Skin Dilemma

[sumsmug]

Hi All

We recently finished a year living in our 25 ft 86 AS. We took her across the country, twice, up to Alaska and some of the worse roads you can imagine (top of the world highway anyone?). After a year of full timing and bouncing down some pretty horrid roads, I have no more dents on it than when I started (though I have some stone dings).

However, after surviving a 20K mile trip, I had her parked up in a secure lock up in New Jersey. I get a call this week from a guy saying he's very sorry but he "bumped" our trailer. Anyhow, he somehow managed to sheer the door catch off (see pics).

It seems to have torn the rivets right out and has bend the skin out of shape in that area, so that I can't reseat the catch against the skin. He must have also hit the awning support as that is now very loose.

So the question is this: what should I do? The guy is offering to pay for the damage, but I suspect that to get the job done properly is really pricey and seeing as he was so honest and came forward and that its not "mayor damage" I feel kind of bad for him. But on the other hand I a little annoyed that I took this trailer all over and never so much as a touched anything and as soon as I put it into storage someone drives into it.

I look to the airstream community for moral guidance, and perhaps some estimate of what it will cost to fix. What are your experiences when someone else dinged your pride and joy (and home, in my case)? My trailer ain't the prettiest out there, but she has been such a faithful companion, I want to do right by her.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by sumsmug

Hi All

We recently finished a year living in our 25 ft 86 AS. We took her across the country, twice, up to Alaska and some of the worse roads you can imagine (top of the world highway anyone?). After a year of full timing and bouncing down some pretty horrid roads, I have no more dents on it than when I started (though I have some stone dings).

However, after surviving a 20K mile trip, I had her parked up in a secure lock up in New Jersey. I get a call this week from a guy saying he's very sorry but he "bumped" our trailer. Anyhow, he somehow managed to sheer the door catch off (see pics).

It seems to have torn the rivets right out and has bend the skin out of shape in that area, so that I can't reseat the catch against the skin. He must have also hit the awning support as that is now very loose.

So the question is this: what should I do? The guy is offering to pay for the damage, but I suspect that to get the job done properly is really pricey and seeing as he was so honest and came forward and that its not "mayor damage" I feel kind of bad for him. But on the other hand I a little annoyed that I took this trailer all over and never so much as a touched anything and as soon as I put it into storage someone drives into it.

I look to the airstream community for moral guidance, and perhaps some estimate of what it will cost to fix. What are your experiences when someone else dinged your pride and joy (and home, in my case)? My trailer ain't the prettiest out there, but she has been such a faithful companion, I want to do right by her.

You have had prior damage to the sheet metal, caused by the entrance door putting a dent just forward of the catch.

The proper fix is to replace the side sheet and perhaps the awning support.

You could place a patch over the catch area and then reinstall a new catch.

But, a patch is a patch.

Andy