New Door Needed

[Galway Girl]

Looks like we need a new door.

A few months back first saw cracks on the interior panel by the window. 

 

This am we woke up buckled up by interior panel near hinges.

 

Door wasn’t overstressed (wind) and works fine but is ugly.

Feels like the frame of the door may be flexing due to a cracked door frame.  

I will likely self repair if I can find a new door.

Ticket sent to Oliver Service.

 

Craig

Hull 505 @ 65k miles

 

 

 

 

 

[Geronimo John]

Craig:

Not good news for sure. 

Any chance you could enlighten as to what the interior material our doors are made from?  

Thanks

GJ

[Steph and Dud B]

This happened to someone else a while back. I remember seeing the post with very similar photos.

[topgun2]

24 minutes ago, Steph and Dud B said:

This happened to someone else a while back.

Mossemi was/is one of those owners and I believe that there were others.

Bill

[Patriot]

49 minutes ago, Geronimo John said:

Craig:

Not good news for sure. 

Any chance you could enlighten as to what the interior material our doors are made from?  

Thanks

GJ

GJ, I can chime in on this. When I replaced the window in my door with a tinted Zarcor window and Zarcor blind I saw a foam core inside.

Patriot 

[Geronimo John]

Thanks Patriot. 

Foam core would explain the lightness of the door.

From the way it cracked, I was thinking something like fake wood due to moisture intrusion.  With foam core such cracking seems to be a bit unusual.  

[Geronimo John]

Craig:

It appears that the inside skin is being pushed into the hinge side of the door as shown in your picture.    Did the outside skin at or near this location also show a compression failure as well?

GJ

 

 

 

 

 

[Mike and Carol]

I’ve got horizontal cracks all up and down the inside of the door.  No separation yet.  It’s mostly cosmetic and we’re living with it for now.  Mike

[jd1923]

See this post (end of page 2) for probable cause -

 

[Galway Girl]

15 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

inside skin is being pushed into the hinge side of the door as

No issues on outside, door opens and closes but flex on frame.

[stlipa]

We had a similar experience.  What began as one, fine crack near the window eventually spread with a spider-like appearance throughout most of the door over a period of several years.  Finally decided to have the door replaced earlier this year by Oliver.  I had asked Mike Sharpe if repair, instead of replacement, was an option.  Mike had gotten that question before, and had then checked with a tech who had attempted the repair.  Mike was told by the tech that the repair wasn't feasible; too labor intensive with unsatisfactory results.  

Note:  the shade of the door (manufactured by Lippert) was a slightly different shade of white than the rest of the trailer; noticeable if you look for it.  Jason said that Lippert might consider a custom job to match the shade of the existing door. However, even if would Lippert did agree to it, Jason was unsure of the cost or time it would take for the job.  We decided to go with the slightly off-shade version.

I had asked both Oliver and Lippert what caused the cracks, but neither knew.

Good luck!

 

[mossemi]

Our door has plenty of cracks and I’m not sure why but it may have began with the wind pulling the door out of my hand while opening from the inside on a windy day.  @jd1923's post about the additional hinges from Lippert would help with a windy day but as stiff as they make my door opening and closing, they just might be causing additional stress on the door frame.  My door was cracked when I installed the extra hinges so I really don’t know if they would have prevented the cracks from happening to begin with.

I have tried to remove some of the small pieces of the white plastic and they are somehow glued, epoxied or whatever to the styrofoam.  I do think sun exposure is a contributing factor.

Mossey

[Patriot]

A link to previous discussions -

 

Edited November 23 by Patriot

[Geronimo John]

So long as the door is structurally OK, and the cracks are on the inside:  Would lamination of the door with a thin material to just hide the cracks be a solution?

GJ

[jd1923]

2 hours ago, Patriot said:

A link to previous discussions - 

When you read the attached post, almost everybody is suggesting the cracks come from wind causing the door to bang, my belief too.

Most who have these cracks do not have the friction hinges. Also, the cracks that @Steve-Gwenne, @Mike and Carol and I and several others have are NOT the same that @Galway Girl is showing where the laminate has pulled out of the frame. It appears that @mossemi may also have the more extreme issue but we have not seen a picture.

Our cracks are minor, most are straight horizontal lines that look like stress cracks that follow the structure of the surface. Like Mike wrote, we will be living with ours. The cracks in our door have likely been there for years, and after 9 months use of the Lippert product they have not gotten worse.

I've had RV doors almost pull my arm out of its shoulder socket, gotten several bruises, heard too many LOUD bangs, not anymore! Yes, it takes a little push, but I do love how the door stays open exactly to the angle I've opened it.

[Galway Girl]

I have a temporary fix for the cracked in net liner of the door.

What I found was the door frame has a very narrow slot where the inner lining fits.  In our case the lining had popped out and during a day with high temp swing had expanded enough to crack the inner door panel.  With careful working of the inner panel I was able to fit it back into the groove on the edge.  I apply white Gorilla Tape to hold it in place and cover the cracks.

Given that a new door would likely be a different color and not have our stripes we may just live with the ugly.  The door works fine and has no exterior issues.

I wish I could get the door manufacturer to respond as to the door design and assembly, but no luck.

Mike Sharpe is trying to find a door part number.

Ticket to remain open for now.

We head out Wednesday for our trip home to Wa from Florida.  
 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Craig - Hull 505

Inner door lining slipped out of edge and then heat expansion caused cracking:

 

Used a putty knife to re-align inner lining into slot in door frame and applied Gorilla tape.   Ugly but door is fully functional.

Edited November 25 by Galway Girl

[mossemi]

On 11/23/2024 at 1:50 PM, Geronimo John said:

Would lamination of the door with a thin material to just hide the cracks be a solution?

I have thought about an overlay of some type of sheet product, but I have always stumbled on a method to attach it to the cracked inner panel.  I am sure there is a product that would work, I just haven’t looked hard enough to find it.

Mossey

[Geronimo John]

On 11/25/2024 at 6:13 AM, mossemi said:

I have thought about an overlay of some type of sheet product, but I have always stumbled on a method to attach it to the cracked inner panel.

Mike:

How about sealing the cracks with 3M and running a laminate to the edges of the door, and secure it with SS screws or SS pop-rivets it to the frame.   To bond to the existing, maybe use a carpentry glue in the field between the four sides of rivets.  For the window area, do the same thing by removing the trim, place the laminate, replace the trim and secure.  Caulk all edges.

Maybe a very thin white High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) would work well.  Would want it very thin.    

Edited November 26 by Geronimo John

[jdmmtx]

We noticed a crack on the exterior of our door after freezing weather with precipitation when the temperature dropped into the single digits for days. We had the door replaced by Oliver 3 years ago. It has not recurred on the exterior but I'll have to take a close look at the inside!

[Galway Girl]

On 11/22/2024 at 12:23 PM, Geronimo John said:

could enlighten as to what the interior material our doors are made from?  

The door interior is a thin pebble grain fiberglass panel similar (but thinner) that you can buy in a big box store.  The outer skin appears to be a layered fiberglass panel. ( May be Azdel)

The door has an outer frame of aluminum extrusion with a built in c-channel track that the panel slides into during door manufacture.  The whole door panel assembly appears to be a sandwich with the following 3  layers bonded together:

1) Outer skin

2) inner frame with foam core between structural members

3) inside pebble grain skin 

Oliver service confirmed there isn’t a way to repair this failure due to the way the door is constructed. Bill for replacement pre-hung door is $1600.00 at Factory Service Center.  They drill out the rivets in the surrounding door frame, drop out old door including hinges and install and rivet in the new door.  Best effort to match stripes/decals as originally built. 

This failure mode appears to be caused by the enough inner surface shrinkage that the inside panel popped out of the frame c channel then as it warmed and expanded it didn’t go back in the c channel track , instead buckling and cracking.

 

I’ll live with it a year until we make a trip back to do an air conditioner swap. 

 

Craig

 

Edited November 26 by Galway Girl
Added pix

[BoondockingAirstream]

This, to me, appears to be 'Plastic Degassing and Shrinking'.  Not due to your misuse of the Oliver or Heat or something you Did or Did Not Do to prevent it.

You are lucky if the cracks are... Horizontal.  Left to right... fractures reduce the tension from the longer length of the thin door panel.  The gap in between the cracks reduces the tension by cracking.  You will probably get lots of them, but there is nothing that can be done.  Another original sheet... will also do the same if it is Degassing.  Nobody has explained this to me... as it is very common in plastics... and some, even thick items, can become brittle and crumble.

It is a definite defect in the plastic being used and not of your making.  Buckling... you would have to look at the entire door to understand that one I see photographs.  The more small fractures, the tension is reduced.  Although the plastic will still be brittle and if you hit it... it will crack into pieces.

Again... this a manufacturing issue of the plastic being used.  Not from your use of the trailer, weather, road vibrations... etc..  The Buck Passing AFTER Warranty is rather slick.  It may take several years or longer... beyond Warranty... and now it is Your Fault and Responsibility.  I recall plastic toys... that Degassed over time and became brittle and fall apart.  I thought by now these poor products were extinct. Guess not.

Try finding some site about Plastic Degassing.  Finding one that makes sense... you are a lucky person.  I see no good results by replacing the interior plastic with the same plastic.  Just my opinion.  

 

[BoondockingAirstream]

Airstream trailers use a much thicker 'plastic' on the door interior.  Probably the ONLY 'plastic kind' of material being used.  I do not know the composition, but it is not Aluminum or metal.  OK?  It is a 2019 as is my 2019 Oliver Elite II. They purchase the plastic from... someone, somewhere.  Possibly the same company that makes this 'plastic', or whatever it is... for Oliver.

Plastic: PET, POM, PBT, PA... and the list goes on.  This door 'material' is thin on the Oliver.  After a time span... it has become brittle.  Some may say it is used to save WEIGHT to the Trailer.  Yeah... right.  My wife saw this thread earlier today, which got my attention.  Anyone who has worked with Fiber Glass... like some of us did with 1960's Corvettes when they were... cheap... whoa... the smell is something I never forgot. Once 'cured'... no smell.

Older automobiles can have parts or components that shrink.  Acetate Dice and earlier Nitrate Casino Dice... also have a problem.  Nitrates shrink, distort and decompose exposed to air over decades. Acetate Casino Dice... will keep their sharp edges and probably last a hundred or more years.

This issue with the very thin interior door 'material' is a problem.  I find cracks in my Oliver door.  I suspect everyone will have hair line cracks. Some will get those that shrink, but fold and curl up on vertical shrinkage.  If you have the horizontal hair line cracks... you are one LUCKY owner. The curling I saw next the door window, may be the same material, but cut to size differently.

The material is inexpensive, compared to the LABOR to remove and replace.  Makes my nasal hairs... tickle.  😞

Sorry for taking your time... I did OSHA inspections in my youth... and... heard lots of excuses and finger pointing, as well.

 

 

[CRM]

3 hours ago, BoondockingAirstream said:

This issue with the very thin interior door 'material' is a problem.  I find cracks in my Oliver door.  I suspect everyone will have hair line cracks.

 

Not a single crack in my 2010. Either I'm very lucky, or a change to the door materials was made at some point down the line. 

[Mike and Carol]

10 hours ago, CRM said:

Not a single crack in my 2010. Either I'm very lucky, or a change to the door materials was made at some point down the line. 

That’s a good point, I wonder if a change in the door was made after 2010.  We’ve got a number of horizontal cracks in our 2016.  Mike

[CRM]

1 hour ago, Mike and Carol said:

That’s a good point, I wonder if a change in the door was made after 2010.  We’ve got a number of horizontal cracks in our 2016.  Mike

Actually, it is a different design. I just remembered that I couldn't install  friction hinges on ours since the hinges are built into the door frame and can't be replaced.