linal Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Has anyone else encountered problems with a leaking roof due to numerous cracks around the rear Heiki skylight above the island bed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Hi Linda / Alan Welcome to the forum. If I were you Iwould get the M/H back to your dealer ASAP, as it should NOT happen, especially on a new van. It will need to be rectified at the earliest as water ingress from a leaking roof will spread over a large area before it becomes apparent inside the van. The insulation between the outer & inner layers of the roof will be water logged by the time you notice it inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Oh agree with Flicka here get it straight back and dont settle till its put right . On a brand new vehicle oh dear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave price Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 also have e769,roof is ok but have crack in gel coat on nearside where roof drains off to left of awning.the dealers marqis tewksbury took no action in 2 to 3 months.spoke to andy from swift about 5 days ago on another motorhome forum and their first day back, appointment booked for repair.Would speak to swift direct as their customer service is second to none. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linal Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Thanks for all the advice,we have already got things moving with our dealer just before Christmas. We assumed it was the Heike rooflight leaking but the dealer discovered numerous cracks around the heike on the roof which has caused the leak. Swift were notified, both by the dealer and ourselves and the dealer put temporary silicone over the cracks to avoid further damage. Apparently Swift queried the cost of repair,according to the dealer, who had to come down and take photos as proof! Anyone any ideas as to what causes these cracks? We have also now noticed that the bathroom door now catches on the oven handle when you open it fully - previously there was a good clearance of at least half inch. We are wondering if this is connected. :'( :'( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave price Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 You seem to have found a dealer who cares,could you name them?They seem to be very rare these days.Just been out to check my bathroom door and when opened level with second cooker knob on left there is 13 to 15mm clearence.You will get some movement but i don,t think to this degree.this time of year,when not using the van i tend to leave heating on low to keep chill and damp out much cheaper than alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Make sure that you get the problem with the catching door sorted at the same time as it might be a sympton of damage to the structure that needs resolving. If the structure has moved to the extent that this has reduced the gap so much I'd be very wary of agreeing to keep the motorhome. As it is, I'd want assurances as to the repairs carried out due to the water damage already caused by the leaking roof. Make sure you are fully informed of what has actually happened and what has been done to permanently rectify it in case of future problems. I hope it all works out for you okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 Try to remember that the van is yours, and the problem is theirs! Before agreeing to any form of repair, insist that they give you full details of what they intend doing, and how. Flicka is right, if the leak is apparent inside, there is a lot of very wet material concealed within the roof sandwich. This should be thoroughly dried, or replaced with new, dry, material. Insulants cease to insulate when waterlogged, and any trapped damp will create a humid atmosphere within the vehicle cavities: the ideal breeding ground for rot. For my money, the whole roof, or at least the affected part of the roof up to a logical assembly joint, needs to be removed, along with all wet insulation, and the exposed structure inspected for water damage. All remaining materials must then be dried to an agreed moisture content, which should be equal to that specified by Swift for their framing timbers, before the thoroughly dried, or new, insulation is inserted, and the new (i.e. not the patched up old) roof panel carefully re-attached and sealed in place. This is not a job for the application of fillers etc, whether resin based or not, from the outside. It is not a job for anyone unversed in motorhome repair on this scale, which may include your dealer. My instinct is that the van needs to go back to the factory to be properly done by those with all the necessary tools and materials readily to hand. This would be the remedy I would be inclined to press for.Glass reinforced plastics are very strong materials and the cracking can only result from poor initial mixing/formulation of the resins, poor layering of the glass mats, inadequate thickness of the roof panel, or severe overload post production. I don't want to be alarmist, and I am only responding to the image your description has suggested to me, but this sounds like a very major repair. I therefore think you should seek the advice of your local Trading Standards department, as a precaution, since it is the vendor, i.e. your dealer, and not Swift, who is legally responsible to you for the repair, and must satisfy you that what they propose is within their competence, and that the repairs will be carried out to your reasonable satisfaction.If push comes to shove, and you are satisfied there is no possibility the roof was damaged while the van has been in your ownership, you should reasonably be able to claim the van was not fit for purpose when supplied and, if the repair proposals do not fully satisfy you, you may be entitled to reject the van: even, in the worst case, suing for your money back. However, although that is the worst case, it will be better to face up to the possibility now, however remote it may seem, and get all your ducks in a neat little row, than to try to recover to that position after bodged and unsatisfactory repairs. Whatever else you do, do act quickly, both in respect of calling for a full written explanation of the proposed repairs, and in talking to Trading Standards. Do also make sure all your significant communications with the dealer are in writing, and do keep careful notes of all conversations, who they were with, the time and date, and what was said or agreed. If any significant agreement is made verbally, confirm it promptly in writing. It may all sound draconian, but if you do end up in court, you will have far better ammunition at your disposal that trying to rely upon memory. Your degree of personal organisation will lend your arguments certainty and clarity, and that will go down well with the court. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linal Posted January 5, 2008 Author Share Posted January 5, 2008 Many thanks, Brian and everyone who has given us advice. We certainly will start pressing for action on Monday when things return to normal after the xmas hols. Have taken due note of all that has been said to us and will stand our guns from now on. Will keep you all posted. PS We still wonder - has anyone else encountered similar problems with such a young van?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TURTS Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I have just stumbled across your problem with cracks on the roof of your bessacarr, i also own a 2007 Bessacarr E795 & have cracks in the roof in the same place, water has gone from the rear heiki through to the front & even come out through the speakers, the head lining is coming down near the front cab in fact it seems to have gone everywhere. Swift have collected my motor home today to take to the factory for an inspection the last conversation that i had with Swift was that before they do any repairs i want to see a full report. It is difficult to know how far they are planning to go with replacing the inside & repairing the roof but i will be standing my ground they have had my hard earned cash. What i really want to know from swift is why there are cracks in the roof,i personally think its because the grp is to thin. Im really dissapointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linal Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 Hello Turts, sorry to hear you are having problems too. Do you mind telling us how long you have been waiting for some action with this. you say your van was taken away yesterday back to swift. We have been waiting for a visit from swift for a temporary repair (we only live a couple of miles from the factory) which they promised would happen last week but did not. Now it is raining again so therfore leaking again. We have been promised the van will go in for repair in march but as with you we would also like to know how this will be done - we dont want just patching up on what is almost an usused new van. Have you also had your wheel spats replaced by thompsons plastics? we have last Friday and the service engineers reported a number of vans were suffering the same problems as us around the country. Would appreciate any further information from you on what swift are planning for your repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Linal, Why do you have to wait so long to get yours repaired ? Only around the corner you say I would be going mad. After all how can you be expected to use it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 We can all be reasonable and make as many measured comments as we like regarding these issues, but the bottom line is that these sort of problems are unacceptable. I've gone in print before to say about an odd screw falling out etc is part of the fun, but cracks in roofs??? What a very poor advert for Swift. I'm particulary angry as we has more or less identified a Swift as our next van. I'm sorry that you guys have got such a bad start with your new vans. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vernon B Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 In a wider context this problem does raise the old chestnut "which are best grp or aluminium side walls" ? When I ordered my Pilote Galaxy the 2002 model used grp, when I took delivery of the 2003 model it was aluminium - neither the promo blurb or the spec mentioned this change. Several months later I bumped into a pre 03 owner who'd experienced leaks to the side windows caused by cracks in the grp. I think I'm also right in saying that Hymer still use aluminium on their range. I wonder if there's an underlying quality/performance problem here with thin section grp or whether manufacturers keep changing their minds simply on grounds of cost? Vernon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 May I suggest that Steve and Alan should establish contact, off forum, and keep each other fully abreast of developments. I assume you both have e-mail, so if you use the private message facility at the top of this page (click on "inbox", but don't expect your messages to disappear as an e-mail would. They don't "leave" your outbox until the intended recipient logs into his inbox and opens the message) to swap your normal e-mail addresses, you can continue your communications in private.Please don't think I'm trying to stop you posting, it's just that there may be things you need to say and arrange in private (mostly about Swift and your vans!) that you would not wish to discuss in public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Brian, Sometimes you are so level headed it hurts! :D Nosey me. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 linal I'd suggest you get streaight back in touch with your dealer/swift and get this seen to sharpish, by March you van will be so soggy it won't be worth repairing. If it was mine I would definitely reject it completely and demand a replacement or your money back - you will never know how much damage has been caused by the water creeping into all the areas under the roof, walls etc. We had a leaky Swift once, water came in the wheel arch and flooded under the side settee - an indoor swimming pool! If I'd know then what I know now I'd have sent them packing with the van pronto. Please get in touch with them on Monday and do not take no for an answer, get it into them next week, even if they don't start working on it straight away they should be able to store it under cover to prevent any further rain getting in. We only live down the road from them too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linal Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 Anyone who is also a reader of MHF forum may have seen our post that we have now received a fantastic service from swift with the problem with our motorhome and all seems to be as good as new. Perhaps there is something to be said for buying British after all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Great to see that you got positive action, Linda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Vernon B - 2008-01-15 5:09 PM In a wider context this problem does raise the old chestnut "which are best grp or aluminium side walls" ? When I ordered my Pilote Galaxy the 2002 model used grp, when I took delivery of the 2003 model it was aluminium - neither the promo blurb or the spec mentioned this change. Several months later I bumped into a pre 03 owner who'd experienced leaks to the side windows caused by cracks in the grp. I think I'm also right in saying that Hymer still use aluminium on their range. I wonder if there's an underlying quality/performance problem here with thin section grp or whether manufacturers keep changing their minds simply on grounds of cost? Vernon Just picked upon this thread, and interested re the comment of GRP v Aluminium. We changed our Rapido (GRP) last year to Burstner which we almost inadvertantly discovered was Aluminium clad sides with GRP roof front (not sure about the rest of the roof!). The dealers confirmed that Hymer were still aluminium, and Burstner has always retained it as well - seems as many on one as the other, and initially I was rather sceptical about ;going back' toAluminium......giuess time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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