Leak in our Weinsberg Carabus van

[HelenT]

We were in Norfolk in the dreadful weather recently and we had dripping from the skylight and a wet side wall (above the window behind the passenger seat) - we were not 100% sure if it was condensation or a leak - but we arrived home last night - and after another night of heavy rain with the van parked outside the house we have discovered that there has been another leak - the cupboard above the side window was wet. Does anyone have any ideas about where the water might be coming from? Could a leak at the skylight result in water travelling down inside the lining of the van to the side wall?

Weinsberg say they have a 10 year water ingress guarantee - but I expect that that is for the original owners. The van was a hire van for a year and a half then was purchased by the owners previous to us.

 

Any ideas? How do you work out where water is getting in?

[Conrad]

Oh dear! We're waiting to hear from our dealer about claim to Chausson for leaks in our van, only 18 months young, so you're not alone by a long way! Sorry to say, but chances are there is more damp than you can see or feel, could well have spread into the fabric of the wall/ceiling. I'd guess your most likely source is the skylight (pretty stupid really, making a big hole in the roof.....) or external join between roof and wall - you may see a crack or even missing silicone.

 

A technician will use a damp meter for annual habitation check, you can buy them cheaply enough. Just have to be brave and not worry too much about the tiny holes it may make, as you need to press the prongs in to get a reading. Generally, less than 15% is ok; ours were up to 90%.

 

Regarding the warranty, suggest you need to check any documentation you have, or look at the maker's details on-line. I'd expect the cover to transfer from one owner to another. We hit a snag, as Chausson have a stipulation that annual checks are done by their recognised dealers, didn't accept the one done by another, even though they are NCC registered.

[EJB]

A leak around the roof can appear anywhere inside....many times it is not at all obvious where it's from except it is normally above any wet patches.!

Usually the guarantees depend on a habitation service record being up to date. However I would pursue the retailer you bought it from if purchased from one...or Weinsberg if not.

On some occasions manufacturers will assist.

Good luck.

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

Helen's Carabus 541 motorhome is a panel-van conversion (PVC) based on a short wheelbase Fiat Ducato (the 541 model was evidently built on a Ducato X290 or X250 chassis and I don’t think Helen has ever said how old hers is).

 

Anyway, as the vehicle is a PVC with an all-metal body, the lilkelihood is that significant water leakage at high level will be from a rooflight.

 

The Weinsberg 10-years watertightness warranty seems to have first applied to 2018 model-year leisure vehicles. Validity will depend on an annual inspection being carried out by an authorised Weinsberg agent. I would have thought the warranty should be transferable owner-to-owner within the 10-year period. Helen should have documentation that details the warranty's terms and conditions and indicates if the annual inspections have been performed.

[Brian Kirby]

Derek Uzzell - 2020-10-04 2:32 PM.............. Helen should have documentation that details the warranty's terms and conditions and indicates if the annual inspections have been performed.

If Helen's van was bought from a dealer, and the warranty terms were included with the manuals etc. handed over at purchase, then she may have some rights against the dealer - but it should then have been reasonably clear whether the necessary inspections had been completed. If the records are complete, but depending on the time elapsed since purchase, it may still be possible to invoke the warranty - but this would almost certainly have to be through an official Weinsberg dealership.

 

If the van was a private purchase, AFAIK, there can be no comeback on the seller but the same caveat as above applies regarding a complete, up to date, compliant, damp check record.

 

First job is to check the Weinsberg manual for the warranty and the damp check record (as that is where these will often be found), or to look for a separate warranty booklet.

 

Second job irrespective of the outcome of these checks is to get the van under cover to prevent further ingress.

 

Third job, depending on the results of the searches, either immediately notify the nearest Weinsberg dealership of the leakage as required under the warranty, or book the van into an NCC or other recommended workshop for the source of the leak to be identified and repaired.

 

Re-sealing the rooflight - if it is confirmed the source of the leak - will require its removal, removal of all existing sealant, application of new sealant, and re-installing the rooflight. I would strongly urge against the "silicone around the edge" remedy, as it will probably only fail again.