Water intrusion fix update

GENERAL DISCUSSION
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Hey guys,

As Tim mentioned above, we discovered what is pictured here aren’t actually scratches, but rather, aluminum deposits from the chips onto the anodized surface of the beam. As you can see in the attached video, we rubbed a handful of chips as hard as we could onto the beam, and were able to easily scrub it off with soapy water and an automotive clay mitten. The mitten is totally optional, but certainly beats the palm of your hand after a bit! Likewise, a microfiber cloth or sponge works great too.

We use an extremely durable architectural grade anodizing, which offers a number of advantages in regards to surface hardness, UV protection, and color-fastness. We want this product to last you a very long time, and be able to keep up with all of your adventures!

We do appreciate your feedback, and have instituted additional steps for this process to save anyone else the trouble of rubbing off the aluminum deposits. People like @Medicfung and @Camp4Lyfe help expedite this process by sending detailed Service Request Forms, which we monitor and work through as quickly as possible in the order they are received, between Monday and Friday.

We do not, however, monitor the forums throughout the day, nor does it always offer the information we need to contact you directly or effectively solve your concern. The goal of the forum is to be a community for people to share their experiences, modifications, and adventures. For no reason other than to help solve your concern as quickly and effectively as possible, I advise everyone here to submit a Service Request Form in lieu of a post.

In regards to @the_philxx , I want to be clear in restating that the water intrusion updates performed on our trip to the PNW, and currently being performed in-house and at Partner Shops, are designed to eliminate water intrusion into the sleeping area of the camper. I understand how disappointing it can be to quickly deploy your RTT only to discover water, and this is why we attacked this issue first.

With that being said, our team is working to pinpoint the source of water intrusion in the lower frame, particularly in the area above the front panel, and below the RTT. This is not something we expect to require a visit to our shop, or the mobilization of our Service Team, but rather a quick and simple update that can be done at home with basic materials provided by GFC. If you have not experienced a small amount of water intrusion after driving at highway speeds during a heavy rain, it’s extremely unlikely you will ever encounter it. For those who are and have submitted Service Request Form, we appreciate your help in being able to develop and provide a solution, along with updates in Engineering and Production to eliminate this risk moving forward.

Again, you’re free to discuss what you’d like here (within Community Guidelines, of course). If you want a solution, and to be a part of helping us improve, please reach out directly and submit a Service Request Form, and our team will work to get you sorted!

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@MBBME Were the corners of your tent patched at the same time as your water intrusion update? Mine still have the gap there afterwards.

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Yes, all the work shown in the pictures was done at the same time as part of the water intrusion fixes.

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The corners on my tent did not get the patch I have seen in other pics. I didn’t even notice this until I got back home. I don’t believe the leaking I experienced was ever through the tent corners so am not too worried about it.

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I think this really only helps if camping in snow storms/rain where with some wind, it might come through. My speculations, but could be wrong! I know I will be getting mine fixed in May at the Belgrade HQ.

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Hey Dude— Apologies if we missed having that convo with you regarding the corners while in Longview! No need to fret as that shouldn’t be an area of concern, especially after we tightened up those corners with the fiberglass rods. By no means does every tent merit a swap from keeter to rods, but when we do those gaps are extremely rare.

During our PNW trip, we did our best to dry the corners with our heat guns, but in the end we made the executive decision to forgo the corner covers due to the conditions, slightly damp fabric, and time constraints.

Again, this is a VERY rare spot for intrusion to occur, but if you do experience an issue we can set you up with the kit and step by step instructions to make em pretty. Hopefully this adds clarity there, but feel free to send me a message otherwise. :call_me_hand:

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Thanks Thayne! I appreciate the response. I don’t think it’ll be an issue but if it does I’ll submit an SR.

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No doubt, and thanks again for hangin with us! We worked some long days, but getting to put faces to names was really fun for the me and the team.

Stoked to get out there for some meetups for late spring/ early summer with you and the rest of the PNW crew.

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34

Seeking some guidance re: water intrusion issues.

I’ve been dreaming of installing a GFC on my Raptor F-150 for several years.

I do not have access to a garage and will be parking my rig outside all of the time. During the winter here where I live in California we have multiple months of heavy rainfall, the kind where it can rain continuously for days on end. Moreover, my neighborhood has tons of big trees, so there’s a lot of falling leaf debris in the Fall, and a lot of pollen/bloom debris in the Spring — perfect for clogging drain holes.

Should I expect to encounter water intrusion issues with a GFC as it sits outside on my street-parked Raptor? Does anyone else here park a GFC outside in these types of conditions?

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I have only owned my GFC for a few months now, but it has been a relatively wet spring here in the Pacific Northwest.

I received one of the first few with the factory water intrusion fixes. As of today (knock on wood) my GFC has shown no leaks. I will mention that I have had some water intrusion, but it appears it is because of Toyota not GFC.

My truck is daily driven and parked outside. I don’t have many trees in my neighborhood, but many of the places I frequent have trees.

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Kept mine outside all winter in Portland, I had some issues that GFC addressed but it was never enough to cause true damage. Even if it did, I’m confident GFC would make it right. They are passionate about their product and you should not worry about leaving it outside. Send it and you won’t regret it :call_me_hand:t3:

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@pat_man that’s really good to know that the factory water intrusion fixes seem to be working.

@Nolgore sounds like parking it outside in Portland wasn’t catastrophic. That’s also good to know.

I started looking at the SuperPacific — it seems to also suffer from some water leaks, but the tent material seems more robust.

Maybe my solution will be to park my GFC/Raptor outside, but put a tarp over the camper. But that feels like an inelegant kludge.

Other thoughts welcome!

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I live in Montana and park my GFC outside year round with no cover. No water leaks at all even with extra foam I added to the bedding. All new GFCs will come with the latest and greatest updates; you will be just fine. If for some reason there was issues, the GFC CS team is fantastic to quick to resolve issues.

Tent material is quite thick and definitely much more robust than my other RTT. Was very happy with the quality of material and satisfyingly beefy zippers. Would definitely get a GFC again if I ever got a new vehicle.

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Something I considered before the water intrusion fix announcement was buying a custom cover for a patio table. Something like this. I found another company that had a bunch of fabric choices, including some nice waterproof Cordura options. After putting in rough dimensions, I think it was gonna be ~$180?

Like I said above, not necessary. But if you are worrying this may be a little more elegant solution rather than a tarp

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@pat_man that’s a cool solution — a lot better than a tarp!

I appreciate you taking the time to post that link.

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Another voice of some experience here. I’m in Portland and had water intrusion issues from the get go. With the most recent fixes I feel really confident the issue is in the rear view mirror. I don’t think I will feel 100% on this until Fall when we get the hard rains again but for now feeling really good about it.

GFC’s explanation of the issue fit my experience to a tee. I’m one of the people that park outside year-round and the GFC is slightly rear & passenger side down.

The company stands behind their stuff and has shown commitment to resolving any issues. Go for it!

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I don’t think you get the level of customer service GFC offers from any other company. Customer assistance these days pretty much is gone. It’s incredible. I have some emails and voicemails out to companies currently, that are going on two weeks with no response. It’s crazy to me that some businesses are still around acting like this. GFC continues to impress with their dedication to the consumer and product. Hence, me ordering my second camper, that I will be picking up later this summer. I could have gone with any other brand I wanted, but I chose GFC again without hesitation.

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Just submitted a service request - I have not had anything near the level of water intrusion that some here have had; just a little at the back corners in heavy rain and then some leaking along the back and sides of the bottom portion of the camper (side cabana doors and rear panel next to the cab).

I have also noticed some water somehow getting in and running along the bed platform support rails - the mattress does not get wet from this, but the water will run along the rails and drip down into the truck bed.

Overall, I love the camper and am a huge fan of GFC and their commitment to customer service - I know that a resolution will be reached! Also, I am very thankful that my water issues are not at the level that some here have experienced.

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This is the behavior GFC sorted out in the recent fixes. Something about the built-in interior drains either getting clogged or simply not being able to flow enough water. The water then backs up and flows along the bed platform support rails.

It’s exacerbated if you park with one corner of the camper lower.

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There’s also an additional fix that literally just adds some butyl tape in the corners on the outside corner of the overhang. Super simple fix.