Hard to Find Pop Up Parts - Repairing Your Door

On our last camping trip, one of our door pegs that hold our door stay in place when it folds down broke off.  The first place that I contacted when we got home was our local RV dealership.  I typically have good luck locating parts and getting the direction that I need from them.  However, after photos and emails were exchanged over several days, I was still at square one.  It's okay.  I don't take it personally, and I am up to the challenge of finding parts if I need to.

According to the dealership, this part is no longer available.  I was just not willing to give up that easily.  I searched quite a bit for this one part before finding Pop Up Parts.  The online store has lots of pop-up camper parts for many different brands and includes older model pop-ups.  

If you are unsure of a part that you need, contact the company.  Take photographs and send a detailed email with the brand, year and make of your camper.  This information will help them to help you.  

Pop Up Parts quickly responded stating that the part I needed was, in fact, one that they had.  For less than $10, I was going to be able to repair my door.  The dealership said I would have to replace the whole door.  This is the main reason I was so persistent.  I just didn't want to replace a whole door for one peg!

The door parts that came in the mail are pegs for the right and left door frames as well as caps for the top of the door.  It's a door frame kit.  I only needed the right-side door peg.  With these additional parts, I have what I need for any additional repairs.  These extra pieces are stored for future use if needed.

Broken door piece

Replacement door piece - clearly marked to make it easy to replace.

The parts are clearly marked and fit perfectly.  I simply unscrewed the piece from the door on the side that had broken off and replaced it with the new piece.  15 minutes, and I was done.  

The replacement piece screws into the door frame easily.  I suggest using a drill to make it go quickly.

Pop Up Parts has everything from lift systems to new canvas.  And, they do answer their emails quickly.  Consider them a resource if you are trying to locate hard-to-find parts.  

Most importantly, don't give up if you can't find what you need from a dealership or from the first place you look for parts.  Sure, it is easy to shop on Amazon or Camping World.  These are great resources that many of us use.  I use both of these retailers.  However, I have had to reach out to lots of retailers to help me find parts for projects.  I've never been able to find everything that I need in one place.

Where else can you find hard-to-locate parts?  For Apache Camper owners, there is an Apache Replacements Store online.   Again, great people!  I was sewing some curtains for an Apache Pop Up Camper on a Sunday afternoon recently, I emailed with some questions about hardware that I was having a time sorting out.  The guy from this company emailed me almost immediately.  

Also, since I originally wrote this post, you can find these door pegs on Amazon.  While Amazon is convenient and most everyone has Prime, there is something to be said for a mom-and-pop business that will answer questions and help you figure out what you need.  I use Amazon for some things.  But, if you have big questions or need something really specific, go for the smaller company.  Paying the extra shipping could be worth it to get the right part the first time.

Having an older pop-up camper can pose some challenges.  Some companies no longer make pop-ups.  Older campers have harder to find parts.  But, there is usually a solution to your problem.  Reach out to other retailers and let good pictures do your talking.  And be patient.  It took me a couple of weeks to get to the bottom of the door peg problem.  But, I wasn't in a hurry.  It was okay.  

Keep a list of retailers that you can count on for parts that you need.  You are probably always going to need to shop in more than one place.  Remember that shopping around and patience can save you money.  We are having to replace our propane pigtail connector.  Walmart has this very part for around $9.  Because I didn't allow enough time, I'll end up paying double for that part at another place because of our camping trip this weekend.  Walmart is another great resource for parts and can have very competitive prices.  

So hang in there.  Develop a list of retailers that you can count on and contact them when you need them.  Also, ask for recommendations if they are unable to help you.  Sometimes they can and will refer customers to other places if they can't help you.  I have done this too.  Persistence will pay off.  A little time and digging will help you to make the repairs and updates you need with ease!