dwaviation Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 A few horror shots.... If you look very closely you can see the pinhole in the roof that must have been there from new (2007). The entire roof and wall beam have rotted out and have been removed back to hardwood. I'll post my 'fix' a little later once I've got this lot dry... nightmare! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaviation Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 Eldiss Autoquest 115 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Jeeeez!..what a bl**dy mess!?... ...and it's certainly not what you'd expect to be signing up for with a 2007 van.... (Having said that, we had an '07 Compass for a short while and having seen some of the short comings of that, build quality wise, I can't say that I'm all that surprised to be honest... :-S ) Hope you manage to get it sorted(of sorts) and usable.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globebuster Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 There is actually every possibility that the pin hole has been created by the ingress. From those pictures it's difficult to surmise the location of the damage, but the tapering would suggest it's in the over-cab area? Based on the staining - even with capillary action it would take a long time to 'climb' that far uphill. I would consider it essential that you check around all the aluminium extrusion/joins over the whole area, and not assume this is the sole point of entry. This butt jointed assembly technique, with an overlaid external capping profile is about the worst construction option ever - peppered with screws, with a cursory cover strip, and if badly executed a recipe for disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaviation Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 The picture is of the inside of the locker on the passenger side, the locker is just aft of the fibreglass low profile overcab. Basically on top of the mid section lounge window. I wondered whether the ingress was from elsewhere but the Heki, the chimney and the bathroom roof vent are all fine with clean, dry wood all round... The screws that hold the wall t' roof seem bright and shiny (you can see them all protruding through the wall). I took the precaution about 6 years ago of taping up all the external seams with thick aluminium metal tape and it would appear that I missed this pinhole with the tape by about 10mm... I shall spend tomorrow cleaning the roof prior to a very close inspection...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 I'm going to agree with Globebuster that the pinhole is almost certainly as a result of the rotting timber and not the cause of the leak. If you look carefully at the outside of the hole is it either in a corroded 'pit' or 'bubble'? The by product of the timber rotting is an acid which corrodes the aluminium and eats its way out, resulting in a hole exactly as you show. Your leak is almost certainly somewhere else nearby and you would be well advised to find its location before replacing any timber or wallboard. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaviation Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 Hmmm, you've got me going now... It just so happens that I took picture of the roof this afternoon but it might be a little overcropped, hopefully it will zoom OK. The hole is in the middle of the picture just above the tape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 Dave.. Here are a couple of links to previous Eldiss /Compass water ingress/corrosion issue "discussions".. : http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Corrosion-of-body-work-on-Elddis-Autoquest-100/32495/ http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/ELDDIS-AUTOQUEST-2010-ALLOY-CORROSION-AND-WOOD-ROT/33446/ (the first one shows corrosion/pitting similar to how ours starting to display... :-S ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaviation Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share Posted December 7, 2015 I have had / still have all of those problems... Our problems started after 18 months in 2009, unfortunately we were on holiday and missed the hab check slot and were promptly ditched by 'Heart of England Motorhomes'... should have moved it on there and then but 25k cash was a lot of dosh and we weren't in a position to trade - still feeling ripped off all these years later :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globebuster Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 From your description of the location, I would also be looking at the transverse joint between the overcab pod and the main roof [assuming there is one] as a point of ingress. Personally, I think flashing over the aluminium extruded cover trim is not the best option here - indeed you could have actually added to your woes. Any moisture that wicks under the tape [and it probably will] invariably gets trapped and could damage the underlying substrate. On the old days, when british vans leaked for a past time, the flashing idea was recommended by many so called specialists - and unfortunately your van is built using the 'old school' method. I wish you well with the project, and by all means PM me if you think I can help... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaviation Posted December 13, 2015 Author Share Posted December 13, 2015 Well this remains a mystery and my investigation continues... We have had more rain than it took to sink cumbria pass over the van in the last few days and I find no leaks from anywhere.... I probably made an error by sealing the pinprick hole beforehand but I suspect the advice given thus far is correct insomuch as the hole was made by ally rot, probably from the combination of wet wood and numerous steel screws sticking into it rather from outside third parties. I also notice a kind of six inch line of starter ally rot reaching forward from the inside of the pinhole which I shall rub down with wet & dry tomorrow - but no leak! *-) Soooo.. Rub down and treat with an etch primer, seal with my thick aluminium metal tape, insulate with some foil backed warmaline - Then wait an see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 Hi... As Globebuster says, check the moulding which covers the main roof seam.. Is it possible that the rain gets driven in whilst driving?...or that when parked a certain way around, it "pools" at the seam?... I know the moulding on our low profile 120, was particularly lumpy and nasty looking, and if we had kept the van, it would have definitely been something that I would have needed to work on... Can I ask, what prompted you to run tape over the external seams 6 years ago, when the van would've only been a couple of years old?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaviation Posted December 16, 2015 Author Share Posted December 16, 2015 We bought the van in 2007 and used it a lot for the first 18 months or so. In the second year we realised that we were in France during the 'Hab check' window and our dealer who was somewhere adjacent to the 'Heart of England' didn't want to know... Hey ho we thought, not the end of the world.... that is until we discovered horrendous damp in this same locker - If you look at the second photo, that stain next to the wall that reaches almost to the shelf was what we found, with the same amount of ingress on the other side of that wall in the overcab area... We'd owned the van for less than 18 months... It was then we discovered that our 'dealer' was not an authorised Elddis dealer and could not have undertaken the repairs anyway, it looked as though it was going to cost us a lot of money and we would lose the van for a considerable time if we booked it in for a repair (anywhere) We had spent a long time planning for a six week tour of the Peloponnese and our thought process was simply to effect our own repair and dry it out fully in Greece... Which we did and that's when the aluminium speed tape was applied to all the seams (we use it in the aviation industry and it's good for about 500 knots) The tape has done a great job but I'm guessing that the frame was not dried out properly and has, over the years, attacked the roof - pinprick hole, more water etc etc. I noticed something was up this summer with slightly dark staining in the locker roof, the photos show the rest... Since that repair six years ago we have become intimately acquainted with the thing, fridges out for sink leaks, bathroom out at least three times for leaks or dodgy tap replacement, the latest was the tip up sink hose coming adrift from the plughole (inside a sealed sink) Cracked and removed shower tray, boiler heater element replacement, complete bed rebuild, wheelarch rebuild after water ingress... the list goes on But despite these trials, we have toured France every year, had a great holiday in Greece, done a battlefield tour bouncing cross country down some very dodgy lanes, used it extensively in the UK around Scotland, Ireland etc, it has served us well during bathroom renovations and bedroom makeovers - we wouldn't be without it - We now have the opportunity to buy a very expensive Hymer, Dethleffs, Knauss or whatever. Are we going to? not a chance...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 .."...we have become intimately acquainted with the thing...". I like your turn of phrase Dave.. (lol) Hats off for sticking at it...once it's all done to your standard, I'm sure it be great (after all, by the sounds of it , there'll nowt left of the original van to fail?.... (lol) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 dwaviation - 2015-12-16 5:31 PM Since that repair six years ago we have become intimately acquainted with the thing, fridges out for sink leaks, bathroom out at least three times for leaks or dodgy tap replacement, the latest was the tip up sink hose coming adrift from the plughole (inside a sealed sink) Cracked and removed shower tray, boiler heater element replacement, complete bed rebuild, wheelarch rebuild after water ingress... the list goes on But despite these trials, we have toured France every year, had a great holiday in Greece, done a battlefield tour bouncing cross country down some very dodgy lanes, used it extensively in the UK around Scotland, Ireland etc, it has served us well during bathroom renovations and bedroom makeovers - we wouldn't be without it - We now have the opportunity to buy a very expensive Hymer, Dethleffs, Knauss or whatever. Are we going to? not a chance...! There's something to be said for old style building techniques ;-) .......... If you have the DIY skills :D ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaviation Posted December 24, 2015 Author Share Posted December 24, 2015 Just to wind this thread up. After priming the affected area inside with red primer I noticed a 5mm red spot on top where the paint had come through.. How I had not noticed it before remains a mystery as it coincides perfectly with the main area of wet inside. So we are now all primed, taped and insulated with a new spar installed - expanding foam (everywhere) in the voids, trimmed, painted and a T&G plastic board installed in the cupboard to make it all look neat. Overall we are very pleased with the result. Did I mention that my lower door hinge just snapped... :-S Merry Christmas :-D I'll upload the final result when able in Jan :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebeaches Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Thanks for the update - hope it's all sorted now. Unfortunate, concerning your lower door hinge. Trust you can get that fixed too. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will H Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Your dealer probably knew all the problems and hastily made his decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwaviation Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 Ta Da........! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 'Looks very neat Dave ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Better than new........and how much would it have cost at a dealer I wonder? ;-) .......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chello Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Hi original photos looked as though you were in a loosing battle, but finished work looks great,shows you should never give in , theres always a way if you persevere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjmike Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Very often whilst valeting motor home roofs I come across pinholes very similar to this. The cause is where the roof has not been cleaned properly and moss has taken hold, this then eats into the aluminium and causes pinholes. I am not saying this is the cause of the posters problems just but it may have been. Remember when you can see your roof that green algae does little harm, black moss will eat into the surface, even if it's only small spots so should be removed as soon as possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 fjmike - 2016-01-19 11:34 PM Very often whilst valeting motor home roofs I come across pinholes very similar to this. The cause is where the roof has not been cleaned properly and moss has taken hold, this then eats into the aluminium and causes pinholes. I am not saying this is the cause of the posters problems just but it may have been. Remember when you can see your roof that green algae does little harm, black moss will eat into the surface, even if it's only small spots so should be removed as soon as possible As the saying goes...........A rolling motorhome gathers no moss :D .......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will H Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 My view is that there are more problems caused from the inside rather than the outside of aluminium alloy roof materials. Chemical treatments of timber supports can be far more corrosive on aluminium alloys than natural growths on the outside. (not counting bird droppings). I assume than the underside of alloy roof skins are not coated with an etch primer, (perhaps they should be) as has been carried out by David Williams in his excellent repair. Knowledge gained from his association with the aircraft industry There are of course many aluminium alloys with a higher resistance to corrosion. They have additional elements added in the foundry mix and in their final process into sheet they are produced in a sandwich form, but they all add an extra cost, as would using a thicker material, and this alone may cause assembly difficulties. Unfortunately perhaps for the end user its all a matter of saving money ! PS The sandwich form can consist of differing layers of alloy mixes designed for a specific purpose, toughness bendability etc. Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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