Crack in roof

[Bazhornet]

Whilst giving my m/h a clean over the weekend, I climbed up on top and noticed what appears to be a hairline crack in the roof.

Not having climbed up there very often, I can't say for certain how long it has been there, but there is no evidence of water ingress inside the 'van.

I bought it secondhand from a dealer at the Peterborough show and was supplied with 12 months warranty. My question is, before I contact them, what sort of repair should I expect?

Should I expect a new roof, a panel (or similar) fixed over the crack, or for them to cover it in some sort of sealant which I'm sure will not last as long?

Advice please.

Thanks,

Baz

[Brian Kirby]

Baz

What's the roof made of?

[Bazhornet]

Errr.... At the risk of sounding dumb, I don't know for sure, but would suggest it's GRP.

[Guest Tracker]

Hairline surface cracks are not uncommon in fibreglass bodies and I have had several A/S vans over the years where these appear or were present at purchase.

 

It may well be nothing to worry about but I would get it checked out, and a phone call to A/S might help as they are usually very honest and helpful.

 

 

[Ranger]

Get some "Captain Tolleys Creeping Crack Sealer" and do what it says on the label, it is not the crack that creeps, it is the sealer.

[Mel B]

What van is it please?

[Robinhood]

If it is in fact GRP (the only other common roofing is aluminium, and you should be able to tell the difference!) then cracking in the gel coat (the top 'polished' layer) is quite common.

 

Opinions seem to be varied and polarised on how important it is to repair quickly. At one end of the spectrum is the feeling that if confined to the gel coat, and not the underlying GRP substructure, then it is largely cosmetic (and in the case of an area you can't see every day - like the roof, then it is little to worry about). At the other end of the spectrum is the opinion that eventually leakage will render the substructure porous, and it is worth repairing quickly.

 

As you have probably registered, without access to the rear/reverse side, it is difficult to ascertain whether it is only gel coat, or right through (though, as I've already said, gel coat-only cracking is fairly common).

 

GRP repair, and particularly gel coat repair, is fairly cheap and easy. The main issue is getting a perfect cosmetic finish for visible areas (colour match and polish). This should be less important for you if the area is less than clearly visible.

 

Usually accomplished by drilling the crack at both ends to stop spreading, and grinding out before filling with (pigmented) gel coat filler. (It is possible to overpaint to match, but correctly pigmented filler gives a better result). Sand and polish to finish off.

 

A good repairer should do a single crack for (possibly well) under £100. I had a number of such cracks on my current 'van repaired under warranty, and the cost was in this order - and a very good job was done too.

 

Plastic Padding do tubes of white Gel Coat Filler for not a lot of money if you want to try yourself.

 

Alternatively, you could seal with sealant simply to stop any porosity (and Sikaflex in particular should last, but will be difficult to remove in the future) but be aware the crack may continue to creep.

 

 

[Bazhornet]

Thanks for the advice guys. At least when I take it back to the dealer I won't feel as if I'm being shafted if he only fills it with sealant. It's not going in for a few weeks, so I can keep an eye on it to see if it gets worse in the meantime.

Baz