Autotrail GRP overcab pod

[ramsthom]

2018 Autotrail Tribute T625,Lowline. After cleaning the front over cab l found what i thought to be a crack in the gelcoat on both sides along the sharp edge from the front marker light rearwards for about 1 metre. {Photo attached}. lt's identical on the opposite side. The Autotrail warranty only cover gelcoats for 1 year. I had it serviced last week and the dealer is seeking some quotes for repair. Today l took it to a motorhome / caravan repairer I have used in the past and he is of the opinion they are moulding lines when the part was first moulded. I've put a hold on the repair at the dealer until l can confirm if it is a crack or a moulding mark. I've also asked them if they can check their stock to see if other Autotrails are similar. Would it be possible if anyone on the forum with a similar motorhome to check theirs. Much appreciated

 

[moho2beer]

We bought a 2019 Tribute in November 2020 and after much anxiety returned it to the dealers under the 14 day distance selling rules for the same issue of cracks on the over cab.
Ours didn’t have the line that yours has, that looks like a fault to me.
Ours had random spider cracking and one thin area of gel coat right in a corner on the roof plus a corner crack as shown.

A real shame as we loved the layout of the Autotrail but had a chance to avoid all the hassle of having the roof repaired.

Pricing for repairs ranged from around £900 for a full pod repair and paint from a local repairer (gel coat doesn’t need to be painted), to thousands from a motorhome dealer.

Good luck with yours. It does look like a crack as ours certainly didn’t have those lines.

 

[ramsthom]

Thanks for the reply. I feel its a crack due to a manufacturing fault but thats hard to prove. I have contacted the caravan club legal helpline and they suggested it comes under the consumer rights act and to inform the dealer that a fault like this should not happen on a 3 years old motorhome and the repair is their irresponsibility. I will wait a few days to see if anyone has a similar fault.

 

[TheBig1]

If you get landed having to pay to fix that fault, contact boat yards and similar for a quote from one of their guys. There are people round here that would fix that so it was invisible to the eye for under £200. Better still, some will come to you to do the repair

There used to be an old guy called Moses, who you contacted via a friend or down the pub, he had no phone, would turn up on a tatty old bicycle with 2 old buckets on the handlebars. I saw boaty types turning their noses up at the look of him, but the guy was magic with fibreglass repairs. A few hours and the crack would be gone. Sadly he shuffled off a few years back, but there are others nearly as good near any marina, boat yard or canal