sharpest Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 (edited) We have a 21\' 1983 Sunrader we purchased in May of 2007. It was in excellent shape with only 22,000 miles on it. We have taken two \"major\" trips in our Sunrader since we bought it . The first was a round trip from Portland, Oregon to the San Francisco Bay area and back for a total of 1600 miles. The Sunrader ran perfectly but we realized that we needed some kind of AC as we had neither dash AC or roof AC. We had roof air installed about a month ago before the big trip we made to Mobile, Alabama and back. We put a little over 6000 miles on the Sunrader during this trip. It also ran perfectly. We averaged a nearly 18 miles per gallon on the way down to Mobile and 16 on the way back to Portland. The lower gas mileage on the way home was due in my opinion to the awful winds we encountered when we started on I-80 in Lincoln, Nebraska which continued for nearly the rest of trip. Prior to our trip to Mobile we bought an Roberts Aero Tow enclosed utility trailer. We had a hitch put on the Sunrader and reinforced the frame. We had the trailer painted to look like the Sunrader -stripes and all. ( I want to upload a picture but can\'t seem to manage it) Now to the problem. We had our oil changed at Wal-Mart the day before we left for Mobile. In Mobile we had the oil changed again just before we left for home in Portland. We arrived home last Monday. On Friday, Sept. 28, 2007 we went to the same Wall Mart to change the oil again. Wal Mart employees drive the vechicles into the bay to change the oil and drive it out afterwards. The overhead door is not too much taller than the top of our RV. It was raining and cold so once the Sunrader got into the bay the overhead door in the rear was closed. The exit overhead door in front was closed as well. After the oil was changed the exit overhead door was opened and a Wall Mart employee drive it out. Unfortunately, the exit overhead door was not raised to its highest level and our front vent and new AC units were pretty much destroyed and our roof scraped and cut. Wal Mart has stated they will pay to fix our Sunrader as there was no doubt as to their total liability. I have informed our insurance company as well. They are waiting to see what Wal Mart will do. Wal Mart tarped up the roof to keep any more rain from coming in. We drove it home in a driving rain. However, in addition to leaks through the AC unit and front vent, we found that we now have leaks over the rear kitchen and in front through (I think) the seal where the two halves of the Sunrader come together. We had no leaks before this accident. My question to anyone out there is who should I take our Sunrader to to do an expert evaluation of the repairs needed?? I do not just want the vents fixed and the AC replaced as I am concerned that the collision with the overhead door has got the frame out of square and the cause of the leaks. Any suggestions you have will be much appreciated. Thanks. Bob Edited October 1, 2007 by sharpest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 It would be good to have a independant adjuster on your side, but you will have to pay for him/her. Someone familiar with fiberglass construction, RV and marine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bufbooth Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Hello Bob, Another place to try to get an estimate from is CampingWorld. In OR they have locations in Portland, Wood Village, and Junction City. I would really try to get an estimate from a recognized company, it should help when submitting the repair bill to Walmart. Also, if the roof received structural damage in addition to the AC unit and Vent, and insurance companies are involved, you could be looking at a totaled vehicle. To prepare yourself for this, I would try to price out what a replacement would cost. Good Luck, Dennis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharpest Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to a couple of body shops today as well as Camping World. I will also check with a couple of the major marine dealers here in Portland for their suggestions. In anticipation of a finding of structural roof damage and the real possibility of the the Sunrader being totaled I am going to start looking for comparables. Thanks again. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LakeConroePenny Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 Oh Golly, Bob, what a terrible thing to have happened. I am so sorry your Toyhome got damaged like that. Your insurance company might have one of their RV estimators look at it for you. As you said, you don't want to have repercussions later on from other unseen damage. I expect that Camping World can see all that there is to see, but I would want two separate opinions if it were mine. Especially when the structure might be compromised. Your Sunrader is almost impossible to replace, even if you did get another one like it, you would have to do all the little, and big things, that made it yours, all over again. Also, they are getting more scarce. Penny, TX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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