Uncle Bulgaria Posted June 5, 2017 Share Posted June 5, 2017 Just received a letter from Hobby in Germany advising me of this Safety Campaign. It affects certain motorhomes built between 2007 and 2012 - the Van and Siesta models built on the Ford Transit base vehicle certainly, but I suspect it might affect other models built around the same time if the same manufacturing process was used although I have only come across Ford Transit based vehicles that have been afflicted. The problem is that the bonding of the panoramic roof window into the cab roof may fail and the whole window blow out. when travelling at speed. I know that at least two contributors to this forum have suffered water ingress or entire window loss due to this problem. My dealer contacted Hobby in 2013 when I reported this possible problem but Hobby advised they were not aware of any issues with the panoramic roof window. In 2015 I came across two other Hobby/ Fendt models with obvious temporary repairs to a missing roof window in the cab. Unconvinced that these incidents were so infrequent that they were no cause for concern I had my dealer apply additional external retaining strips to frame the panoramic roof window in the cab roof so even if the original roof joint failed the roof window would be retained and sealed in position. If you have a Ford Transit based Hobby motorhome built between 2007 and 2012 with a panoramic roof window in the cab roof, and you have not been contacted by Hobby, Germany, or your supplying dealer, you should consider contacting Hobby Caravans at Ambergate, Derbyshire who are undertaking the inspection and repairs. Their number is 01773 853900. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Bulgaria Posted June 8, 2017 Author Share Posted June 8, 2017 Sorry about the typing error in the Subject heading of the original post. (Edit) I've corrected it for you :) (Keithl) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel the editor Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 Hobby has issued the following statement. We will be running a news story online and in mag on this also. It is: Dear concerned Hobby owners, We thought it may be better if we set the record straight and inform you of what has happened and the recall procedure. Speculation is bad Firstly, what has happened… A Hobby owner in Europe was driving along and the unimaginable happened, the over cab roof window in his motorhome blew out! This was reported to an understandably shocked team at Hobby HQ, they spent almost three months trying to find the cause of the problem successfully. The window was supplied to Hobby by the company Poly Plastic and it came as all their products do with a thin polythene film over it for protection, Hobby removed this film and what they were not aware of was that a small amount of the glue from the film was left behind which causes contamination on the surface window, meaning the bonding process wasn’t completely successful. This unfortunately led to the window coming out when the vehicle was being driven at speed. Hobby immediately contacted the authorities in each European country the vehicles were sold to, this included them contacting the DVLA in the UK. At huge cost Hobby asked for the owner’s details for each vehicle effected by supplying the DVLA all the relevant chassis numbers. We were first made aware of this in 2015 when we started working with VOSA and the DVSA to initiate a recall in the UK, a long bureaucratic process as you can imagine. The first letters were sent to our owners in early 2016 and we carried a considerable number of checks on the vehicles effected, Hobby however, felt that there were still a number out there that needed to be checked and they thought that the letters had not reached the correct people, so Hobby paid a large sum of money again to the DVLA for the names and addresses for the registered keepers of all Hobby & Fendt motorhomes built between 2007- 2012 and this is why these letters are now being received by owners. We have a process in place to carry out the inspections for the recall and if any owner needs an inspection arranging we can sort this out without much fuss. Please email your name, chassis number, telephone number and postcode to info@hobbygbi.co.uk and one of our team will contact you to arrange inspection or repair. The Recall Process To make owners aware of the recall process below is what is involved- The vehicle is taken to a Hobby approved repair centre and they will inspect the window and the following will happen. 1. If the window is bonded securely, they will remove the sealant, clean the channel, re-seal the joint and allow the owner to leave after a time allowed for the sealant to dry. 2. If the window if loose, they will remove l the old sealant and window and then the window will have all the old sealant removed and it will be cleaned thoroughly to ensure there is no contamination. The window will be re bonded and new sealant will be applied around the edge and once dry the owner will be able to leave with their vehicle. 3. If, as in a small number of cases the window has come out or is broken, the repair centre will fit a new window. To summarise The recall is on ALL Hobby & Fendt motorhomes built between 2007 & 2012, not as stated above just on Ford vehicles. If you have any concerns please contact us via email not by phone and a member of our team with be in contact within 24 hrs – info@hobbygbi.co.uk The recall process is completely free and will be paid for by Hobby GMBH. If there is a call out charge from a repairer or a postage cost for sealant etc, the customer will be liable for these costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 9, 2017 Share Posted June 9, 2017 Mainly for Daniel, but if you would like to follow this link: http://tinyurl.com/yae6ulc2 you will see that the problem is older than Hobby acknowledge, and that a number of detached and detaching over cab rooflights have arisen in UK, starting, I think, with mine in 2012, all of which, AFAIK, were repaired or re- bonded under warranty (mine was done by Southdowns, who wisely first obtained a replacement unit from Hobby - in case the re-bond didn't work!). The rooflight in mine had a toughened glass outer with a bonded on, slightly smaller, inner of acrylic. Only the projecting rim of the outer was bonded to the over-cab fairing, in exactly the same way as a car windscreen is bonded in, and that bond was formed between the outer edge of the glass outer and the top surface of the GRP over cab fairing, which was recessed locally all around the opening, so that the glass sat flush with the GRP moulding. In this arrangement, there was little scope for any protective film to have left residues on the underside of the glass outer skin. I don't have details available at present, but if anyone wants to know more I should be able to supply in about two weeks time. So, well done to Hobby for picking up on this, but it has taken them rather a lot longer to get around to it than they are presently admitting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted June 15, 2017 Share Posted June 15, 2017 I have just seen an update to this on the MMM news page, apparently Hobby are now using AutoGlass to check vehicles... https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/news/update-hobby-motorhomes-issues-recall-notice Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan k Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 Yes my 2010 Hobby Van had the same problem, the window partially debonded itself on a Belgian motorway and it was the rubber sealing strip banging on the roof that alerted us. It was finally rebonded properly some months later (some Hobby issues re new screen rubbers and some mine about trips to the dealer and concerns from various windscreen people about rebonding the screen and the type of glue to use). So it did get repaired and did us a couple of more years before we decided to change the van at 5 years old alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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