ABS stress crack repairs what is your verdict

[TD42]

I have just found a small 1/2" stress crack in the front panel on the curve of the roof line, eminating probably from 1 of the fixing screws under the awning rail of my series 5 Bailey pagent. This van is no longer under warranty & cost of repair is down to me. Bailey do a plastic repair kit for these cracks, what I want to know has any one had a repair done to the ABS panel of their van Who did it, & was it succesful???

Cheer's TD

 

[albert3]

Hello Tony

About 3 years ago I had an Eldiss with this problem, the a panel manufacturer and said that the stress cracks are due to faulty drilling of the panel during manufacture, you could try bailey see if they will do anything, the worst thing is that they will say no.

The stress cracks on my van were in the locker cover lid.

The repair was done by a dealer, they put a small aluminum plate over to the hole in the rear and fibreglassed this to the lid.

The cracks on the front of the cover were filled with gel and polished up. Apart from the inside of the locker you could not see the cracks.

Hope this helps

ALB

 

[JTQ]

If you were the original purchaser of the caravan then the fact that it is out of warranty ought not be an issue as long as its less than 6 years old.

The stress cracking of Bailey ABS front panels is so well a known problem that the dealer ought to meet its obligations under the "Sale of goods Act", as clearly there is an incipient manufacturing fault it the product they sold to you.

If they are unwilling to meet that obligation, I would in your position both tell and write to them that you intend taking it to the Small Claims Court for compensation. Your local Trading Standards Department will help you with advise on this.

Don't simply accept you will have to pay to correct such a seriously substandard product.

 

[JTQ]

If you were the original purchaser of the caravan then the fact that it is out of warranty ought not be an issue as long as its less than 6 years old.

The stress cracking of Bailey ABS front panels is so well a known problem that the dealer ought to meet its obligations under the "Sale of goods Act", as clearly there is an incipient manufacturing fault it the product they sold to you.

If they are unwilling to meet that obligation, I would in your position both tell and write to them that you intend taking it to the Small Claims Court for compensation. Your local Trading Standards Department will help you with advise on this.

Don't simply accept you will have to pay to correct such a seriously substandard product.

Note that your claim is against the supplying dealer not Bailey themselves; that's a separate issue for the dealer not you to pursue.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Tony,

I agree that a front panel should not crack, provided it has been used within the designed specifications and for normal caravanning. There is sufficient history to this subject to improve your chances of some remedy. However I must advise you it may be somewhat more complicated than JTQ indicates.

I must re-stress JTQ's first line that the Sale of Goods Acts only applies to the original purchaser and the new retail seller.

Whilst SoGA does not specifically state there is a six year time limit on claims, that has been the longest that general claims have been successful, and is seen as a practical maximum limit. BUT, the claim period is considered with respect to the reasonable life expectancy of a product, so for many items six years is too long.(i.e. fresh produce, car tyres and brakes etc) I personally think the a caravan front panel should easily last six years - but that is my personal view.

For products over six months old, the onus is on the plantif to establish the fault probably existed at the time of purchase, and that nothing has befallen the product that may have caused or worsend the damage.

Whilst any case would be heard in the small claims court, and it is perfectly lawful to represent yourself, in cases like this it is better to seek professional advice before embarking on a claim.

I hope Bailey are sympathetic to avoid any need to go legalistic about it.

 

[xtrailman]

Tony

If the crack starts at a fixing, i would advise removing the screw and opening up the panel hole,before any repair.

Sometimes the screws have not even had a pilot hole, i understand that the panels are now fitted with plastic "washers", or a hole with clearance for the screw.

The problem is for a good repair access to the inside of the panel is preferred. If the crack is only hair line, i would try using a recommended mastic, assuming the crack is out of sight.

Hope you get some feedback.

why not talk to your local repair shop, the lads on the shop floor, i have always found then helpful.