2023 Transcend roof bubble

[burgeral]

My 2023 has a large bubble on the roof. GD tells me this is normal. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[goducks14]

Pic would help. How big is big?

 

[Hoopy Frood]

"Large" is pretty relative, perhaps a photo, or dimensions would help people offer opinions. I feel any bubbles are too many bubbles, regardless of size, but Grand Design has reportedly said they aren't an issue.

 

[burgeral]

Picture of bubble!

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Just a guess, but I think they're going to go with the standard "They all do that". I would not be happy with that, but whatcha gonna do?

 

[burgeral]

They already did. I was wanting to see if others had or have the same problem?

 

[lineman1234]

Washing my 2020 reflections 273mk roof up north in MN i never noticed a bubble of any kind, but i did have a couple trees above me, so more shaded and not overly hot way up north.

Now, down south for the winter, on the gulf coast of Texas, no tree/s just sun, i went up to inspect the roof and did find 3 areas of bubbles, not overly big, but not small. They do change locations, from week to week. So maybe the said ( gasses ) thing going on there, but i dont know.

It may just be that ( r40 ) insulation value the roof is said to have.

My past forest river cheapo TT never ever had any bubble of any kind. But that was probably a different roof material.

 

[Jomani]

Your roof membrane is manufactured by Alpha Systems. They are also the entity that warranties it after the initial GD one year warranty. I would contact them directly and have them review the pictures you have (you will want a few different angles and a distance shot that offers a better perspective of size and location). They can look up your VIN # and have access to all of the build details from GD.

Contacting them directly has two benefits - offers peace of mind (if they determine it is normal) and documents the current condition of the roof.

 

[Louie Cole]

The contract cement that is used to hold the membrane down to the plywood that's attached to the roof of the RV is failing. With time and travel it will only get worse have somebody drive behind you to see if you're getting a larger bubble from the air will pull it up off of the roof, or if you can put a camera up there to watch it but get it fixed it's just going to get worse.

 

[wvyankee2]

I have a new 2024 XLS 22MLE that Grand Design just replaced my roof. Mine had bubbles all over it but small ones. My dealer took pics and they approved replacement. Bad glue from construction. There is no excuse for a roof to look like yours. That is a a large weak spot for failure. Call Grand Design customer service. My dealer told me I may have to escalate if not approved. Fortunately mine was.

 

[DWGERLI]

I have a new 2024 XLS 22MLE that Grand Design just replaced my roof. Mine had bubbles all over it but small ones. My dealer took pics and they approved replacement. Bad glue from construction. There is no excuse for a roof to look like yours. That is a a large weak spot for failure. Call Grand Design customer service. My dealer told me I may have to escalate if not approved. Fortunately mine was.

Agee. We just bought a new 24 LDE, if the roof started doing that someone is going to fix it. That is better big and will only get worst.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Agee. We just bought a new 24 LDE, if the roof started doing that someone is going to fix it. That is better big and will only get worst.

While I agree that it's not good, if the company says they're okay, you're left with few options.

 

[djp153]

My 2023 has a large bubble on the roof. GD tells me this is normal. Any input would be appreciated.

My 2023 Transcend has the same problem. It is bubbling up along" all the roof seams. The deal er told me that it was normal. I contacted Grand design and sent them several photos of the bubbles earlier this year before my warranty ran out. Here is the response I received from Grand Design.

"The roof bubbling is within tolerance and does not affect the purpose of the membrane in protecting the sub-roofing. The front of the roof at the front cap seam should be monitored with your routine inspections. If the bubbling at this front end worsens or pulls back, then a service repair would be necessary. The roof membrane warranty is 5 years for parts/labor and 10 years parts only. For now I have noted your camper's file."

I think this is BS, but what can you do. At least I have it documented so if something happens in the future I should be covered.

 

[Jomani]

"The roof bubbling is within tolerance and does not affect the purpose of the membrane in protecting the sub-roofing. The front of the roof at the front cap seam should be monitored with your routine inspections. If the bubbling at this front end worsens or pulls back, then a service repair would be necessary. The roof membrane warranty is 5 years for parts/labor and 10 years parts only. For now I have noted your camper's file."

I think this is BS, but what can you do. At least I have it documented so if something happens in the future I should be covered.

The problem with their response is the fact that they are off the hook after one year. Sure, the membrane has a much longer warranty, but that does not cover the poor installation. After the first year, Alpha Systems will cover any defects in the membrane, but most likely won’t step up pay to replace a roof that failed because it was improperly installed. I would reach out to Alpha Systems and send them pictures to evaluate.