Repairing an RV Door: Rot and Alignment Issues

The most common issues our members encounter with their vehicle’s exterior doors are misalignment and rotting. We’ve received numerous questions about these two problems, so we wanted to take a few minutes to show you how to diagnose a damaged or improperly aligned RV door. In this quick lesson, RV maintenance expert Dave Solberg and RVIA Master Technician Steve Albright explain what you should do when you notice rotting in your door and teach you how to make minor adjustments to your door to ensure it’s properly aligned.

Taking Care of Your RV Door

Our experts begin by talking about the typical cause of RV door rotting. Most often, rotting comes from moisture leaking into the cracks of your door. And because doors are usually provided by OEMs, your easiest solution is to simply replace the door. You’ll have to work too hard to clear out and repair the rotted material, so your best bet is a fresh start.

Next up, Dave and Steve show you how to check the alignment of your RV door. For any number of reasons, including road vibrations, exterior doors are prone to shifting on their hinges. When this shift occurs, you’ll notice more and more wind leakage. This can raise your energy costs and make your journey significantly less comfortable.

To diagnose the issue, Steve recommends that you check the entire door for tears and cracks in the weather stripping. Do the same for the tightness of your door’s hinges. Misalignment can affect all four sides and corners of an RV door, and there’s a simple solution for counteracting each shift. For top/bottom shifting, in particular, Steve has a handy trick that utilizes a 2×4 and a light dose of pressure. But be careful—push too hard and you can worsen the damage. Take advantage of our helpful tips, and you can solve any problem that might arise with your exterior door!