Hello! Many of the doors have a slight warp to them so the tops and bottoms are hitting just a little ahead and making the latch difficult to do its thing. When closing the door you can see the top and bottom touch first. Those guys at the Tishomingo RV take two blocks of wood closing them in the door at both the top and bottom and then lean into the door a bit to get the warp out. Honestly I was a bit nervous when he was showing me his plan but he said he did it on most every unit that came through.
I had some difficulty with the latch when I first purchased the rig but I had swapped out my door lock for an electronic lock and it was a lot better and I became comfortable with it. Once they did the block trick it was finger closing smooth and realized what I had been missing. I have a short video clip of those guys doing it I will see if I can chase it down.
Its January 2026. Our 2022 370GB Vilano we bought new in 2023 is experiencing the buckling rear panels. We are still under warranty so we will be heading to Red Bay Service Center. We had one panel repaired at a local shop, as we thought someone hit it with a golf cart. When it happened again on the 6 miles from the shop to the RV park, I knew it was something else. Thatâs when I checked this site. In reading the posts and looking under my RV I must be missing something. All the following is âobservationâ or âmy opinionâ: Observation: There are âscrews/boltsâ through the frame that are supposed to be in the rear âcapâ. The rear cap has separated from the frame. Almost all the screws are totally free of the rear cap so I can turn them in the space with my fingers and or slide them into the frame. Some screw ends are part way into the cap where the head has literally broken off. A very few are still somewhat attached to the rear cap. What I am missing is; the discussion talks only about the floor and side walls. Opinion: It appears in my case the connection to the rear cap has failed. In talking to Tiffin they told me to âjust bring it over and theyâd fix it for meâ. I was dumbfounded, the gap between the cap and the frame is 1.5â on the door side and 0â on the driverâs side. What is surprising is the first and worst buckling is on the driverâs side. I told them I didnât want to drive without any attachment to the frame and was advised that was up to me, (obviously). The service advisor said âhe was told by the service department it was fine to bring it just the way it wasâ. I plan to drop the bottom cover to get at the screws/bolts and replace them with a high tinsel strength replacement and try to pull and push the cap back to the frame. Thanks for reading
Welcome to the group and sorry to hear that you are experiencing this. I am curious as to how far of a drive Redbay is for you. The rear wall separating does accompany the more common buckling issue as when that area becomes loose the wall is still secured to everything up above. I have been a few Vilanos where the ground is visible from inside at the back wall with large gaps in the rear wall from the wall / frame.
Addressing your question about only seeing comments regarding side walls and floor; the back wall would be grouped into the walls. The upper half is all secured by its attachment to each other (other walls, roof, cabinetry) but the attachment to the frame which has the floor secured to it has failed. I would be interested in seeing pictures of what you describing if possible.
I understand your hesitance in making the drive in that condition. When frame flex first occurred in the Vanleighs being a new issue to Vanleigh they were still trying to understand it. They first told me I could not drive on it and the front end would collapse in on itself. A few months later they said they thought it could make it from Boise to Alabama and said the same - it was up to me.
@SubSonar or @LynnF did you experience what is being described with your buckling?
Yes, when I looked behind the couch I could see daylight. I was most concerned driving from Utah to Tish about getting into one of those good rainstorms and having water damage. I ended up wrapping the corners with flexsteel tape and using some plumbers tape and a few screws to pull the rear panels towards the rear bumper. I have not pulled out the couch since the repair nor have I opened up the end tables to see how they repaired everything. I can see angle iron behind the couch and there are more bolts going the the outrigger outside under the trailer.
The backend repair made it back home and looks great, it no longer waves at me in the mirror when I go through a gutter at an angle.
Today was actually the first time I have pulled the trailer since last September and my front end issues. I will go find that post and update what I actually ended up doing. I do have a new curt flex air pinbox. I like it, we pulled the trailer down to Goodyear Arizona, it and the truck rides better.