I purchased my 2012 freedom elite in June 2013 from camping world Tallahassee used. It was a CW rental unit and I assumed that it would have been maintained in a somewhat regular basis. After test drive I gave an offer with contingencies to perform a tire balance and alignment. When I went to the walkthrough and pick up and sign the paperwork, I found the spare was a used tire and would not meet anyone’s standards for a usable tire and made them replace it. I also gave them a list of items I would like corrected when we returned from our first outing thinking there may be other items I discovered. While I was assured by salesman, I had a 30-day warrantee, I received a call from the General manager when he saw my list and told me they would not be able to make those repairs as there was no warrantee and it was sold “as is.” I informed him I had the agreed repair items in writing and would gladly take it to court. He conceded and backed down.
After we had taken our first trip, I added a few items and took it in for service within the 30 days of purchase. Two new items were of major concern. One was an electrical issue with wiring harness, a torn heater ducting that was a true fire hazard and the other was that the shower leaked onto the floor when showering. We returned the RV to CW and planed our next trip. We packed up a small supply of needed items and left much of our stuff in the unit. When we were given the Okay, we retrieved the unit from CW and hit the road to the campground about 2 hours away. As I was prepping the unit for the campsite the next morning (we arrived late at night) I began to see water pooling in the lower stowage areas. No big deal as there was a drain to let it all out and I had never used that area before.
Then I began to clear out the Cab overhead bunk. It was soaked. There were mushrooms growing in there (that is not hyperbole, real mushrooms). As I pulled the bedding and cushions out, the faux woodgrain also came up stuck to the bottom of the cushion. This had all happened in the month the unit was in the shop waiting for repair. I was quite upset and we just threw everything back in the camper and returned home to deal with all the water damage.
I have attached a video I make for youtube where I thought for sure I had found the leak. The air vent had been added by CW and were installed incorrectly. I fixed and sealed them and any other poorly sealed roof connections (Antenna, AC and Tank vents.) https://youtu.be/-HCh8-jc4Zw
As for the leaking shower, it was still leaking. I figured out how to access the plumbing and found they had just filled the area with expanding foam sealant. I removed it all, (found the failure) and replaced it. Took me about 4 hours.
Over the next few years, the unit would leak in the same area and I would try to track down the next logical location. I even removed the front amber running lights and sealed the holes thinking it must be the last possible place and while there was rust damage and evidence of water the leak continued.
Last fall (2018) I noted the awning (also installed by CW) was starting to fail. No big deal as it lasted fairly long (5 years) and I decided that I could do the replacement myself. When I removed the support hardware, I noted it was a fairly loose connection the top connector to the roof itself. As I removed more sealant, I discovered it was damp and rotted all around both connections. I removed all the connections and sealed them very well.
I have had no leaks in the last 6 months. So, the leak may be gone but the water damage to the unit is still there, I believe there is some Roof rot, siding separation with bulges in places on the outside. The overhead ceiling and siding needs replacement and are showing separation now.
