Is roof good or bad

[h2ojocky]

I am shopping for a used 5th wheel and during an inspection of the roof I noticed a section of the rubber roof appeared to not be glued down. I could push it down slightly. Should the entire rubber roof be adhered to the roof decking? Is this a problem? The trailer is a 2004 Montana.
How old of a trailer is too old to purchase?
Thanks for your assistance.
Russ

[bncinwv]

The bubbling is not of concern, and it actually can be found on many new rigs (Our 2007 model had bubbles on a couple of the seams). As long as the roof membrane is intact, it should be fine, this has been discussed with Dicor and documented on the forum before. Your last question is kind of a personal one, if the rig is structurally sound (particularly the floors, including the slide areas) and everything works, I cannot see where the age of a rig would be a factor, depending on how well it was cared for. Now, as for the individual appliances (fridge, air conditioners, furnace, etc) they can well have a fixed life span and if they are the originals, may cause you problems in the future sometime. I have seen ten year old rigs that have had better care taken of them than two year old rigs. The only person who can make the choice as to what is too old is a buyer themselves.
Bingo

[bigskyjimmy]

X2 with Bingo, my new one has bubbles on the side and so did my old 2003 big sky NO BIG THANG!

[DQDick]

As Bingo said the roof most likely isn't a problem, but you need to check the age of the tires and put money away for new appliances at some point, possibly soon, down the road.

[bethandkevin]

Good post Bingo.

[steelpony5555]

Just as long as when you push on the roof the wood does not move...

[Carl n Susan]

This same question is posted on RV.net (by the OP) and, interestingly enough, the response is overwhelmingly to run away; this is the sign of a serious failure. I know whose answers I would trust but the OP may not.

[bncinwv]

Carl is correct, depends on the intent of the OP's post. I assumed the OP could push the roof rubber membrane down and not the underlying roof structure. I must clarify that if the roof structure itself can be moved (same as steelpony5555), I would strongly agree with the RV.net responses to run away, however if it is the roof membrane only that can be pushed down (the way that I interpret the post), this has been documented many times in the past as mentioned. If the roof structure itself needs repaired, you are looking at rubber membrane replacement or repair in addition to roof structure repair which can add up to thousands of dollars. I and others have had bubbles or pockets on the roof, posted accordingly, and learned from the roof manufacturer and dealers that they are not a problem provided the roof membrane is intact. I hope I did not misinterpret what the OP posted.
Bingo

[subra1228]

My two cents - our roof blew off while we were driving down the highway because it was not glued down properly (pics: http://rvingandtravels.blogspot.com/...re-nevada.html) and as it was still under warranty, Keystone paid $5K for a new roof. I would suggest moving onto another rig.
Good luck with your decision~
Suzanne

[steelpony5555]

You might have to look long and hard to find a roof where the membrane is totally glued down with no bubbles or loose areas. This is my second 5er and both have bubbles or loose areas. Now they do not have large areas that are not glues and they are not real saggy kind of bubbles, but no, the roof is not totally glued.... It does seem the loose areas are where the roof rolls over to the side not the big flat areas. For the roof to lift off you will have to have a tear in the membrane for air to get under it. When you get that tear it is gonna lift up even if it is totally glued.