Grand Design Repair: Azdel Walls and Six Point Hydraulics

In a conventional laminated wall, the substrate behind the fiberglass is lauan, a thin wood ply that soaks up water and loses structure once it does. When a sealant joint fails on that wall, the repair is substrate replacement across the wet area. Grand Design uses Azdel composite instead, which does not absorb moisture in the same way.

So on these trailers a leak that would have gutted a lauan wall frequently becomes a dry out and re bond instead. The bond can still release and the panel still has to be sounded and mapped, but what we find behind the skin is usually salvageable. That single material choice is the difference between a two day repair and a two week one.

Solitude and Momentum use hydraulic through frame drives on the main rooms rather than electric in wall systems, and a six point hydraulic leveling system on the larger units. Hydraulics are heavier and more expensive and they do not chew rails, which is why we rarely see the tooth wear that dominates lighter trailers.

What hydraulics do is leak. A cylinder rod seal weeping, a fitting seeping at the pump manifold, or a leveling jack that settles overnight are the symptoms. Diagnosis is a pressure test of the circuit rather than a parts swap, and repair is seal and cylinder work at $260 per hour.

A Solitude spends its life behind a diesel truck at highway speed, which means the front cap eats whatever the truck's rear tires throw. Peppering across the lower cap is normal wear. Impact from a larger object is a repair, and the question is always whether the laminate is punctured or only the gelcoat is chipped.

Gelcoat damage over sound laminate is repaired, faired and refinished at a fraction of the cost of a molded cap plus freight. Punctures through the laminate get rebuilt from both sides where access allows. Either way we recommend a front shield afterwards to owners who tow the 15 and the 40 regularly.

Grand Design's parts operation is better than the towable average. Records are good for a company this young, dealer direct shipping shortens the chain, and non structural items usually arrive within a normal work week. Underbelly panels, compartment doors, glass and interior hardware are rarely a problem.

Molded caps are still molded caps. They ship freight from Indiana on a multi week timeline, and paint adds to it. We confirm availability before writing the scope and quote the repair alternative next to the replacement, so an owner with a schedule can make a real choice.

Body, cap and refinish work bills at $210 per hour with body supplies at $5 per body hour. Hydraulic, slide, appliance and electrical work is $260. A written estimate is $150, credited in full when the repair is authorized. Parts over $100 carry 35 percent markup and sales tax applies to parts and materials only.

OCRV Center is an independent shop with no dealer or brand relationship involving Grand Design or Winnebago Industries. All work is performed in shop at Yorba Linda. A 41 foot fifth wheel fits the bays and the booth, which is the practical question most owners of these units ask first.