RV Fender Skirt Repair: How To Install RV Fender Skirts
If your RV’s fender skirt or skirts are damaged, lost, or coming loose, you can find one to replace it or them. Even if you drive an older RV it seems to be possible to buy new fender skirts and replace the damaged or lost ones.
To do this project right, you will need a utility knife to cut the sealant. After that is done, remove the screws holding the skirt in place. Start from the outside and work your way in. Then remove any sealant that remains on your RV’s wall. The instructions to put on a new skirt are coming shortly.
To learn how to put the fender skirt on, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about so you can do this job without harming your RV or trailer or letting moisture inside your RV or trailer.
How Do You Repair Plastic RV Fender Skirts?
This may seem like a tough job and in some cases it is, but if you have an ABS plastic repair kit, you may make it a little easier to do. After taking the fender skirt off carefully, lay it down with the front side up.
Then place masking tape in such a way that the crack or cracks are as close together as they can be. Once that is done, turn the skirt over and get ready to add the resin. You do not want to put the resin inside the crack as that will distort the shape of the fender skirt.
Applying a bead about 1/4 inch wide, add the resin to the crack and let it cure for 24 hours. It is important not to move the skirt till the 24 hours are up. When the curing time is over, turn it over and apply a little resin to the face of the crack, and let it dry.
Paint the fender skirt so it looks good again and place it back on your RV.
How To Repair Cracked RV Fender Skirts
The process is going to be the same here as it is in the previous section. But there are other methods you can use to fix those cracks. Usually, to keep the weight down, the fender skirts will be made of plastic.
Depending on the type of plastic used to create your RV’s fender skirt, one of those alternative methods can be welding the plastic together. This method will take some skill as you have to move carefully and make sure you do not make too many mistakes.
Since RV plastic is similar to plastics you find anywhere else, repairing the cracks on the former can be done by using different methods to fix cracks on the latter.
The reason you will want to fix the cracks is that for some RV brands, the replacement cost is over $250.
How do You Replace an RV Fender Skirt?
The process is not that difficult. You just have to go slow and watch what you are doing. If you don’t you could end up adding some damage to your RV. One of the keys is to notice the location of the fender skirt.
Some RVs have it above the floor line and others have it below. When it is above the floor line, you need to add some extra sealant to ensure that water does not get inside and ruin your flooring. Here are the steps to follow:
1. Use your utility knife to carefully cut the existing sealant- you want to cut the sealant, not your RV’s exterior finish or wall.
2 Once the sealant is cut, start removing the screws. You should work from the outside in to avoid damaging the fender skirt any further. Use your free hand to hold the fender skirt so that it does not fall and break.
3. After the screws are out, and the skirt is removed, clean away any sealant that remains. You need to use a dull-edged plastic tool, a rag, and an adhesive remover to do this step
4. Since fender skirts always come in full lengths, you may have to cut the new piece to fit. When you are in this situation, it means that the original fender skirt has been cut to allow the slide-out to move freely.
Place the old piece on top of the new one, mark a line, and make your cut.
5. Attach the new skirt by lining up the holes and putting 2 screws in the center and working your way outward.
6. When the fender skirt is attached, add your new sealant. If the skirt is attached above the floor line, then you will need to either put sealant on the screw’s threads or in the hole directly.
You want to make sure you have those screw holes fully sealed so water does not get inside your RV.
How To Install RV Fender Skirts
Since we have already provided this information in previous sections we are not going to go into a lot of details here. All you have to do is line up those holes, place the screws in the center of the skirt first, then add the rest of the screws.
Those center screws secure the fender skirt in place so you can match the holes and put the rest of the screws in quickly and easily. Then add your sealant and that is all there is to this task.
RV Fender Skirt Bracket
There is a fender skirt bracket often called the fender skirt support. This bracket helps support the lower end of the skirt to keep it from being damaged as you travel.
How many screws go into the bracket will depend on the RV maker and Keystone, on one of its models, uses only one screw to hold the skirt to the bracket.
That should be all you will need as the skirt is very light and it is held in place by the upper screws. The brackets should be bent metal pieces that also screw into the frame or undercarriage of your RV.
If yours breaks or goes missing, then you can use a variety of straps to hold the skirt in place and give it support. One RV owner used a pipe strap to replace the one he lost and it has held up for years.
RV Fender Skirt Screws
To be honest, screws are screws. While they all have different purposes, some have multi-purpose flexibility and can be interchanged with other screws. If you want to have the same screws for all your fender skirts, there is something you can do.
Take a screw out of an existing skirt and take it to your local hardware store and match them up. There is no harm in changing the screw as long as you get the right length and width.
You do not want to go too long or too short. Nor do you want to go too wide or too thin. You do not want to damage your RV by using the wrong screw.
How do You Measure RV Fender Skirts?
According to Keystone, all of their manufactured skirts come in the same size. If you need a shorter piece, you just overlay the original piece onto the new longer piece.
Then you draw your line and make your cut. For Keystone that is all you need to do. What other RV makers do, may be similar but check to make sure. To accurately measure, you would go from one end to the other and then the top to the lowest part.
You may want to measure top to bottom in other spots to get the wheel curvature but if you are buying a branded skirt, that should not be necessary.
Is a Fender Skirt Necessary on an RV?
There are two main reasons why these fender skirts are needed. The first reason is looks. These smaller parts complete the look of your RV and make it look great.
The second reason is for aerodynamic purposes. These fender skirts help the air flow smoothly and away from the wheel wells. If you didn’t have these fender skirts, the air could get trapped in the wheel well and add more wind resistance to your driving, and other problems.
They may be costly, but they serve an important function and contribute to your overall fuel efficiency.
Some Additional Words
The repair and replacement of the fender skirt sounds harder than it really is. If you are still able to make your own repairs, you just remove a few screws, do the repair, and then put the fender skirt back on.
If you are buying new, all you need to do is remove the screws and the sealant and replace both with the new fender skirt and new sealant. The key is to make sure that the paint on the skirt matches the paint and design on your RV. This is not a time to be different.
