Case study
Sidewall delamination repaired by vacuum injection with original graphics preserved
A void roughly 1.5 meters by 1 meter had opened on the off door side below the awning rail. Sighting down the wall in raking light showed a flat spot and a soft bulge. The owner had been quoted a full panel replacement, which would have destroyed the factory graphics and required a full side refinish to match.
Vehicle
34 foot fifth wheel, laminated filon sidewall over block foam and luan
Price band
$1,500 to $20,000 plus
Calendar time
1 to 3 weeks
Operations
What the job actually consisted of
- Void mapped by tapping and by thermal differential, perimeter marked and photographed
- Moisture readings taken inside the void boundary to confirm the substrate was dry
- Awning rail removed and the rail fastener line resealed, which was the moisture path
- Injection ports drilled on a grid pattern inside the mapped boundary
- Two part panel adhesive drawn through under vacuum bag, then platen clamped and cured
- Ports filled, faired, and spot refinished with a blend into the surrounding gelcoat
- Boundary re read after cure to confirm the void had closed across its full area
Outcome
How it ended
The panel reads flat again and the factory graphics survived, which is the whole argument for injection where the substrate is still sound. The repair came in at well under half the panel replacement quote the owner arrived with.
More
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Is your vehicle in the same situation
Match on construction type and failure mode, not on the badge. We are 18.4 miles from Hacienda Heights via SR-60 west to Fullerton Rd, then south to La Palma Ave.