I own a 2002 bailey ranger 500/5 and after checking the condition of the van after the recent high winds I discovered a fence panel had blown down and a nail from the fence had pierced the side of the van what is the best way to get this fixed quickly so as to stop damp. I have filled the hole with a silicon sealant for now but am worried I will have to replace the whole side of the van. help!!
hole in caravan
- Thread starter philip_374294290
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Damian
Moderator
Best way forward is to let the insurance take care of it, and they will advise the necessary repairs needed.
How you fix it depends upon how bothered you are about the pristine appearance of your caravan and how big the damage is, if it is literally a nail puncture then some white silicon may be all thats needed, but a decent coachworks should be able to fill larger dents and repaint the panel.
Our own caravan was bought as an insurance write-off after it suffered a rear impact, badly creasing the side wall for about 6" we took the awning rail off, opened up the corner joint and stripped back the insulation then panel beat the aluminium as flat as we could get it, then using plywood as thick as the insulation, clamped the frail aluminium to the plywood using this new polyurethane wood adhesive that sets in contact with ambient moisture. everything got screwed back together and we now have a
Our own caravan was bought as an insurance write-off after it suffered a rear impact, badly creasing the side wall for about 6" we took the awning rail off, opened up the corner joint and stripped back the insulation then panel beat the aluminium as flat as we could get it, then using plywood as thick as the insulation, clamped the frail aluminium to the plywood using this new polyurethane wood adhesive that sets in contact with ambient moisture. everything got screwed back together and we now have a
Don't use silicone if you intend to have it repaired properly later because traces of silicone are later hard to remove and play havoc with paint adhesion. Better to use plastic filling compound used for body dents on cars.
That's strange I replied on this thread an hour ago and its gone !
As has been said a sticker such as GB,dealer plate or a reflector or vent grill will cover the dent
Our friend bumped his new caravan on the dealer car park before he had paid for it and they put an external shower over the damage.He never used it but it was a lot quicker and cheaper than replacing half a side panel.
If you do go the insurance route be prepared for a long wait for parts(6 monthsor so)
As has been said a sticker such as GB,dealer plate or a reflector or vent grill will cover the dent
Our friend bumped his new caravan on the dealer car park before he had paid for it and they put an external shower over the damage.He never used it but it was a lot quicker and cheaper than replacing half a side panel.
If you do go the insurance route be prepared for a long wait for parts(6 monthsor so)
My brother once had a motorbike fall on his van and the bars made a nice hole. He just fitted an external power socket. Problem fixed
Agree with Lutz about not using RTV Silicone sealant, but for a different reason - some silicone sealants release an acid during the curing process and this will attack aluminium - eventually making the hole worse.
Butyl mastic or Sikaflex type sealant (as used in the construction of your caravan) will give a long term seal and can be removed easily in the future when you need to re-apply the seal (about 10 years)
And agree with the others that suggest camouflaging the hole with a badge (tyre pressure reminder?), sticker, or expanding the hole and adding an external power socket.
Robert
Butyl mastic or Sikaflex type sealant (as used in the construction of your caravan) will give a long term seal and can be removed easily in the future when you need to re-apply the seal (about 10 years)
And agree with the others that suggest camouflaging the hole with a badge (tyre pressure reminder?), sticker, or expanding the hole and adding an external power socket.
Robert
all great info thanks guys , but trust my luck its about head height on the off side so think it will be the silkaflex and a sticker a bit high for a shower or socket. Any ideas where to get a bailey sticker ?
Interestingly we took our 2005 Lunar for its annual service yesterday and the damp report said NO DAMP FOUND - does that surprise all you Lunar haters out there! I worry ever since we bought this van as didn't know the reputation they had, but as I have said before we are delighted with it. Back to the posting we have a couple of dinks where the awning poles fell when my husband was putting it up for the first time and we asked what would be best to cover them up eg reflectors, grills and the guy said don't cover them up as it looks like you are trying to hide something and as the dents are only cosmetic he advised that we leave them. Denise
I realise that the hole in you van will have to be repaired, but I mentioned this as there has been other posts on dents. enise
Philip I would ask at your Bailey dealer
I overheard a salesman selling a new van to a customer and explaining that the dent in the side could be covered with a -----Bailey sticker !!
I overheard a salesman selling a new van to a customer and explaining that the dent in the side could be covered with a -----Bailey sticker !!
Philip, we got a small dent from what must have been a stone on one of our vans once about two feet below the awning rail on the offside. Not wanting to pay for a repair after hunting around the dealers I bought one of the stick on pads for the Vision Plus uni-bracket and stuck it over the dent. Could be an option when you have filled the hole.
Hi Philip
A year or so back my husband managed to clip the side of our van on the metal gatepost whilst reversing into our drive. We took it to our local dealer and asked what he'd suggest to repair the tear in the skin.
He said there were 3 ways to go
1- new side - expensive and might take some time.
2- fill the tear and paint the panel - colour might not match
3- fill the tear and stick a vent cover on top - quickest and
least expensive. This is what he said he'd do if it was his.
We went with option 3 and it looks fine and cost around
A year or so back my husband managed to clip the side of our van on the metal gatepost whilst reversing into our drive. We took it to our local dealer and asked what he'd suggest to repair the tear in the skin.
He said there were 3 ways to go
1- new side - expensive and might take some time.
2- fill the tear and paint the panel - colour might not match
3- fill the tear and stick a vent cover on top - quickest and
least expensive. This is what he said he'd do if it was his.
We went with option 3 and it looks fine and cost around
Denise
All the service damp checks I have had on my van were shown on a chart, with the percentage figure indicating where the test was carried out. There are about 20 or more points were they check with their meter. All wood holds a degree of damp, its natural, my dealer assures me that up to 15% is normal in a caravan before it becomes a problem! Just a statement "NO DAMP FOUND" I would have me wondering!!
okay had weekend of work and the sun was shining so decided to tackle the hole. got a tube of silkaflex from motor factors at
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