misty Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Has anyone had this problem.we have a 2005 Rapido 7087. a few months after the 2 year warranty ran out.we noticed the side panels at the side of both cab doors where the rivits go in were cracking also both steps.after a few phone calls and a few months wait.Rapido told Brownhills they would supply the panels free .but only Brownhills had to fit them .cost to us £800 or more for labour.so did not bother.but we do need to do something about it. but what. has this happend to you .if so what did you do about it. hope someone can help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 the over cab moulding on my euramobil started the have creaping cracks from an edge (2 of them each side) I stop drilled (4mm) the end of the cracks and siliconed. The cracks havent continued now, so it worked. This is fine for the top where you cant see them, but not very nice on the side panels, but would probably stop them getting bigger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misty Posted April 9, 2009 Author Share Posted April 9, 2009 thanks for the advice did not expect a reply so quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I know where you mean the cracks are, as I have a Rapido myself. They are very close to the edge of the moulding by the cab doors. I would think it's only the GelCoat that has cracked because it's curved at that point and the large headed rivets are exerting considerable pressure, so I would make the crack wider with a vee scraper and then fill it with GelCoat filler or white sealant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libby Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Misty, Our Rapido bodywork has many small cracks around the lower parts of panels, at this moment it would appear they are paintwork surface cracks only, not the panels themselves. Regular travelling during cold days can add to bodywork stress cracks occurring when the plastic material is less ductile, rivet or bolt holes can be a typical starting point. Drilling a small hole at the end of a crack as suggested by ‘Handyman’ is a recognised procedure in many trades, aircraft being one. The 1954 Comet crash report explains some causes and repairs relating to cracks. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curly Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Hi Misty just a long shot, if you were considering a holiday in France I would call into Rapido in Mayenne. I have found them extremely helpful, done some small minor jobs for us (not bodywork) but they did say that they normally do major problems. If they did charge I would lay odds that it would be nothing like Brownhills. Just as an aside we had a cracked windscreen this March in Portugal, campers in and about the area said "you are in for a long wait" some had waited for other makes as much as 5 weeks and costing from 3000-4000 Euros. We rang Rapido about our problem they said it would be sent the following day and delivered to a Rapido dealer in Portugal in 5 days and that is what exactly happened, wait for it the labour cost for fitting the windscreen was 40 Euros yes four zero and windscreen 1260 Euros for an A class. The dealer was in our direction of travel so we were delighted. Hope you can be as lucky, all the best and happy travelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handyman Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 only thing with stop drilling is you must get the tip of the crack with the drill hole, or the crack will continue. Best thing is to drill 1 or 2 mm beyond where you see the crack end, then the crack will travel into the hole if you have drilled beyond the crack tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Do they really need to be replaced - I would think a good bodyshop should be able to sort them out. When we had a Rapido we had a stress crack on the top corner of one of our side panel mouldings just aft of the drivers door, similar to what you are describing. Upon investigation by Browhills (still under warranty fortunately!) they found that under the panel was a screw of some such that had been pushing on the underside and cracked it. They removed the cracked piece, sorted the screw out and then replaced the piece, by the time they had finished you could not tell that it had been touched. We had similar problems with our rear bumper side bits, sort of like side cappings - if you wee what I mean! They both developed stress cracks and again these wer sorted and never re-appeared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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