Delamination! Any testing available?

[Flapper]

My Jayco 2013 26.5RLS Fifth suffered an unnoticed roof tear this past season. Right and rear walls are showing delamination. Dealer cannot tell visually whether left wall has an issue too, or if the faint single shadow they see is just "not great" quality control from the factory. Cost to replace roof, right and rear walls will be about 25% less than what the ins. co. will pay to total it.
I get it - common sense is to take the money and run. But this one was very carefully bought and optioned out. It will be very hard and long to find another that doesn't drive costs much higher (new truck, etc.!) - or we go down to a TT, which isn't that appealing.
The great unknown is that left wall. If it was to be replaced too, the costs would be super over the top.

Beyond visual inspection, are there more in depth "minimally invasive" things that can help determine how sound, or not, the remaining structure is before going whole hog on the repairs? Peel back parts of the roof, if it has to be replaced anyway. Or humidity meters like used for measuring the water content of lumber? Or other ways to get a handle on whether damage is beyond that already diagnosed?

[Gjac]

Shearwater wrote:
If there is water in a woodbased core, it will eventually rot.

Moisture is different than water intrusion. Most aerospace composite structures can survive in hot wet conditions because that is how they are tested before using them in the design. They become weaker as they absorb moisture and are designed for those hot wet conditions. More plies need to be added to obtain the desired strength.

[Shearwater]

If there is water in a woodbased core, it will eventually rot.

[Gjac]

The most effective way to test for delamination is to "coin tap" the suspected area. I worked it composites mfg for 30 years and used all kinds of NDI equipment to test for disbonds or delaminated areas and I can tell you even with $500k ultrasonic equipment we still coin taped our bonded rotor blades and air frame structures to check for disbonds. A large washer or even a screw driver as a previous poster described will work also by continuously tapping across an area in a grid pattern until a change in sound is heard. A good bonded area will produce a ringing sound a disbonded area will sound like a thud. A moisture meter will tell you if moisture is present but will not tell you if the area is delaminated. Composite structures all absorb water unlike metal but that does not necessarily mean it is disbonded.

[blofgren]

ScottG wrote:
You'd be far ahead by letting the ins co total it.

x2.

[allen8106]

Checking boat hulls for moisture is done with a moisture meter, delamination is checked by tapping on the hull with the butt of a screw driver or hard plastic mallet, delaminaton will sound different than non-delaminated spots. Same processes will work for an RV.

[Shearwater]

I strongly second the suggestion of using a moisture reader. These are widely used in the marine industry to detect moisture damage in boats. I would suggest contacting a marine repair shop or sailboat dealer and having your RV inspected by a professional.

[Flapper]

Jbechtoldt wrote:
If it gets a salvage title you will not be able to get it licensed thru the DMV

In Minn. you can, as long as you can show it was completely repaired. Of course, the "salvage" stays on the title, so resale is shot.

[Jbechtoldt]

If it gets a salvage title you will not be able to get it licensed thru the DMV

[Flapper]

bid_time wrote:
Have insurance company fix it, ...

That is the issue. Because the current repair quote is more than 70% of the current value, they won't pay to fix it, only total it. I could, however, buy it from them at scrap value, and then use the remainder to have it repaired, with maybe a small bit to pocket.

But that only works as long as:
There aren't any hidden conditions (hence this post about ways to get better intel on looking for any beforehand).
AND - I don't mind losing most resale value because it would then carry a "salvage" title. (I don't)

The other angle I may have is that they missed a significant amount of options and upgrades in their estimation of market value. So if it gets reassessed above that 70% breakpoint, then...

But, they hold all the cards, so I won't hold my breath over that strategy!

I'll probably just end up taking the money. But it's kind of like taking the dog to the vet. You know they are very sick. And the vet can see there is something wrong. But they can't diagnose it without exploratory surgery. So there is a possibility the dog may have something curable, but.....

[bid_time]

Have insurance company fix it, once the dealer starts to tear it apart they should be able to determine if the left wall is damaged. If it is, the insurance company will either at that point have to fix the left wall also or total the rig. If the left wall I isn't damaged, you're good to go.

I might also add, once they start tearing it apart they may find the floor damaged that needs to be repaired.

I is not uncommon to find additional damage that couldn't be determined ahead of time. This additional damage still has to be fixed by the insurance company. They are not off the hook just because the damage wasn't known from the get go. In the end, they have to make you whole again.

[ScottG]

You'd be far ahead by letting the ins co total it.

[mikim]

Use a moisture meter to see if and how much moisture is in the wall. They are available on-line and at larger hardware stores.