Very close to giving up.

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Damian

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Mar 14, 2005
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What I did learn from them is that they water tested the seal within 24 hours, I am told by other engineers including the NCC workshop i use that at least 5 days should be left the the sealant to cure. Id like Damians opinion on that one.

Sorry to be so late to this.

However, depending on what sealant they used and the temperature at the time it takes a minimum of 24 hours to skin and a minimum of 5 days to fully set throughout its thickness .If the weather is warm then the sealant will cure slightly faster, but with the kinds of temperatures we have been having, it will take longer to cure fully.

At no time should a pressure washer be used anywhere on a caravan !!!!

Regarding the van itself and the extent of water damage, what are the chest of drawers made of and what are the under seating panels made of?, if MDF then they will have absorbed water and only time will tell if they survive or start blowing out.
You need to ensure that the dealer will be held responsible for any future damage caused to the furniture/wooden panels by this water leaking episode, and get it in writing !
 
May 24, 2014
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Thanks Damian. I have got the fixtures and fittings covered now by them. The big problem was the curing of the sealant. My worry is that having rushed it through once in a day, they will perhaps leave it a bit longer this time but the timescales dont fit with the time needed for curing.

Totally agree about the pressure washer, its crazy. Not just the mastic and sealants, but the rubber window seals wont hold that sort of pressure back, let alone what gets in with the fridge vent.

To answer your question, the drawers are a mix of MDF with hardboard bases. and what I presume is a melamine foil surface. The caravan is Swifts SMART HT Construction so I am less worried on that score, even with the floor. Most of the water seems to have run down between the front electrics console and the drawer table top, mostly settling around the onboard water tank. Some got under the bed boxes, and a fair bit pooled around the boiler and its associated parts. The small front cushions and curtains were very wet, and about the front third of each long bed squad. Again, these cushions are the wipe anything off stuff, cant remember what Swift call it but you can even wipe pen off with a damp cloth. Its perhaps more the inner foam that could be the issue. However, they have promised to make good anything that is damaged, and did it as if they were doing me a favour. Whichever way up I examine this, its shoddy rushed workmanship from a company that ought to know better but is fast developing a poor reputation in this area.
 
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May 24, 2014
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UPDATE

They rang today with more excuses. Caravan is sat with no panoramic window in it. Get this, workshop manager claims he was told he had three weeks to do the job, then said it hadnt been done because they decided to throw the mastic away and get a new batch. As if a firm the size of theirs only had one tub and they shared it. They must thing I am some sort of idiot. So thats it in a nutshell. Holidays gone, no caravan, no sign of a remedy. My wife wont let me go to the site because she knows the red mist has come down, the director has promised to call me but hasnt done so, and every time I ring I get fobbed off. I am now completely at a loss as to what to do next.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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UPDATE

They rang today with more excuses. Caravan is sat with no panoramic window in it. Get this, workshop manager claims he was told he had three weeks to do the job, then said it hadnt been done because they decided to throw the mastic away and get a new batch. As if a firm the size of theirs only had one tub and they shared it. They must thing I am some sort of idiot. So thats it in a nutshell. Holidays gone, no caravan, no sign of a remedy. My wife wont let me go to the site because she knows the red mist has come down, the director has promised to call me but hasnt done so, and every time I ring I get fobbed off. I am now completely at a loss as to what to do next.
Refer to my earlier suggestion regarding Which Legal Services as that seems that it may be the only way out of this predicament. In addition get onto the insurance company / cover and advise them that you are now escalting it to the Ombudsman as you are sick and tired of hearing excuses. Don't threaten, do it as otherwise they will continue ignoring you.
 
Jan 3, 2012
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Just for you Kev. The rain dance!

tenor.gif
Enjoyable and colourful
 
May 24, 2014
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Finally some good news. The new panoramic roof is in and being allowed to stand inside their workshop for 5 days, at which time it will be water tested and delivered back to me in the middle of next week. The electrical system has been fully tested and a new certificate issued, and an extended warranty, from them in writing placed on the MDF furniture in case it blows in the future. The uphholstery professionally cleaned and dried, and they have done all of it, not just the front ones that caught the water. If they are as good as their word, and of course there is serious doubt on that one, then we might be at the end of this. Compensation will be discussed once I am happy with the van. As an addition to that, if we are not happy with the van, after our holiday they will either buy it from us at a very good price to us (yeah......right) or give us a very special discount against either a used or new caravan.

Three words got this done .................CONSUMER RIGHTS ACT
 
Jul 18, 2017
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Finally some good news. The new panoramic roof is in and being allowed to stand inside their workshop for 5 days, at which time it will be water tested and delivered back to me in the middle of next week. The electrical system has been fully tested and a new certificate issued, and an extended warranty, from them in writing placed on the MDF furniture in case it blows in the future. The uphholstery professionally cleaned and dried, and they have done all of it, not just the front ones that caught the water. If they are as good as their word, and of course there is serious doubt on that one, then we might be at the end of this. Compensation will be discussed once I am happy with the van. As an addition to that, if we are not happy with the van, after our holiday they will either buy it from us at a very good price to us (yeah......right) or give us a very special discount against either a used or new caravan.

Three words got this done .................CONSUMER RIGHTS ACT
I am pleased that finally there is light at the end of the tunnel which has been a very long and dark tunnel. Normally as compensation dealers are prone to offering you a free service as it costs them nothing!
That may not be a good idea as they may probably short cut the service as BIL found out to their cost.
 
May 24, 2014
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Funny you should say that, they did offer a free service too, I dont think my response pleased them too much...............semi trained chimps overseen by a bad mannered halfwit, and that whilst the bad mannered halfwit was included in the conversation. It was perhaps a little OTT but I have absolutely had enough of them.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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I am pleased that finally there is light at the end of the tunnel which has been a very long and dark tunnel. Normally as compensation dealers are prone to offering you a free service as it costs them nothing!
That may not be a good idea as they may probably short cut the service as BIL found out to their cost.
How can a free service cost nothing. Whichever way you consider it Labour is certainly chargeable. The service dept will have a different account to sakes. Certainly when I worked in the private sector cash was king and you did your darnedest not to let cash flow outwards.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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How can a free service cost nothing. Whichever way you consider it Labour is certainly chargeable. The service dept will have a different account to sakes. Certainly when I worked in the private sector cash was king and you did your darnedest not to let cash flow outwards.
I think most people understood what I was trying to put across without getting too technical. :)
 
Mar 27, 2011
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Hi thingy, well I’ve kept out of this sad saga you’ve had to go through but I’ve read things as they’ve been published on here and I’ve just read it all again to remind me of it all, let me say a big thank you thingy for my inconsiderate questions I’ve sent you about such minor problems as awning rail lubricant, how you found the effort to even reply to me speaks highly of the sort of person you must be to still try to help out others minor problems with what you’ve had to put up with, so from me personally let me say I think your a special type of person and I hope the finish line that seems to be so close really happens for you, I think you really deserve a good holiday.

BP
 
May 24, 2014
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Wow, Beehpee, thanks for that. It has been an awful situation and none of it our own making, but it unfortunately sums up a large part of the caravan industry. I can accept that people make mistakes and that sometimes a job goes wrong, Ive dropped the ball enough times myself, but honesty goes a long way to getting things sorted. What I hate most is lies, and the range of drivel that has been drip fed to us over this is at best laughable, totally unbelievable and ranks right up there with "the dog ate my homework". Let me say right off there are some good guys out there, Ive met some excellent technicians over the years, and they tend to be either self employed or very small outfits. Its a sad indictment when you see the bigger boys treating customers as if they are doing them a favour, and churning out shoddy workmanship too, but that also applies to the manufacturers. We never seem to get any sort of satisfaction until we get brutal with them, and it shouldnt really be that way.

Your questions certainly werent inconsiderate. I personally love caravanning, we all do here I think, and if I can pass on any of the knowledge or tips I have learned during my caravanning apprencticeship, and somebody else finds it useful, I get a real buzz out of that.

In my early days, and of course much younger and fitter days, the divorce in a bag was a real problem to me, especially not being overly tall, but by hook or by crook and a little sideways thinking I have arrived at that stage where its a doddle.
 
May 24, 2014
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Well, today is the day of days. The van either comes back fully working, clean, dry and no leaks, or it is consigned to history and we assess our options. Fingers and everything else crossed.
 
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Nov 11, 2009
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Well, today is the day of days. The van either comes back fully working, clean, dry and no leaks, or it is consigned to history and we assess our options. Fingers and everything else crossed.
Hope it goes well for you and that the dealer has learned their lesson and put the top team on it.
 
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Jul 18, 2017
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Well, today is the day of days. The van either comes back fully working, clean, dry and no leaks, or it is consigned to history and we assess our options. Fingers and everything else crossed.

Try and think positively that everything will be spot on. Remember that you have the CRA 2015 on your side if there are any issues
 
May 24, 2014
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They rang about ten mins ago, saying it has passed all their dryness tests. Its been valeted fully inside, seats cleaned, carpets undamaged. Electrics tested and certified and cleaned outside too. Its on its way home in 45 mins. We shall see! I have to say given the track record so far, I am not overly confident. Hope Im wrong.
 
Mar 23, 2021
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They rang about ten mins ago, saying it has passed all their dryness tests. Its been valeted fully inside, seats cleaned, carpets undamaged. Electrics tested and certified and cleaned outside too. Its on its way home in 45 mins. We shall see! I have to say given the track record so far, I am not overly confident. Hope Im wrong.
I hope all is well🀞🀞
 
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