A very very strong recommendation.

[TheTravellingRooster]

Hi to you all out there. I have just had my twin axle caravan repaired,yes the dreaded cracked aluminium skin and dropped floor at both front corners along with all of the associated 'piggy back' issues that often blight a particular caravan manufacturers products albeit mainly confined to certain model variants since circa 2001.
My caravan was repaired by the team from West Riding Leisure at Lockwood Scar,Huddersfield.
The result is just as I was expecting/anticipating having seen their work and having had them very strongly recommended by a member from 'The Other Forum'.

The 'D' moulds ( the ones that have vinyl glued on) that cover the joints of the ceiling boards and very soon start shedding the vinyl like snakes shed their skins have all been replaced and really do look the business.
The removal and replacement of the internal board and all fitments in order that the aluminium skin repair and associated strengthening could carried out is virtually undetectable but for a very slight difference in the graining of the vinyl skin/print.
The dropped front corners and floor has been repositioned and bonded into place and all new fixings inserted.
The floor was never previously bonded and simply relied on screws going into the edge of the floor for any 'offering' of a fixing.
There was an issue with damp at the junction of the NS awning rail and the cover strip across the front of the caravan front cap. That has all been rectified and affected timbers were replaced.
The integrity of the front locker at both sides is now vastly improved as opposed to the original build that failed along with the dropping of the two front corners of the floor.
All-in-all the caravan is now no longer worth only the scrap value (£900.00) and is now again a perfectly usable and or saleable twin axle touring caravan.

Thank you West Riding Leisure.

 

[Robtel]

Good to hear you are pleased with the work done. Seems to have been a fairly major operation, how long did it take them to complete the work? Any idea of the cause of the problem?

 

[Dustydog]

Excellent news TR.
Such a professional repair to a fundamental design defect can only enhance the value above that of an original!
I've added West Riding Leisure to my list of "Good Guys" should I need help in
that area.
Did they install additional timber strengthening around the door area.?

 

[TheTravellingRooster]

Good to hear you are pleased with the work done. Seems to have been a fairly major operation, how long did it take them to complete the work? Any idea of the cause of the problem?

Hi Robtel. It was indeed a fairly major operation and involved construction new and substantially wider/stronger frame sections to the affected window aperture. The whole of the strengthening/reinforcing around the aperture was bonded into place after the aluminium was stitch welded (I am told).
The cause of the problem is a matter of very very strong conjecture that has been constantly/repeatedly denied by the manufacturer and blamed on potholes and kerbing.
The problem is an underlying issue that I firmly believe is linked to torsional twisting of the chassis and is prevalent on twin axle and the longer single axle variants across the manufacturers stable of model ranges.
The shorter bodies on the shorter chassis are apparently unaffected and I for one do not think that it is rocket science as to why.
This problem has only raised its ugly head since a model change in 2001 and the moving of the door to a position forward of the axle/axles. The massive great aperture for the door and the close proximity of the forward NS side window with very little material left between them is a defect waiting to present itself.
Interestingly enough the door was previously behind the axles and there were reports of splitting/cracking of the aluminium skin at the two top radii of the door aperture. This was put down to the caravan being entered into and exited from and having either not put the rear steadies down or not putting them down sufficiently enough to take the stresses imposed by the weight of those using the caravan.

 

[TheTravellingRooster]

Excellent news TR.
Such a professional repair to a fundamental design defect can only enhance the value above that of an original!
I've added West Riding Leisure to my list of "Good Guys" should I need help in
that area.
Did they install additional timber strengthening around the door area.?

Hi Dustydog. The underlying cause is still there but I firmly believe that the extremely comprehensive and calculated way that the repair has been carried out to both the side-wall and the dropped floor at the two front corners will be a permanent resolve. The bulk of the door area was not disturbed but I believe that the substantial replacement framing would bridge the gap between the window and door apertures. and therefore contain the tendency to transmit across rather narrow section of material between the two apertures.
I have seen repairs by others that have not taken a full strip-out and rebuild into account - fail within a very short while - indeed one that I saw had failed within two or three times out after the repair had been carried out.

My particular failing was the fact that a health issue meant that the caravan went straight into storage after collecting it from Discover Leisure on 31st July and remaining there until approximately the end of May the following year. After a period of "Dealer Warranty Work" had been carried out the crack appeared but by that time they were on the Helter Skelter into oblivion. The rest is history.
My endeavours to see some restitution and offer support to/for other forum members and possibly for myself from the manufacture (despite the fact that my van was pre-owned) eventually cost me my subscribing membership on "The Other Forum".