Eagle Superlite question on exterior wall

turbo-power · 10-07-2012, 06:35 AM

We are looking at buying a 2012 314bds Eagle Superlite. Upon looking over the trailer I discovered a blemish about the size of a dime on the curbside rear of the trailer . It is raised up as if it were a bubble also kind of looks like rust on steel. The finish is not broken just raised up. I asked the sales person to find out about it on Monday to see what the service dept says about it.
My concern is if it is some type of delamination defect then will it spread. I would hate to buy it then have to have a wall replaced. That is not something I want to deal with.

Have any of you eagle owners experienced this and is it going to get worse ?

Thanks for any advice . We are supposed to close on the trailer monday unless this is going to be a problem.

RVhiker · 10-07-2012, 06:53 AM

I don't know for sure if it is delamination or not - and probably wouldn't know for sure if I were looking at it. But like you, I sure would be concerned- actually extremely concerned. You might want to post a picture to give others some additional clues. If it is delamination, it certainly has the potential to be a very very big problem.

kiwaon · 10-07-2012, 07:05 AM

I'm a Superlite owner, and no I haven't seen what you describe on my unit ...... but if it were me I would not close the deal on Monday regardless of what the dealer promises to do or fix.

Take a couple of photos and send them to Jayco for their opinion. I would weigh very carefully what the service department at the selling dealer says, they want to sell you that unit, and deal with the problem, if it is a problem, later.

Over the years I have purchased several RVs, including a couple of Jaycos, and have always found things get done more quickly and to your satisfaction before you finalize the sale, even with Jayco.

Good luck on your purchase.

cheers

turbo-power · 10-07-2012, 01:41 PM

Do any of you know how an area this small would be repaired ? And how would it hold up for years to come.

RVhiker · 10-07-2012, 05:29 PM

I have a SuperLite as well, and so far have no water damage; so I have no first-hand experience with the issue.

I agree with kiwaon that it'd be a mistake to close on the deal until you are completely satisfied that you know the cause of the blemish and after repairs to it have already been made to your satisfaction. A problem, of course, is that you can't see into the wall so can't know for sure if the damaged area is as small as it appears from the outside. My main concern would be that IF the blemish is a result of water damage that all the effects of the water damage are not apparent yet - where else might the water have gone? What other sections of the wall are about to come apart?

If it were me, I don't believe that I would buy any new trailer that showed any water damage at all -- unless I got many $thousands off of the no-water damage price, regardless of whether you're guaranteed that it is covered by a warranty. The usual procedure (as I have read) for a damaged foam cored wall is to return the trailer to the factory (probably not the dealer) and have the entire wall removed and replaced. So you lose the use of your new trailer for a while.

Sorry to sound so grim about you new trailer you're considering, but water damage in a foam cored wall is a very big deal.

exjay1 · 10-07-2012, 05:33 PM

Should still be under full warranty? They should have it fixed to Jayco's spec before selling it.

turbo-power · 10-07-2012, 06:47 PM

Thank you all for your responses. I have just sold the travel trailer we had which was a Airstream and have never experienced delamination since Airstreams are aluminum sided. We chose the Eagle Superlite because it does have partial aluminum framing for the structure and is a very nice looking trailer. Also the one we are looking at is at a dealer that is only about an hour away and being that it is a 2012 it still has the white exterior and the lighter colored amber interior as opposed to the new 2013 look. But it might be better to pass on this trailer and may even be better to go with a jayflight 32bhds and not have to worry about delamination issues.
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

turbo-power · 10-08-2012, 07:55 PM

Spoke back with salesperson today about the affected area. They had their service mngr look at it and confirmed that it was delamination and that it could be repaired. I declined that offer and trailer and asked if they could transfer in a Jayflight 32bhds from a sister dealership and so they are working on that now. Then we will not have to worry about any delamination issues.

Jagiven · 10-08-2012, 09:12 PM

Turbo-Power, I think you are making a good decision. My opinion if you are questioning it today, you will always question it.

tinlizzie23 · 10-09-2012, 03:08 AM

X2 for sure

CruizinKim · 10-09-2012, 09:50 AM

I think (and hope!) you'll be pleased with the 32bhds model even though you'll most likely be pulling some extra weight. You wouldn't believe how many strangers come up to us to comment on how they like this model, especially the outdoor kitchen. Enjoy!

kampfirekid · 10-09-2012, 12:30 PM

I never worried about delamination with three fiberglass trailers we have had, but we just bought a Flight 32BHDS (finalizing this week) and am happy we switched to aluminum this time.

You may also like: