Questions on Solaris 276

[Happytrails-SUN]

We bought our Solaris 276 this spring. It was a 2005 left over and it leaks in the front compartment on both sides. The dealer took the front apart and saw water stains on the wood and they think it is coming in from the front, about a third of the way down from the roof, on both sides. Of course I had to take it back about 3 times because "they could not reproduce the problem". They said they put new putty tape on but I still felt it very damp and they still have it. My question is has anyone else had a similar problem? It is not the doors because the leak is on the front.
Also, when the slide comes out it suctions to the camper and then at some point it lets go and shakes the whole camper (our first slide). When it does go out, it makes grinding noise when it is fully out. At other campgrounds I do not hear other slides with this noise. Is this normal?
We bought this because we loved the layout and the room and we have heard great stories of the quality but we have had so many problems because along with these issues the shower screen leaked and the slide leaked (until we installed an awning over it). Thank you.

 

[rich250]

I don't have the 276sr but I have the 267sr same thing except for a foot in length.I would not count the compartment doors out as being the source of your leak,we had the same problem and after three trips back to sunline and still leaking I decided to find the leak myself,which I did by putting a bright light in the front storage area at night and looked for light coming through and found that it was the compartment doors just a little bit of tweaking with a rubber malet on the door seal flange and my leaks are gone,as for the noise you hear from the slide when it's fully extended that is the clutch in the slide motor and totally normal,basically a safety feature so you can't over extend the slide.

 

[Happytrails-SUN]

Maybe it is the 267sr. Thank you for the comment on the slide mechanism. My husband can rest a little. As for the leak, the boards that are in the front, right under the siding behind the hitch, had large black water marks on each side, starting above where the doors are. A few weeks before they shut down, Sunline sent us new doors, thinking that might be the problem. If it still leaks we will be able to install the new doors. We are concerned about any long lasting issues.

Aside from the leaking issues, I love the room in this camper. Inside we had 4 adults (and we are not small) and 4 kids to watch the RV movie and it was enjoyable. The kids had plenty of room to play and the TV was in the right spot for everyone to watch. Even our medium size dog had plenty of room to stretch out and not be bothered. We had looked at two Jayco 29ft but they did not have the floor space and I have heard wonderful things about Sunline

 

[kanyonkitty]

OK, I'm gonna throw out a few thoughts here. Exactly "WHERE" are the water stains, at the top, or about halfway down? Are they near the sides of the front, or down the middle. Do you have a front window? Did your dealer tell you where he "thought" the leak was? My first suggestion would be to remove the clearance lights (the 3 dead center and the corner ones) and re-caulk them. Water can enter in one place but be noticed in a totally different place. Do you have fiberglass sides or aluminum? These might sound like dumb questions, but it might help locate your problem.

Kitty.

 

[rich250]

maybe if you could get us some photos that might help

 

[chriseck]

As we have a 276sr also 11/05 build date sorry to here you are having some issues.I would try laying inside the compartment if you can fit and simulate the rain storm with some garden hoses using a flash light to look for the water entry points.If you cant fit inside have a mature child help you out.You might also try to coordinate this with a natural rain event if time permits.Not to get you down,but finally had to trade in our first camper a 21ft Palamino with fiberglass sides that leaked around two windows and the front door.Hopefully its just a simple fix,but finding it is the challange.