Fender skirt repair

[Hedgehog-WO]

I just noticed the fender skirt is cracked on the side of my 2016 Montana that always gets the sun right above the front tire The crack is a perfect line that could be repaired from the back. I was thinking about applying a layer of shoe goo, the press drywall mesh into it and follow it up with another layer of shoe goo. Any ideas or advice would be appreciated

 

[Rondo]

Sounds like a plan to me! If it doesn't work, you can always say you tried and order a new fender skirt!

 

[bobbecky]

I believe the fender skirts are made of ABS plastic. Maybe ABS pipe glue would work better.

 

[Hedgehog-WO]

Looks like repairing is the best bet, my local dealer informed me yesterday that this color fender skirt isn’t available anymore and that I would have to order a black one. Another thought on the repair is JB plastic weld or fiberglass resin and mesh on back side. Obviously I want to do the best repair now since replacing it isn’t an option.

 

[ChuckS]

JB Plastic weld WILL adhere forever on those fender skirts.. I have repaired both of mine where some of the screw hole areas have cracked.. They have never cracked again..

JB epoxy will not work well... be sure to get the Plastic weld.. It comes in a tan color also that will be a close match to your fender color..

Stop drill the crack and rough up the backside with fine sandpaper.. I used some light gauge metal on the back of my repairs to act as a stiffener over the crack area.

Also when I remounted the fender skirts I placed rubber washers behind the plastic skirt to give the skirt the ability to absorbs some of the vibration.. Any hardware store has various size rubber washers at a low price

 

[Hedgehog-WO]

Question to ChuckS, I went to the hardware store today to get the jb plastic weld but didn’t know which one to get. The plasticweld is a translucent yellow but the tan one is called jb plasticbonder. Which one do you recommend?

 

[Mikendebbie]

I looked at JBWeld website and found lots of info. ChuckS will have a good answer but the screen shot below compares the two…

 

[Janine-MOC]

We had a blowout on our 2016 montana 5th wheel and had to replace both sides cause they said you cant get just one and the color was supposedly unavailable. I kept the good one from the drivers side. If you're interested, I can take a pic on Tues and send it to you if you want to buy it.

 

[Banddkerr]

If they don’t want it, I need one to match as I had a blow out too on the drivers side on my 2016. The only one I could get in that color was not a match, sticks out further.

 

[Ttman]

I believe it is ABS plastic. You could use ABS solvent/glue from the lumber yard/plumbing supply places. If you make some ABS shaving by cutting some ABS pipe, and mix it in a glass mason jar with the ABS glue, put on the lid and let it sit a few hours, it makes a really strong paste. Use a putty knife or paint mixing stick to spread it. You can use some screen material for reinforcement and create a really strong repair. I used this method to repair my front gray tank that had two cracks, and it worked amazing! Here is the video I started with: https://youtu.be/N2rVLU3bDMY I did not drill holes like the video, I did two patch layers. The first about an inch or two wider than the cracks, the second layer an inch or two bigger than the first. Good luck.

 

[Maks]

Over the years I have repaired numerous fender skirts by using a fiberglass repair kit.....two part resin and fiberglass matts. Repairs are done on the inside as not to show when mounted. On brand new skirts I have removed them and reinforced all screw holes with fiberglass and then drilled out the holes when dry. Reinstalled with small bolts, nuts and washers instead of the original screws. Results are many times stronger and have never had a crack since.

 

[twindman]

I also had problems. These fenders were (are) poorly designed in my opinion. The bold holes on mine are kind of in a square indentation. However they are not deep enough and the fender edges stop it from contacting the wall. So you tighten down the screw/bolt tightly and it puts pressure on this area and eventually cracks. Anyone else have this problem?

 

[RetiredandRollin]

I just noticed the fender skirt is cracked on the sideView attachment 11973 of my 2016 Montana that always gets the sun right above the front tire The crack is a perfect line that could be repaired from the back. I was thinking about applying a layer of shoe goo, the press drywall mesh into it and follow it up with another layer of shoe goo. Any ideas or advice would be appreciated

If everything else fails, try Trekwood RV Parts on line. I have purchased from them in the past. You enter your make model and year and they tell you anything they have. Prices are competitive, cheaper than dealer.

 

[Janine-MOC]

I have the drivers side fender skirt from the 2016 montana, if you would to buy it. Its 75" from point to point. I have pics, but posting pics on this site is extremely confusing. I have no clue what url is.