Oh dear the dreaded damp!

[Dustydog]

White vinegar mixed with baking soda (not baking powder) applied carefully may work well. Try it first on a hidden piece,.
I‘ve replaced some of our wall board covering. It doesn’t clash that much. Sometimes it’s best left as it becomes part of the patina and demonstrable evidence there was a small leak now fully repaired. Are you expecting the panel to be changed?

 

[Buckman]

White vinegar mixed with baking soda (not baking powder) applied carefully may work well. Try it first on a hidden piece,.
I‘ve replaced some of our wall board covering. It doesn’t clash that much. Sometimes it’s best left as it becomes part of the patina and demonstrable evidence there was a small leak now fully repaired. Are you expecting the panel to be changed?

At this point I am unsure as dealer has not even touched the caravan. Just want to be a bit prepared. LOL!

 

[ProfJohnL]

...We do not fancy forking out a grand or two for a repair when the caravan is supposed to have a 10 year water ingress and body integrity warranty as stated on the brochure.

I don't think anybody wants to have to spend out on a reair to something that really should be designed and made to a good standard and should be satisfactory for the life of a product.

Equally it gauls me when a seller (or manufacturers) uses advertising and sales material that seems to offer a fantastic enticement such as a ten years water integrity guarantee, but they don't also openly declare the limitations of that policy, but relegate these critical details to the small print in the terms and conditions, so when it comes to trying to make a claim, it turns out to be barely worth the paper it's written on.

Which is why its so important to read all the T&C's before you purchase, rather than assuming it will be alright.

It's sad that the UK caravan manufacturers (and possibly others around the world) really do not understand the impact of their poor design and manufacturing processes and restrictive aftersales cover have on the end users with the additional cost and inconvenience they are caused.

 

[Buckman]

I don't think anybody wants to have to spend out on a reair to something that really should be designed and made to a good standard and should be satisfactory for the life of a product.

Equally it gauls me when a seller (or manufacturers) uses advertising and sales material that seems to offer a fantastic enticement such as a ten years water integrity guarantee, but they don't also openly declare the limitations of that policy, but relegate these critical details to the small print in the terms and conditions, so when it comes to trying to make a claim, it turns out to be barely worth the paper it's written on.

Which is why its so important to read all the T&C's before you purchase, rather than assuming it will be alright.

It's sad that the UK caravan manufacturers (and possibly others around the world) really do not understand the impact of their poor design and manufacturing processes and restrictive aftersales cover have on the end users with the additional cost and inconvenience they are caused.

Thanks for a helpful post. As we had rejected our previous caravan for reasons other than damp I was aware of the T&Cs. However with the play on words orientated towards marketing, understanding T&Cs can be confusing at times. However no mention in T&Cs regarding damp issues.

Thankfully we used finance for a small part of the payment as I was a bit wiser at the time. Both the supplier and the finance house could be liable for the repair.

 

[Buckman]

An update. Although caravans is now 6 years old, the work was done under warranty and we collected the caravan yesterday. Very happy! 🙂