Crack in roof of Arto

[Andy Bramhall]

Hi!

I have recently bought a 2007 Arto 69EGB and this week went up on the roof for the first time to discover two small cracks in the roof at the back on the driver's side - see pics below
Not best pleased! There is no sign of any water damage internally though.

I am keen to resolve this as thoroughly as possible - both to make sure that no water is coming in - but also that these are not able to open up any more in the future.

I would love to hear any advice/experience others might have had.
What do you think might have caused this - and how should I resolve?
How worried should I be about these opening up or extending?!

Thanks so much for any help you can give.

Andy Bramhall
Newcastle, UK

 

[SuperMike]

Hopefully it is only a crack in the end cap and not an actual hole in the roof, which may be the reason for, as yet, no water ingress. Having said that, I am sorry, but I have no repair suggestions, but I am sure others will have. Helpful sort of chap, aren't I ?

 

[treetops1]

Not sure of the model .Judging by the what looks like screw cap topsIwould try and remove them then in the short term you could fibreglass then from the inside to stop any ingress of water .Judging by the pictures someone has attempted a poor repair in the past .take them of and have a look 1st step .hope it's not too bad and good luck

 

[pyro]

Looks like someone has tried to repair those, badly. My advice would be to get professional opinion, rather than just diving in. And protect from any water coming in , in the meantime

 

[jongood]

Its clearly impact damage - tree branches , building overhang perhaps

The good news is they are purely there for aesthetics and not part of the vehicle structure. You can also rest assured that the construction of these models is such that they are not affected by damp ingress in the same way some of the british motorhomes are notorious for.

You can get them plastic welded if they are unsightly, otherwise I wouldnt bother.

Jon

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[funflair]

I'm with Jon in that it is a cosmetic panel, if it was me I would want to do something to make it a bit nicer looking but watertight is not a priority. If you use fibreglass inside it would need to be epoxy resin as normal polyesters will not take to the ABS.

Martin

 

[TheBig1]

look for a local plastic bumper repair specialist, they will remove the previous bodge job and plastic weld.

 

[nicholsong]

Jonegood, Funflair and I are all N+B owners and agree that you have no problem with water ingress as the part you show is cosmetic trim. The basic body of the MH, including walls and roof, are double aluminium sandwich construction with the joins at roof etc. being bonded together. Without a bit of trim the basic construction could look a bit box-like, but that underlying box is pretty watertight. And as has been said, were it to be punctured in any way the sandwich filling foam does not absorb water and there are no timbers to rot, as the aluminium panels provide the structural integrity.

I believe that since the Hymer Group took over N+B they have been introducing similar construction for some Hymer models.

I could imagine that in a few years this method of construction could spread across the MH industry, especially if someone set up a mass-producing plant for the panels - at present N+B lay-up their own panels. Cue business idea for someone.

Geoff

 

[Andy Bramhall]

Guys - I am so grateful to your for taking the time to post about this. So reassuring to hear that it is cosmetic. I will resolve but with a calmer soul!

Many thanks again.