RE: 96 Coleman Sun Valley

[Matt]

 We are wanting to upgrade to a bigger newer pop up than what we have now. A friend of ours has a 96 Coleman Sun Vally that is in good shape. The only problem they have had was the roof sagged from the A/C unit. He instaled a brace bar on the roof that fixed the problem.
 
 We are both 41 and will have two kids in college and one 12 year old at home. We try to camp at least twice a month. Most of the time it is just us. We looked at a Bayside and REALY LIKE IT but we think it is just to big for just the two of us.
 
 Any comments or suggestion would be appreciated

[Y-Guy]

 Matt
If your friend is the original owner of the Sun Valley they can have the roof replaced most likely.  If he just installed his own brace I would be leary of buying the PU though.  To me, the key is ease of setup and storage.  The big trunk on our Niagara was really nice to have to take stuff along.  Have you looked at the other Coleman floorplans to see which suit you best?  Do you want a couch, slide-out, shower?

[tlhdoc]

 Matt
Y-Guy is offering some good advice.[]

[Tim5055]

 Matt
Y-Guy is correct --
 
 
 Here is the history of the Coleman ABS roof, and before anyone thinks I hate the roof I don t.  I ahve one and love it.
 
 Coleman introduced the ABS (plastic) roof in the 1996 model year. During the early years of introduction the ABS roof was included on almost all Coleman Pop ps, including some in the Destiny series. If you are looking at a 1996/97 Destiny series, check the roof for type.
 
 Coleman manufactured the ABS roofs themselves in their Pennsylvania assembly facility. It was soon found that some roofs began to ?sag? for unknown reasons. The first thought was that the A/C unit caused it and they had dealers retrofit A/C installed units with a metal bar inside the camper to provide additional support. This bar was added as a regular item to ALL pop ups manufactured sometime in 1998 and a retrofit kit was made available for all older units. The absence or presence of a bar in a pop up does not denote a " new"  roof.
 
 They continued having problems and other factors were investigated, such as exposure to heat. It appeared that pop ups in warmer climates experienced a greater number of ?sag? cases than cooler climates. Coleman tried different formulations of ABS plastic but roofs continued to sag. Additionally, the problem appeared more in 12 foot box pop ups than in 10 foot boxes.
 
 The final cause (as well as anyone can like us can figure out) is that roofs manufactured under certain climatic conditions (temperature and humidity) did not allow the ABS plastic to cure properly. It was these roofs that eventually sagged. The number I hear thrown about is that 10% of the ABS roofs manufactured were bad. I think this number is a little high, but who is to know other than Coleman.
 
 Sometine around 1999 ? 2000 Coleman finally stopped making the roofs themselves and began buying ABS roofs from an outside. At his point the the sagging problem seems to have lessened o s degree or disappeared. Now those roofs being supplied by the outside vendor began to exhibit other problems, which have been chronicled on the PUT forums.
 
 They include:
 
 Delamination: Part of the ABS plastic delaminates from the core of the roof and a blister forms on the surface.
 
 Bowing of front & back seal: The seal area of the front and back portion of the roof, where it contacts the box in the down (or travel position) bows up sufficiently to allow water penetration during driving in rain. This condition appears to go away after 24 ? 48 hours sitting in the down position. Some believe that the ?shepherds hook? used to push out the bed end canvas pushes up into the seal during use and bends it out of shape. At least 2 differnet styles of seals/gaskets were introduced in an attmpt to correct this problem.
 
 Both of these problems appear to be limited to a small number of roofs.
 
 If you are the original owner of a Coleman pop up defective ABS roof you have nothing to worry about. The ABS roof has a lifetime warranty. Second and subsequent owners do not have the protection of a warranty, but as has been reported by some people Coleman seems to be working with these owners to find a solution. The most common solution that has posted here is that Coleman will supply a new roof to a Coleman dealer if the owner will pay shipping and labor for the installation. They will not ship one to an owner for self installation. Parts prices for the roof itself have been posted at between $1,200 and $2,000 with shipping and labor running between $700 and $900.
 
 Starting the 2003 1/2 model year, Coleman is phasing the ABS roof out and replacing it with the new AlumiTite Krystal Kote Composite Roofs for the GT and GTEs. When the supply of ABS roofs is depelted warranty replacement roofs will only be the new style.
 

[Tentcamp]

 Matt
We LOVE our Sun Valley!  If the original owner can get the roof replaced it is a great camper...[]