Acceptable Damp Readings + Hab Checks

[Blue Knight]

Team,

As per a recent thread of mine all three of my roof/sky lights have leaked in my 2019 PVC. They've just been removed and resealed under warranty but at the end of proceedings an annual hab check was conducted by the dealer and the results were that the soft roof lining is displaying '20' on the damp meter.......so this in turn is recorded on the hab check sheet.

Now bear in mind that the hab check is costing £260, I was hoping that the van would be allowed to dry a bit longer so that the figures were reduced to 10-15; the bottom line being that 20 looks a bit suspect to me!

In normal conditions, including winter storage, the readings in the head lining never deviate from zero.

Here's a pic of the new damp spot just 20-days ago so this situation is all too recent.

All comments appreciated.

All the best,

Andrew

1. The new damp patch as at 11th Feb:

2. Normal Reading over Xmas on a non affected spot.

3. This reading applies to a partly dried area of the roof and not the fresh damp spot. It just shows that my cheap meter works:

 

[mike mcglynn]

Hi, I used to use all manner of moisture meters in my previous job and a reading of 20% in a motorhome may indicate slight damp but many dealers would not be overly concerned ,try a reading on the palm of a dry hand it will show between 10% to 15%.;dont forget to calibrate the meter prior to using .hope you don’t have any further leaks Andrew.

 

[Blue Knight]

Hi, I used to use all manner of moisture meters in my previous job and a reading of 20% in a motorhome may indicate slight damp but many dealers would not be overly concerned ,try a reading on the palm of a dry hand it will show between 10% to 15%.;dont forget to calibrate the meter prior to using .hope you don’t have any further leaks Andrew.

Thanks Mike, good points indeed. I'm thinking of keeping the van at the dealer for as long as possible and asking them to do the roof again in a week from now, i.e. when the reading reduces by a few points.

Our fingers are crossed that we have no more leaks in the van.

All the best,

Andrew

 

[Richard n Ann]

a dry hand it will show between 10% to 15%

I bet if you've been telling porkies it's even higher than that
Lie detector mode

 

[Trev45]

Shock horror surely not a water ingress problem in a German converted van !!!! Should have gone to IH.

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[Blue Knight]

Shock horror surely not a water ingress problem in a German converted van !!!! Should have gone to IH.

I rate IH highly but they've not got a layout we like.

I'm thinking of buying a B&Q shed and then fit it to an old transit van to make a perfect camper - I may have more luck that way

 

[MickandHelen]

Unfortunately our experience of IH build quality does not match yours. We have just got rid of our VW crafter based IH van, it was the worst van we have ever owned. VW part was fantastic but the IH part was dreadful. Countless holidays ruined and cut short due to having to return to IH base for repairs, even from Germany. Glad to see the back of it.

 

[Trev45]

Unfortunately our experience of IH build quality does not match yours. We have just got rid of our VW crafter based IH van, it was the worst van we have ever owned. VW part was fantastic but the IH part was dreadful. Countless holidays ruined and cut short due to having to return to IH base for repairs, even from Germany. Glad to see the back of it.

Sad to read that I have been very happy with mine . What problems did you have exactly ? Presumably being VW based it was quite a recent conversion and certainly not cheap. .

 

[MickandHelen]

We bought it at the 2019 show, it was the show model and yes it wasn't cheap. The VW bit was fantastic, automatic with the big engine, and all the extras. First trip to southern Ireland in May, pipe blew off the boiler and flooded the van, one of the pipes was cut too short. Trip to Belgium/Germany June, bottom of shower tray split away from sides, nothing supporting it underneath. Had to cut trip short. In Scotland in August, 12v fused, bare wires under the sink touching the cooker, sink waste pipe badly melted and twisted. Various water leaks, shower tap, under the toilet. Panels on doors loose, ceiling panels with lights coming down. They had the van back for a week because of all the issues, when it came back they had put self tappers in the side panels to hold them on, since when the panels worked through them. Many other issues, too numerous to mention. Whoever built this one certainly was no craftsman. We got to know Carole in after sales very well, lovely lady, strangely she is no longer there, we hope it wasn't anything to do with us.

 

[Blue Knight]

We bought it at the 2019 show, it was the show model and yes it wasn't cheap. The VW bit was fantastic, automatic with the big engine, and all the extras. First trip to southern Ireland in May, pipe blew off the boiler and flooded the van, one of the pipes was cut too short. Trip to Belgium/Germany June, bottom of shower tray split away from sides, nothing supporting it underneath. Had to cut trip short. In Scotland in August, 12v fused, bare wires under the sink touching the cooker, sink waste pipe badly melted and twisted. Various water leaks, shower tap, under the toilet. Panels on doors loose, ceiling panels with lights coming down. They had the van back for a week because of all the issues, when it came back they had put self tappers in the side panels to hold them on, since when the panels worked through them. Many other issues, too numerous to mention. Whoever built this one certainly was no craftsman. We got to know Carole in after sales very well, lovely lady, strangely she is no longer there, we hope it wasn't anything to do with us.

That's IH off my list then. I'll be looking at the Knaus Boxstar range when I get the chance.

Sorry to hear about the number of issues that you've had though.

All the best,

Andrew

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[Trev45]

We bought it at the 2019 show, it was the show model and yes it wasn't cheap. The VW bit was fantastic, automatic with the big engine, and all the extras. First trip to southern Ireland in May, pipe blew off the boiler and flooded the van, one of the pipes was cut too short. Trip to Belgium/Germany June, bottom of shower tray split away from sides, nothing supporting it underneath. Had to cut trip short. In Scotland in August, 12v fused, bare wires under the sink touching the cooker, sink waste pipe badly melted and twisted. Various water leaks, shower tap, under the toilet. Panels on doors loose, ceiling panels with lights coming down. They had the van back for a week because of all the issues, when it came back they had put self tappers in the side panels to hold them on, since when the panels worked through them. Many other issues, too numerous to mention. Whoever built this one certainly was no craftsman. We got to know Carole in after sales very well, lovely lady, strangely she is no longer there, we hope it wasn't anything to do with us.

Blimey what a nightmare ,sounds like it was assembled by someone on work experience . Being a show model you would think they would be meticulous in its preparation , it must have been one of their first VW conversions not that it should make any difference to build quality .

 

[MickandHelen]

We bought the show model because we didn't want to wait months for a new build. Just realised it was the 2018 October show, not 2019. As it was we didn't get the van until the end of March 2019, 5 months later, problems with type approval. Van had the oil service light on when we picked it up, only one ignition key so we had to order another, (IH paid) and then someone found the second key in a drawer. Just not a great experience with them at all. We wonder if they had rushed to put this one together for the show. Pity because it was a very comfortable van, just became a bit too untrustworthy.

 

[Trev45]

That was probably the first VW Crafter they converted then. I bought my 600RD at the Norwich show in 2017 for the same reason as you namely didn't want to wait for a new build. The only problems I have had have been of my own making namely not draining down properly when the Beast from the East struck causing the shower head to crack and twice failing to push the drawer lock button in resulting in a drawer flying open when cornering and breaking a drawer runner . When I was last at IH for the annual habitation service I noticed Carole wasn't in reception although I thought they said she had moved upstairs . One of the best decisions I have made buying my IH.

 

[MickandHelen]

Glad you are happy with yours, we decided on an IH for the reason that so many said such great things. We think ours was either the 2nd or 3rd, we saw one at a show at Stoneleigh in the previous July and thought long and hard. We had done a trip to Norway in a coachbuild and thought that a van conversion would be perfect as it was that much narrower for the roads. We went to the show to look at the 600CRD but the show model was orange plus it had a transverse bed so we then looked at the 680 CRD. It was quite a bit more expensive than we expected but decided to buy it then and there, you know what they say, buy in haste..... Carole was lovely through it all, even when the wife said we bought it because they were the Rolls Royce of motorhomes but this was more British Leyland. This is the first time we have actually commented to the outside world.