# Concave Bumps In Front Of Ob



## shaela21 (Aug 16, 2005)

On the front of the trailer, on the exterior outside edges, there appears to be concave bumps in the fiberglass at a couple of places on each side. They are located where the corner trim runs down from the roof to the trailer floor frame. There are 2 bumps on each side where the fiberglass seems pressed in. The approximate size is 4 inches along the trim, and extend a few inches inward from the trim. Both bumps are solid and there is no flexing in the fiberglass. My concern here is that the sealant between the trim and the fiberglass may separate, allowing the ingress of water. Has this happened to anyone else, and is there a term for it? Should I be this concerned and report it to the dealership?
Thanks.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

any chance you can post a picture?


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## shaela21 (Aug 16, 2005)

No, I am camping right now and do not have anyway to transfer pictures to the computer (forgot the cable from the camera to the computer). Sorry. I am hoping the description will be enough right now.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

I never heard of it concave bumps on the Outbacks
Pics will help

Don


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

I just noticed this weekend that we have something that may be what you're describing. Ours are on the entry door side, at the front, near the roofline. One is about 4-6 inches from the top, and the other is a few inches lower. The one at the top has a little pitting in the center where the fiberglass has chipped.

Looking from the inside, the only thing I could think of is that they have something to do with the closet pole in the wardrobe. It almost looks like a screw from the pole bracket was too long and hit the outside layer with the fiberglass. As Gilligan tightened it, the fiberglass dimpled in, and in our case the screw tip might have actually made it through to the outside.

Is this the same situation you have?


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## samvalaw (Feb 17, 2005)

My 21 RS has a "ripple" in the fiberglass from the roof down to the water heater behind the awning support. It is solid, indicating no water entry or rot, but is pretty visible when the awning is extended. It looks like one of the frame supports has been pushed outward, causing the fiberglass on that spot to protrude outward. It is most visible when standing in front of the trailer looking down the side. There are no soft spots either inside or outside of the trailer, so I just live with it.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

It sounds like the front skin is not laid flat to the frame. Keystone uses fiberglass bats for insulation of the front end and if it was not tucked into the frame correctly and just screwed down on to it then you can get this type of ripples.

Easy fix but it would take a few hours to peel the skin back to inspect and correct.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Does that mean Gilligan was working in that department as well

Don


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

HootBob said:


> Does that mean Gilligan was working in that department as well
> 
> Don


That guy's worse than a cheap fur coat - he's all over the place !!


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## shaela21 (Aug 16, 2005)

http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...si&img=4364

Here is a link to the photo of the front of my OB with the dents. Any thoughts on this. The other side is similar to this, and sorry the photo is not the best. Thanks.


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## happycamper (Jul 26, 2005)

We also have the ripples along the edge.
I thought that I captured it in a recent picture but only took the ripple in the center.
The dealer also found a crack on the side of the Outback.

The front skin and side repair are scheduled for repair in the off season! A lot more outbackin' to do before then.









Jim


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

I may know whats causing that, see if this makes sense. When I replaced the front of my Outback I noticed that the sidewalls are not cut flush with the front they extend about 1/4" above the front studs. The front sets down on the stud even with the sidewall. If for some reason the front touches this 1/4" lip and the rest of the front is stapled down, yes they did staple it on, then the front would push in and you would have a wrinkle and it may crack the sidewall. Another thing I noticed was keystones use of small strips of plywood used as shimes to bring the front out even with the sidewall lip. If they did not shim proper or one set came off when they stapled down the front to the studs you will get a dent or wrinkle but this shouldn't cause the sidewall to crack. The fiberglass batting is the other thing that would cause the dent to happen The only way to know for sure is to remove the sidewall edging strip and see what is going on. Hope this helps, Kirk


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

shaela21,

Have the exact same one as in your first picture. Looks like you actually took the picture of my trailer. I was figuring that when it was assembled somebody mis aligned one of the screws forcing the bulge if you will.

From where I stand, I have that hump, My back wall on the corner seperated and all these delamination problems I would say Outback's stink!

They must have absolutely zero quality control and inspection because and inspector should have caught all the problems other then delamination.


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## W4DRR (May 17, 2005)

shaela21 said:


> http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...si&img=4364
> 
> Here is a link to the photo of the front of my OB with the dents. Any thoughts on this. The other side is similar to this, and sorry the photo is not the best. Thanks.


Mine has a similar indentation on the front, in almost exactly the same place. As far as I know, it has always been there, and to date has not caused a problem.

Bob


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## shaela21 (Aug 16, 2005)

So I took the Outback into the dealership today to have them look at the "dents", and while they were looking at it, they found a new defect that I had not noticed. We just got back 3 weeks of camping, and on the way home something went wrong with the front of the trailer. On the driver side (the side that does not have the awning), in the very front at the bottom corner where the siding meets the corner moulding, it has pulled back about 1/4 of an inch, and about 6 inches up







. It looks like the front lower part has been pulled forward, separating it from the side wall panel. So, the service dude asked if I can leave the trailer there and he will be removing all the front trim, fixing the dents and repairing the separation. I did not take a photo of the separation since I did not see it earlier today, and I did not have a camera with me. But I need to place a new insurance sticker on the license plate, so I will try and take a picture and post it. But I am not impressed that this is happening. The TT is less then a year old, and she has been to the service depot twice







. Oh well, at least warranty will be fixing this one as well.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Bob,

Sorry to hear of the problems you are having, but it sounds like your service department is on top of it. When they start pointing out things that you have not seen, that's a good sign!









I was looking at your picture, and a couple of things struck me. First, we have a couple of similar indentations in ours, but not quite to the same degree. I have watched them over time, and it seems to be a non-issue. The corner is well caulked, and is showing no signs of leaking.

The second thing I noticed in the picture, is that there seems to be a bigger flaw, concentric to the smaller dimple. It looks like a slight bubble, but may just be the polarizing of the picture or my monitor.

In any case - and I'm guessing after his recent repairs, Kirk will agree with me - when you look at how these things are built, and the materials used, we should not be expecting the skins of the trailers to be absolutely smooth all the time. This is not intented as an indictment of Keystone, or even the materials themselves, it is just the nature of the beast. These are large, flexible, sheets of thin fiberglass that are attached to a skeleton frame, and punched full of holes for windows, doors, etc. There are therefore, a lot of stresses acting on the skin from a lot of different directions. The bottom line is that it is going to flex and 'give' to accomodate these stresses. That is in fact one of the great qualities of a material like fiberglass... it's ability to adapt to and absorb inperfections. It just may be asking a bit much to also expect it to be as smooth and flawless as other much stiffer and less forgiving materials.

Just a couple of thoughts to consider.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## birddog74 (Aug 18, 2006)

Our 25rss has the exact same "dents" in the front. I cant help but think its just from twisting and flecing while in tow.


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## shaela21 (Aug 16, 2005)

After talking with 2 seperate techs, they both told me the same thing: the "dents" are from the front panel being screwed into the frame, and as it warmed up in the sun, it expanded, and the areas where the dents are is where the screws are too tight and causing a buckle in the fiberglass. Seems to make sense. So the dealership is removing the trim on both sides of the front panel, loosening the screws to the proper tension on the fiberglass, then sealing it up and putting the trim back on. Warrnaty is covering this, of course. I am hoping that it is back tomorrow, which would be nice so I can get one more trip in before the end of August. Se we'll see and I am keeping my fingers crossed.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Keep us posted shaela21! It sounds like your dealer is on top of it!









Happy Trail,
Doug


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

Doug,

Are you trying to rationalize or minimize this subject? Why? A pressure point like that will definetely crack that fiberglass over time. Just go look in a boat yard if you doubt that. First thing I thought of when I looked at mine is that yes a screw got put in too close to the skin bulging it.

Keystone should remember that perception is reality. If it looks bad then it is bad, that is human nature. Simply put it is a manufacturing flaw which goes undetected by Keystone inspectors if there are any. I walked around mine during the PDI and didn't see it . A day later I saw it and it no doubt came out from the factory like that. Where my back panel has seperated from the sides there are screws of varying types not evenly spaced. Again where is the slightest hint of quality control? I like my trailer, bought it for the floor plan and thought I carefully selected a quality trailer. But my beliefs are waning. Perception is reality. It appears that it isn't that great of quality at all.


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

Mike, I don't think anyone is trying to minimize or rationalize anything but to the opposite he is acknowlegding that the dealer is trying to fix the problem. The problem of quality control or lack of is rampet in the industry, all RV manufactures have this problem. In the case of Keystone it does look like they have taken ownership of this problem not only in the Outback line but several others as well. In my case I was out of warrentty so I had to look for a less costly fix, but that was my choice. If yours is still under warrentty give the dealer a chance to fix it to your satisfaction and keep taking it back untill they get it right. If you feel you got a lemon even after the repairs pursue that route. In either case you need some kind of paper trail and I think you will find that they will fix it to your satisfaction before it gets to that point. The Outback line of TT is a very well built unit superior to most in its class. Even with this front end problem I would still buy another because of the quality. Kirk


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## shaela21 (Aug 16, 2005)

Tomorrow I bring the Outback home







as the work on her is done, and it looks good. They had to remove the entire front and reapply it properly. It has been completely sealed up and the dents are gone. I am impressed as well since it only took them just over a week to get done.


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## arsenana (Jul 8, 2006)

I have an 02 and noticed this type of bump after the first year. The dealer and Outback said it wasn't structural and not to worry about it. Being very non-technical, I didn't worry about it. Now I have some obvious delam nearby. No warranty left. Outback says take it to a fiberglass place, it will be cheaper for me than the dealer will be to fix the delam. Hopefully, the fiberglass people will tell me if the delam is related to these bumps (not that it would do me any good at this point in time.)

If you are not happy with the bumps, keep going back to the dealer. The above posts say the bumps are normal - but I've been all over the US for the last three years and have only seen these types of bumps on Outbacks. And, believe me, I've been looking!


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## Scott Z. (Jul 13, 2006)

I was looking over the roof on my 26RS this past and noticed this issue on the front above the quad bunk section. I'll point it out to the dealer, but for now I'm just monitoring it. I definitely don't like the way it looks, though.


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

Scott,

I'm really feeling for you. Get on that and call Keystone immediately. Have you owned it past 30 day?


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Scott,

That does look to be a pretty extreme case. As Mike said, I would get it into the dealer soon. Is it just my monitor, or does the bulge to the rear actually wrap down over the front?

Good luck with this, and keep us posted!









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Scott Z. (Jul 13, 2006)

I first noticed when looking down at the trailer from my office. My reaction was "what the ..." I'm hoping it's just studs on the front wall. The bumps are solid and don't really flex much other than the normal play in the fiberglass (when compared to the areas around it). I'll keep you posted as I contact Keystone and the dealer. I already created the warranty file at the dealer this morning for two other items but forgot to mention this.

To answer the other question - I've had the trailer for 5 weeks. Noticed the problem about 2-3 weeks ago, but I'm sure it was there from the factory.


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

Scott,

The reason I asked about 30 days is because some states allow you to return things for up to 30 days.

Wish you the best luck getting that fixed. One thing for sure at least you don't have to contemplate Diamond Plate. Looks like you go for getting the whole front end replaced.

Mike C


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