Flawless Cosmetic Trim

DougH

We had seen the dozens of posts in previous years about the cracks in the colored cosmetic trim...  and sometimes wondered what kind of radical off-roading with frame flex folks were doing in their travels. 

Our 2015/2016 T@B S Max has been through hail storms, 115F and below freezing for years without any cracks at all, and just the occasional loose rubber seal between the roof and the trim pieces.

Oh well. 

Was in sub-zero weather for a week, then parked in storage a few days back.  Checked it this morning.  Six fresh cracks all the way through the trim.  Guess it's time for the epoxy and Krylon once it gets warm enough.

But we did make it almost four years.

Sharon_is_SAM

@DougH, what color?  Black seems to have more issues.

DougWW

Now you've got me spooked. I'll have to wait for the snow to go before I get to check our 320S.

DougH

@Sharon_is_SAM : We chose the prettiest color of course...  the silver.

Ratkity

Mine was silver and it only took a year. She was uncovered, but never did anything off-road.

DougH

Hmmm...  wonder how hard it would be to do something with a renewable wood like bamboo to make a teardrop a bit more unique? 

https://sawdustgirl.com/how-to-make-your-own-flexible-moulding-bend-moulding/

driftless

We uncovered our 2018 Tab 400 today in preparation for leaving for a 5 week trip and found the trim cracked in 11 places.  The trailer was covered and  protected from NW winter winds.  We did have a stretch of 4 days were temps went to -20° to -30° F.  Filed a warranty  claim and within 2 hours had a response that this will be covered and the parts shipped.
Got to love NüCamp service!

DougH

Excellent! 

Emma62

We discovered a crack in the trim in the lower front corner and the only traveling our trailer had done was driving home from the dealer.  Seems the type of plastic they use doesn't tolerate cold temps.  This is covered by the warranty right now but it sounds like it may be an ongoing yearly spring maintenance issue.  How much have people paid to get this fixed?  

morey000

DougH said:

Hmmm...  wonder how hard it would be to do something with a renewable wood like bamboo to make a teardrop a bit more unique? 

https://sawdustgirl.com/how-to-make-your-own-flexible-moulding-bend-moulding/

that looks like a lot of work.  but- what if you just got some vinyl self-adhesive wallpaper in a wood grain pattern.  It would be a fairly easy install and look pretty cool.  not sure how long it would last, but it would be inexpensive, and you could always re-do it.  it would also cover up and cracks (after re-bonding).  

https://www.amazon.com/Self-Adhesive-Removable-Wallpaper-Decorative-x6-6-Grey/dp/B07HBVXVQ2

comes in any color and wood style imaginable.  heck- you could even do fake stone.  

Emma62

I've been thinking about the plastic trim cracking issue and it doesn't make any sense.  Plastics that tolerate below zero temps have been available to use in cars for decades.  Has NuCamp given anyone an explanation of why they use the type of plastic they are using?

lkc001

Such a bummer.  I would also like to know if this is an issue with the type of plastics they are using or??   I'm not looking forward to having a bunch of cracks in the trim.  I purchased my unit used so I have no warranty coverage.

ScottG

nuCamp is aware of the issue and indicated some time back they were working with the trim manufacturer to improve the durability of those pieces. I've heard no report since then, so I don't know the status of that upgrade.

My T@B developed a trim crack well out of warranty. The replacement parts are quite spendy, as is the shipping to get them to your door--and even then there is no guarantee the problem won't reoccur. I opted for a piece of black duct tape and called it good...

It's not at all clear why some people experience this and others don't, and why among those that do some have one crack and others have multiple cracks. I suspect there may be an issue with the trim not quite fitting perfectly, and in some cases it ends up being a little pre-stressed (and therefore more prone to thermal cracking) once installed. 

Sharon_is_SAM

I think someone also thought that over-tightening the screws that hold the trim may also contribute to the cracks.

N7SHG_Ham

I would think slots in the trim and not holding the trim fixed would go a long way, allowing the trim pieces to float with contraction and expansion with temperature fluctuations.

jgram2

So! Maybe we should be proactive and create our own artfully placed cracks! Then use colorful duct tape to read like data punch cards from the olden days. Maybe SOS or offensive warnings, or l love you’s Over and over. I’m not belittling our complaints, and I do hope Nücamp resolves the problem but my pocket book insists I learn to live with it. I believe auto paint was suggested-remove the pesky trim, replace with a painted stripe.

Emma62

I found another crack today on the same side about 2 feet from the location of the first crack.  Also, I found comments online about the trim cracking dating back to September 2011.  

http://tabdiary.blogspot.com/2011/04/trim-cracks.html

My trailer has only been driven home from the dealer and less than 10 miles last week.  Can't imagine what might happen once we start hitting the road. 

I didn't spend what I did to be patching trim cracks with duct tape.

WilliamA

Vinyl trim expands and contracts a lot with sun exposure.  Just like vinyl siding on a house, it must either be able to move a bit or it will break. Dark colors are worse as they absorb more UV energy. The vinyl expands at a vastly different rate than the trailer. It might be possible to loosen the screws a bit and put large washers on them,  but heaven knows how that would hold up at 70 mph. I suspect the "fix" will ultimately be found by using a different material for the trim, like perhaps aluminum? ($$)
Duct tape breaks down under UV light too, but it's much easier to replace.  
If you want to understand the problem better, do a search for vinyl siding installation on a house. It's the same principle with the same inherent problems.  Those problems are solved by leaving the siding loose.
WilliamA 

ScottG

Here's another place to inspect for cracks. This is where the two pieces of trim meet at the edge of the roof line and is only visible from above. The crack starts at the screw hole under the caulking.

It's pretty ugly as is, but since you can't see it from the ground anyway, I just shmooied everything up well with some additional caulking.