Roof manufacturing defect - sharp metal edges under roof membrane?

[GL243]

I mentioned this issue in a couple of other threads, but figured I'd better post up under its own subject line to see if any others have experienced it.

On our 2018 Jay Flight SLX 267BHSW that we bought in February, I had noticed the rubber roof membrane was bubbled up in a couple spots indicating failed or no glue underneath. I dropped the trailer off for a couple of other warranty fixes so asked them to take a look at the roof. Lo and behold, the RV tech at my dealer (a Camping World dealership) found that the metal siding extended up about 1/4 inch higher than the wooden roof decking material and that the rubber roof membrane was actually installed right on this metal edge. The dealership contacted Jayco and requested approval for 35 hours of labor to fix this problem. Jayco only approved 1 hour to reseal a few spots on the roof.

At the dealership's suggestion, I called Jayco's new help line, and was able to speak to the assigned Jayco rep for my case after a couple back and forth phone tag episodes.

He explained (I'm paraphrasing here to the best of my recollection) that he has seen the issue across the industry and named a couple of other RV brands that he has seen it in, that it doesn't rise to the level of requiring a fix until it actually results in a leak. He said that I am responsible for routine roof inspections and maintenance (which I already knew and understood prior to buying new trailer). He did say that he noticed in the pictures that the dealer sent him that there were a few spots in the self leveling lap sealant around a skylight or other roof extrusions that needed to be addressed as they appeared to have bubbles or small holes in the sealant and he had approved the dealership to fix those. Regarding the several areas of bubbled up membrane, he said the membranes are only spot glued down and such bubbles are quite common and come and go with temperature changes, and are nothing to worry about (similar to what I've heard mentioned in another thread or two on this forum).

In the attached picture, my finger is pressing down on the membrane right next to where the sharp metal siding edge is directly under it (the dark material you see at the top is the rolled up awning).

So, I am currently concerned that my roof membrane is destined to fail since it rests directly on the top metal edge of the siding material. I would seem that, although these membranes are typically quite tough (I have some experience repairing a roof leak on an older trailer I had previously), it could be possible for it to be cut by the metal edge should someone simply step on that edge, which is not something I would do or expect an RV tech to do, but it would still seem to be an undue risk. The other concern I have is that I would expect the whole roof structure to flex slightly while towing on the road, and would think that would result in a a slight sawing effect on the inside of the roof membrane, causing it to fail unexpectedly. Normally, RV owners are expected to inspect roofs only periodically, not daily, so I fear this type of membrane failure would likely not be noticed until a water intrusion problem occurred, causing lots of other serious and expensive damage.

So, my questions to other members here are:

Has anyone else experienced this issue? If so, how was it addressed?

Are my concerns well founded, or should I not be as concerned as I am now?

Any other thoughts or advice on what to do next?

Thanks for any/all help/insights.

[Colorado]

You've documented with Jayco and they told you that it's not up to full fix until it leaks. I'd get that in writing, simply send an email confirming that. Keep an eye on it and as it gets closer to the end of your warranty make sure it's still not an issue. There's some things you just can't control don't waste your energy trying to control those things. Well, you could pay out of pocket but I'm sure that's $$$$$$. Enjoy your camper...

[bdreinv]

Glad I got my fiver roof replacement a year ago under warranty! Must have big problems from manufacturing 40 hrs labor. Thanks

[GL243]

Thanks, I too was thinking I needed to at least do a "here's my understanding of what we discussed" email and ask for a reply to verify agreement.

Bd, what was your roof issue if I might ask?

[bdreinv]

Front of roof near fiberglass cap seam not holding. Come to find out several pieces of roof decking were cracked prior to install.

[GL243]

Update - after consulting further with my dealer, I decided to make another appeal to Jayco, and sent a letter electronically on their website customer service comments link. Jayco responded that they will authorize a resolution that involves pulling back the membrane along the sides where it rests on the metal edge, trimming down the sharp metal siding edge, taping over the trimmed edge to form a barrier between it and the roof membrane, and reinstalling and resealing the membrane. This should resolve the issue.

Thanks for the comments and insights here on this thread.

[ALJO]

GL243: Great for you!
Proper language and persistence will pay off = Positive
The other side of the coin: Attitude = Negative......

[GL243]

Thanks, Aljo. I agree, getting mad, butting heads may work sometimes, but a civil, clear, and thorough conversation gives you higher odds of success in most of the negotiations I've ever been involved in.

[che57vy]

I had bought a new trailer back in 03 it was a Fleetwood mallard it had the same problem they ran siding up past roof edge it cut thru the roof membrane causing the floor in the corner to rot and damage to underliner it was out of warranty by a few weeks. I fought them about it and they covered most of cost. The thing was everything about the leak was hidden it ran down the back of the wall and under vinyl in storage compartment I went to put something heavy in the storage and it went thru floor. At least you have it documented. My Greyhawk Class C I have now is similar problem it is a 09 the roof they put metal flashing on the wood edge under the rubber where ends meet no protection for over lap for sharp edges and as roof ages it gets a little thinner and wears a hole in rubber membrane. My solution was Eternabond tape and covered the edges around the entire coach, I have done one of these roofs before and it could be done a lot better, its out the door let someone else worry about it numbers count no quality. Sorry for long winded post.

[BJR]

I had a similar issue on my 287BHSW. (It's an SLX, as well.) I had come here asking for some insight and posted this thread:

Roof Repair Questions

Generally, the repair was easy as all I did was get a roll of Eternabond and covered the whole edge with it to prevent it from happening again. The metal edge was proud and would have eventually cut through.

Fast forward to the beginning of camping season last year. I found some staples poking up through the membrane and while I was concerned but I didn't address them because there were no holes. I brought it into the dealer in the fall of last year to see how they would fix those while it was still under warranty. Without blinking an eye she said they would try for a new roof from Jayco. Great, I said.

They denied the original repair but the dealer asked about my other tears and I sent in pictures. (The one in that thread and also one over one of the doors.) Jayco authorized the full roof replacement and they were to grind down the metal lip on the rear of the trailer.

As they were trying to pull up the roof membrane it was tearing apart the plywood on the roof. Their solution was to put down another layer of plywood which would also make it higher than the metal lip that was the original cause for concern. This repair was north of $11k if I remember correctly. Great, I said...until I realized the weight that this added to the camper. This year I went and did a thorough weigh and found out we were over the camper GVWR by a couple hundred pounds.

The moral of the story is don't let them do the same repair.

[GL243]

Thanks very much for the additional replies. These are very helpful. I had thought of the Eternabond overlay idea as a possible preventive remedy also, although I have some concern that water would not drain well along the slight raised edge of the Eternabond, but maybe that's not really an issue, probably the lesser of two evils at the very least. Adding a whole 'nother layer of 3/8 or even 1/4 inch plywood or similar to the roof would definitely be a lot of extra weight and unacceptable, so thanks for alerting on that also. I still find it incredible that they don't monitor carefully for this issue during construction. Even just a few thousand in warranty repair costs would seem to wipe out any profit they had on the sale.

[sd396]

I have the same problem on our 2016 Jayco 23MBH. I had our neighbors portable shelter blow up against the trailer during a wind storm one night and everywhere the legs of the shelter hit the roof edge there was a cut in the membrane from the tin underneath. I used eternabond tape to repair the cuts but I am pretty disappointed in the way these were built. I sent an email to Jayco expressing my disappointment but as expected no longer being under warranty I got no response. I now take extra caution with simple things like washing the trailer because even hitting that edge with a brush handle could cause problems.

[ALJO]

Even when you use Eternabond tape, use some roof dicor on the seams

[GL243]

Thanks for the report, sd396, it confirms that I'm not the lone ranger with this problem. Good thing you discovered it before you had any significant water intrusion. One question - were you able to get the Eternabond to overlap the cuts enough to seal over them right to the edge of the roof? Or did you overlap the Eternabond completely over the edge of the roof and over the trim strip that's along the edge?

[sd396]

I used 2 inch eternabond tape from the edge of the gutter trim strip up and over the top edge. I also used dicor sealant on the cuts prior to applying the tape and around the edge of the tape after it was put down. Hopefully there is enough tape over the edge to make a decent seal. Just something I`m going to have to check on from time to time.

[GL243]

Ok, thanks.

[Rustic Eagle]

I'm experiencing the same "metal edge" problem with my 2018 Jay Flight (still under Jayco warranty). My TT is presently at the dealership for their evaluation...., waiting for their feedback on the issue.





Bob

[GL243]

Good luck, Bob. Will be interested to hear how yours goes.

[gunafulltime]

For this and other design, material, and assembly reasons, I put Eternabond around the roof perimeter. It is holding up very well. I sealed the back edge of the Eternabond with Eternabond sealant caulk. It does provide some peace of mind as the roof membrane's exposure and aging increases.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by gunafulltime

For this and other design, material, and assembly reasons, I put Eternabond around the roof perimeter.....snip

Unfortunately with the metal edging positioned "above" the surface of the roof wood decking the EPDM material is also raised above the wood decking, not a good condition for applying Eternabond sealer tape......, putting pressure on the applicator roller over the Eternabond for proper adhesive activation wouldn't be advisable without a solid surface under it.

Bob