Fender skirts

[Gubs]

What cheaply made items are these? Both skirts are breaking loose and some have pulled away thru the screws already. Has anyone came up with a better idea than these weak pieces of plastic?

[RMcNeal]

Unfortunately no. I ended up putting fatter screws on mine with a flat washer on top. After that, I put a dab of silicone on the head of each screw to keep it from backing out.
I've heard of others that put bolts with nuts on the back side, but I had the screws and washers in my garage, so that's what I used. So far, it's been 2 years and none have backed out or broken through again.

[DutchmenSport]

Unfortunately "no!" Bigger washers and I ran silicon along the edge of the fenders and the body, and a dab on each screw. Keep the silicon fresh and no issues since.

[Bourbon County]

I'm one of those who replaced the sheet metal screws with nuts and bolts. I used #8 X 32 stainless steel screws. I had a partial box of nylock nuts and washers that I used with them. If you happen to have a Tractor Supply nearby, I've found them to be the best place to buy. I'm very confident they're on there to stay.

[mlh]

Like about 8 32 stainless steel screws and washers on both sides with nylock nuts. About all campers have the “problem”.
Lynwood

[Mikendebbie]

I saw threads about this problem when I first got the RV in 2018 and changed the screws and used a “clip nut” (??? Not sure what they are called) + dab of silicone on the screw end and nut. No problems so far!

[badaxemi]

I was talking to a person while camping and she said something about maybe trying rivets, what do you all think?

[GrahamLock]

Mine cracked at the screw heads too. We took the panels off, plastic welded the cracks and reinstalled. Holding so far.

[Scootsk]

I posted about this last week. Does anyone have pictures of the repairs they did? I’m doing the repair next week.

[Bourbon County]

You're talking about a connection to some very thin aluminum subject to a lot of movement. I would think anything other sheet metal screws into the aluminum would be a substantial improvement. It's very disheartening to glance back in the mirror while driving down the road and seeing these things flapping in the wind.

[randerson1]

Originally Posted by Gubs

What cheaply made items are these? Both skirts are breaking loose and some have pulled away thru the screws already. Has anyone came up with a better idea than these weak pieces of plastic?

I recommend checking out the EasyABSRepair at the following link. Click on the video link and watch it.
https://easyabsrepair.com/rv-fender-skirt-repair
The fender skirts are too expensive to replace, but the end cost for an order from here was right at $50 USD.
They are correct in identifying the fender is offset from the metal skirt and if you over tighten the screws it’ll cause cracking. Their video recommends putting a bead of ABS sealant on the back side of every hole and press a washer into it followed by a second coat of sealant on top of the washer. I took it a step further by using a grease pencil to mark on the fender where the existing hole is as a guide for when you come back to drill out the hardened sealant.
Once the backside is hardened, take the plastic provided and cut out a disk which will fit in the divet for the screw. Place a sealant bead on the front , place the plastic disk on the sealant and wait for it to harden. Once everything is dry. Line up your grease pencil marks and drill a pilot hole into the now solid space.
I used Rust-oleum Gloss Plastic paint to make everything look nice (tested the paint on the back first).
It’s rock hard and after 7-8 months no more cracks and zero lost screws.
Sorry no pics, since I’m traveling for work. When I’m back I’ll try to remember to post them to this thread.

[ChuckS]

I removed the fender skirts and repairs some small cracks in the existing hole are using JB Plasitc Bond.. not the plain JB weld..

I then used machine screws and washers sized to give more backing support and painted the screw heads and washers to match my fender color (black)

When installing the screws on the backside of each screw where the fender mates to the J wrap I used rubber washers and then on the backside of j wrap plain washer and locknuts..

Also.check the fender support straps that should be attached to the fenders.. if they are loose or not there the bottom of the fender will vibrate (you can see in your side mirror when towing ) and this will causes fenders to crack

I added a few extra pieces of aluminum brackets to provided better fender well bracing

I did this repair on both fenders a few years ago and have not had any further issues

YMMV

[jwengermt]

When i replaced my fenders i used grommeted screws that are used for steel roofing and siding. You need to drill the hole a little larger than the screw. Tighten the screws just so the grommet starts to expand. Doing this allows the fenders to expand and contract in cold and hot weather without cracking and also helps stop the vibration from the solid connection so you have less cracking. Had them on for two years this way and no problems.

[Maddog]

I bought small machine screw’s with nut and washer. Did five years ago and still there. Good luck

[Mikelff]

Originally Posted by Gubs

What cheaply made items are these? Both skirts are breaking loose and some have pulled away thru the screws already. Has anyone came up with a better idea than these weak pieces of plastic?

I did like several others did using stainless bolts and nylock nuts. I used the thickest rubber fender washers I could find on the front and back back side of the bolts with a stainless fender washer on top of the rubber fender washer on the back side. This gives good support and vibration resistance and have not had an issue in 2 years since.

[jdarwin]

I had one come loose on the road back to Texas. I replaced all mine with stainless steel screws, washers (on both sides) and nylon locking nuts. Never had a problem after that.

[Martin the Cat]

Originally Posted by Gubs

What cheaply made items are these? Both skirts are breaking loose and some have pulled away thru the screws already. Has anyone come up with a better idea than these weak pieces of plastic?

We figured out a couple of things to keep the skirts and fenders from "flying off" our rig. It is dark out now, but I will take some pictures and do a write up in the morning! Dave

[Lee-CI]

I found this to be a very interesting YouTube video on fender skirts
https://youtu.be/xPGeXnU4VSA

[danielm300]

I just replaced the fender on the passenger side. The existing one began cracking and was flapping as we went down the highway. I used stainless steel machine screws (10-24) with nylon lock nuts. We'll see how that holds. I also found that two of the drivers side fender braces broke. I fabricated two new ones. Hopefully will get time to install them today.

[Kfinnert]

I replaced one fender that had been damaged in a collision. I was tired of losing screws on the other fender. I placed silicone on the screw head and where I needed backing, I used one half of a wine bottle cork as an anchor. Worked perfectly and the cork holds the screw in place! A dab of silicone on the threads does help, but is not needed.

Cheers