oldie Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 8-) Looks lovely my brothers new Rapido....Mega bucks. This week getting set up for Cruffs he couldn't believe his eyes. All the joints in the cabinets and the doors are coming apart. Anyone else experiencing this?. Surely they should be glued, even the mortice and tenons are pulling apart. Lovely for the start to the season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Get back to your dealer fast while you are still in a position to reject it as unfit for purpose if they cannot make it 'as new' - you have to give them a chance to repair it first. And put everything in writing, even if just to confirm what is already agreed verbally - just in case. Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Is it 'brand new', or just new to your brother? On our Rapido we did find that after a couple of years some of the cupboard door joints 'moved' a little so that you could see the joins a bit, they didn't actually come apart, just a little out of alignment, the cupboards worked okay but obviously we used to notice them being slightly wrong. As the cupboard doors are made from real wood and the frame is different type/thickness to the inner panel this may have something to do with it, especially if there have been extremes of heat/cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I noticed the joints on our Rapido have "shifted" slightly after all this wet weather. The Van has been at 90 % humidity inside despite letting it air. Hopefully the joints will pull back as the weather improves. Rapido is 3 years old so theres little chance of assistance from the dealer. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I'll second what Mel says, put it in writing even if dealer says it will be fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bil h Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Cabinet woodwork movement is due to the damp weather, not a lot you can do about it other than keep the M/H indoors at a constant temperature and nil humidity. Our large de-humidifier made little difference. BB (Rapido 987M) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldie Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 Thanks for the comments. It is a new van ( bought from BH) Will let you know how we get on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Hi - we havea 5yr old Rapido, and not the slightest of movement of this type. doors as good and solid as when first delivered.......only problem we did have was alignment with the hinges and bottom rail, and have had to adjust this somewhat and also put extra 'felt' pad to stop the constant rattling from them. Otherwise we consider van extremely well made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldie Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 Hello Keith, That's interesting , Brothers in Cornwall, where are you? This is his second Rapido, the first one was no trouble at all, in this respect. More than likely I suspect the wood is too 'green'. Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 oldie - 2007-03-08 1:51 PM Hello Keith, That's interesting , Brothers in Cornwall, where are you? This is his second Rapido, the first one was no trouble at all, in this respect. More than likely I suspect the wood is too 'green'. Derek DerekFrom your description of the joints, it's more likely to be a case of glue too old than wood too fresh. It just sounds as though a process was missed in the joinery shop.BH will be the legally responsible party, and you absolitely must notify them of the defect, if possible with pictures.However, if it would be convenient, you may like to try approaching Rapido UK, www.rapidomotorhomes.com directly. They are the UK end of Caravanes Rapido, at Wokingham, Surrey, and several people have commented on how helpful they have been with the odd problem. They also sell the motorhomes.However, as Caravanes Rapido UK, it is possible they may be prepared to take the matter on directly under warranty. If they are as good as the reports suggest, they may be able to get new doors, or whatever is required, out of the factory a bit quicker than BH. After all, if the defect is a clear manufacturing cock up, the responsibility lies with Rapido and not BH, even if the latter are legally liable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Morgan Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Ours is now one year old and is perfect in every respect. Woodwork and all other bits and pieces there have been no trouble, would buy another if I had enough dosh! (7087F) Paul and Ann "worms" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 tonyishuk - 2007-03-07 10:17 PM Hopefully the joints will pull back as the weather improves. Tony, sorry but it never did on ours, although it only affected a couple of the doors fortunately. As for the 'glue' theory, I think it was more to do with shrinkage and expansion than them becoming loose/unglued, as it was clear on the doors that were affected that some of the frame was slightly 'larger' that it had originally been, ie it had swelled a little. :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Quote "They are the UK end of Caravanes Rapido, at Wokingham, Surrey, and several people have commented on how helpful they have been with the odd problem. They also sell the motorhomes.However, as Caravanes Rapido UK, it is possible they may be prepared to take the matter on directly under warranty. If they are as good as the reports suggest, they may be able to get new doors, or whatever is required, out of the factory a bit quicker than BH. After all, if the defect is a clear manufacturing cock up, the responsibility lies with Rapido and not BH, even if the latter are legally liable."I really dont' think that at Wokingham they are the 'UK' end of the French compnay, and as far as I am aware BH import direct from France, not via Wokingham. On this basis, any warranty work is the responsibility of the supplying dealers (BH), although from what I have heard, Wokingham may well be better and more efficient at getting the parts. However, I can see no reason why they should or would take on warranty work for another dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Natural wood shrinks/expands across the grain - that's why (though it may look great) it's not such a brilliant material for motorhome furniture. The locker doors on my Herald were constructed with traditional glued, jointed wood frames and most of the joints separated over time and needed re-gluing. Shouldn't happen with a new motorhome though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Keith T - 2007-03-09 12:19 AM Quote "They are the UK end of Caravanes Rapido, at Wokingham, Surrey, and several people have commented on how helpful they have been with the odd problem. They also sell the motorhomes.However, as Caravanes Rapido UK, it is possible they may be prepared to take the matter on directly under warranty. If they are as good as the reports suggest, they may be able to get new doors, or whatever is required, out of the factory a bit quicker than BH. After all, if the defect is a clear manufacturing cock up, the responsibility lies with Rapido and not BH, even if the latter are legally liable." I really dont' think that at Wokingham they are the 'UK' end of the French compnay, and as far as I am aware BH import direct from France, not via Wokingham. On this basis, any warranty work is the responsibility of the supplying dealers (BH), although from what I have heard, Wokingham may well be better and more efficient at getting the parts. However, I can see no reason why they should or would take on warranty work for another dealer. KeithI checked, and you're quite right. My apologies for the misleading information.Caravans Rapido are a long established, indeed the original, importer of Rapido caravans into UK, from before their motorhome days. However, despite their long standing ties with Rapido, they are independent importers and dealers and have no proprietorial relationship with rapido.If the faulty van came from BH, therefore, I'm afraid it is to BH it must be returned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bil h Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 We were at Wokingham last week. Very helpfull. The Rapido 'mechanic' (Anthony) from France was also there, he's another very helpful guy. We had a window question to which he instantly said "replace". However one of the smaller items, the 2 or three stage window hydraulic tubes have been modified with not so many stop positions now. And who remembers the 12v 14 w bulb fiasco last year (mistake in the book) He said Rapido were not aware of a misprint as no one had queried it before. BB for bil h Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 bill h: I remember the 12V 14W bulb saga vividly. Is it being crass to point out that, although it was eventually admitted by Rapido that your motorhome's handbook contained a misprint and that the parking light bulb you needed was actually 12V/4W, the strong likelihood this was the case had been suggested within a few days of you raising the issue on this forum? Not only did you choose to ignore the clear possibility that the handbook might be incorrect, but you were adamant that the bulb was 14W because you had confirmed this by checking the markings of the other parking light bulb. Searching the forum on "14W" (omitting the quotes) with a Date limit of 'All posts' makes entertaining reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merc997 Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 we are just about to take delivery of our mercedes 997, which models is this a problem with the fiats or the mercs. (?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 They use the same cabinet work in both Fiat and Merc base vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 MartinI wouldn't worry. I think Derek's instance will prove a bit of a one off. Rapidos are generally very good and, from his description, it sounds as though something went rather wrong in assembly, like they forgot the glue! More probably, since most of these glues are set under UV or similar, the UV source or whatever had packed up and no-one noticed at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnP Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Are all the doors opening up or just the big ones on the wardrobe/toilet etc? Most glues in this type of mass production are set under RF (Radio Frequency) conditions. The glue is subjected to radio waves, a bit like food in your microwave. These components are produced under carefully controlled conditions, in great numbers by very few manufacturers in Europe and the motorhome manufacturer usually buys them in. The most likely cause as Brian suggests is a shortage of glue. Very little glue is needed to hold this type of door together and it suggests to me that it has been missed out all together or has been pushed to the bottom of the joint when being assembled. In the case of the upper cupboard doors the tenons will only be as long as the depth of the groove holding the middle panel. ie maybe 10mm. It will be unlikely that the timber was "wet" at the time of manufacture and then followed by subsequent shrinkage. If it was very wet the timber would almost certainly explode or split due to the RF radiation turning the moisture into steam within the components. (Like baked beans when you overcook them in the microwave) I think that your only recourse is to take the van back to the supplier for them to sort out. Put everything in writing and take photographs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnP Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 I tried to modify my previous post above to say that the shortage of glue was unlikely to be the problem because it involves so many doors. How wide are the cracks in the joints (can you get your finger nail in them )and which joints are affected ? Almost certainly the problem is brought about by natural timber movement. From the description of the fault it does however sound excessive because the components used in these doors are small in their width and thickness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldie Posted March 11, 2007 Author Share Posted March 11, 2007 I do have a photo of a duff joint....can I put it on here? ...Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldie Posted March 11, 2007 Author Share Posted March 11, 2007 Hello John, All the doors and all the cabinets, including the kitchen slide out....Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnP Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Hi Yes it would be an idea to put a photo. I would be interested to see it. Afraid I don't know how to put one on this site. Someone will tell us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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