with water, rust and other debris, that need to be cut out and cleaned, before resealing the seam.

The slow-cure sealant used on the roof takes a week or more to cure.
Sealing the roof seams is one of the last things done just before delivery.
My theory is that front corners are subjected to twisting, while driving the new rig, causing distortion of the uncured sealant that helps introduce bubbles or voids.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze
Re: Water damage - how bad is this?
Reply #6 –
Thanks to all of you for your very helpful responses.  Yesterday we took the LD in question to an RV repair shop in San Luis Obispo who helped us inspect the area.  We identified the source of the leak - the prior owner had run a small wire through the window which had compromised the seal.  We pulled up the thin boards from that entire side and poked and prodded every piece of wood possible.  The mechanic also removed the inner frame of the window and inspected down the wall.  I don't have any pictures to share but the wood, while discolored, appears to be completely solid with zero signs of rot.  Since the rest of the coach is in near perfect condition my friends decided to move forward and will be joining this group soon. 
Re: Water damage - how bad is this?
Reply #7 –
Well done and your diligence paid off.  If more buyers followed your example in making a used RV purchase decision, there would less surprises down the road.  Thank you for taking the time to post this follow-up information.
 
Re: Water damage - how bad is this?
Reply #8 –
Another thank you for posting the outcome of your inspection; knowing the "rest of the story" adds to the knowledge base for all of us.
2003 TK has a new home