Dometic Fridge Catch (1 Viewer)

[Silver-Fox]

I hope this is ok to post here if not please move to a suitable place.

On our first outing in our new, to us, Rapido the fridge door, Dometic, kept opening every now and then, whilst driving.
The door was locked as it should be with the sliding catch.
To say it was doing my head in would be an understatement, so time for a modification i thought.
Also the sliding catches arnt really the best of designs.

I have had some new catches, made from stainless, Laser/water cut the same design as the original except it has a longer "tail" so you can dispense away with the sliding part of the catch. All you do is use the longer tail with your finger to engage the catch for traveling or when left empty for ventilation.

There was a minimum order i had to pay for so just looking to re coup what I have spent out and maybe it will help others out.

Looking for £12 inc postage for a pair of catches so you can change the fridge and freezer catches.
Prefer paypal via friends transfer so i don't pay charges or you can add the charges on, no worries.

Pics for clarity

 

[magicsurfbus]

The sliding plastic cover on our 2005 vintage Dometic catch was constantly snapping so we left it off in the end.

It was possible with ours to remove the door and re-seat it on an extra thin washer on the bottom hinge - that solved some of our locking problems, but the damn thing swinging open on roundabouts and spilling its contents was a routine issue.

 

[Silver-Fox]

The sliding plastic cover on our 2005 vintage Dometic catch was constantly snapping so we left it off in the end.

It was possible with ours to remove the door and re-seat it on an extra thin washer on the bottom hinge - that solved some of our locking problems, but the damn thing swinging open on roundabouts and spilling its contents was a routine issue.

Tell me about it.
Obviously designed by a bloke that never drove a Moho also the catch didn't seem to work properly in the slider

Over complicated original design i think

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[Lenny HB]

It was possible with ours to remove the door and re-seat it on an extra thin washer on the bottom hinge - that solved some of our locking problems, but the damn thing swinging open on roundabouts and spilling its contents was a routine issue.

When we had a van with a 7000 series fridge/freezer used to happen to us often I think I cured it by winding the bottom hinge bolt up as far as I dare without the door falling off.

 

[DavidG58]

Nice one, wish you had the same design as ours

BTW not sure if it was an auto correct, but the offending manufacturer is Dometic not Domestic

we have one that slides on the top of the door, equally useless in that it breaks too easily, gone through several already on ours

 

[Lenny HB]

Tell me about it.
Obviously designed by a bloke that never drove a Moho also the catch didn't seem to work properly in the slider

Just standard Dometic design - how can we design a pile of poo that doesn't work when we have done that we will call it a fridge.

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[Silver-Fox]

When we had a van with a 7000 series fridge/freezer used to happen to us often I think I cured it by winding the bottom hinge bolt up as far as I dare without the door falling off.

Ours was letting go through i think not engaging or vibrating loose.
Plus the sliding catch is w*nk
Moving our door up wouldn't have sorted it i don't think.

 

[Silver-Fox]

Just standard Dometic design - how can we design a pile of poo that doesn't work when we have done that we will call it a fridge.

If these fridges were two a penny you could understand it but they aint cheap.

I know its easy to criticise but the catch in my opinion is quite important

 

[Silver-Fox]

Nice one, wish you had the same design as ours

BTW not sure if it was an auto correct, but the offending manufacturer is Dometic not Domestic

we have one that slides on the top of the door, equally useless in that it breaks too easily, gone through several already on ours

Ours is on the top and bottom of the doors also i just haven't shown the plastic sliding bit
Maybe ours is the same as yours i don't know the model number of ours but its in a 2006 Rapido

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[Silver-Fox]

@DavidG58 thanks title sorted and yes auto correct

 

[FJmike]

Brilliant idea PM sent

 

[Silver-Fox]

Brilliant idea PM sent

And replied

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[DavidG58]

this is the pile of not fit for purpose bits that form the stop me from opening catch on ours

best bit of ours is that it is hinged on the front of MH side, so when it swings open it really goes for it, as we found a couple of years ago when it literally ripped itself off the frame

the bit that breaks on ours is a flimsy bit on the large section top middle in image

 

[Silver-Fox]

View attachment 161517

this is the pile of not fit for purpose bits that form the stop me from opening catch on ours

best bit of ours is that it is hinged on the front of MH side, so when it swings open it really goes for it, as we found a coupe of years ago when it literally ripped itself off the frame

the bit that breaks on ours is a flimsy bit on the large section top middle in image

Thats the same as as ours @DavidG58 looks like they haven't changed them at all.
The top large piece is where the catch fits in a poxy bit of plastic isn't it.

I have discarded the slide the small screw and plastic pillar along with the catch and now just using the flat plastic bit large screw and new bit i have had made

 

[mitzimad]

The design is crap the srew hole in the large plate is to close to the cut out and weak if the door gets shut with the lock in the closed position it braks the thin plastic stop thats moulded into the top of the door ive spent this after noon replicating the plate in ally and filling the space behind the stop with an ally spacer all works fine now

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[DavidG58]

Thats the same as as ours @DavidG58 looks like they haven't changed them at all.
The top large piece is where the catch fits in a poxy bit of plastic isn't it.

I have discarded the slide the small screw and plastic pillar along with the catch and now just using the flat plastic bit large screw and new bit i have had made

I have found we can easily lock once removing the useless plastic bit, then by using a screw driver to move the metal bit, which so far we haven't broken

best feature on our fridge ('not') is a lock button, which does absolutely nothing

only consolation for us older MH owners, the new ones have effectively got auto lock, with a button on top to push down to allow door to open, no idea how you would bypass that if it breaks while shut, at least we can just force ours to break the catch

 

[Silver-Fox]

I have found we can easily lock once removing the useless plastic bit, then by using a screw driver to move the metal bit, which so far we haven't broken

best feature on our fridge ('not') is a lock button, which does absolutely nothing

only consolation for us older MH owners, the new ones have effectively got auto lock, with a button on top to push down to allow door to open, no idea how you would bypass that if it breaks while shut, at least we can just force ours to break the catch

SWMBO has small fingers so could lock the fridge with her fingers.
Problem was i couldn't because i have sausage fingers
Thats why i had these bits made the tang is longer so easy to push across with my fingers

Still a poor design though you would have thought they would have done something different.

 

[Silver-Fox]

The design is crap the srew hole in the large plate is to close to the cut out and weak if the door gets shut with the lock in the closed position it braks the thin plastic stop thats moulded into the top of the door ive spent this after noon replicating the plate in ally and filling the space behind the stop with an ally spacer all works fine now

I thought about doing that and decided against it, just looked like to much work for to little gain

The whole thing is too complicated with to many plastic bits in my opinion

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[movan]

Just for info and to add my tuppenny worth .. mine kept breaking too .. I ended up supergluing the plastic bit to repair it but then the screw kept coming out .. it was a rubbish lock. I can't remember what I did eventually but I removed something and now just use my fingernail.

I asked the Dometic stall at one of ghe shows how much for a new lock .. can't remember exactly but it was ridiculous and still the flimsy bit of plastic.

 

[rrusty]

Sod's law,I just got these made yesterday

 

[Dognewf]

ours is the same as David's. when travelling we put the 5kg gas bottle for the cadac in front of the door..

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[Silver-Fox]

Just for info and to add my tuppenny worth .. mine kept breaking too .. I ended up supergluing the plastic bit to repair it but then the screw kept coming out .. it was a rubbish lock. I can't remember what I did eventually but I removed something and now just use my fingernail.

I asked the Dometic stall at one of ghe shows how much for a new lock .. can't remember exactly but it was ridiculous and still the flimsy bit of plastic.

@movan thats why i had these made you can push the catch across without having to break your nails

 

[Silver-Fox]

View attachment 161590 Sod's law,I just got these made yesterday

What a bummer just shows though great minds think alike

 

[Silver-Fox]

ours is the same as David's. when travelling we put the 5kg gas bottle for the cadac in front of the door..

Have to say i wouldn't fancy driving with a carefree bottle of gas inside the moho

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[Silver-Fox]

Catches duly posted out at around 10.30 first class so hopefully with you on Thursday at the latest.

Please let me know they arrive ok

I a couple left if any one else needs one or a pair.

Thanks

 

[Silver-Fox]

No more left now

If anyone wants some i would happily take pre orders and payment but there is a minimum order at the engineering firm i used.

Regards Rich