Truma Aventa owners, cowling counter sunk fastener holes

[Patriot]

Truma Aventa owners- a mod!
I learned from Oliver Service that the Truma Aventa has a design flaw where the (8) fasteners that hold the AC cowling/shroud in place will hold water when it rains. This could result in a leak if the cowling screws are torqued too tight and the plastic cracks.
Oliver has made Truma aware of this concern and has also taken steps to preempt water intrusion issues with the counter sunk screw holes by adding a self leveling sealer to each counter sunk fastener hole in the cowling. (See in pics)  All new Olivers with Truma Aventa AC units have this self leveling sealer installed at the plant.

Today I opted to take sealing these counter sunk fasteners to the next level with some 8 mil XPEL paint protection. I cut 8 small circles of the XPEL PPF and simply covered each of the 8 fastener holes. It took longer to trace and hand cut the 8 small circles from my PPF than to do the install. This PPF can easily be removed for access to the screws and then removal of AC cowling. The PPF will completely prevent any water intrusion issues even if the self leveling sealer should fail. I also covered the Truma side decals in PPF to prevent weathering or peeling over time. The PPF also has a UV protection which should also help keep the sealer from degrading under normal full sun light. This XPEL PPF is very tough material. We have had it installed on our cars, trucks and even 10 mil sheets installed on the front of our Ollie with excellent protection results.  Mod On!!⚡️

Patriot🇺🇸

A few pics - 

These pieces were cut from scraps of 8 mil XPEL I had in my shop. Once installed they disappear.

 

 

 

[Ollie-Haus]

Welp, that precludes me from taking my cowling off and inspecting the inside of the AC unit. I just wanted to see if there's anything that needs to be cleaned/debris blown out of the intake screen or coil like most other AC units. Guess I'll deal with that down the road. Thanks for sharing!

[Patriot]

15 minutes ago, Ollie-Haus said:

Whelp, that precludes me from taking my cowling off and inspecting the inside of the AC unit. I just wanted to see if there's anything that needs to be cleaned/debris blown out of the intake screen or coil like most other AC units. Guess I'll deal with that down the road. Thanks for sharing!

It will be interesting to see what Truma does to correct this design flaw if anything. Yours being brand new should be clean as a can be.👍🏻
 

[Geronimo John]

17 hours ago, Patriot said:

8 mil XPEL paint protection.

Since there appears to be space, what about adding a stainless steel fender washer with a rubber disk under it to seal?  then use SS bolts to fasten.  If you are really worried, then add some caulk that can be removed from around the bolt head.  This would keep water away, and as importantly spread the load on the fiberglass cover from the fastening tension plus wind impacts when in Wyoming at 80 MPH.  

If the bolts need better grab to the hull, then consider RivNuts.

GJ

[Ollie-Haus]

3 hours ago, Patriot said:

It will be interesting to see what Truma does to correct this design flaw if anything. Yours being brand new should be clean as a can be.👍🏻
 

Yep I'm sure it's fine, I've always been one of those kids that took his toys apart when I got them to understand the insides a little better. Still have that problem. I'll wait a year and then when I take the cover off for cleaning I'll just have to reseal, and not over torque. 👍

[Patriot]

7 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

Since there appears to be space, what about adding a stainless steel fender washer with a rubber disk under it to seal?  then use SS bolts to fasten.  If you are really worried, then add some caulk that can be removed from around the bolt head.  This would keep water away, and as importantly spread the load on the fiberglass cover from the fastening tension plus wind impacts when in Wyoming at 80 MPH.  

If the bolts need better grab to the hill, then consider RivNuts.

GJ

Not the least bit worried. 😊

As mentioned the leveling sealer/caulk around the bolt head applied by Oliver and the XPEL I installed  I am satisfied that we won’t have any issues. As mentioned in my OP even if the existing sealer fails the PPF covering this area will not allow any water intrusion while covering the counter sunk hole. The XPEL PPF is just about invisible at a glance.

I would not suggest adding, altering, or changing out any OEM Truma hardware securing the cowling. This could void the 2 year Truma warranty if a leak occurred. Adding a small sealing circle of XPEL PPF I don’t see any issue. The PPF install adds additional UV protection to the self leveling sealer installed by Oliver. It’s very tough material.
I don’t see myself ever towing my Ollie in 80 mph winds anywhere. If so, I have likely made a really bad decision. 😄 

Mod On! ⚡️⚡️ 

Patriot🇺🇸

[Patriot]

5 hours ago, Ollie-Haus said:

Yep I'm sure it's fine, I've always been one of those kids that took his toys apart when I got them to understand the insides a little better. Still have that problem. I'll wait a year and then when I take the cover off for cleaning I'll just have to reseal, and not over torque. 👍

Haha…I totally get it Chris! Your point on proper torquing of the OE fasteners is critical to keep the cowling counter sunk bolt holes from cracking. I will leave well enough alone for now and not nudge the sleeping puppy.
 

We are really enjoying our Truma and have only needed to run it on low as it turns our Ollie into a super quiet meat cooler. 🥶😄 

Patriot🇺🇸

[Geronimo John]

7 hours ago, Patriot said:

and as importantly spread the load on the fiberglass cover from the fastening tension plus wind impacts when in Wyoming at 80 MPH.  

 

7 hours ago, Patriot said:

I don’t see myself ever towing my Ollie in 80 mph winds anywhere.

I have experienced 80 MPH winds there while setting still.  I have experienced hundreds of times 40 MPH wind gusts.  So if you don't want to see 80 MPH winds on the AC, you are now limited to running 40 mph or below.   

Just saying there are hugly strong wind gusts out west, and if the fasteners have cracked the cover, making those connections more sturdy by adding the SS fender washers would be a smart idea.  Just saying.....

[Patriot]

On 6/1/2023 at 1:35 PM, Geronimo John said:

 

I have experienced 80 MPH winds there while setting still.  I have experienced hundreds of times 40 MPH wind gusts.  So if you don't want to see 80 MPH winds on the AC, you are now limited to running 40 mph or below.   

Just saying there are hugly strong wind gusts out west, and if the fasteners have cracked the cover, making those connections more sturdy by adding the SS fender washers would be a smart idea.  Just saying.....

As stated zero worries here, I believe I am in good shape even in 80 mph winds in the Wild West yee haa! 🤠

I do understand your suggestion. However, the fasteners naturally will crack if they are over torqued. I still stand by my statement that making any alterations or modifications using fender washers on a new Truma Aventa cowling, unless approved by Oliver and ultimately by Truma could void a warranty claim. Ultimately when you pay for the Truma retro fit it’s yours you can do whatever you want with it. 

Have you had the Truma retro fit done? 

Just passing forward a fairly simple helpful mod for Truma owners to preempt a potential water intrusion issue with a simple fix using XPEL PPF. 

Let’s please try and stay on topic. 😉

Thanks!

Patriot🇺🇸

 

 

 

[Geronimo John]

Good luck!

GJ

 

[MAX Burner]

Good anti-water intrusion fix...

Edited June 4, 2023 by MAX Burner
Changed post...

[Patriot]

7 hours ago, MAX Burner said:

Good anti-water intrusion fix...

Thanks Max, 😊

Indeed this quick and easy mod along with proper torquing of the cowl fasteners will remove the concerns of ever having to think about water intrusion. 👍🏻

Patriot🇺🇸