Burstner A Class paint bubbling

[nickymcfie]

I have a 16 month old Burstner Ixeo I A Class MH. We have noticed bubbling paint on the fibreglass bonnet. Has anyone else experienced this issue? We have had the van since new and wonder why this is happening to such a new vehicle?

 

[peterc10]

Speak to your supplying dealer. It should still be under warranty.

 

[Granjan]

We had bubbling years ago on a Burstner Elegance our dealer sorted it out under warranty.

 

[nickymcfie]

I have contacted the supplier who are in the process of putting a claim into Burstner. I was just wondering if anyone knew what causes this, I have read on other forums that people have had the fibreglass on their motorhome sprayed only to find six months later it bubbles up again, my fear is it will start bubbling up again when it’s out of warranty. Wanted to get to the root cause.

 

[gus-lopez]

Speak to your supplying dealer. It should still be under warranty.

What he said^^^^^^^^^
& welcome

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[gus-lopez]

my fear is it will start bubbling up again when it’s out of warranty.

Once they have repaired it, it will still be under warranty.

 

[Bessy765]

We have an IEXO 736 2019 but made in 2018. Same colour as yours. It looks similar to osmosis that can affect boats, sometimes caused by moisture trapped in the fiberglass. If it is the top layer of the fibreglass has to be planed off and remade. Hopefully this is not so and its just where the paint has not bonded but the bubbles look to big for this.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwi5vbaepdf1AhULO8AKHZGuByEQFnoECBcQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbo.co.uk%2Fexpert-advice%2Fdiy-osmosis-repair-26475&usg=AOvVaw278cv_Uwok1giRv8pvLLDb

 

[peterc10]

If the bonnet is GRP Martin funflair may be able to help

 

[DC4JC]

We had the same on an 821 bonnet. It was resprayed under warranty. But within a few months it started to reappear. Had a new bonnet, again under warranty and never suffered from it again.

 

[funflair]

Doubt that it is osmosis as it wont get wet enough for that especially with a coat of paint on top, more likely to be a reaction to something like residual solvents coming from the glass fibre moulding.

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[nickymcfie]

If I get it re-sprayed will this likely happen again or should I just ask for a new bonnet?

 

[Pausim]

If I get it re-sprayed will this likely happen again or should I just ask for a new bonnet?

Whatever is causing the bubbles is coming from below in the fibreglass and re-spraying is unlikely to resolve the problem. I thought fibreglass was usually finished with a gel coat.

 

[jockaneezer]

The fibreglass overcab on my '05 Burstner is the same plus the lacquer top coat has come off in sheets in the same area, I'm looking at a rub down and a wrap, but I'd want a new bonnet if I was you ?

 

[funflair]

Oops

 

[funflair]

If I get it re-sprayed will this likely happen again or should I just ask for a new bonnet?

Looking at some posts above this it would backup a yes most likely.

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[funflair]

Whatever is causing the bubbles is coming from below in the fibreglass and re-spraying is unlikely to resolve the problem. I thought fibreglass was usually finished with a gel coat.

If it was white then yes but not metallic colours.

 

[royandsharont]

I think Auto-trail have had similar problems with their PVC that has a transverse rear door that they make rather than Fiat.

 

[Don Campbell]

Poor preparation is probably the cause. The gel coat will be a standard white and if it's not thoroughly cleaned and prepared to get rid of the release agent and solvents before spraying to the choice of colour there's going to be some reaction with the paint.

 

[nickymcfie]

Thanks for the info. I think I’ll ask the Cranham,where we bought the MH, to get it repaired by someone who specialises in fibre glass bodywork or ask Burstner supply a new bonnet.

 

[A S R]

My 07 821i has done the same. Started about two years ago. As of yet I’ve not done anything about it yet. Definitely not under warranty now.

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[nickymcfie]

It’s so annoying.. Surely Burstner are aware of this problem.

 

[Tony50]

In the 1970 's Renault cars had a similar problem but on metal looked very much like your photo it was called micro blistering, turned out to be the paint undercoat ,cars were stopped and repainted , job ok

 

[MGSMerc.]

Our new in 2015 Burstner Ixeo had the cab roof covered in the bubbles of various sizes after 9 months of use. Burstner agreed to warranty claim and paid for repaint. Bursting a bubble released a solvent.

 

[MikeManning]

The problem is called Osmosis. It is a sign that the fibreglass has not been 'laid up' properly. There was not enough resin to thoroughly soak the fibreglass in the original panel build.

This happened to us several years ago on a Mobilvetta.
We had had the van for about 3 months only when we had a very heavy frost. I noticed these bubbles appearing on a couple of the front panels. When I pressed hard on one of these bubbles it cracked and water came out.
I took advice from a friend who owned a small boat building/repair business. He explained exactly what had happened. My dealer had suggested rubbing the affected panels down and filling the holes and then respraying the panels.
My friend told me that this would only cure the existing bubbles, but water would still get into the glassfibre and the process would start all over again.

We refused to have the work done and eventually got a full refund on the van.

Sorry, not trying to be overly negative, but osmosis is a real problem and is only completely rectified with replacement panels.

 

[Don Campbell]

Osmosis generally only happens on boats after years of constant immersion in water and the way to avoid it is to put the boat ashore for a few months to dry out. But the prevention also depends on proper layup and boat builders have found to their cost that it pays to get it right first time and there are very few cases of true osmosis nowadays. However in the case of a motorhome builder I wonder if the attention to detail during the layup process is all it might be since the panel isn't going to be constantly immersed in water and since laying up fibreglass and getting the resin properly into it isn't rocket science, who knows who does it or even understands the importance of getting it properly impregnated (as they would in a boatyard). Osmosis can be cured as any boatbuilder knows, but it's not cheap and it takes time so maybe the safest route is to demand a completely new panel whixh will be under a new warranty.

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[Snoopy]

Difficult to know, but as many have suggested on here, possibly can happen again, so appreciate your concerns once, 're done, if it returns and your then out of warranty worth putting to the dealer, you wAnt a new bonnet, save having to worry about future possibilities of it 're occuring, good luck

 

[Pausim]

The boat repair involves stripping the gel coat off the hull and then doing the job properly. That is not going to be an economic way to repair a bonnet. Re spraying is just not a repair, it is a cover up.

I have never seen osmosis on a boat superstructure, only on the hull.

 

[MikeManning]

Osmosis generally only happens on boats after years of constant immersion in water and the way to avoid it is to put the boat ashore for a few months to dry out. But the prevention also depends on proper layup and boat builders have found to their cost that it pays to get it right first time and there are very few cases of true osmosis nowadays. However in the case of a motorhome builder I wonder if the attention to detail during the layup process is all it might be since the panel isn't going to be constantly immersed in water and since laying up fibreglass and getting the resin properly into it isn't rocket science, who knows who does it or even understands the importance of getting it properly impregnated (as they would in a boatyard). Osmosis can be cured as any boatbuilder knows, but it's not cheap and it takes time so maybe the safest route is to demand a completely new panel whixh will be under a new warranty.

I thank that is what I've just said!!!

 

[Don Campbell]

The boat repair involves stripping the gel coat off the hull and then doing the job properly. That is not going to be an economic way to repair a bonnet. Re spraying is just not a repair, it is a cover up.

I have never seen osmosis on a boat superstructure, only on the hull.

Neither have I seen it on the topsides, only underwater so I still think it probably has more to do with lack of preparation and not cleaning off the release agent and the solvents properly. Whatever the cause best to ask for a new panel as you can then carry on using it while they take however long to come up with a replacement, but get your claim in now.

 

[MikeManning]

Forget boats for a minute......... The problem is that the glassfibre mat lay-up, put onto the Gelcoat which is the first process after mould release, has NOT been saturated properly in Resin. THIS renders the glass mat porous! This moisture sits under the gel coat and awaits freezing weather so that the water expands...hence the bubbles.

This can happen on fibre glass car panels, as well as others.

Regarding the original posters question, sadly I don't think that the manufacturers will want to admit poor mat layup.....unless there are a few Burstner owners with the same problem want to get together to make a claim. We were lucky, well sort of, as our van was virtually brand new.

Good luck anyway.