Pipkim Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 Our Adria motorhome is 4 years old and we have a problem in completing the closing of a Remis Vario rooflight [900 x 600]. Whilst the actual rooflight will raise & lower, when you came to bring it into the closing position, the ratchet turns as if it is slipping on the cogs. It seems to be that the cable might be the problem. The other rooflight [over the dinette/kitchen area], when viewed from above, shows the cable sitting snuggly within the recess. Whereas on our misbehaving rooflight the cable is outside of it’s recess. I enquired of the supplying dealer what replacement parts were available & I was told “None”! Apparently ours is a Vario 1 but that is no longer produced – neither are spares! Given that the van was supplied new in 2015, I find that astounding! I have checked with Leisure Shop Direct and they confirm the above. It would seem that the only option open to us to have a fully functioning rooflight is to install a new Vario 2 at around £650! I have a local caravan dealer who might be able to advise what options are available to us as he will be able to physically see the issues. Better than a 200+ mile trip to the supplying dealer! Frustrated of West Norfolk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 I notice that lack of availability of spares for the Vario 1 900x600 rooflight was mentioned in these MHFun discussions https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/remis-vario-1-rooflight.128635/ https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/wanted-remis-vario-1-lifting-mechanism.148159/ You might find that, if the mechanism is carefully cleaned and lubricated, this will address the closure problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipkim Posted October 14, 2018 Author Share Posted October 14, 2018 Thanks for those links Derek. I will be having a closer look at what is happening when the cover comes off the van next weekend. If our van was 14 years old I could understand the lack of spares - but not a 4 year old van! PilgrimPhil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 I would guess the Vario 1 (banana shaped lifting arms) was discontinued around about 2012. Just because your van was registered in 2014 doesn't mean it was built in that yesr. Sometimes, it can be a year or so between initial production and first registration. I have the Remis Vario 1 and so far have managed to keep it serviceable by regular maintenance. When closing, you will hear a clicking sound when it reaches the fully closed position. This is the sound of the ratchet mechanism in the handle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Phil’s motorhome is an Adria Coral Plus 670SLT obtained new at the very beginning of 2015. This model was built on the Ducato X290 chassis that only began to be marketed in mid-2014. Consequently, when Phil took delvery of his new motorhome, the conversion would have been carried out by Adria just a matter of a few months beforehand. So, if Remis ceased production of Vario 1 rooflights in 2012, Adria was still fitting them to motorhomes newly built two years later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dawki Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Hi Pipkin Having had similar issues with vario 1 rooflight I would advise you to get rid of it and replace and avoid problem after problem with gearbox and cables etc They are easy enough to replace yourself if you want to do it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 I think this YouTube video-clip relates to the Remis Vario 1 rooflight It really shouldn’t be necessary to replace a complete rooflight on a motorhome bought new in 2015, and the blame for a potential need to do this must rest with Remis for not continuing to provide critical spare parts. Before considering replacement I’d certainly want to explore whether Philip’s Adria’s present rooflight can be made to work properly if the operating mechanism is cleaned and reinstalled and (although the Adria will presumably now be out of warranty) I’d also be talking to the dealership that sold the motorhome about this, particularly as the vehicle seems to have two Remis rooflights. This link https://www.leisureshopdirect.com/blog/how-can-i-tell-which-remis-rooflight-i-need states that the an aperture of 840mm x 530mm in the internal frame is the same for Vario 1 and Vario 2 rooflights, so replacement should be relatively straightforward. It’s definitely not a task to be taken on lightly, though, and I’d want to avoid doing it if I could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 The date of manufacture of the rooflight can normally be found on the internal surfaces in the form of two dials, one indicating the month and the other the year of manufacture. The internal facia panel is held in place with 12 rubber ball and sockets (4 on the long side and 2 at the ends). This can be prised off using a thin flat bladed tool. The age of the rooflight might give you some factual evidence for further discussions with your dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 It may not be of any help to you and you may already be aware of them, but when we lived in Norfolk we always found both Becks at Rollesby and Simpsons at Gt Yarmouth very helpful? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 Pipkim - 2018-10-14 3:36 PM Our Adria motorhome is 4 years old and we have a problem in completing the closing of a Remis Vario rooflight [900 x 600]. Whilst the actual rooflight will raise & lower, when you came to bring it into the closing position, the ratchet turns as if it is slipping on the cogs. It seems to be that the cable might be the problem. The other rooflight [over the dinette/kitchen area], when viewed from above, shows the cable sitting snuggly within the recess. Whereas on our misbehaving rooflight the cable is outside of it’s recess. I enquired of the supplying dealer what replacement parts were available & I was told “None”! Apparently ours is a Vario 1 but that is no longer produced – neither are spares! Given that the van was supplied new in 2015, I find that astounding! I have checked with Leisure Shop Direct and they confirm the above. It would seem that the only option open to us to have a fully functioning rooflight is to install a new Vario 2 at around £650! I have a local caravan dealer who might be able to advise what options are available to us as he will be able to physically see the issues. Better than a 200+ mile trip to the supplying dealer! Frustrated of West Norfolk! Does this problem in closing the rooflight mean that it is liable to water ingress because it does not fully close? If so, it may be worth examining the scope of Adria's water ingress warranty to see whether leakage through a rooflight that cannot be properly closed falls within its scope. You bought a motorhome, not a rooflight, and it was Adria who decided to install this particular rooflight. I do not see how Adria can evade at least some responsibility, especially as, as seems the case, they are still fitting Remis rooflights, albeit of modified design. Remis presumably modified the design because they became aware of the defect you are experiencing, and will have warranted their product both to you and to Adria, and as Adria are still (apparently) fitting Remis products, they would appear to be in a position to apply a little "strong arm" commercial pressure on Remis to repair, or replace, your rooflight. However, you purchased the motorhome from a UK dealer, and under UK consumer legislation that dealer is liable, albeit on a diminishing scale, for the quality of the product he sold for, IIRC, six years from the date of purchase. This liability is not dependent on anyone else's warranty conditions, it is the dealer's legal liability to you for the adequacy (fitness for purpose) of the goods he sold you. I therefore think you are somewhat being fobbed off and given the run around by all concerned. I think you should gently remind the dealership of their obligations as seller, and ask them to press Adria for constructive suggestions as to how this defect might be remedied. It seems to me that if the dealer, Adria, and Remis each take proper responsibility for the circumstances they have, collectively, landed you with, the repair cost to each party would be minimal (though you may need to accept liability for some of the cost yourself, to reflect the four or so years of use you have had from the failed product). Having said this, I would pursue the potential for water ingress due to incomplete closure first, as that should place the full onus upon Adria to make good the defect, and should be a clearer line of argument. If you get no traction in either case, have a word with Citizens' Advice, and see if you can speak to one of their duty solicitors regarding the extent of your legal rights and the various other parties' legal obligations to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 Brian Kirby - 2018-10-18 6:57 PM ....I therefore think you are somewhat being fobbed off and given the run around by all concerned... Philip has asked the dealership that supplied his Adria motorhome about obtaining replacement parts to address the rooflight closure problem and been told that such parts are no longer available. There seems to be no doubt that the dealer’s advice was correct. Philip has stated that "It would seem that the only option open to us to have a fully functioning rooflight is to install a new Vario 2 at around £650!” which is probably right if the present problem cannot be fixed, but Philip has not said that the dealer told him this. Philip (understandably) is reluctant to make a “200+ mile trip to the supplying dealer” if a local caravan dealer can deal with the fault. So, as far as I can see, there’s no ‘fobbing off’ (yet!) and, if Philip wants to progress this through the dealer/Adria/Remis, he’ll need to begin by visiting the dealer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 Derek Uzzell - 2018-10-19 8:21 AM Brian Kirby - 2018-10-18 6:57 PM ....I therefore think you are somewhat being fobbed off and given the run around by all concerned... Philip has asked the dealership that supplied his Adria motorhome about obtaining replacement parts to address the rooflight closure problem and been told that such parts are no longer available. There seems to be no doubt that the dealer’s advice was correct. Philip has stated that "It would seem that the only option open to us to have a fully functioning rooflight is to install a new Vario 2 at around £650!” which is probably right if the present problem cannot be fixed, but Philip has not said that the dealer told him this. Philip (understandably) is reluctant to make a “200+ mile trip to the supplying dealer” if a local caravan dealer can deal with the fault. So, as far as I can see, there’s no ‘fobbing off’ (yet!) and, if Philip wants to progress this through the dealer/Adria/Remis, he’ll need to begin by visiting the dealer To your first point I agree, but that surely referred to repair of the existing unit which, there being no spares to repair it (as I understand the posts), becomes somewhat irrelevant. This leaves Philip with a £650 bill (plus, presumably, labour costs) to replace a rooflight originally supplied by Adria via his dealer on a van a mere 4 years old. This seems to me unreasonable. A pro-active dealer, knowing that the rooflight defect cannot be repaired, should surely have contacted Adria regarding replacement, and Adria - who I'm pretty sure would wish to present themselves to the public as a "customer focused" company (who also know the history of this rooflight), would have "leant" on Remis to supply a replacement f.o.c., stepping in to absorb the cost of shipping and installing the replacement (possibly inviting contributions from the dealer, plus possibly a contribution from Philip in recognition of the four years use he has had from the original). In that context I think the dealer, Adria, and Remis have adopted a somewhat slope-shouldered approach to the problem which they, collectively, have presented to Philip, which comes across to me as fobbing him off, in the hope that he will merely grumble into his beard and pay the full cost of replacement, or soldier on with the defective rooflight to the point at which it (presumably) becomes inoperative, by which time all warranty and other liabilities would have expired. I just don't think that is an acceptable, or reasonable, response. The buyer should not be left to bear the full cost of rectifying recent defects in design/manufacture on the part of others. BTW, I'm still interested to know whether its failure to close properly leaves the rooflight prone to leakage, as when our Hobby suffered leakage through the over-cab rooflight Hobby accepted full liability only a matter of months before the six year water ingress warranty expired. All credit to Hobby and Southdowns for acting promptly to effect the repair under warranty. So, if Philip's rooflight does not close properly, it seems to me that it may be prone to leakage under heavy rain, albeit possibly only when being driven, and might similarly be accepted as a source of ingress that falls within the terms of Adria's water ingress warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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