Could This Be Caused By A Leak?

[qtla9111]

The diamond plate the is loose. I had a similar problem with the 189. The water came down the side from the running light and softened the wood along the bottom front. Kind of sloppy workmanship, isn't it?

As you can see, the diamond plate is loose and the nails or staples are missing. This is a 2008 with an aluminum frame, but my question or concern; is this bottom piece made from wood or aluminum and do you think it came loose due to water?

Also, I found some other places and I am wondering if they should be caulked. Take a look and please give me your opinion. (Having suffered from a severe leak in the other FF I am very skeptical and maybe over cautious.)

Where bottom side trim meets the trim coming down along the sides in the front and back.

Trim stop along the side of the slideouts. The trim comes down and goes into the stop, but the stop has no caulk inside. It appears water could get in there.

 

[webslave]

My diamond plate is held down with screws ... Try running a #8 sheet metal screw (SS or Al) up into it to see if it holds...it may have been missed during assembly or just not snugged down and it vibrated out.

Personally, I caulk anything that looks like it ought to be caulked. Don't, however, use silicon caulk. Silicon caulk leaves a silicon coating when removed and if you ever have to recaulk, the new caulk won't adhere. As for the trim stop/cover, as long as the screw through the trim is well sealed, the cover will self drain along the edges and even though water will go down into the cover, it won't do any damage as long as the screw is well sealed.