Cracked back panel

feistysmurf

Hello folks.  I'm new to this forum and I can tell this will be a great resource.  I did scroll back but didn't come up with anything regarding this issue.
I noticed this winter a big crack in the back plastic panel of my 2007 T@b. I'm not sure if it's due to the cold temperatures up here in Northern Ontario or if I'm doing something wrong when I put it up on blocks for the winter. There is another (smaller) crack that happened sometime in the past as well.  I see that they do make replacement panels but I'm a bit hesitant in case the same thing happens with the new one.  I'm just wondering if anyone has managed to fix a crack in the plastic without it looking too dreadful.  Another thought I have is to see if someone could make a replacement panel out of aluminum diamond plate.  Any thoughts on that?  I'd sure appreciate any advice I could get.

Nomad

Welcome to the forums - Got a pic or two so the experts can see how bad a crack it is? 

feistysmurf

I'm not sure I know how to send the pic to you and if you do receive it, my apologies if it's too big.

Nomad

That's a big crack alright. Hopefully the experts will step in with an opinion.

Verna

Feistysmurf, that is quite a crack.  I'll stick with my standard answer here that the experts are at Pleasant Valley, the factory that builds the current T@B's and Little Guy's.  They will have an answer as to how to fix it or they may have still have some of the spare parts from the manufacturer of your 2007.  Call them and explain to whomever answers what you need and they will direct you to the proper person.  The phone number is to the right under T@B Contact Numbers.  Their hours are 5:30 am to 3:30 pm Eastern Time, M-F.   Good luck.

feistysmurf

Thanks so much for the comments and suggestions, folks. I will give that a try.

JandJ92010

I see that that part is available at the Teardrop Shop under "T@B Parts" for $499.00. 

GreatWhiteNorth

feistysmurf said:

Hello folks.  I'm new to this forum and I can tell this will be a great resource.  I did scroll back but didn't come up with anything regarding this issue.
I noticed this winter a big crack in the back plastic panel of my 2007 T@b. I'm not sure if it's due to the cold temperatures up here in Northern Ontario or if I'm doing something wrong when I put it up on blocks for the winter. There is another (smaller) crack that happened sometime in the past as well.  I see that they do make replacement panels but I'm a bit hesitant in case the same thing happens with the new one.  I'm just wondering if anyone has managed to fix a crack in the plastic without it looking too dreadful.  Another thought I have is to see if someone could make a replacement panel out of aluminum diamond plate.  Any thoughts on that?  I'd sure appreciate any advice I could get.

Hi feistysmurf.  Did you ever replace or repair that back plastic piece?  Ours cracked in the cold too, and actually I bumped it today (in the cold) and it shattered.

Thnx

Daryl

dragonsdofly

@GreatWhiteNorth, fiestysmurf has not been active on the forum since May 2015. I doubt you will receive a reply as these are the only posts fiestysmurf ever made.

GreatWhiteNorth

dragonsdofly said:

@GreatWhiteNorth, fiestysmurf has not been active on the forum since May 2015. I doubt you will receive a reply as these are the only posts fiestysmurf ever made.

Thnx dragonsdofly.  Appreciated.

Daryl

DougH

We didn't get any trim cracks until we camped in subzero temperatures.  I guesss if all the T@B plastic panels and trim elements were fiberglass or metal instead of plastic, the camper would be heavier and cost more too?

MikeJulieAdventure

Do these cracks mainly happen during cold weather?

ScottG

Not sure about all of them, but my trim cracks happened during over-winter storage.

Cracks in the decorative trim have been reported on a number of occasions. Fortunately, cracks in the rear panel as described here seem to be pretty rare. I know that's not much consolation if it's your rear panel that happen to be cracked...

GreatWhiteNorth

ScottG said:

Not sure about all of them, but my trim cracks happened during over-winter storage.

Cracks in the decorative trim have been reported on a number of occasions. Fortunately, cracks in the rear panel as described here seem to be pretty rare. I know that's not much consolation if it's your rear panel that happen to be cracked...

Mine cracked in the cold, right adjacent to the LH tail light cluster, much like in the picture that feistysmurf posted... and then this last Sunday, we (I really) had a little whoops, bumped the car into the trailer - in the cold that ABS piece exploded.  Thankfully no damage other than to that plastic piece.  As you can imagine, I was/am pretty upset by this, and doesn't help that the parts department won't send direct without going thru a dealer.

I just sent a request for a quote to our local dealer, will see how that works out.  I saw another post that said that piece costs $500 USD!  I might look at replacing with aluminium, as that ABS is a poor choice for Canadian winters and -30C temps.

Daryl

Geo

Wow !
Yeah a piece of diamond plate AL would look cool. . .

GreatWhiteNorth

Ideally, IMO there should be a bumper back there.  When I was looking at (old) fiberglass trailers, before buying that T@B, I noted that many of them had rear bumpers.  Seems kind of odd to have a teardrop shaped rear that's so vulnerable, unprotected, and fragile!

GreatWhiteNorth

Hi everyone.  Just a little update... I've been in contact with our nearest dealer, I gave them the info Elsie at the parts department shared with me (the P/N).  They contacted NuCamp, gave me a quote, and they will be placing the order and the part will be shipped right to me.  So it appears the dealer involved process will work.

mash2

This is a recent change.  I purchased the same part directly from them.  Arrive and replaced myself.   

GreatWhiteNorth

mash2 said:

This is a recent change.  I purchased the same part directly from them.  Arrive and replaced myself.   

mash2, was it relatively easy to do?  When I'm in there, I was thinking about sealing the bare plywood with something.  What did you use for a caulk?

feistysmurf

Hi GreatWhiteNorth,
Sorry, I didn’t see that you posed a question to me way back then. And obviously you’ve taken care of your t@b’s big booboo by now. We actually finally got ours repaired this summer and we did go with the diamond plate. The picture doesn’t do it justice but we’re very pleased with the end result.
Counting down the days ‘til we can get out camping again!
Feisty Smurf

Tabaz

Feistysmurf - that looks GREAT! Diamond plate is one of nature's most beautiful surfaces.  Now your front (propane tub) and rear ends match.

feistysmurf

Thanks Tabaz. I wish it matched my propane tub but alas it’s the yellow plastic one. Perhaps one day. That would look sharp for sure!

feistysmurf

gillcy, are there cracks under those perfectly matched pieces of tape? I’m impressed!

gillcy

I found two cracks in my rear panel after storage two years ago.  This is what I did to fix it.  First I used a strip of gorilla tape for the crack.  Over top of that I installed DOT-C2 reflective stickers.  This sticker matches the rest of the trim very well.  The two strips on the left are where the cracks are and I added the two strips on the right to make it uniform.  Gives it more reflection at night too.  I purchased both items off of ebay.  Mine has held up really well for two years now.  You may try something like this on yours.  Fix for $20.00

Photos edited to reduce size.

Tabaz

Feistysmurf - if your interested, I'm willing to start a GoFundMe page to request donations for a diamond plate propane tub.  One of my close friends loves diamond plate so much, he may contribute the entire amount (talking to you Allen).

feistysmurf

gillcy, that is incredibly clever. That would have been a lot easier on my wallet but after 5 yrs looking at those ugly cracks which we had covered with clear Gorilla tape, we actually had ours replaced with a diamond plate panel. 

gulfarea

If it happens to my 320 I will remove it, fiberglass the insides with glass and epoxy then filler on the outside cracks and paint. Learned from my boat building days. Art

keningalls

feistysmurf where did you get your diamond plate done to the back of your unit and what was the cost ?

Passport

I know this is an old post but I have an idea that may help.  I had a 2016 T@B and noted that the rear panel had no insulation and thought, why not buy a few cans of expanding foam spray insulation and apply them to the inside of the panel?  It would add strength as well as insulation properties.