Benthosboy Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Howdo all. Having owned my beloved Swift Royale for almost 10 years with barely a scratch, some low-life b*****d had a go at her on Boxing Day night . Such is the joy of living in the a**ehole of the UK, otherwise known as Hull. (and in case anyone is thinking of moving here, take my advice and don't!! This place is without a doubt the most God-awful place to live and other than the A63/M62 which means you can get away from here quickly, it has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Is there any wonder that Hull is thought of as the worst place to live in the UK???? The sooner me and my girl aren't here, the better!!) Rant over 8-) The upshot of all this is I now have a "hole" in the grp outer panelling on the offside. It's shaped like a letter D about 2 inches across and has broken through the outer skin practically the whole way around, apart from what would be the straight side of the "D". I've been onto my insurers and they've arranged to have a local repairer look at it and give me a quote. Has anyone any idea what's involved in this sort of thing, ie prices, times , quality of finish, etc. Bearing in mind that I have a £100 excess for malicious damage, and the 'van is almost ten years old, I don't know if I should do it myself and stick a decal over the repair? Thanks in advance. Martyn. (Forgot to mention, as a result of this the 'van is now going into storage and I've quadrupled my efforts towards getting away from this cess-pit of a town >:-) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panagah Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Sorry to hear about your problems. Firstly Hull, well I have always thought it such a nice place, manely because you can put the van on the ferry and bobs your uncle, wake up in the low countrys. As for your fix? depending on the size, it's not that difficult for a competant DIYer if you are ok with not getting an a1 finish and going to use a graphic. Unfortunately it's not just the £100 excess its the loss of noclaims bonus even if you do have protected your policy still gets loaded. so dependant on size, have a go yourself. There is a place in southport I know that does all the stuff you need but its name escapes me, try googling GRP repairs and Southport, I think they specialise in boats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob b Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 That is infuriating. Sadly it could happen anywhere in the UK these days.I've got a Haynes manual called The Car Bodywork Repair Manual by Lindsay Porter. There is a section on glass fibre repairs.....well detailed.I would have a go at the repair myself. The cost would be well under your excess. As you say, you can always put a decal over the repair if you can't get an invisible fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 The repair is not difficult but getting a god finish at the end of it is and does take a bit of skill/practise/experience. Why not speak to the guys at your local motor factors as usually someone at these businesses knows a bit about repairs and will advise and supply the filler (possibly flexible?), matting (if needed for reinforcing?) suitable abrasives ( I would use coa**e (oh dear should have said rough!) production paper initially followed by fine wet and dry used wet to get a perfect surface), and a can of suitable spray paint to match. The surface prior to painting is the key as any tiny blemish will show up like a sore thumb when the paint dries if it is not perfect. If you can't match the paint to an aerosol then you may have to either consider spraying the entire panel or getting a professional to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Hi, try this method:- Shown to me by my brother who is a GRP (fibreglass) boatbuilder. Put 2 self tapping screws into the D shaped piece and then put some clear fibreglass resin around the edge of the hole and the D shaped piece and then, using the screws as handles, pull the D shaped piece back into its correct position until it is set, about 20 mins at 20*C. You could also use Plastic padding instead of fibreglass resin, but this is grey. Paint or a sticker will complete the job. PS, you may have to slightly trim the D shaped piece or the hole and the can be done, obviously before you put any adhesive on as above, to ensure a good fit. The job will then be totally waterproof and sound as a bell. Good luck Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 If you intend keeping the van for a long time and go down the 'screw' route for reinforcing, it would be best to use stainless steel screws to avoid corrosion splitting the filler. BZP (bright zinc plated) screws look good in the box but they are rubbish at preventing rust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 The screw route !!. The screws are intended to act as handles to allow you to pull the D shaped piece out to its correct position and to hold it while the glass fibre resin sets. The screws are then removed. They do obviously leave two small holes which need filling. If you have a small sucker, one of the ones with a handle to set the vacuum, or even use a Sat Nav sucker ( the one that holds the Sat Nav to the screen) then screws will not be needed. It all depends on the amount of suck required. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coachman Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I reversed onto a low barrier in our Bessacar and done damage which the well known southern dealer said it cannot be repaied and would have to order a new bumper. I showed it to a motor repairer and asked can you repair ABS and he replied its plastic is'nt it ,so at £ 75 he done an invisible to the eye repair which saved my excess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Bethosboy So sorry to hear of your damage, I assume the 'van was parked on the road? I come from Hull and lived there until 1993 when we moved to Cottingham, only because that was where the type of property we wanted happened to be located at the time. Hull itself has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, it is not a bad place to live, the cost of living is low compared with lots of other areas, yes it does have some questionable areas and even the good areas have idiots living in them ... but that is the same as any town/city in the UK, or anywhere for that matter. We had our van vandalised in a little place in Holland (bricks thrown at it at 3.00 am!) so I empathise with how you must be feeling. We took ours to a place in Hull on .... They did a very, very good job of repairing the damaged bumper, passenger door and hole in the aluminum side panel and were a lot cheaper than a 'dealer' repair. They are called FM Caravans - this is their website: FM Caravans Give them a call and get a quote from them, they may even suggest how you could repair it yourself. You could also try contacting O'Leary motorhome at Plaxton Bridge (between Dunswell and Beverley) who could probably supply you with the materials you need and again offer advice. O'Leary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 mike 202 - 2008-12-30 11:59 AM The screw route !!. The screws are intended to act as handles to allow you to pull the D shaped piece out to its correct position and to hold it while the glass fibre resin sets. The screws are then removed. They do obviously leave two small holes which need filling. If you have a small sucker, one of the ones with a handle to set the vacuum, or even use a Sat Nav sucker ( the one that holds the Sat Nav to the screen) then screws will not be needed. It all depends on the amount of suck required. Mike Ah So - my misunderstood! Thought you meant to leave the screws in place to give the filler something to key to if it was to be quite deep/thick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Hi Tracker You have made a good point, if the dent cannot be pulled out then your idea of stainless screws to provide a key for the filler is a good one. Great thing about the Forum is that we all learn something every day. Happy new year to all - Mike (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansmithofotley Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Hi Martyn, I am a dinghy racer. Many racing dinghies are made of GRP and the people that make them and repair them are usually very skilled in using GRP, etc. You could try a local boat builder for a repair. Here is a link to one which is not too far from you: http://www.butlerboats.biz/ Ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Martyn, There are two distinct parts to the repair: (1) repairing the hole in the GRP and, (2) applying a thin coat of gel coat which is what is used, instead of paint, to stop water getting into the GRP - which is hygroscopic or moisture absorbing. In your position I would go to a chandler's and buy the job done as suggested above. If you want to DIY it then buy a Plastoc Padding repair kit from the chandlers which should contain both the gel coat and the necessary for the basic repair. But make sure the kit is in date as gel coat does go 'off'. Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 We met a young man in France at the free Aire beside the Canal is it Chalon De Sur ?? Im not sure my memory is terrible for names! anyway he was asking about our bumper (it was on van when we bought it) He showed us photos of a great hole in the back of his van that he had hit a bollard, friends of his had repaired it and you couldnt tell at all! We also met him again in Germany on a Stal, Im sure he comes on this board so if he recognises himself Hi :-D and maybe he could put you in touch with his friends they did a fantastic repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbow-Chasers Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 If you are inexperienced then a boat builder is wise advice - these are even better than a body shop, as they specialise, and can use gel coat as apposed to paint. However, if you do tackle it yourself....this is a quick guide, if you need more detail mail me! 1. push the damaged part out until it pretty much reaches it's original position - the surfaces wont be perfect but fear not! 2. Using a grp repair kit or similar, place the repair patch on the INSIDE of the damaged panel and stipple layers of grp resin mix on 3. apply a number of layers, wet on wet of patching and grp resin. After half a dozen layers (or whatever you feel is strong enough for the panels position) Allow to dry. 4. On the outside, file/grind/sand the cracked edge flat with a slight groove along the rooute of the crack. 5. Fill with epoxy resin (most auto stores stock this). When dry, rub down flush. This strengthens the join. 6 Skim with normal body filler, and rub down until shape is acheived. 7 prepare for paint/gel coat DO NOT ATTEMPT IF YOU ARE NOT 100% CONFIDENT - MESS IT UP IT WILL LOOK AWFUL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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