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08-17-2019, 11:17 AM
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#1
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3 Rivet Member
2023 27' International
Waynesville
, Missouri
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 169
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Tires ate thru wheel well
ATTENTION 2019 (Maybe all) Sport 22 foot owners!!!! The plastic wheel wells deform real easy!!!! I think my insulation pushed the wheel well right into the tire. The tire ate all the way through the wheel well at the contact point. I now have an 8 inch arc cut through the plastic wheel well. The only way I found it was by getting my head under the trailer and eyeballing up through the gap between the tire and the wheel well. I had no indication this was going on. I could not see it from the outside of the trailer. I only have 1900 miles on the trailer, all on hard top roads. No off roading. This is going to be a major repair!!! I can’t see any way to remove it except by separating the shell from the trailer frame. Like I said....check yours now!!!! This is a major incursion point for water to get into the trailer!!!!! I’m deadlined until this is fixed. ☹️🤬[emoji35]
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08-17-2019, 11:35 AM
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#2
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Rivet Master
1990 25' Excella
Sisters
, Oregon
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,195
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That’s really lousy, I can feel your pain. Keep us posted as things move along. There are many experts here who might have recommendations regarding repair.
__________________
John Audette
Air Cooled Porsche Specialist -
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled. ~ Robert Frost
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08-17-2019, 01:50 PM
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#3
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Wheels Itch)(Must Travel
2014 25' FB Flying Cloud
- east coastal area -
, Florida
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 683
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Any chance of pics?
Could this be a result of a suspension failure?
Did it happen on both sides?
Do you know the gross weight of your Sport?
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08-17-2019, 02:24 PM
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#4
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3 Rivet Member
2023 27' International
Waynesville
, Missouri
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 169
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Quote:
Originally Posted by az-streamer
Any chance of pics?
Could this be a result of a suspension failure?
Did it happen on both sides?
Do you know the gross weight of your Sport?
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Pics to come. Getting ready to pull that tire. Suspension is good, camper is not leaning. The passenger side wheel well cover is deformed a little and there may be a scuff on it from the tire as well. Trailer weight is 4500lbs. As far as I can determine, either the well-molding was torqued on installation and deformed it or something is pushing it from the inside. Unfortunately, I have to remove the microwave to MAYBE be able to look at the backside. All of the kitchen cabinetry engulfs the wheel well on the inside of the camper. I think it’s all going to have to be pulled out, shell lifted, and then the wheel well shell be replaced. Ugly for just a $200 piece of molded plastic.
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08-17-2019, 02:35 PM
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#5
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The Aluminum Tent 3
2014 23' Flying Cloud
Park City
, Utah
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 2,157
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This sounds really off and I imagine a warranty issue. Unless you were carrying 10,000 lbs of rocks inside!
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08-17-2019, 04:58 PM
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#6
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3 Rivet Member
2023 27' International
Waynesville
, Missouri
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 169
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08-17-2019, 05:01 PM
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#7
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Overkill Specialist
Commercial Member
2020 30’ Globetrotter
2014 23' International
Dadeville
, Alabama
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 4,516
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Never seen anything like it? What about the wheel bearing... if it was bad it would cause the wheel to [——\
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08-17-2019, 05:03 PM
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#8
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3 Rivet Member
2023 27' International
Waynesville
, Missouri
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 169
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This is what I found after I pulled the tire. That’s single sided sticky foam rubber plate on the other side of the hole. Maybe it was holding the plastic away from the tire off the assembly line??? I don’t know. Anyway, temp fix by taking some Gorilla tape and pushing inward while I applied it. It’s given me about 3/4 of an inch of clearance for now. Off to the dealer for repairs this week. [emoji53] I think a trip to Jackson Center is in my immediate future.
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08-17-2019, 05:06 PM
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#9
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3 Rivet Member
2023 27' International
Waynesville
, Missouri
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 169
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GMFL
Never seen anything like it? What about the wheel bearing... if it was bad it would cause the wheel to [——\
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Good idea, but the plastic pops in and out. When it’s in, the well looks normal. As soon as I let go of the plastic it pops out against the tire.
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08-17-2019, 05:07 PM
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#10
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Overkill Specialist
Commercial Member
2020 30’ Globetrotter
2014 23' International
Dadeville
, Alabama
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 4,516
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DAVSCH
Good idea, but the plastic pops in and out. When it’s in, the well looks normal. As soon as I let go of the plastic it pops out against the tire.
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That sounds like it was a badly formed well from the factory then.
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08-17-2019, 05:26 PM
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#11
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Rivet Master
1972 31' Sovereign
1975 31' Excella 500
Currently Looking...
Benton
, Arkansas
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 5,868
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One thing I can say almost for certain is that Airstream wont separate the shell to fix that, and nor should they.
I sure as heII wouldn't want to see it done that way if it was my trailer.
They'll patch it and/or back the hole using a type of bonding agent.
__________________
The fact that I am opinionated does not presuppose that I am wrong......
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08-17-2019, 05:50 PM
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#12
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Wheels Itch)(Must Travel
2014 25' FB Flying Cloud
- east coastal area -
, Florida
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 683
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I’M guessing you already checked th other wheel wells for similar damage.
Was there any damage or wear marks on the other tire(s)?
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08-17-2019, 07:03 PM
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#13
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3 Rivet Member
2023 27' International
Waynesville
, Missouri
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 169
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Quote:
Originally Posted by J. Morgan
One thing I can say almost for certain is that Airstream wont separate the shell to fix that, and nor should they.
I sure as heII wouldn't want to see it done that way if it was my trailer.
They'll patch it and/or back the hole using a type of bonding agent.
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I hope so. My only worry is the plastic was torqued out of alignment while they mounted it. Unless they release the torque-induced bending, it’ll do this over and over again.
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08-17-2019, 07:05 PM
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#14
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3 Rivet Member
2023 27' International
Waynesville
, Missouri
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 169
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Quote:
Originally Posted by az-streamer
I’M guessing you already checked th other wheel wells for similar damage.
Was there any damage or wear marks on the other tire(s)?
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There doesn’t appear to be any scuffing in the other wheel well, but the plastic well liner is beginning to deform as well.
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08-18-2019, 06:51 PM
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#15
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3 Rivet Member
2023 27' International
Waynesville
, Missouri
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 169
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DAVSCH
ATTENTION 2019 (Maybe all) Sport 22 foot owners!!!! The plastic wheel wells deform real easy!!!! I think my insulation pushed the wheel well right into the tire. The tire ate all the way through the wheel well at the contact point. I now have an 8 inch arc cut through the plastic wheel well. The only way I found it was by getting my head under the trailer and eyeballing up through the gap between the tire and the wheel well. I had no indication this was going on. I could not see it from the outside of the trailer. I only have 1900 miles on the trailer, all on hard top roads. No off roading. This is going to be a major repair!!! I can’t see any way to remove it except by separating the shell from the trailer frame. Like I said....check yours now!!!! This is a major incursion point for water to get into the trailer!!!!! I’m deadlined until this is fixed. ☹️🤬[emoji35]
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OK. Analysis of the situation has been done by yours truly. It appears someone thought that double-sided sticky foam pads would hold thick plastic wheel well plastic forever. Maybe it will if the plastic is perfectly flat and doesn’t warp with time and weather. I happen to know, in the automotive industry, they use metal screws with big flat washers to hold wheel well plastic liners in place, not double-sided foam rubber. I see an engineering design problem here. My question is to the forum, has anyone else looked to see if their plastic wheel well liners are warping? With it rubbing against the tire, causing friction on the tires, this could be a NTSB issue. Thoughts anyone, similar happenings on your plastic-lined wheel wells?
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08-19-2019, 07:23 AM
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#16
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4 Rivet Member
1976 31' Excella 500
Chappell Hill
, Texas
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 485
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I'd cut out the bad area and a little more and bend a piece of aluminum and rivet it in.
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08-19-2019, 08:45 AM
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#17
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Rivet Master
Vintage Kin Owner
Lin
, Ne
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,430
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Call airstream..
__________________
The higher your expectations the fewer your options.
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08-19-2019, 08:55 AM
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#18
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Rivet Master
2009 34' Panamerica
2005 28' Classic
Still
, in the thick of it
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 677
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tbashin
I'd cut out the bad area and a little more and bend a piece of aluminum and rivet it in.
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I would do nothing. It's a 2019, it's Airstream's problem and I'd be looking for more than just a simple patch.
As far as I can tell, there is no way to simply attach a patch to the outside. The wheel and the outer well are already touching, and so putting a patch on the outside is just going to do this all over again. Now, cutting it open and putting a big patch from the inside could work, with enough sealant, but if it were me, I'd want a proper fix/replacement. From the sound of it both wells are exhibiting some degree of the issue.
Looking closely at the pic, I notice the bottom lip extends beyond the frame, not a lot, but apparently enough.
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08-20-2019, 03:38 PM
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#19
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Rivet Master
1972 31' Sovereign
1975 31' Excella 500
Currently Looking...
Benton
, Arkansas
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 5,868
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Sorry, but anyone recommending tearing the trailer completely apart to fix a plastic wheel well isn't really thinking the issue through.
Doing that would almost certainly introduce more issues than it would solve.
I'm about sure that Airstream has a good fix that's like a million times less invasive than that.
If they don't then I have no respect for their ingenuity at all.
When I switched to 225 tires, I burned a couple of wheel wells like that. If I were going to fix it, and maybe someday I might, I wont be taking the shell off of my trailer to do so. I'll come up with an easier way that will serve the exact same purpose.
__________________
The fact that I am opinionated does not presuppose that I am wrong......
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08-21-2019, 08:33 AM
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#20
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4 Rivet Member
1976 31' Excella 500
Chappell Hill
, Texas
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 485
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Quote:
Originally Posted by panamerican
I would do nothing. It's a 2019, it's Airstream's problem and I'd be looking for more than just a simple patch.
As far as I can tell, there is no way to simply attach a patch to the outside. The wheel and the outer well are already touching, and so putting a patch on the outside is just going to do this all over again.
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Sure you can patch it. You need to cut away enough plastic and put in a rigid enough aluminum patch (think bent to the correct angle) that is formed to be firmly and securely out of the tire path during flexing and would keep the plastic from further flexing as well.
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