2001 year model front cap water leak problem

We have a 2001 model and, after owning it for a few years, discovered we were getting a lot of water in the bedroom after a rain storm. The short story is that the front cap, because of a design flaw, had come loose and tilted forward leaving a 1/4" gap between the roof and the front cap. We took the unit back to the dealer who contacted Forest River. Forest River admitted a design flaw and, free of charge, retro-fitted the fix - a brace to hold the front cap in placed. We specifically asked whether or not there was any water damage inside the walls that would cause us problems later and were assured that we would not. Last week, returning from a short local camping trip, the luan board inside the left wall broke loose and left us with a 3'-4' chunk of wall skin flopping in the breeze. The damage estimate for this problem, that was not supposed to occur, is just shy of $5,000. The dealer has since gone out of business. The new Forest River dealership in town has contacted Forest River who adivsed them that this is not Forest River's problem. I am attempting to contact Forest River, personally. I also do not feel that this is due to a 'lack of customer maintenance'. My rig looks pretty ugly from all the caulk I've had to apply over the years to attempt to keep out the water.

Has anyone else had a similar problem or experience??

Regards,
Jacque

Jacque,

Sorry to hear of your problems. You don't say where you are located, but here is the Forest River contact on the east coast:

Rod Batts 574-206-7609 574-206-2484 Fax rbatts@forestriverinc.com

Hopefully he will be able to find the previous fix and assist you with this one.

Good luck and keep us all informed of your progress.

Tom and Sharon - thanks for the info. That is the same name and number given to me by my new dealership. I called today and left Mr. Bratts a voice mail but have not heard back from him yet. We are located in a suburb of Dallas, Texas. And, thank you for his email address - I will forward him a link to this thread. This forum appears to be fairly new - I thinks it's a great idea. Looks like, as a newby, I need to update my profile with my 'rig' info.

Will keep the forum posted as to how this shakes out.
Again, thanks - -

Jacque (Jack)

Jacque,

If you are in a northern suburb of Dallas, I may not be to far from you.

Look at the http://www.wildcatonline.com/ website, there is so data on the older Cats that had the leaking front cap issues. One of the members, Bobby ?, has a fix on his website.

Good luck and to the site!

Jacque,

your welcome.

If you don't get a response back from Rod in a timely manor, be sure to keep after him. Most folks on this site get responses almost right away. But I've tried contacting him 3 times, via voice & e-mail, and he never responded.

So, keep after him. Good luck.

Mark - I took your recommendation on searching the other forum - found a Bobby Daniel who reported a similar problem back in '04. I think that's about the same time FR, via my now defunct dealer, applied the brace to my 'Cat. If that's the same Bobby you are refering to, please let me know. I couldn't spot a 'fix' on his site beyond what FR has already done.

Tom and Sharon - thanks for the tip - I will continue to try to contact Rod..

Regards,
Jacque

Mark - I forgot to mention - we live in Rowlett on the far eastern side of Dallas County; almost in Rockwall County. Where are you??

Regards,
Jacque

Jacque,

Yes, Bobby Daniels is the gentleman I was thinking about. I remember early on when i joined, sometimes in '04, he was having problems with the front cap. FR knew about this and made a design change to the front cap in '03 if I'm not mistaken. Maybe you could send Bobby a PM and see if he did something to seal the front cap.

I live in S. Grayson county, in the Van Alstyne area.

Two things have happened.

First, I found THE post that Mark refered to. Here's a link if others want to read it.
http://68.15.40.218/wildcat/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=683
It seems that there are multiple problems - ABS cap flexs too much with a factory fix for that; there's a factory fix for a wider trim around the leaking cap (which I don't think I have); lights leak. Read Bobby's thread on the other forum for details.

Two, Rod Batts from FR returned my call today - he seemed to be a reasonable fellow - asked me for pictures and I complied. I'll keep y'all posted as this developes. Thanks for your advice - it has really helped.

Jacque

Jacque,

I noticed your first post said your dealer went out of business. Did you purchase your Cat from Longhorn RV in McKinney? What dealer are you working with now?

Good luck to you and let me know what FR does for you.

The original dealership was the Longhorn dealership in Garland. I have been told that to owner sold the business, that the new owner defaulted, that the company (not the location) was reposessed and is now doing business out east of Rockwall as HappyTrails. This is all hear-say; don't take it as fact. I am now working with ExploreUSA/Mesquite. I visited the HappyTrails outfit last year and was not impressed. I think the owner is just looking for a new buyer. I don't think they carry FR products of any kind, but, I could be wrong on that.

J.

Jacque,

Don't hesitate to contact bobby Daniels. I don't think he comes on this forum, but he still visits the old one. You can also send him a note through his website. He is a good guy and will answer you back. And if you do contact him, tell him of this site too, i dont think he knows of this one yet.

Rod Batts from FR came back to me with an interesting offer. He said he showed my photos to FR management and they have agreed to replace the entire left wall of the RV, replace the cap if it was necessary and generally fix anything else they found necessary and caused by the ABS cap problem. One small fly in the ointment. They will only do this if I get the rig to their manufacturing plant in Elkhart, Indiana. So, Rod suggested that I try to 'backhaul' the rig from the local dealer here near Dallas, Texas to Elkhart. Backhaul - a new word for me. When a trucker moves new RVs from the factory to the local dealer and doesn't have another load scheduled, he may have to return empty. On a backhaul, that trucker would carry my rig back to FR - for a fee, naturally - so he does not have to return empty handed. At least, that was the way Rod described it to me. The service manager at my local dealer (ExploreUSA) has been very helpful, but does not handle transportation. So, I'm trying to contact the sales manager (who the svc-mgr thinks handles transports) to discuss the matter. Another option is for me to drive it up there, about an 18 hour trip 4 times, but that does not excite me. At least, Forest River is willing to stand behind their product - says a lot for them, I think. Will post more as this develops.
Jacque

That news is bitter-sweet. That would be a long haul but having to pay for that repair would be very expensive. Good luck finding someone to do the "backhaul". Keep us informed on what happens.

Well, I'm just a bit in limbo here. On Friday, Aug 22, I got an email from Rod Batts (FR) with this info. And I quote -
"I am getting your unit scheduled for the side wall replacement. Once I get the date, I will inform you. Thanks, Rod"
Then, on Monday, I spoke with a rep from my local dealer who said she had talked to Rod and that he was arranging for the backhaul of my rig to the factory. That sounds good, but, is second hand info - I'd sure like to talk to Rod one-on-one and get the full story, an approximate date, and an explanation on how the 'backhaul' thing works. I guess it's just my nature. I spent my career designing and installing computer systems within the banking industry. I'm big on planning and knowing how 'things' are going to work and don't like suprises. But, I guess Rod is a real busy guy and has not had time to respond to my queries as of yet. I'll keep this forum posted as to progress as soon as I know more.

Thanks for your concern -
Jacque

Jacque,

I don't blame you one bit, planning is a good thing, especially in a situation such as this one.

It sounds like Rod is planning on taking care of you. I hope everything works out and they don't keep your Cat for to terribly long.

Another question is how do you get your camper back after repairs are complete. I am very impressed that they are willing to fix a 7 year old camper to that extent. The back haul is no big deal, although I am not sure of cost, probably so much per mile. You see these guys every day on I-30 hauling campers behind their trucks, they have some sort of writing on the door or window that says "transport". They will just hook up to yours after they deliver the new one and head back to Indiana. I have never seen any of these guys speeding or driving recklessly. They are doing this for a living, so they are professional. Saw 2 yesterday heading your way, and they were traveling at 65 mph even though traffic was moving at 75.

Brad brings up 2 'suprises' I have not thought of. I assumed that however it got to Indiana, it would come back to Texas the same way. And I pictured my rig being loaded on a flatbed, not being hauled on its own wheels. I, too, am impressed by FR's willingness to stand behind their products and correct the problems caused by the design defects from 7 years ago. If this repair happens, I can just about guarantee my next rig will also be from Forest River. I never noticed the trucks marked 'transport' hauling new rigs before. I think my tires are due to be replaced next year; need to check my records to be sure. See, these are the details that I need to talk to Rod about. I've already checked on insurance and my rig is covered even if somebody else is hauling it. Liability is another issue. Can anybody else think of any 'suprises' that I need to consider?? Brad, thanks for these two.

I will continue to keep this thread posted as this progresses,
Jacque

I would assume that FR or the transporter will have complete insurance to cover the whole operation.

Jacque,

You brought up something I didn't think about...tires! The ones on the Cat now, how old are they? If they are 4 years old or older, you may want to update the tires before the trip.

Just a thought!

I totally agree with MaxRock on the tires.

jacqueeagonsr wrote: I think my tires are due to be replaced next year; need to check my records to be sure.

I checked my records and I was right - my tires are 2 years old and won't be replaced until next year. This is my second rig and I learned a long time ago to replace tires every 3 years. Time, weather and sunlight is what wears my trailer tires out; not mileage.

We did go to the local dealership where my Cat is yesterday to get all our stuff out. I wanted to make this as easy on Forest River as possible - no need for my pot'n'pans to fall out when they pull the side off. The service rep at the dealership said she had talked to Rod that morning. Rod told her he's still trying to work out the details on the backhaul. It's second hand info, but it sounds like progress is being made, albeit slower than I'd like. I just missed a chance to chat with a 'transport' guy by about 20 yards. The service rep told me a guy had just dropped off a rig from Heartland. When I went out to try to find him, he was just driving off. Heartland, I learned, is also in Elkhart. So, I'd guess that there's probably quite a few folks that make a living in Elkhart transporting RV's. I'm very anxious to find out how much this is going to cost.

More later - thanks for your support and concerns,
Jacque

Received an email from Rod Batts (FR) on Sept 2nd and I quote -

'Mr. Eagon,
I have received the appointment date. Scheduled date is 09-22-08. Please let me know if this will work. Thanks, Rod'

My reply to him was -
'Rod -
That date is fine for me. My wife and I went to ExploreUSA/Mesquite last Thursday and got all
of our stuff (pots/pans/plates/etc.) out of the camper. Based on information that Wendy, from ExploreUSA,
has relayed to me, we all have the impression that you are arranging for transporting the unit to and from
Elkhart; the 'backhaul' as you put it. Please enlighten all of us as to how and when this is to occur and who is paying for it.
Regards,
Jacque'

Today, I received a phone call from Rod with the name (Star Fleet), contacts (Joe or Charlie), and a phone number for me call them to arrange to have my Cat 'backhauled' to Elkhart. Unfortunately, it was just at their quitting time when I called and left a message. So, I will call them first thing in the morning and see what can be arranged. Hopefully, I'll have more information to report tomorrow.

Regards to all -
Jacque

Thanks for the update.

I spoke with a real helpful and informative guy, Nate, from Star Fleet this morning. I just need to make sure the Cat is transportable. So, I'm having the local dealership, ExploreUSA, see what the least expensive temporary repair will be (nail it down, cut it off, glue it down, etc.). Nate will call me back early next week with details on dates and such. The approximate cost for hauling is about $1.50 per mile (times 1030 miles one way - around $1,500 from here near Dallas, Texas to Elkhart).

The saga continues - - -
Jacque

Jacque,

I'm confused, are they expecting you to pay for the hauling, or is FR? Sounds like you are juggling a lot of balls in the air right now.

Keep us in the loop on what you find out.

As it stands right now, I will have to pay for the transportation. Both ways. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $3,000. Has anyone with a rig out of warranty had a different response in dealing with Forest River??

Jacque

Just curious, did you get an estimate on how much it would cost you to get the water damaged fixed locally? It may be cheaper than the transportation...just a thought.

jacqueeagonsr wrote:. . . . . . . Last week, returning from a short local camping trip, the luan board inside the left wall broke loose and left us with a 3'-4' chunk of wall skin flopping in the breeze. The damage estimate for this problem, that was not supposed to occur, is just shy of $5,000. . . . . .

That's from the first paragraph in this thread, and, is why I started looking for others with similar problems and solutions. That's how I found this forum. The $5k was just to patch it up. So far, Forest River has agreed to replace the entire side, which I think is a better solution. In addition, Rod Batts verbally said that he would go over the unit, and, if anything else was wrong that was caused by the original design flaw, that would be fixed also. In going back over our few conversations, he has said that FR would fix it if I got the unit back to the factory. It has always been implied that FR would bear the expense of the fix, not the transportation. I have emailed Rod today asking him to verify my understanding that, other than transportation, this should cost me nothing. So, I figure that $3000 to ship it round trip and have it fixed right is better than $5000 for a patch. I love the Wildcat, especially the 27RL floor plan and have gotten 7 years out of it up to this point. If FR can fix it right, I should get another 7+ years before I need to replace it. I sure hope they still have the 27RL floor plan at that time. I'd buy another in a heart beat, even with the problems we've had. We have other RV'er friends with rigs from different manufacturers and some of their problems make this seem like a walk in the park.

Thanks for your concern -
Jacque

Jacque,

Sorry, I should have gone back and re-read the entire post. Forgot you mentioned the $5k charge for the patch. Agreed, I would pay the $3k to fix a $5k problem.

Good luck to you and keep us in the loop.