Maybe I am being pedantic, or some may say, just being picky, but like John I am sceptical of the way this is being managed.
Looking at Burstner's own production figures, if indeed there are 60000 failed units out there then that accounts for about 4-5 years total production, so again I suspect what has happened is a general recall with expectations of a majority of 'zilch problem'. I do not know the total production of caravans and motorhomes in Europe over the last decade but I believe that some 60-70000 units are made each year. The majority have windows made of polyplastic material and supplied by probably one or either main Company.
If Burstner has such a serious problem then you would expect the owners to be up in arms about it. So I checked the UK owners Club, the Dutch owners Club and even the Spanish, although my understanding of that language is limited. What did I find? Not a single mention of this problem on any of their websites. Now, maybe they are keeping it all secret as they are ashamed of admitting to a problem, I do not know, but it certainly seems curious. There are also reports from owners of other caravan/motorhome manufacturers but again as these seem to be widespread, does that imply failure in every one? If Andrew wishes to be taken seriously, he needs to start putting some facts in his messages such as the total number of failed units by make and model, and of course year. It would also be important to know the location of the windows as I suspect the majority are the front ones, where more often than not, the window(s) is lying at an angle and the vibration is more severe. As even Burstner have asked for recall back to about 1999, then the spread could be illuminating.
I also wish that people would stop referring to Polyplastic as a problem, as they may indeed be faced with legal action by the owners of that product for misrepresentation. Polyplastic is a plastic material used to make the window panes. No one has to my knowledged stated that their window panes have failed, merely that the bonding holding the panes together has failed. That is a totally different issue. The problem lies with the glue, or whatever it is that holds them together, not the plastic. Yes, there is a Dutch Company licensed to use polyplastic material in their products and they do use the polyplastic name in their own name. However, they are not the same Company as the manufacturer of Polyplastic materials. If some one has a complaint against their supplier of windows they are fully entitled to take what action they feel appropriate against that Company alone, but I would caution aganst implying any issue with Polyplastic itself.
There is also a UK Company called M....d who are also licensed to use polyplastic material in their products. If you have windows from them, and they are failing, then taking action against the Dutch Company is a waste of time. I have not seen any communication from the UK Company stating that there is, or ever has been any problem with their products. That does not mean to say they has never been one, but again if it is delaminating, then it is the glue process that is failing. When parts are supplied by 3rd Party Companies it gets difficult to actually find out who is liable, particularly if a Warranty has expired. The nearest analogy I can think of, is if you buy a new car and the tyres fail, who is at fault?
If your unit is still under warranty then I suspect there is little problem in getting it fixed. If it is old, and by that I mean in excess of 5 years, and now you have a problem, then I suspect getting anyone to accept liability is going to be much harder.
I have no idea what plan of action Andrew is considering but attempting legal action of this nature is fraught as you have to pay the legal costs, and if you lose, all the other costs as well. Plus, if you are aiming at more than 1 Company, then you have to initiate action against each one separately. The lawyers will love you. I have a sneaky suspicion that most owners without Warranties, could be cheaper in biting the bullet and getting new windows themselves..
I make no claim aganst any moral issue and as mentioned before, I am sympathetic to anyone that is faced with a problem they neither expected nor find economic.
Sorry, as mentioned I accept I am being picky, but I feel that caution should be the watchword until far far more facts are available.
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