Is this a good price?

[paulo]

I will be looking at a 2007 Sunline Que that has a rotted or spongy floor issue in the front of the TT. The asking price is $4,851 , but is listed as a negotiable price. What do you think the cost (approx.) could the repair be and what would be a good offer. I do not know the current value of this TT or the prices that people charge to make this kind of repair and I was hoping someone in this community has had this repair experience. Thanks

[JohnB]

Hi Paulo

I saw your post in the repair section so you know going in there is going to need to be some repairs.

On the repairs, this could be a little deal or a big deal. The first question comes to "who" will be doing the repairs? and the 2nd question is how far did the water spread? How far you may not know until you get into it.

If you are handy with woodworking, and then you have the tools to go along with that skill/hobby, there is nothing that you yourself cannot fix. The materials are not that bad in price but labor is.

At shop rates of $75 to $100 and hour which is an average going RV repair rate if they have 2 people working in it can be 75 x 8 x 2 = $1,200 a day for labor. Depending on what is wrong, just add up the days to fix.

We have had members repair rotted floor before, themselves. See here in the Sunline FAQ and How To Article section, item 1. Sunline Articles - “How To” and DIY (Do It Yourself) Links

There are some good pictures there of what is involved. It that seems like something you can do yourself, and the rest of the camper is in good shape, make your best deal you can and have a good summer project if that is the camper you want.

As far as price, Sunline Fan may be able to help better. Here is the NADA value on a 2007 Que, side entry

2007 Sunline M-5.4SE - 17' Standard Equipment, Prices & Specs - NADAguides

It looks like the seller is trying to get 1/2 price of a sound unit.

As a point of reference, I had a rotted slide floor. Materials where about ~$250 to $300 by the time I was done sorting everything out. However the time was a fair amount. Being the 1st time in repairing a slide just took longer as you learned on the way in. Doing a 2nd one I know I could cut the time at least in 1/2. Once I tore into it there was many weekends worth of work. If I had nothing else to do.... in a 4 to 5 long days I could of been done working straight on it one person. Lining that kind of work effort up on weekends takes a few.

Hope this helps and good luck

John

[paulo]

Thank you for your reply. I do have some carpentry skills and some repair skills. It is always good to hear advice from someone who has actually done this kind of work themselves. I am hoping that the rest of the trailer is in good overall condition. I don't mind putting in some sweat equity. If I do buy this trailer I would like to post some pictures of the tear down and repair work so that I can get some helpful advice from more experienced members like you. Thanks again for your time and help.

[Tweety]

Are the floor supports of the QUE wood of aluminum? Not sure if this will make a difference in a repair - just something to check.

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by Tweety

Are the floor supports of the QUE wood of aluminum? Not sure if this will make a difference in a repair - just something to check.

Tweety, good point. In this case that will help if they are aluminum. That would mean there is no floor support water damage. The floor is most likley still OSB board, can still lbe replaced with the same skills as a wood worker.

Thanks

John

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by paulo

Thank you for your reply. I do have some carpentry skills and some repair skills. It is always good to hear advice from someone who has actually done this kind of work themselves. I am hoping that the rest of the trailer is in good overall condition. I don't mind putting in some sweat equity. If I do buy this trailer I would like to post some pictures of the tear down and repair work so that I can get some helpful advice from more experienced members like you. Thanks again for your time and help.

Hi Paulo

This much we can help with, if you post pics of the as is and repair process, we can and will help on suggestions. We have many talented members and most times all ones needs is to help point you in the right direction. From complete demolition of a camper…. to the complete building process from the ground up and reconstruction in between….

Good luck with your decision.

John

[paulo]

Yesterday my wife and me placed a deposit on the Que that we saw for sale. I will be picking it up to take it home on Wednesday. The spongyness in the floor was located near the aluminum pedistol mount for the dinette table and did not appear to reach any of the perimeters of the floor. The sale included the hitch/with tow ball/ leveling bars/and anti-sway bar. The owner had installed a quick release gas fitting onto the propane gas line in the rear of the TT and included a gas stove that he stores in the front storage compartment. The deep cycle battery was bad and I was hoping someone would know what to look for when purchasing a battery for a TT and the best place to purchase one. I can't wait to start cleaning the Que. Any reccomendations as to what to use to clean the outside of the Que and the canopy, which has some mildew?

[Tweety]

You will find the outside of the QUE a dream to clean. Squirt on a little Awesome, from the Dollar Store, wipe, and rinse. Just be careful to keep the Awesome (or any cleaner for that matter) away from the decals so as to not start any peeling. As for the awning, a mild bleach solution should do the trick.

[paulo]

Well I removed the aluminum mounting bracket that holds the pedistol for the dinette table. The floor is a total of 2 inches thick. Basically the construction of the floor is 1/8 inch luana plywood and 1/4 inch plywood sandwiching 1 and 9/16 inch rigid foam (stryrofoam insulation. The remaining thickness is the vinyl flooring. I believe the construction of the floor is the same through out. The bottom layer of luana plywood underneath the trailer has pulled away from the styrofoam insulation). (1/4 inch plywood) and once the top layer of plywood weakens, the only thing remaining is the styrofoam. Styrofoam flexes easily. I have included some pictures of the hole in the floor.

[paulo]

Here are a few more pictures.

[paulo]

The black stuff is a black silicone chaulk that was used to seal the aluminum flange to the floor. Most of the front of the trailer has the bottom layer of plywood pulling away from the styrofoam. Not all of the top layer of plywood has rotted out. It is this top layer, that gives the floor it's rigidity. Any suggestions on the choice of flooring material to use?

[henryj]

What you are describing sounds like a typical laminated sandwich that is delaminating. The most common cause of delamination is water, but it could also be a poor job. I'm not sure Sunline had the proper heat and pressure equipment to do lamination and they may have farmed this out, or worse, not done it properly.

The first thing to do is examine the extent of delamination and whether any moisture or staining might indicate water is the problem. If it's just poor workmanship, I'm not sure you can properly re-establish the integrity of the floor because the strength of the relatively weak layers in the sandwich depends on them being firmly attached. If water is not the problem you should still pull up the bottom layer--bolts and large washers from the inside??? Then a new 1/2 or 5/8 plywood floor laid on top to be the actual weight carrying component. Gutting the trailer would be the best way to go, but, depending on the extent of the damage you may be able to just do a cut and fit around the cabinets.

Hopefully some of the experienced trailer rebuilders will have some suggestions too.

Henry

[paulo]

The damage is due to water-the plywood is wet or moist to the touch. One of the entry points is a wheel well plastic cover that allows water to enter when traveling in the rain. The tire flings off the water and the water gets past the plastic wheel well shield. Both roof vent caps are brittle and cracked on the edgesThe time consuming part is figuring out how to dismantle the seat/bed cabinets, so that I can get to the floor underneath. Anyone of the members do this kind of job before? Would greatly appreciate any suggestions. Thanks

[paulo]

Yesterday I began removing the built in furniture that makes up the three sides of the front of the trailer. Then I removed the vinyl floor covering in the front floor of the Que. I left a small square piece of vinyl flooring that sits under the hot water tank and water pump. Originally the vinyl flooring was placed on the floor of the TT before the exterior walls were installed and perimeter stapled. Since the vinyl flooring was not glued down to the 1/4 inch plywood, water travelled underneath the vinyl flooring, the full length of the TT and the styrofoam underneath the plywood prevented the water from escaping. This water had no place to go, so it sat sandwiched between the vinyl flooring and the styrofoam insulation. The 1/4 inch plywood became waterlogged. It did not delaminate yet. The bottom layer of 1/8 inch luana plywood under the styrofoam also captured water and that water was prevented from escaping due to the dacor waterproof covering of the underside of the TT. That plywood did delaminate and fall apart. I hope to post some more pictures once my wife returns from her trip with the camera. I have a dehumidifier running in the TT, to dry out the floor. Well I need to come up with a plan to rebuild the floor, so that even if it gets wet, it will not become damaged.