# 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

## Operations performed

- 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

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.

## Numbers

- Price band: $1,500 to $20,000 plus
- Calendar time: 1 to 3 weeks

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Source: https://ocrv.club/case-studies/sidewall-delamination-injection-on-a-fifth-wheel
OCRV Center, 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887
Phone (949) 799-3387. Email info@ocrvcenter.com.
Serving Hacienda Heights and the surrounding area. 18.4 miles, 24 to 38 minutes via SR-60 west to Fullerton Rd, then south to La Palma Ave.
In shop work only. All estimates are priced and credited against an authorized repair.