Acrylic Window Markings

[Suzac]

Twelve months ago my wife and I purchased a Dealer's Special Edition Swift Charisma 555 with which we have been very pleased. As a retirement holiday we spent 6 weeks in March & April this year travelling to Portugal, Spain & France. Last weekend looking out of the large central front window at our usual weekend haunt we noticed what appeared to be dirt marks on the acrylic. Initial efforts to clean the inside and outside had no effect and it became apparent that the marks were on the inside of the sealed window and assumed they must have been caused by condensation and dust particles in the sealed unit. Closer examination revealed that the marks were identical on both the inner and outer "skins" looking like a reflection of the marks. Rather concerned about how to get rid of the marks I contacted the dealer's service department. Apparently the marks had been caused due to the narrow gap nowadays between the two surfaces touching due to the force of wind whilst travelling.

 

[johnwendy]

Hi Christopher,

don't be fobbed off by your dealer, this sounds like you have one of the faulty windows that are being replaced under warranty!

The panels flex together causing the mirror image mark that you can see between the two.

We are having ours replaced at the weekend and the dealer said it was known about so no worries.

Wendy

 

[Suzac]

Hi Christopher,

don't be fobbed off by your dealer, this sounds like you have one of the faulty windows that are being replaced under warranty!

The panels flex together causing the mirror image mark that you can see between the two.

We are having ours replaced at the weekend and the dealer said it was known about so no worries.

Wendy

Many thanks. Fortunately the dealer has agreed to replace under warranty. Posted thie message to see how widespread the problem was and to inform others who might be aware of the cause.

 

[johnwendy]

Many thanks. Fortunately the dealer has agreed to replace under warranty. Posted thie message to see how widespread the problem was and to inform others who might be aware of the cause.

Glad you are getting it sorted, thought you might be interested in this thread...

http://www.practicalcaravan.com/newforums/fm_messages.asp?FO=1&FM=442388#
Wendy

 

[mealsonwheels]

Hi Christopher,

This is a well known window manufacturers fault and over the past few months many of us have had our central windows replaced under warranty.

The replacement window was redesigned with a slightly larger gap between the panes and this seems to have solved the problem.

 

[Glensmate]

We've had a similar problem with the front central window. My initial thoughts were that it could be mould but realised that the pattern was symmetrical??

Apparently the window suppliers to Baileys and Swift , Myraid, changed the specification of the larger thickness of the inner and outer windows from 6mm to 4mm -for 2008/9. This makes the windows weaker and subject to flexing whilst towing at higher speeds. The two parts of the windows flex and rub, hence the symmetrical markings.

The annoying part is that it's now a common problem but there has been no product recall.

Myraid are also the suppliers of the faulty Hartal door locks that have caused problems during the last years new Baileys and Swifts.

 

[Suzac]

My wife says she first noticed the markings when we arrived in Portugal after a total journey of 1350 miles. My thought is how many more caravans are there owned by people who do very low mileage with the same specification windows which won't manifest the problem for several years probably after their warranty has expired?

 

[mealsonwheels]

The problem seems to manifest itself after a longish run at 60mph, especially after motorway driving. Ours became apparent when we stopped half way on a motorway journey to Scotland. We discovered there were three of us with the same problem at Bunree CC site.

If anyone has their centre window replaced by their dealer, make certain that the replacement window comes from the new batch, which have been made with a slightly larger gap between the two panes.

 

[mealsonwheels]

Our stiff and sticking Hartel door lock was replaced earlier this year under warranty. This again is a known problem.

 

[Richard_374423314]

Had this very problem with the centre window markings and the stiff door lock on my 2008 Ace Jubilee. Dealer replaced the window (they were reluctant until I quoted a previous post from this forum about it) and lock under warranty in March. All good, though they didn't re-etch the CRIS code despite promising to...Grrr!

Two months and two trips away later and I've just noticed that the marking inside the centre window is back, not quite as big as before, but it's there and will no doubt get worse.

Not happy!