Leaking windscreen

[P E Jennings]

As you were all so helpful re cruise control can you help us with another couple of problems. We have a Hymer A class B544 registered May 04. Water comes in via the top right hand corner of the windscreen. We've had it resealed twice now but the rubber seal lifts after a time. Has anyone else experienced this problem. Is the only solution to have the windscreen refitted.

 

[Thai Bry]

Hello Peter & Enid

We've been Hymer owners for a number of years now & lucky for us we've never encountered this problem.

It sounds - from your description - that the rubber seal around the windscreen may now have perished slightly.This might be as a result of either age, or prolonged exposure to strong sunlight but at only 4 years old I find baffling, and also the weather we've had here in the last year I would also be at a loss to explain.!!

So just by resealing it , it will only help for a short while until the rubber seal lifts again.

Might be best to have it removed and refitted.

Sorry I can't offer any more useful advice.

Thai

[vaila2]

If it was my van, I would try some Sikaflex between the rubber and the metal, then run a bead along the edge, extending beyond the section which is lifting off.

[Guest peter]

You really ought to get it fixed properly.Because if water is getting in there it will start to rust the screen surround and it will corrode to a hole that you will not see until it is too late. I would do as suggested above and use Sikaflex. Unless it is a bonded screen, in which case the rubber will have to be lifted away before sealing. If it is the screen bonding that has failed I would take it back to the dealer for them to fix it, as this seal should never fail on a properly installed screen. You have to use a cheese wire or sharp knife to cut through that stuff.

[P E Jennings]

Thank you all for your replies. we bought the van at less than 2 years old with only a very low mileage but have had lots of "minorish"problems with it. The leaky windscreen & bathroom tap are the latest to add to the list. We have had the screen resealed twice by a reputable specialist company and were told that it appeared to have already been resealed previously!!! I don't hold out much hope of help from the dealer from whom we bought the van as we are now out of 12 month warranty. The windscreen specialists have emphasised what a difficult job it is to remove the screen but it seems that we will have to bite the bullet & have it done. Wish us luck

[Brian Kirby]

I'm a bit puzzled as to why it should be such a difficult job to remove and re-fit your screen.  Have your specialists explained exactly what they think the problem is?  Might it be because they are not, after all, such experts?  Are you sure you have your bulls**t deflector properly deployed?

True, Hymer screens are larger than car screens, but they are hardly the largest screens around.  Replacing modern coach windscreens must be far more tricky, yet they get done OK.

Their biggest problem, it seems to me, would be to identify and obtain a new rubber seal of the correct size/type.  Removal/refitting of the screen should be straightforward, but I believe the Hymer front end is all GRP.  If the GRP screen locating flanges have been poorly prepared by Hymer, and are distorted, damaged, or of uneven thickness, the seals cannot bed in properly, and the screen will continue leaking until the underlying problem is resolved.

If the screen is bonded the rubber surround is merely cosmetic: the screen has to be cut away, the old sealant cleaned off, and then the screen re-fitted onto new sealant.  Since this type of fixing is fairly tolerant of uneven surfaces, the leak would probably simply be due to poor application of the sealant by Hymer.  If so, new sealant, applied with more care, will fix the problem.

Given a properly executed windscreen surround, none of these actions is really that complex, though some skill is required.  Are you sure you have the right people for the job?

I do just wonder if contacting Hymer UK would be a wise first step, since a suitably equipped Hymer dealership may be required if there is an underlying problem in the bodywork.

[ike]

We have a Hymer 694 ('93 model) and needed a new windscreen fitted last year. This was done by Autoglass (now owned by the RAC?). So it may be worthwhile contacting them if your Hymer route is unsuccessful.