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Topic: End Caps and Top Moulding at Roof Line Cracking  (Read 199 times) previous topic - next topic
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End Caps and Top Moulding at Roof Line Cracking
Hi!   This is Bob and I am the second owner of a 2007 MB that spent its first 10 years living in Arizona before joining us in Virginia.    Several cracks have developed in the end caps and top moulding strips which my local RV guru says is from expansion and contraction.  Other than being unsightly, they also are potential leaks in the making.  I’ve been told replacing all of these pieces is very, very expensive.  Has anyone out there experienced this problem and devised an aesthetically pleasing way of dealing with it short of replacement?
Re: End Caps and Top Moulding at Roof Line Cracking
Reply #1 –
Hi Bob, Pictures would help us determine severity and possible solutions...RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: End Caps and Top Moulding at Roof Line Cracking
Reply #2 –
It’s common for LDs to have cracks in the end caps.  I don’t know if that’s true for all the years.  Most cracks seem to be a result of contraction differences between the fiberglass end caps attached to aluminum panels. 

The Factory has advised some owners that it’s cosmetic depending on the crack location.  Some owners are not particularly pleased with an open crack and have sealed those crack using several different methods.  Some have used stripes of various types of water proof tape (i.e., Eternabond tape) various types of sealants, and a few have had the cracks repaired or end caps replaced.

We’ve kept a close eye on our end caps and as soon as we’ve seen a small crack, I drill a tiny hole at the end of the crack.   Then I filled the crack with a 2 part epoxy, paint and clear coat    So far this has contained the cracks. 

If we develop larger cracks, I’m considering buying the end cap trim brackets from the Factory to cover the crack. 

Hope some of this helps.
 
Re: End Caps and Top Moulding at Roof Line Cracking
Reply #3 –
LDy Lulubelle spent her first eight years living outside in SoCal, so she had faded to a dusty/grayish/chalky green.  In addition, a gas pump pylon reached out to bite her, plus a failure to GOAL gave a mailbox an opportunity to assault her fake spare tire cover; she needed cosmetic surgery, & a paint job was done in 2017 when she was 12.  I'd noticed some endcap cracks & asked my body guy about them; the decision was to order new caps from the mothership...so far, so good. 

If I'd not been doing the repairs/paint job, & Larry, Ed, or any other LD Wizards were in the midwest, I would have sought their diagnostic skills & tried to learn to do the endcaps myself if that were deemed feasible.

Lynne
Lynne
LDy Lulubelle, Green '05 31' TB
Lilly, the 4-Legged Alarm