Sundance 630L Rotten Floor (1 Viewer)

[Les Simpson]

I have a 2007 reg Sundance 630L and the complete floor is rotten.
Has anyone replaced this floor DIY or are there any repair workshops in the uk willing to rectify the problem.
If it is possible DIY who can supply the flooring ?
It has only 16000 miles on the clock and is not quite ready for scrapyard yet.
Sad choice for a £42000 Motorhome from Swift.
I purchased it with 900 miles on the clock for my retirement and now this.
Would appreciate any feedback.

Regards,
Les Simpson

 

[hilldweller]

Situation normal, do a search on here for many many horror stories.

DIY is possible if you are good. It's not rocket science.

Many commiserations, you'll have many similar sufferers who will say the same.

 

[Anthea M]

Sorry to hear that news.hopefully someone can advise.
Can you change your avatar details as you've put your full address on ? Or @Jim will help.

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[hilldweller]

Can you change your avatar details as you've put your full address on ? Or @Jim will help.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh. He's hoping someone will steal it.

PS..... Well that failed, he not home.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@57.1...4!1slu-KrOjwlI-_T9aH90aOzA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

[Lenny HB]

You say the complete floor is rotten You need to establish why it has rotten, has it rotted from the bottom or top? If from the top it's are the walls damp and has it travelled down to the floor.
I wouldn't expect it to be rotten on both sides as the floor is a lamination of ply & an insulation core.

Are you sure it is rotten and not just delaminated that would make it spongy to walk on, if delamination it is a fairly easy DIY fix just a case of drills holes and injecting a resin.

Unfortunately par for the course with UK built vans.

 

[Baggers53]

I have a Bessacarr e425, 2006 vintage, 26k miles.
The floor by the habitation door was completely rotten. I took a multi tool to it and cut all the rot out.
I cut it out to the frame on the side of the van and the frame about 2ft in, to give me solid metal to build on.
It was then replaced with marine ply, in four offset layers to give me a solid floor. I wanted this to so that
the electric step had a solid floor to attach too.
Other areas of the floor had delamination and I bought a resin to inject into holes drilled about 3 to 4 inch apart
on a grid pattern to solve this.
All is good now..... it takes time but it can be done....good luck with yours

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[2bob]

hi i have a 2005 sundance same happen to me floor all round about 6to 8inch in the probplem is the skirt was seald so the water runs down then seeps in and up the walls

HOPE YOU SITTING DOWN cost me £5500
look on web soggy floor

 

[Ambilkate]

I'm sure there are threads on here were swift acknowledged there was a problem with some floors somthing to do with the skirts causing this and they did sort a lot of vans out at there cost . any Funster remember this ? and if there are any links to help the OP . Regards Kate

 

[TheBig1]

on the bottom, underside layer of ply, you need to use phenolic ply, which is resin impregnated to make it waterproof. then a sandwich of dense insulation foam and topped off with a quality marine plywood. the job though is very labour intensive, as you need to replace it in sections and that means dismantling sections of the inside and rebuilding again afterwards. If you pay a firm to do it, expect a bill of £5000 to £6000

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[grasscutter]

So sorry that you have only just found this out. I had a 2005 630l and I discovered the fault back in 2009. Back then Swift were rectifying the fault at their own cost.
Their were so many cases. The fault was caused by a plastic coated plywood.
The water ingress occurred between the skirt and the side walls and into the floor where it could not dry out.
The shame is that I don't think Swift now accept any more responsibility because of the time frame.
Good luck in getting it sorted.

 

[Baldeagle7470]

Hi firstly Les welcome,I am very sorry to hear of your predicament.
You will read good information on here as per previous posts from folk who have repaired similar vans themselves and also the story of a repair costing £5.5k,do your research and the best of luck for a speedy solution.

 

[scotjimland]

Have you contacted the dealer or was it a private buy ?

If dealer you may have redress..

• If you purchased your goods from 1 October 2015 then the Consumer Rights Act applies.
• If you purchased your goods on or before 30 September 2015 then the Sale of Goods Act will apply.

The Sale of Goods Act gives consumers some rights to refunds or free repairs for up to six years after the purchase of an item,

Citizens Advice Bureau can advise..


If Private buy.. stuffed..

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[magicsurfbus]

I've noticed part of the floor of our 2005 CI has gone slightly soft in the last year or two. I'd better get my friendly mobile service engineer to take a look on his next visit. Ho hum.

 

[2bob]

HI LS this is what iv had done

As you are aware we have had to carry out very much more work than was anticipated .




The damp and rot of the floor that had been originally found by all of us extended further into the floor structure and so more rotted material had to be removed.

Under the sink unit we found that the floor ply and timber was damaged rearwards to and including the side door step , up the side wall within the sink unit and then across the floor past the main chassis members.

At the offside front the rot of the inside and outside floor ply extended inboard and the water tank and the metal frame for the seat restraints had to be removed to ensure that all of the rotten timber and ply was removed . The side wall was also affected.

Within the rear nearside seat base we found that a previous repair had been made but not very well and so we had to remove that material and make good and then the rotten timber and floor ply forward to the wheel arch.

The side wall in this area was also affected and replaced.

The floor at the rear offside was replaced .



We have removed and sealed both sets of side skirts . The prime reason for the water ingress and subsequent rot along and into the floor is that the side skirts were not sealed and so when water ran behind the skirts it then penetrated the edge of the floor and could not escape or dry out because of the vinyl finish that had been applied to the floor from new.



We are finding more examples of water ingress in these areas on other customers vehicles.

 

[Mark chapel]

I had the same rotten floor on a sundace took it back to the factory at cottingham hull as I wanted a good job doing but it came back and the work was a bodge job thay had created more problems for me to sort .Once thay have your money the customer service is shocking

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[SpeedyDux]

Commiserations to Les, Mark and others who have this horrible rotten floor in their pride and joy.

What @scotjimland said is very helpful, but you also need to be aware of the effect that the passage of time has on your consumer protection rights and remedies. The effects of damp and moisture ingress may not be apparent for several years in some cases, even though the latent defect was present from the date of manufacture of the MH and invisible damage started soon after the first owner bought and used it.

If the date when you agreed to buy the MH from a dealer is more than 6 years ago, then you probably won't have an enforceable legal remedy any longer against the supplying dealer. The 6 year time limit applies in England & Wales; in Scotland the law is very different, and the time limit for issuing a claim in Scotland based on breach of a contract of sale seems shorter, only 5 years*. The point being that after these time limits have expired, your right as a buyer to obtain a legal remedy would become statute barred, and you can no longer issue a claim in the Court against the supplying dealer to recover the cost of repairs if he refuses to pay.

*See: Broken Link Removed

NB - most of this article about Scots law relates to claims other than for breach of contract, so don't be misled into thinking the prescription period runs from the date you became aware of the defective floor. There can be exceptions which I haven't gone into and are beyond the scope of this summary, but basically for breach of contract claims for defects in your MH, the relevant time period begins to run from the date of purchase. If you are approaching the end of a 6 year limitation period (England) or 5 year prescription period (Scotland) for heaven's sake get your skates on and seek advice from a solicitor. Don't wait until you have had the repairs done. If necessary, the solicitor can negotiate a standstill agreement to protect your rights while repairs are carried out.

e&oe disclaimer applies!

 

[7735]

I have a 2007 reg Sundance 630L and the complete floor is rotten.
Has anyone replaced this floor DIY or are there any repair workshops in the uk willing to rectify the problem.
If it is possible DIY who can supply the flooring ?
It has only 16000 miles on the clock and is not quite ready for scrapyard yet.
Sad choice for a £42000 Motorhome from Swift.
I purchased it with 900 miles on the clock for my retirement and now this.
Would appreciate any feedback.

Regards,
Les Simpson

As per my post earlier on poor workmanship. My van was a 630l I am only glad I part exchanged it when I did.

Spongy

 

[Tezza]

I had the same issue on my 2006 Ace and my 2009 Sundance, on both occasions Swift took the vans back to the factory as still under warranty.
The chap at the factory said the seal on top of the outer skirt does not seal against the van and the water gets behind it and then soaks into the floor because the edges of the timber are not sealed, when ours was done all they did to protect the new floor was to put a waterproof tape over the edge and let it hang down beyond the floor so the water dripped off rather than soak in.

But like another poster has said my Sundance came back with a cracked rear bumper. never noticed when picking the van up even though I checked it over, and the windows leaked terrible, even West country Motorhomes couldn't fix it, I ended up filling the top hinge groove with grease to stop any water gathering and seeping in past the rubber seal, worked a treat too.

We kept it until 2015 when we part ext it and floor was fine when checked for damp by the dealer.

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[Mark chapel]

IT looks like the swift factory applied the sealer with a catapult I would be here all day posting all the shoddy workmanship thay carried out including broken parts on the van if thay don't sort it I will be going to the small claims court

 

[Khizzie]

Nearly bought a French À class motor home. Till I felt the soggy floor and they still wanted £45k for a 2007 model.. not everything buit in Britain is bad . The French and the Germans have their problems as well...

 

[Mark chapel]

I think if I ever replace it I will go for a van conversion and not a coach built

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[R RIVERS]

I have a Bessacarr e425, 2006 vintage, 26k miles.
The floor by the habitation door was completely rotten. I took a multi tool to it and cut all the rot out.
I cut it out to the frame on the side of the van and the frame about 2ft in, to give me solid metal to build on.
It was then replaced with marine ply, in four offset layers to give me a solid floor. I wanted this to so that
the electric step had a solid floor to attach too.
Other areas of the floor had delamination and I bought a resin to inject into holes drilled about 3 to 4 inch apart
on a grid pattern to solve this.
All is good now..... it takes time but it can be done....good luck with yours

Hi Baggers53
I have a damp floor in my Sundance 590
Please tell me the name and type of resin that you injected into your floor?
What did you inject it with?
Did it work only for delaminated areas or fairly soft areas as well?
Thanks a lot for your help,
Regards
R Rivers

 

[Langtoftlad]

Hi Baggers53
I have a damp floor in my Sundance 590
Please tell me the name and type of resin that you injected into your floor?
What did you inject it with?
Did it work only for delaminated areas or fairly soft areas as well?
Thanks a lot for your help,
Regards
R Rivers

His post was four years ago, and is now a non subscribed member. Hasn't been online since 2019.
Hopefully someone else will be along with some useful advice.

 

[Swifter]

Hi Baggers53
I have a damp floor in my Sundance 590
Please tell me the name and type of resin that you injected into your floor?
What did you inject it with?
Did it work only for delaminated areas or fairly soft areas as well?
Thanks a lot for your help,
Regards
R Rivers

Have you identified the source of the water ingress and fixed the problem ?

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[Campervan_man]

I've seen a complete new motorhome insulated floor being fitted at Crossleycoachcraft { Leyland }.
Everything floor level is temporarily removed and carefully stored.
The rear wall is partially removed { tilted from the roof outwards }.
The rotten floor is pulled out from the back.
A new identical floor is made using the old floor as a template.
The new floor is then fitted.
The motorhome furniture and fittings are then refitted.
Result - A brand new floor fitted { not patched up }
Not a cheap job but as good as new.

 

[SMB]

I had the same problem with my 630L and repaired it myself using this:

Amazon product ASIN B006MVWRWU
It wasn't a hard job and saved me a lot of money (I was quoted £3500 by a dealership). The floor was very spongy but is now rock hard. Hope this helps R RIVERS

 

[TheBig1]

It is not a technically difficult repair but is labour intensive and many people would be worried about drilling multiple holes in the floor.

Drill holes every 6 inches in a grid 25-30mm deep
Hoover up
mix resin and inject into holes
follow resin with pre cut dowels
wipe up and resin that oozes out

If there is a bulge in the floor caused by the delamination add a sheet of plastic (plastic bag)
add weights to press down the bulge

Once set after several hours or next day
remove any weights and plastic
using either a very sharp chisel or a vibrating multi tool, remove any excess dowelling to level floor

clean up and hoover again
put down new floor vinyl covering to hide repair

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[SMB]

It is not a technically difficult repair but is labour intensive and many people would be worried about drilling multiple holes in the floor.

Drill holes every 6 inches in a grid 25-30mm deep
Hoover up
mix resin and inject into holes
follow resin with pre cut dowels
wipe up and resin that oozes out

If there is a bulge in the floor caused by the delamination add a sheet of plastic (plastic bag)
add weights to press down the bulge

Once set after several hours or next day
remove any weights and plastic
using either a very sharp chisel or a vibrating multi tool, remove any excess dowelling to level floor

clean up and hoover again
put down new floor vinyl covering to hide repair

I found that in some parts of the floor that were really spongy I had to drill another hole in the middle of the 6" x 6" grid, this did the job!

 

[Jake Royd]

I have discovered a bit of floor rot behind one rear wheel on my Chausson Welcome 85.
Mercifully nowhere near the extent of poor OP.
I am driving to Cannock Resprays , post April 12th for an estimate.
I mention them because they have an excellent reputation.