muffinn Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 H All I was astonished to discover water leaking out of the van having filled and then driven and parked in France very recently. It tuns out that the water tank design in many Rapidos and siting is very seriously wrongly fitted in some of these motorhomes. Users on the web suggest that the tank rubs against an angle iron fitted to locate the seat belts, eventually wearing through the tank - in my case after only 25000 miles! Anyone have experience of this? What next? Presumably repair is out of the question and it's a question of replacement? Incidentally never expect to get any level of motorhome technical support when in France in August! Having trailed everywhere in Brittany to be told "no chance" till September we have come back early to get this sorted as soon as possible. Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 11, 2014 Share Posted August 11, 2014 It would be useful to know where you are, Mike, as it may have some bearing on suggestions for a fix. If this is a known problem, as seems the case from Corky 8's post here: http://tinyurl.com/kmmo4xe it should be the case that Rapido accept some of the cost of repair. However, for that you will need a Rapido dealer. The longest established UK Rapido dealer is Wokingham Motorhomes, who also have excellent reviews for their customer service, but also because they have direct contact with the factory through a French technician who commutes between Wokingham and Mayenne. If they are too far from you to be a practical proposition, I think it would be worth contacting your nearest Rapido dealer to see if any instructions have been issued to them regarding this fault. Failing that, why not speak to Wokingham to see what they know? There will be many more Rapidos on the roads in France than there are in UK, so if this is, as it seems to be, a fairly general fault it is certain that someone at the factory will have have heard of it. I'd have thought they would wish to make some kind of reparation if only for damage limitation to their generally excellent reputation. Corky's tip off came via the Rapido Forum (I assume on Motorhome Facts), so it may also be worth asking on there. There is a suggestion on one string there that Rapido were willing to supply a replacement FOC, providing the replacement work was carried out by a franchised dealer. An alternative might be to get the tank welded, which I understand is possible. Sorry, I have no details on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinn Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 Really helpful. Brian, for which many thanks. I currently have a motorhome engineer at the van and having done the obvious checks is working on removing the tank to more clearly establish where the undoubted leak is coming from...I'll update later. Regards Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinn Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 So three and a half hours to get the tank out with various tests on the way to eliminate possible sources we discover that the tank and more essentially its supports are of laughably inadequate design and like others who have reported the problem and like Rapido in Wokingham who have confirmed it the issue is with the rear (inaccessible!) rear of tank supports. The tanks are held up at the rear by two sections of drainpipe pushed up into a cup shape in the tank and sitting inside cups on the floor. The front sits on a narrow rectangle in the tank against an angle shape which is part of the seatbelt fixing. The tank can move on the floor - nothing holds it firmly in place. The result? Any 5 year old could tell you...is that pressure points exist in the foot design and believe it or not one of the corners has split! When asked can I repair it the answer from Rapido was , "Only if you want to repeat the process for the other foot within a year!" So over £400 in parts at least a day's labour and two weeks lost from a summer holiday! Thanks Rapido - I am so glad I bought a van of such reputable quality! I haven't mentioned that with the August shutdown in France it'll be well into September before I am on the road again. Don't think that three year warranties cover this either! I'd love to hear from others who have encountered this issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Mike, It may come to nothing but try contacting CAK Tanks to see if they can help... Link. They make water tanks for lots of uses and may have a tank to replace yours at a fraction of the cost. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinn Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 Thanks, Keith. Good suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Hi So is the tank out then?...if it is, as well as checking with Cak, would it be worth seeing if it could be repaired?..and possibly "beefed up" where necessary? (..there seems to be quite a few companies that do it, but at what cost I've no idea). Depending on space under the seat, could you "lash up" a temporary, basic water container, whilst it was being sorted? (..so you could still use the van..?) What ever tank eventually goes back in, personally I'd want it's weight better supported(on rubber capped, wide battens?) and with no chance of future "chaffing".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muffinn Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 Thanks for this. My response from Rapido UK is to repair is to do the work again within the year... I also agree that there must be some improvement in the design along the lines you suggest. I have raised the issue with Rapido in France...this is so bad for their otherwise excellent reputation. Everything else we love about this van Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowser Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 How old is your van? If the fault is a) a known one (well the dealers knew), b)existed at the point of manufacture, (ie you havent caused it by altering the original design). then you have up to 6 years to make a claim against the manufacturer under the sale of goods act. I have personaly been involved in a case against Harley Davidson where they effected repairs to my bike under the sale of goods act 4 years after manufacute and a friend a similar time, they eneded up paying for all of the costs, labour and parts, oh and a loan bike for 2 weeks for my holidays, and they paid for the insurance excess for me to take it to France. under some circumstances you can claim after 6 years but its less straight forward. What do you have to lose but a bit of time and £400!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Not entirely sure about the foregoing. Usually, there is no legal come-back upon a manufacturer, as the Sale of Goods Act is limited to contracts between a buyer and a seller: in the case of motorhomes usually a dealer. The manufacturer only comes into it via the warranty, but warranties are not realistically enforceable through the courts. The warranty is a promise by the manufacturer to the end user, with whom he has no legal relationship. However, if the van was bought from a dealer, the dealer does remain legally responsible under consumer legislation for what they sold for 6 years, albeit their share of the liability diminishes over that time. If the van was bought from a Rapido franchised dealer, especially if it was bought new, there is the implied willingness of Rapido to provide the replacement tank at no cost so, if the van is less than 6 years old, it would not be unreasonable to ask the selling dealer to make a contribution to the labour cost. I'm a bit confused about the comment that the Rapido warranty would not cover the tank. If the warranty is for three years, and the van is less than three years old, then, unless the warranty terms clearly exclude the tank, or unless they only cover a limited range of items that do not include the tank, why would it not be covered, parts and labour costs included? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 I need to check my tank shortly. I am wondering if the fault should have shown up in the habitation check, if the dealer / Rapido know or knows about this fault. How much difference having a full, empty tank makes or half-full ? Assuming a full tank would not move too much same with a empty tank With water in the tank sploshing about, the tank would move. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 This is a mid-2013 French forum discussion on the Rapido 'tank-splitting’ issue https://tinyurl.com/y7sj2ha8 The problem (basically, the tank is poorly mounted in the motorhome) seems to be well recognised. I note that one participant in the French discussion (francismartine44), who posted in July 2013 that his 2008 Rapido’s tank had split, posted again in December 2013 to say that Rapido had reimbursed the repair costs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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