RV’s dashboard is loose. How do I fix it?

Dear Dave,
The right side of the RV’s dashboard has come loose. It shakes up and down on rough roads. What do I need to take out to reattach it? Any ideas on where bolts or screws are located? Is this a safety item that should be reported? —David, 2018 Holiday Rambler Vacationer XE 

Dear David,
Without physically inspecting the dash and substructure, I can’t determine if it is a safety issue or not, but it does need to be addressed. The challenge with many units on the market today is the roller coaster ride we have had in the past 10+ years with so many manufacturers going out of business and others being bought up just to secure the name.

Holiday Rambler support

Holiday Rambler has a revolving front door of ownership for many years. I remember when they were owned by Harley Davidson back in the 1980s! Today they are part of the REV Group, so you might want to contact their owner relations department. You can reach them here:

• Phone Support: 800-322-8216
• Email Support: rvsupport@revrvgroup.com

If you go to the REV Group website, it states that factory tours are available either in person or virtually. I signed up for the virtual tour and got this link.

The video covers the diesel pusher models and shows how they have engineered a Titan Bridge for the foundation. They use “Huck^® Bolts” to secure it to the chassis, which also includes the front cab. However, the video stops and states that Chapter 2 – Floors And Sidewalls is next but it doesn’t go there and the comments state the same.

Where to ask for help

I did send a request to their customer service department for assistance, but have yet to get a response.

They will want to know what part of the dash is loose and if it seems to be worse at any specific time, such as driving on a rough road, and can you physically move it up and down when stationary? Sometimes what seems to be a noise in one location could actually be something like shocks or other chassis components that are loose or making the noise and resonating up to other components. So it is important to verify the dash is actually loose and is the culprit.

Most dash pads start out with a hard plastic or fiberglass molded underneath structure with a padded vinyl top. It has brackets fastened to the underside with an industrial glue. I know that Winnebago used a green epoxy on their dashes as well as the hinges, and brackets for front and rear caps. It could be the glue cracked in a few spots, or the nuts holding the bracket to the metal substructure are loose.

What to check

I would suggest starting under the dash to see if you can remove the front panels. Here is a picture of the cab structure of a Winnebago Brave we renovated with new flooring. Sorry for the blurry photo, but you get the idea.

By removing the front panels, we had access to the lower portion of the cab structure. This unit also had a tip up pod above the steering wheel that allowed access to the underside of the dash. Since your rig is a gas model on a Ford F53 chassis, you should also have access to seeing the underside of the dash through the outside engine compartment by opening the hood. Have someone inside move the dash up and down and shine a light in the compartment and see if you can isolate the sound or see any movement. Sometimes it helps to get a stethoscope to isolate any sounds that are hard to see. You can find one on Amazon here.

If you can send me a few shots of the dash, we may be able to find other opportunities to see fastening points such as underneath a slide out computer tray.

 You might also enjoy this from Dave 

My RV’s driver side floor is wet but not under the dash. Where should I look?

Dear Dave,
We are on a trip in our RV and I found that the floorboard where my feet go on the driver’s side was wet. It wasn’t wet under the dashboard, just under my feet. We did drive through some rain. Your thoughts? —Diane, 2007 Winnebago Vista

Read Dave’s answer.

Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”

Read more from Dave here. 

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