James, these roof videos never get old, which has a lot to do with your attention to detail and as always, your work ethic. When I was looking at used Motorhomes for purchase and encountered a Winnebago or Itasca, well, all roofs for that matter, your videos provided the tutorial needed to inspect these roofs, which saved me from making the wrong purchase more than once. I would then provide the sales person with a list of what I found to be unacceptable with the roof to address with their service department, which was met with an array of responses, like "no one has ever asked to get on the roof" or "I didn't know that is how they installed the roof". Short-cut seams, loose Filon or badly cracked sealant along each side of the coach seemed to be the norm, and I would tell them point-blank, whether installed correctly or not, these seams are the weakest points of any Winnebago Filon roof. Most salespersons didn't even know what Filon was. You are spot-on with with your knowledge and advice of Winnebago roofs. If only Winnebago would listen...
30 years ago I bought a wood stove. The dude and his son carried it in my house. Several days later I learned he only had one leg. So when you said one handed, I spent the first of the video thinking he only had one hand. Then I realized you meant one hand was holding the camera.
James, your videos are as entertaining as they are informative. Thanks for taking the time to educate the entire RV community. Having a 2018 Winne Sunstar, your videos are exactly what the doctor ordered. If ever in Vegas, beer is on me. Joe
I sold my Executive motor home and I have no reason to watch this. I am a retired aircraft mechanic and was mesmerized by watching you do this job the right way! Everything you did is up to my standards as a jet mechanic inspector and I am picky. Great job!
One more roof better than new. I agree not running wire in vent tubes also do not use the air plenum. Another entertaining video, thank you Sir. Stay safe and healthy James. Also congratulations for passing 60K subs, hope you keep growing.
Az.. without a doubt u are a expert! thank you for the winnebago basement ac control board description and detail you are most definitely a all around expert better a "OG" With that said I need your help as my grandma left me a 2004 winnebago vector. Has 48000 miles on it & I know u emphasize checking your winn. roof before buying! lucky me it was a gift. long story.. could u point me n the rite direction to purchase all the roof replacement components. Feeling confident after watching your winn roof installs. Thank you for document n your vids. You are no jack better a master of all.
James my name is John Harris I would like for you to come to GA and fix my roof on my Winnebago I'm just kidding I do have to fix my roof. I just want to say you do good work. I watch you all the time I have learned a lot from you so keep up the good work and keep videoing
I have owned about a dozen or so RV's over the years and have learned the hard way about how to inspect one prior to purchasing. You would be amazed at how many high $$$$ items a good inspector will find. If you don't have the experience, please get it inspected by a competant RV guy or for you DIY'ers, watch a lot of RUclips videos like what the "AZ Expert" puts out. I realy like his attention to detail and the way he takes care of his customers, very rare qualities today.
You do such great work. I watched from beginning to end and the level of detail you do on placing the new roof and other parts involved is outstanding. And you explain why you do what you do. American craftsman in their trade are the best!
If you want to clean glue out really easy. Take the gun off the cup, aircap off,pull the trigger and spray carb cleaner through the siphon tube. Gum out cleaner seems to work best. I do it on my glue gun constantly.
Not going to lie, I'm definitely taking my class b to you in az for it's yearly inspection. You have a ton of experience and you do the right thing when you see stuff wrong.
I’ve always appreciated you showing us how you do this work James. I watched one of your videos a couple years ago and learned how to inspect my 2015 Winnebago Vista roof. Yup the sealant was toast so I removed it and resealed my Roof (Proflex) before having a catastrophic failure. Steve
All that effort for those teeny tiny solar panels. It is so much fun to watch you work though. It also scares the hell out of me that all RV repairmen should be as competent as you are. What is the actual percentage? Some number approaching zero as an asymptote?
You are absolutely a lifesaver I have two winnebago's and you've been so much help to redo my roof and it's unbelievable I thank you I thank you I thank you
I have a similar legacy crank up satellite antenna which I have been thinking about removing, thanks for giving me an idea for covering the crank up handle.
After watching this I now understand why a new roof costs so much. That's a wild amount of labor to do that. Really interesting to watch though, thanks for taking the time to film it!
Nice job like always. I wish every RV had a nice access panel like that Winnebago. The solar wiring was special for sure. I guess when you think you have seen it all someone will surprise you. 😂
Let's call the glue Mopar R4 Red.... If it were not for the booth roof, you could have used a steam roller. Perhaps one day soon someone will have invented an ROV steam roller for reroofing RV and other membrane roof installations. Even after putting up guardrails a seemingly fun to use ROV steam roller would take less time, more importantly less physical exertion to get the job done. Who in their right mind would use the sewer gas stack as a wire chase. What an idiotic move. Likely a "tech" who was fired from every shop in town decided to going into business for themself. You know the type....... those fly by the wire cash only techs claiming to have all the credentials and certifications. I highly doubt the previous owner would have done this hack job. The last thing the occupants want or need is sewer gasses filling the coach. You're a great man for fixing this for the new owner. Always going the extra mile to ensure all work and then some is done correctly. Once again I applaud you. Bravo mate. Bravo.
Thanks again for all the great info. I'm getting ready to do my roof and all your info is great to know as I never done one before Thanks again I wish you guys where in Florida I would have you do my roof
16:20 Only time I've seen people try that are when the floor plan or the build of the coach doesn't leave any easy way to route wiring down from the roof. This case, they were already 80% there with that panel out of the way.
I would love to see how you replace an A/C gasket on a Tiffin class A. Since there is no easy access to the A/C from inside the coach, it would be interesting to see how it's done. I sold my 2007 Allegro Open Road because of a roof leak and I didn't want to deal with it. And, yes, I gave full disclosure to the new owner about it. BTW: I'm a new subscriber and have been binge watching your videos. You are a wealth of information and I've been enjoying how you handle all the problems handed to you.
Fascinating James as always but it might be good to wear a good mask when spraying. I want you to live a long healthy life and save as many Winnebagos as you can 😆. Are there any models that have a better food design that you would recommend?
When you’re putting the filon into the groove on the side wall would it be easier if you put the proflex in the groove prior to inserting filon? Great job as always, you are the expert!
Well done! Now I know what I need to do on my Itasca. However at 20:00 you briefly discussed silicone / lap sealant on the vent pipe / sky light. I recently had a leak around my skylight and removed all sealant and used Dicore self leveling. It looked great but now your comment has me questioning myself. What should be used on the skylight?
Thank you for the video! How can you tell so easily the composition of the existing sealants? Can you do a video describing the differences to look for so we can match the two when doing our yearly maintenance?
Love your great videos! We have a 2013 Winnebago Vista. I want to add sealant to the front cap on the roof. The (looks original) sealant has a chalky residue on its surface but can't be sure, based on the Winnebago call-out sheet what was used. It almost looks like it was a product that was on a roll, like tape(??) and it doesn't lap up over onto the top of the cap. It looks perfect unlike something applied with a caulking gun.... Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
Yes that's the front cap adhesive and its not uv stable. I just use a knife or razor to remove the loose stuff clean with soap and then alcohol and then self leveling silicone on top to the radius edge
EXCELLENT series of videos! Question: Do you have a video on making smaller "spot" repairs to these Winnebago roofs? (I had some leakage around the TV antenna base on my 2014 Itasca Spirit this winter that caused roof surface swelling and de-lamination in the Filon and 1/8" plywood. The affected area is approx. 9"x6". Thank you for your amazing videos!
Really enjoy watching your good work. Good editing too. One question regarding the bundle of connections to the solar panels on top of the roof, should they not be secured better and not beeing able to flop around on the roof..?
Great & informative video.. I Might have had the guts to save one of my Winnebago's 20 years ago if I had seen this! Thank You for your work!!! Have you ever tried "LEXEL"?? (comes in clear, white & black?) Solvent based (keep a rag & mineral spirits nearby..) In spite of it's potential messiness, It stays flexible and NEVER separates from the material applied to, unlike silicone and seems not to be as prone to mildew as silicone (Mildew I think is what gets under the silicone and separates it's bond. I've used LEXEL instead of silicone in tubs/ showers/ my Win Vista roof and side panel sealing for years ow.. I for one, have almost NO silicone in my stock of 50 or more tubes.. LEXEL also comes in a ?7 oz. ? resealable tube and capped properly, both formats are much less prone to hardening / drying out than silicone.
I used to install wood stoves in homes with medal roofs. No screws in the roof, just lexel to stick the roof jack to the roof panel. Never had a leak or failure
Thank U! I’m just a full time RV girl needing help with 1 thing - what is that item you are using to help with the lap sealant- something electric, and does it help create perfect bead when resealing the windows? Thanks for all of the information!!❤
I would add some Right Stuff silicone to the flange screws to aid keeping them from backing out from road vibration. It might help?. We used silicone in off road racing on some items to keep them from backing out during the race
This looks like a 10k repair on a 20k unit, you my friend are a unicorn , do all Winnebago roofs do this over time or is it a combination of uv and lack of maintenance? I have a 2006 stored inside always, all areas you point out to inspect look good , should I move it on before this becomes an issue ? thanks again for the incredible amount of work documenting this and other topics 💪
So just subscribed and wondering about the 2008 Winnebago roof. I just sold a 2016 forest river that was fine but looking into going with a DP and heard they may have years to stay away from.??
Don’t you strip the new grooves when you get the larger screw flush but then give it three extra taps of the driver? Isn’t it better to stop as close to flush as you can without letting it spin out and strip them?
James, these roof videos never get old, which has a lot to do with your attention to detail and as always, your work ethic.
When I was looking at used Motorhomes for purchase and encountered a Winnebago or Itasca, well, all roofs for that matter, your videos provided the tutorial needed to inspect these roofs, which saved me from making the wrong purchase more than once.
I would then provide the sales person with a list of what I found to be unacceptable with the roof to address with their service department, which was met with an array of responses, like "no one has ever asked to get on the roof" or "I didn't know that is how they installed the roof". Short-cut seams, loose Filon or badly cracked sealant along each side of the coach seemed to be the norm, and I would tell them point-blank, whether installed correctly or not, these seams are the weakest points of any Winnebago Filon roof. Most salespersons didn't even know what Filon was.
You are spot-on with with your knowledge and advice of Winnebago roofs. If only Winnebago would listen...
James, you do better work with one hand than I do with two. Always impressed.
30 years ago I bought a wood stove. The dude and his son carried it in my house. Several days later I learned he only had one leg. So when you said one handed, I spent the first of the video thinking he only had one hand. Then I realized you meant one hand was holding the camera.
It's so satisfying to see something brought back to better than factory.
And this is back to factory, maybe
Great to see somebody taking pride in their work. Keep it up & I will keep enjoying your videos.
You are a skilled man. I don't think AI will take your job any time soon.! Well done
A true craftsman is what you are James. I felt bad for your knees. Those roof installs look BRUTAL on the knees. Best wishes always
James, your videos are as entertaining as they are informative. Thanks for taking the time to educate the entire RV community. Having a 2018 Winne Sunstar, your videos are exactly what the doctor ordered. If ever in Vegas, beer is on me.
Joe
I sold my Executive motor home and I have no reason to watch this. I am a retired aircraft mechanic and was mesmerized by watching you do this job the right way! Everything you did is up to my standards as a jet mechanic inspector and I am picky. Great job!
One more roof better than new. I agree not running wire in vent tubes also do not use the air plenum. Another entertaining video, thank you Sir. Stay safe and healthy James. Also congratulations for passing 60K subs, hope you keep growing.
Az.. without a doubt u are a expert! thank you for the winnebago basement ac control board description and detail you are most definitely a all around expert better a "OG"
With that said I need your help as my grandma left me a 2004 winnebago vector. Has 48000 miles on it & I know u emphasize checking your winn. roof before buying! lucky me it was a gift.
long story..
could u point me n the rite direction to purchase all the roof replacement components. Feeling confident after watching your winn roof installs. Thank you for document n your vids. You are no jack better a master of all.
Fantastic to watch!! Gives those of us with older coaches motivation! 😎👍🏻
James my name is John Harris I would like for you to come to GA and fix my roof on my Winnebago I'm just kidding I do have to fix my roof. I just want to say you do good work. I watch you all the time I have learned a lot from you so keep up the good work and keep videoing
I admire your contact cement expertise.
Excellent roof replacement, you’re a very hard working man!
I have owned about a dozen or so RV's over the years and have learned the hard way about how to inspect one prior to purchasing. You would be amazed at how many high $$$$ items a good inspector will find. If you don't have the experience, please get it inspected by a competant RV guy or for you DIY'ers, watch a lot of RUclips videos like what the "AZ Expert" puts out. I realy like his attention to detail and the way he takes care of his customers, very rare qualities today.
Great work again as usual!!!!!You are the man with the plan when it comes to roofs. And most all other repairs on RV’S
You do such great work. I watched from beginning to end and the level of detail you do on placing the new roof and other parts involved is outstanding. And you explain why you do what you do. American craftsman in their trade are the best!
If you want to clean glue out really easy. Take the gun off the cup, aircap off,pull the trigger and spray carb cleaner through the siphon tube. Gum out cleaner seems to work best. I do it on my glue gun constantly.
James, love the detail you continue to apply to all your work!! Been watching your work for years now and continue to enjoy it.
Not going to lie, I'm definitely taking my class b to you in az for it's yearly inspection. You have a ton of experience and you do the right thing when you see stuff wrong.
I’ve always appreciated you showing us how you do this work James. I watched one of your videos a couple years ago and learned how to inspect my 2015 Winnebago Vista roof. Yup the sealant was toast so I removed it and resealed my Roof (Proflex) before having a catastrophic failure. Steve
All that effort for those teeny tiny solar panels. It is so much fun to watch you work though. It also scares the hell out of me that all RV repairmen should be as competent as you are. What is the actual percentage? Some number approaching zero as an asymptote?
Great work. I don't own a motor home yet, but when I am ready to buy one, I'll take your advice and look at the roof. Great advice.
I have a 2007 Winnebago Voyage. I will be closely inspecting the seams. Thank you.
You are absolutely a lifesaver I have two winnebago's and you've been so much help to redo my roof and it's unbelievable I thank you I thank you I thank you
You're one hard worker James. Fine job.
Great job and video, thank you James. You have quite the Winnebago repair shop going. Happy trails!
I have a similar legacy crank up satellite antenna which I have been thinking about removing, thanks for giving me an idea for covering the crank up handle.
After watching this I now understand why a new roof costs so much. That's a wild amount of labor to do that. Really interesting to watch though, thanks for taking the time to film it!
Not many guys have your knowledge and skills. Every job you tackle is first rate repair. GREAT JOB‼️‼️ Vinny 🇺🇸
Great work James! I learned DC voltage and sewer gasses don't mix! 😅
Great job a lot of work for one person..iam very impressed..
Thank you so much 😀
Nice job like always. I wish every RV had a nice access panel like that Winnebago. The solar wiring was special for sure. I guess when you think you have seen it all someone will surprise you. 😂
That was a fun surprise - cables coming up the sewer vent.
Let's call the glue Mopar R4 Red....
If it were not for the booth roof, you could have used a steam roller. Perhaps one day soon someone will have invented an ROV steam roller for reroofing RV and other membrane roof installations. Even after putting up guardrails a seemingly fun to use ROV steam roller would take less time, more importantly less physical exertion to get the job done.
Who in their right mind would use the sewer gas stack as a wire chase. What an idiotic move. Likely a "tech" who was fired from every shop in town decided to going into business for themself. You know the type....... those fly by the wire cash only techs claiming to have all the credentials and certifications. I highly doubt the previous owner would have done this hack job. The last thing the occupants want or need is sewer gasses filling the coach. You're a great man for fixing this for the new owner. Always going the extra mile to ensure all work and then some is done correctly. Once again I applaud you. Bravo mate. Bravo.
I like how you showed each step. Thanks. Just watching this hurts my back.😑
Fun watching you doing surgery on these . And seeing it’s possibly easier than we thought.
Good critical thinking and Can do attitude on your part
I recently purchased a Mikita power caulking gun. Love it
Great looking job, James!
Enjoy your videos. I learn something new each time. Thanks, JM
Solar cables through the vent stack...wow
Truly impressive quality of work.
Looks, great man! I like the way you take the time to explain things as you do them.
Thanks again for all the great info. I'm getting ready to do my roof and all your info is great to know as I never done one before Thanks again I wish you guys where in Florida I would have you do my roof
Great job James...
Exhausting to watch, not just to do! Fascinating!
Nice work! If I were the owner I would have put a big fan in the shitter also, but to each their own.
Love the videos
Nice job, you can tell you take pride in your work
Outstanding job from start to finish!
16:20 Only time I've seen people try that are when the floor plan or the build of the coach doesn't leave any easy way to route wiring down from the roof. This case, they were already 80% there with that panel out of the way.
Awesome job James. And thank you for the awesome video as well.
James what kind of glue did you use under the roof vent before you covered it with lap leveling sealer. Thank you sir
I would love to see how you replace an A/C gasket on a Tiffin class A. Since there is no easy access to the A/C from inside the coach, it would be interesting to see how it's done. I sold my 2007 Allegro Open Road because of a roof leak and I didn't want to deal with it. And, yes, I gave full disclosure to the new owner about it. BTW: I'm a new subscriber and have been binge watching your videos. You are a wealth of information and I've been enjoying how you handle all the problems handed to you.
Kudos to you for doing this by yourself..
Great job. I am however I am worried about the solar connectors on the roof.
Another great job James!!! Wish Chad had been able to work with you!!!
You and me both!
Thanks for all your details explaining on redoing a Winnebago roof. 👍👍👍
Fascinating James as always but it might be good to wear a good mask when spraying. I want you to live a long healthy life and save as many Winnebagos as you can 😆. Are there any models that have a better food design that you would recommend?
Great work , professionally done.
Great job James !!
When you’re putting the filon into the groove on the side wall would it be easier if you put the proflex in the groove prior to inserting filon? Great job as always, you are the expert!
it would make a mess, and sometimes the edge needs "adjusting"
When laying a tack adhesive use some strips to keep it from touching until it is in position EXACTLY.
Great job on the Repair & Video.... Freeking hard to do both! Nice work sir!
Well done! Now I know what I need to do on my Itasca. However at 20:00 you briefly discussed silicone / lap sealant on the vent pipe / sky light. I recently had a leak around my skylight and removed all sealant and used Dicore self leveling. It looked great but now your comment has me questioning myself. What should be used on the skylight?
Great job James . Beautiful roof. So those solar panels are screwed down to 1/8" luan.
Great job as always buddy. "that's dumb, don't ever do that" ha ha I really like the smoke detector trick.
Wow! 5 Winnie roofs in a row! That has to be some kind of record for you! Sure is a good thing Chad is doing all of them!😈😊
That's why in Canada we invented the Square area heads, Robertson, so when putting screws in , don't slip or strip bit. 😂
Thank you for the video! How can you tell so easily the composition of the existing sealants? Can you do a video describing the differences to look for so we can match the two when doing our yearly maintenance?
Love your great videos!
We have a 2013 Winnebago Vista. I want to add sealant to the front cap on the roof. The (looks original) sealant has a chalky residue on its surface but can't be sure, based on the Winnebago call-out sheet what was used. It almost looks like it was a product that was on a roll, like tape(??) and it doesn't lap up over onto the top of the cap. It looks perfect unlike something applied with a caulking gun....
Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
Yes that's the front cap adhesive and its not uv stable. I just use a knife or razor to remove the loose stuff clean with soap and then alcohol and then self leveling silicone on top to the radius edge
Super nice job James 👍
Another great job I would like to know the kind of antenna that you replaced on there I have a 2004 vectra 40ad i need to replace
Another great job and Informative video, Thanks James.
EXCELLENT series of videos!
Question: Do you have a video on making smaller "spot" repairs to these Winnebago roofs?
(I had some leakage around the TV antenna base on my 2014 Itasca Spirit this winter that caused roof surface swelling and de-lamination in the Filon and 1/8" plywood. The affected area is approx. 9"x6".
Thank you for your amazing videos!
Really enjoy watching your good work. Good editing too.
One question regarding the bundle of connections to the solar panels on top of the roof, should they not be secured better and not beeing able to flop around on the roof..?
Great repair. Great video! What sealer should I use on a Newmar "BriteTEK" TPO roof flange seal before finishing with Dicor lap sealer?
butyl tape
Great job. Isn't there other options than replacing the type of roof that failed before?
Great & informative video.. I Might have had the guts to save one of my Winnebago's 20 years ago if I had seen this! Thank You for your work!!!
Have you ever tried "LEXEL"?? (comes in clear, white & black?) Solvent based (keep a rag & mineral spirits nearby..) In spite of it's potential messiness, It stays flexible and NEVER separates from the material applied to, unlike silicone and seems not to be as prone to mildew as silicone (Mildew I think is what gets under the silicone and separates it's bond.
I've used LEXEL instead of silicone in tubs/ showers/ my Win Vista roof and side panel sealing for years ow.. I for one, have almost NO silicone in my stock of 50 or more tubes.. LEXEL also comes in a ?7 oz. ? resealable tube and capped properly, both formats are much less prone to hardening / drying out than silicone.
I used to install wood stoves in homes with medal roofs. No screws in the roof, just lexel to stick the roof jack to the roof panel. Never had a leak or failure
Love watching ur vids. Very important and informative
Great job. James you do great work. Thanks Don
Thank U! I’m just a full time RV girl needing help with 1 thing - what is that item you are using to help with the lap sealant- something electric, and does it help create perfect bead when resealing the windows? Thanks for all of the information!!❤
Awesome, just awesome!
Glad you like it!
Great job! Can you please add the link to the filin material? Thanks.
For the vent stack you can probably just cut out the piece with the hole in it and install a fern co-coupling
You do awesome work!
I would add some Right Stuff silicone to the flange screws to aid keeping them from backing out from road vibration. It might help?. We used silicone in off road racing on some items to keep them from backing out during the race
Winnebago does add thread sealant to these screws now, but they still come loose.
great job, James
Replacing the Filon material looks like a big job. Have you ever used a hydra lift on top of a Coach. Would it make it easier.
This looks like a 10k repair on a 20k unit, you my friend are a unicorn , do all Winnebago roofs do this over time or is it a combination of uv and lack of maintenance? I have a 2006 stored inside always, all areas you point out to inspect look good , should I move it on before this becomes an issue ? thanks again for the incredible amount of work documenting this and other topics 💪
Nice job. That solar down the vent pipe was baffling.
Do you guys do any work on Toyota Chinook roofs
Hey James! I have to ask. How many times if any have you fallen off the roof on any RV?
Dude, awesome work!
Good job, you do make it look easy.
Such meticulous work. How much does a new roof like this cost?
Is it possible to use some fiberglass or vinyl panel instead of the wood?
possibly azdel yes
So just subscribed and wondering about the 2008 Winnebago roof. I just sold a 2016 forest river that was fine but looking into going with a DP and heard they may have years to stay away from.??
Some solar installers recommend running the wire through the vent pipe...FYI
Dang James you do such great work 👏 👍
Don’t you strip the new grooves when you get the larger screw flush but then give it three extra taps of the driver? Isn’t it better to stop as close to flush as you can without letting it spin out and strip them?
You the man James !!!