Black Rubber Gasket type Seal (not trim) Lifting with Cracking Caulk - How to Repair - 2018 T@B 320S

ReenieG

I'm starting a new discussion here since I cannot seem to find anything referring to anyone else fixing this issue.

The only discussion I found on this site referring to the trim, but not the rubber seal gasket that butts up against it was this one:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/16287/2021-t-b-400-trim-coming-off#latest

And the only other information I could find or was referred to was this video but I think my situation is worse than what Creed describes. It might be what my last pictured shows which is a very minor lifting of that rubber seal, not what I have today.

I asked my question under the video but it's an old video and not sure if it's being monitored by nuCamp.
I also called nuCamp several days ago and told I would hear back, but nothing yet.

So here's my dilemma:

The rubber seal gasket which Creed described as aesthetic only is lifted what appears to be way beyond being able to do what the video describes; pulling it out, then using the adhesive recommended, (which I purchased here) then pushing it back into place.

My seal/gasket is lifted and the area looks swollen,exposing what appears to be the white weathered caulking that fills the gap between the side walls and the roof on the back slant. See pics 1 and 2 below. BTW, this is only along the back slant of the trailer, not the whole thing. The front area is lifted but not swollen like this and I might be able to tack that down ok with Creed's instruction on the video. See pics 3 and 4 below.

The last pic was taken about 3 months ago and it doesn't look nearly as lifted or swollen as what it looks like now.

My question is how to repair this? I have the rubber seal/gasket intact and I have the trailer trim which seems also to be intact, but what to do about that white cracking union? Do I add more caulk or do I have to remove what's there in order to get everything to lay back flat and flush? Also, what do I use? Caulk? Adhesive? Goo? I think someone used some sort of shoe goo glue but I believe they were simply tacking down the strip, not fixing the cracks underneath.

ReenieG

Update:

I removed the trim to assess what's going on.

It appears my trim is also the problem as mentioned in the link in my first post.

As seen in my pics, the silicone caulk is cracking so I'll be recaulking and would really like to replace the damaged trim pieces vs drilling more holes in the current trim so I'll be looking into that first.

Alternatively, I'll look into adding some adhesive caulk to tack it better in place along with the screws.

There are manufactureer labels with part numbers inside them so I'll see what I can find online.

ReenieG

As I've been researching where to find the trim pieces from the vendor (no luck so far) vs nuCamp directly (next step) was, I found this video How to Reseal RV Corner Molding, regarding other types of RV repair for edges. I'm wondering if this would be a good idea to replace the silicone seal that is cracking underneath the trim permanently, so whether or not the trim and rubber seal piece lies flat, it definitely wouldn't leak. Then, to adhere the trim in a more permanent way with the screws and an adhesive like he mentions in the video, would this possibly be a good idea since it's considered a permanent solution to prevent water leaks or constant upkeep. 

Anyone? Please add your comments. TIA

PS I'm still going to check into replacing some of the trim above but would like to permanently afix it without having to worry about any water leaks.

Cherokee

The black plastic trim on mine warped too. It's my understanding that both pieces of trim are for appearance reasons and they have nothing to do with sealing the seam between the walls and the roof. If that seam isn't leaking - and I've never heard of one leaking, I'd leave it alone. A good T@B dealer can order replacement trim and have NuCamp send it directly to you. Note that the newer T@B's simply deleted this trim.    

ReenieG

@Cherokee the cracking caulk may not be leaking yet, but it can in time. This was the message I received back from tech support regarding the cracking caulk on the seam:

"Yes the Sikaflex (227) is kind of elastic feeling. I believe we use the white variety.

You can also typically use Geocell ProFlex RV clear if you want. We use that for sealing much of the exterior."

I will probably go with the ProFlex RV since it comes in clear and I believe that's more of what mine looks like. I will first remove the old cracking areas and either reseal the whole thing or at least the areas that are cracking.

I've contacted a local nuCamp dealership so they are checking on trim replacement costs. If they are not "too expensive" I'll replace all four of the upper trim parts. If they are too much, I'll just replace the worst ones to avoid having to drill more holes. 

Cherokee

Thanks for the information. I'll have to look at mine - they do have a video of calking around the exterior where the raked sealant joints are. I didn't realize the joint between the walls and the roof was a simple sealant joint -at least the trim protects them from ultraviolet light.

ReenieG

Cherokee said:

Thanks for the information. I'll have to look at mine - they do have a video of calking around the exterior where the raked sealant joints are. I didn't realize the joint between the walls and the roof was a simple sealant joint -at least the trim protects them from ultraviolet light.

Yes, once the trim is completely off, you can see where the side walls meet the roof and there's caulking there. See pics below. The caulk is exposed underneath the rubber on both sides, from behind the trim. The pic with the red line is where that caulk line is but cracked in the back of the trailer. I think this is the video you're referring to from nuCamp. I had to dig deeper because it wasn't what Creed was talking about in that video.

Marceline

Cherokee said:

.....Note that the newer T@B's simply deleted this trim.    

And the clamshell models never had that trim.