# Fender Skirts Cracking



## longbow (Feb 1, 2012)

Ok, anyone out there have their fender skirts cracking at the screw head areas. Haven't used this thing much and already had the front cap repainted. And now this ! of course my warranty is over also.


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## dapozer (Apr 4, 2013)

I had mine replace when they painted my front cap. Kinda disappointing with a new camper and all.


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## Paul (May 14, 2008)

longbow said:


> Ok, anyone out there have their fender skirts cracking at the screw head areas. Haven't used this thing much and already had the front cap repainted. And now this ! of course my warranty is over also.


Mine have been cracked for the past three years. Waiting for the wind or a blow-out to rip them off and then I will replace them.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The screws were over tightened. If you want to help prevent the issues from looking worse, remove all the screws to remove the plastic trim. Add putty tape to the trailer over the screw holes. Reinstall the plastic trim but do not tighten the screws much yet. After all screws are in, trim the putty that is exposed along the edge of the plastic. Now snug the screws but not too tight. The putty helps in a couple of ways but the biggest is it fills the voids between the plastic and the trailer so the plastic is less likely to deform when the screws are tightened.

The cracks will still be there is you installed a cracked piece of trim but the trim will not fall off and really only owners see these little cracks.


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## longbow (Feb 1, 2012)

Thanks for the replies at least I know I am not the only one with this issue, it is sad that in this day and age that new stuff is so cheap compared to the old. I had a 1994 trailer that had fiberglass skirts that were very heavy and barely had any cracks when I sold it in 2013 and it sat outside. I am going to write keystone and see if they will cover this. Going camping this week temps are mid seventies to eighty ! . Hope the weather breaks for all those in cold country soon. Take care all !



CamperAndy said:


> The screws were over tightened. If you want to help prevent the issues from looking worse, remove all the screws to remove the plastic trim. Add putty tape to the trailer over the screw holes. Reinstall the plastic trim but do not tighten the screws much yet. After all screws are in, trim the putty that is exposed along the edge of the plastic. Now snug the screws but not too tight. The putty helps in a couple of ways but the biggest is it fills the voids between the plastic and the trailer so the plastic is less likely to deform when the screws are tightened.
> 
> The cracks will still be there is you installed a cracked piece of trim but the trim will not fall off and really only owners see these little cracks.


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## Garland (Sep 16, 2013)

longbow said:


> Ok, anyone out there have their fender skirts cracking at the screw head areas. Haven't used this thing much and already had the front cap repainted. And now this ! of course my warranty is over also.


 I just checked mine on my 2012 298re and all the screw holes have cracked...Time for a call to outback.


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## MJV (Apr 19, 2012)

Yes I had one of them almost crack in half--which started from the screw hole--several other cracks starting also. My dealer got me new ones from Keystone, under warranty. But as it was difficult to get the trailer out of the yard (snow) last spring, I have the skirts in my garage. Think I'll wait to change them for a while, till the ones on it look worse???


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## longbow (Feb 1, 2012)

Well, wrote keystone and they declined to help me out with the skirts sighting that my warranty is expired. So will have to decide what to do to. Will loosing them for now and see if I can renforce them and make them last as long as I can.


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## Tourdfox (Oct 4, 2012)

Mine are cracking also.Trailor is being dropped off at the dealer on Monday for some warranty work seeings it ends very soon.I'll make sure they know about this so it is recorded before warranty runs out next month.


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## Alvarado (Jan 29, 2014)

I just purchased a 323BH and the fender skirt on the kitchen side of my trailer already broke. The recessed plastic area where the screw goes is completely broken. Of course going down the road it just flaps away. Time to take it in to be replaced.


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## Tourdfox (Oct 4, 2012)

My new skirts were ordered today along with a new dinette lamp shade.


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## TennesseeOutback1 (Feb 1, 2008)

Our 301BQ is at the dealer at the moment having the front cap repainted. When doing the walk around we found that the fenders were cracking at the screw holes. The fenders are somewhere around $31 a piece so I had them go ahead and replace them as well. Sucks as well that the camper was out of warranty and this is out of my pocket except for the front cap being repainted.


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## Tourdfox (Oct 4, 2012)

TennesseeOutback1 said:


> Our 301BQ is at the dealer at the moment having the front cap repainted. When doing the walk around we found that the fenders were cracking at the screw holes. The fenders are somewhere around $31 a piece so I had them go ahead and replace them as well. Sucks as well that the camper was out of warranty and this is out of my pocket except for the front cap being repainted.


When mine come in i'll replace them myself when they start falling off.It's hardly noticeable at this point unless you look closely.When the time comes i plan to use 2 sided foam tape or window puddy on the backside of them so not to suck the screws in so tight.Hoping this will stop the new ones from cracking.


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## Kevin K (Jan 31, 2011)

Timely topic. I just removed the skirts from my 312BH. Two or three on each side were cracked. I used some two part epoxy to reinforce the cracks and widen the holes to allow for some contraction and expansion. If this doesn't work I'll Spring for the $31 new ones but expand the holes before installing.


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## Alvarado (Jan 29, 2014)

I just purchased a 323bh in January and have taken it on one trip. While driving home I noticed the kitchen side fender skirt flapping in the wind. I have the same problem as everyone else. I've ordered the new skirt under warranty, and while I wait I placed a small washer to hold the skirt in place. We'll see how well it holds up down the freeway when we take it out this weekend.


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## deepvee16 (Jan 27, 2014)

My wife is tired of looking at the duct tape I'm using to hold the fender on! Andy's explanation of cause and fix is right on. Today I removed the fender and painstakingly all the surrounding silicone. I wish there were a way to repair these, but that's only a wish.
Someone here mentioned $35- replacements. I looked at several sites online, and they're all in the hundreds. Does anyone know of a reasonably priced source?
Thanks a lot, Dave


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## JOEANDCHRISTY (Jan 29, 2014)

deepvee16 said:


> My wife is tired of looking at the duct tape I'm using to hold the fender on! Andy's explanation of cause and fix is right on. Today I removed the fender and painstakingly all the surrounding silicone. I wish there were a way to repair these, but that's only a wish.
> Someone here mentioned $35- replacements. I looked at several sites online, and they're all in the hundreds. Does anyone know of a reasonably priced source?
> Thanks a lot, Dave


First go to Trekwood RV parts. search for skirts. I believe I paid 90 some with shipping per side. I only replaced one, ordered it while on the road to Colorado due to it coming loose. Anyway they then forward it to Tiara RV sales who ships it. Before I installed I sanded down the ridge around the screw hole so its flush with the trailer wall. Used double sided tape to hold in place, silicone. Looks a lot better.


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## deepvee16 (Jan 27, 2014)

Thank you for this information.

Since my last post, I patched the old one back on. Hopefully it will out survive me, we'll see!

Last week I checked with a local dealer, they want about $75- (plus shipping) from Keystone. I think that's a good price.


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## Kevin and Sheri (Oct 17, 2013)

I just had load range D, 10-ply tires put on by a moblie RV Tech here. I asked him about the cracking. He suggested super glue in the cracks. I did it and it works.


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## Thumper (May 19, 2014)

The fender skirt on my slide was cracked when we purchased it new. They replaced it, but it is cracked again. Flimsy plastic.


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## Awinkle (Sep 27, 2010)

I loosed the screws and ran a bead of epoxy on each crack. Luckily the epoxy is about the same color as the skirt. It has lasted about four years and the cracks have not lengthened. Better to have good luck that skill.


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## tomhank (Nov 5, 2021)

USAMADE fender skirt is robust and sturdy, which is just what you need in a fender skirt. I can attest to the toughness of the thermoplastic material. Plus, when I scraped the side of my RV against some shrubs, I discovered the skirts were scarcely scratched.


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## ronaldos (Jun 27, 2021)

I use ICON 1424 Jayco, this fender skirt is white that doesn't clash with the different RV colors and painted graphics. It has a neutral tone, making it reasonably pleasant to install. High impact-resistant ABS plastic protects the underside of the vehicle and the outside against termites, prolonging the product's life.


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## clark261 (12 mo ago)

This Alpha Systems fender skirt has a UV-protected exterior, which I enjoy. Even after being exposed to the elements for extended periods of time, it did not break or fade. The durability remained consistent, giving me confidence that this model will survive for years.


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