Cracked shower tray

[Guest peter]

As title on Rapido 710f. Has any body tried to repair one and if so what did you use. I was thinking of getting a sheet of GRP and fixing it with Epoxy resin to avoid the horrible smell of Polyester resin which will linger for ages. What do you think?

[JMC20_2]

I have a Rapido 962m, which I purchased from Southern Motor home Centre, at Taplow. I noticed some very fine hair line crracks in the toilet area of the flooring. I took the vehicle back to SMC and they kept it for a couple of days. They coated the floor with a special compound/paint which they said was specifically made to repair cracked shower trays. They did the whole shower tray and toilet tray, and it now looks like new. There was a very slight odour after the job was finished, but I was well impressed with the result. Sorry about the delay in answering, but have only just registered. If you contact SMC the man who did the job was Clive, and the Director that dealt with it was Mike Graves. Regards

[hymer]

I had a 2002 Rapido 772F the toilet floor tray cracked after 18 months it was renewed under warranty as were lots of others of that age .I have not heard of anyone repairing one. :D

[Randonneur]

Ours is also a Rapido, 740F, and we have found a small crack in the shower tray. We went back to the dealer yesterday and he suggested taking the shower tray out and putting fibreglass on the underside. He says the shower tray on our van is only held in position by the silicone seal. Not had a look yet. It has been cracked before around the plughole and it has been filled with some type of filler. This was done before we bought the van. We are seriously thinking that we might contact Southern Motorhome Centre at Taplow to see if they can do anything for us next time we come to the UK. Does anyone know about Plastikote spray paint, will this be suitable on a shower tray?

[g4oip]

If you can get the tray out easily then cleaning well and building up layers of glass fibre bandage and resin will give huge strength as I found when I repaired my old Avondale but unless you have a mat down it does loog a bit grot but plasticote should cover it providind yiu prep. the surface well. Alec

[Brian Kirby]

Peter

It seems cracked trays aren't that unusual. 

It seems probable the tray has cracked due to excessive flexing, which may indicate inadequate support.  To cure the cracking for once and for all, you'll need to be able to insert better support.  I agree with Alec, try to get the tray out.

A lot of the shower trays I've seen are only trapped in place by the compartment walls, which simply dress down over an upstand around the edge of the tray.  If you can release the cubicle walls, and the drainage outlet/s, you should be able to wangle the tray out. 

Then you can see what is really going on and repair, or if necessary replace, the tray, sort out the support, and put it all back better than new.  I know it's a load of aggro, but if you try to fix it from the top, and it doesn't work, assuming the tray is leaking, it could cost you the floor! 

Now lots of people will spring up saying I'm being melodramatic, so decide now, while it's still nice and quiet!

[bob b]

I thought I was the only one ! What is it with Rapido's ? My 709F was three years old and had covered just 4000 miles when I noticed some really severe cracks. Fortunately, the dealer replaced the tray under warranty. Incidently, Rapido wouldn't supply my dealer ( Marquis) with a new tray and insisted they order the tray through the dealer that the supplied the vehicle when new (Brownhills). The cost of the replacement tray to my dealer was 500 Euro's !!! Very happy with the service I received from the Marquis dealership and will use them again. Is it just Rapido shower trays that crack ?

[David Dwight]

No bob b, Ours broke around the drain hole last September, we are still waiting for a new one from Swift via Marquis. Out of interest where was your Marquis dealer, we have only had indiffernt service from them. Not even acknowledgeing us when we went to them some years ago and asked about a second hand vehicle. David

[Randonneur]

[QUOTE]Brian Kirby - 2007-04-14 7:41 PM Now lots of people will spring up saying I'm being melodramatic, so decide now, while it's still nice and quiet!

[/QUOTE] Hi Brian, I don't think you are being melodramatic, I had the same thought to try and get it fixed before there is a serious problem. This motorhome will have to last us for the foreseeable future as we are not in a position to change therefore we will have to try and fix the crack. It may be that it is only the top surface and has not gone all the way through but until we can get the tray out we don't know. Unfortunately the base of the shoer is integrated with the wheel arch and the bottom half of the side wall, so may be a little difficult, but we shall see. Anyway, thank you everybody for your help and advice.

[Randonneur]

[QUOTE]g4oip - 2007-04-14 5:03 PM If you can get the tray out easily then cleaning well and building up layers of glass fibre bandage and resin will give huge strength as I found when I repaired my old Avondale but unless you have a mat down it does loog a bit grot but plasticote should cover it providind yiu prep. the surface well. Alec[/QUOTE] Just had an email from Plasti-kote to say that their products are not waterproof. Posting this just for information.

[Wirralian]

Hi Dwight As you seem to own an Ace Milano like mine, I am rather concerned to hear that you have a cracked shower tray around the plug hole. Mine is only just three years old as yours seem to be. Are there other similar vintage Swift Group 'vans out there have the shower tray problems of the Rapidos?! Don't necessarily blame your dealership for the lack of supply of a replacement shower tray. Swift, as I well know take a long time to supply spares. I only needed to replace part of a skirt and when my dealer had no joy with Swifts, I took the 'van direct to Cottingham and showed them the part required. And it still took 4 months from that moment for them to deliver! Getting back to the original thread, I had a cracked shower tray on my previous'van (hence my concern now). I eventually had to take the damaged tray out - not an easy job, and through MMM found a fibre glass firm in Manchester to make me a replacement. It cost £100 and it was an excellent job. I haven't the details readily to hand but can get them if anyone is interested. John *-) *-)

[Guest peter]

Making a Fibre glass one is a good idea, and not that hard to do if the original is good enough to use to make a mould. I don't know why, appart from cost and weight, why the makers don't use GRP.

[Dancer]

There's your answer Peter. Cost, weight plus time. Injection moulded plastic, tuppence a dozen.

[Keith T]

Interesting one this - we've just solod our Rapido privately, and even though we had a deal for it to go p/ex, were going to have the shower tray replaced anyway. It was showing a number of hairline crazing, rather than cracks and some of the 'bobbles' (can't think of a better word' which form the tray were coming adrift. We contact Rapdio Wokingham and ordered the new one, coast around £170 from memory, plus time per hour (estimated by them 3-4 hrs) to fit. Did think of looking at a 'mend' job by a fibre glass company or whatever, but thought it not feasible, so 'budgeted' for this work in our 'selling' price. The last thing we wanted was to get to the dealer in p/ex against the new motoprhome, and home reduce the value by some silly amount, and in selling privately as we did in the end, didn't want any comeback from the new purchser either!

[David Dwight]

Hi further to my piece on the 15th.. I went into the dealer today ready for battle. First spoke to the guy in the front office (showroom) I said exactly what I was going to do if I did not get a satisfactory answer today, (incidently my wife stayed in the car). Ah well you need to speak to the service manager, (buck passing). Can I come with you? er yes. We went to the service dept, he disapears out the back to find said manager, cant find him, but another guy from service comes through, well I think we have had a shower tray come in!!. When unwrapped and checked it appears to be the one. So the vehicle is now booked in for the 30th, shower tray, habitation check, and problem with RCD unit. I am not holding my breath. Why is it when one resorts the last ditch atempt things happen? only problem now is I go into hospital for a week on the 24th. I will keep you posted re the progress of the shower tray. David

[Clive]

The shower tray in the Australian Winebago we hired was not thin ABS but much more substancial. But it was built on a 4600KG chassis. The next time I replace our thin ABS shower tray I intend to built up on the back of the tray a 4mm thick layer of fibreglass. Probably using Epoxy resin as its much more resistant to water that Polyester. Then fit the re-inforced tray into the camper. The GRP will be on the underside so will not be seen. Most of us men frequently stand in the shower tray with boots on to use the loo, this often results in us standing at the tray,s edge, where it traditionally cracks. So its our fault! C.

[Mel B]

Too many choccy bikkies then eh Clive? ;-)

[Clive]

Its the burgers and spinach that do it!

[Brian Kirby]

[QUOTE]Clive - 2007-04-20 10:10 PM The shower tray in the Australian Winebago we hired was not thin ABS but much more substancial. But it was built on a 4600KG chassis. The next time I replace our thin ABS shower tray I intend to built up on the back of the tray a 4mm thick layer of fibreglass. Probably using Epoxy resin as its much more resistant to water that Polyester. Then fit the re-inforced tray into the camper. The GRP will be on the underside so will not be seen. Most of us men frequently stand in the shower tray with boots on to use the loo, this often results in us standing at the tray,s edge, where it traditionally cracks. So its our fault! C. [/QUOTE]

I'm sure you'll know this already, Clive, but in case others may not.......... 

Do check the compatibility of the various plastics and resins.  Some can degrade others, most notably polyethylene and PVC, and the reactions can be quite slow.  I don't know about ABS, so can't make specific comments, but it is just possible that the epoxy resin could cause the ABS to degrade, or vice versa.