Cracked Shower Tray in Globecar camper (1 Viewer)

[1ten]

I am about to place an order with SMC for a Globecar and your issues with both manufacturer and dealer has me seriously thinking twice about it. I always think that you judge companies by how they react to a problem not the fact that you have had the problem in the first place.

 

[Cal54]

If i was in your position @1ten I would delay placing the order and let the dealer know exactly the reason why. This hopefully would serve 2 purposes, firstly it MIGHT just get Mel a solution to her problem and secondly you will get to see exactly how good their after sales really is, or not, depending on the outcome.

 

[CazPaul]

If i was in your position @1ten I would delay placing the order and let the dealer know exactly the reason why. This hopefully would serve 2 purposes, firstly it MIGHT just get Mel a solution to her problem and secondly you will get to see exactly how good their after sales really is, or not, depending on the outcome.

Yes excellent, you could say ''My friend has one and her shower tray has cracked, what happens if mine does the same, what will you do about it''
You could then say you are waiting to see the outcome of your friends case before placing an order.
The problem is its too difficult for other owners to check their own vans so you don't know if yours has been built the same.
Although we also need to keep it in context, how many more UK owners has it happened to?
Is it a one off or something that was just a rare build issue and all others are fine.

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[Mr Chrysalis]

Yes excellent, you could say ''My friend has one and her shower tray has cracked, what happens if mine does the same, what will you do about it''
You could then say you are waiting to see the outcome of your friends case before placing an order.
The problem is its too difficult for other owners to check their own vans so you don't know if yours has been built the same.
Although we also need to keep it in context, how many more UK owners has it happened to?
Is it a one off or something that was just a rare build issue and all others are fine.

I like the sound of that plan. Good for both @Minxy Girl and @1ten.

 

[Kool Kroozer]

So frustrating Mel, I know it takes the jam outta your doughnut a little when this crap happens,...When we first had our van (the present one) we had a leak when showering, water was running under the bathroom wall floor into the lounge/dinning area, and i searched really hard for any cracks/leaks possible on our shower tray and even though the van was still under warranty at the time i did not want the hassle of the back an fourth with dealers/manufacturers so decided to get it looked at by a guy who does the Gel shower tray coating, he too could find no cracks but quoted around £500 to completely cover the tray with a lifetime guarantee - what amazed me the most was that he told me of all the shower trays he has repaired there are very few that have support underneath, you would think the manufacturer would have clocked on to this by now, a few strips of wood or expanding foam under the tray for support could make all the difference - to pull a tray and replace it in most vans is a very big job, whereas the Gel coating can be done without it being removed.. BTW our tray was not cracked, the leak was due to the tray not being sealed to the side wall very good, managed to sort the problem myself with a tube of sika £10 job done.... But i dread the day when our tray cracks like yours Mel - as i know some day it will.

 

[Mr Chrysalis]

Mel, if supplier fails it may be worth trying : http://www.plastic-surgeon.co.uk/damaged-shower-tray-chips-cracks-scratches-holes-stains-repaired/
As you also have access under the tray you could also fill it with spray expanding foam ( after the repair): http://www.google.co.uk/shopping/pr...RyPuly7V3GJ0yVy-mKzynYm5ZWqz8cLxoCy2sQAvD_BwE
Obviously better to get supplier to fix it, but this could be a back up plan

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[SuperMike]

The chap at the dealers has emailed me to confirm that they are passing all my info to Globecar so fingers crossed ...

Mel, I know I’m barking on, but why are you AGAIN waiting for Globecar. It has nothing to do with them, you have no relationship with them at all. Are or are not SMC going to fix it ?

I’m sorry, I don’t understand this, stop faffing around, take control of the situation, stop waiting for other people to dangle you around and kick arse.

 

[tomm]

I am about to place an order with SMC for a Globecar and your issues with both manufacturer and dealer has me seriously thinking twice about it. I always think that you judge companies by how they react to a problem not the fact that you have had the problem in the first place.

f i was in your position @1ten I would delay placing the order and let the dealer know exactly the reason why. This hopefully would serve 2 purposes, firstly it MIGHT just get Mel a solution to her problem and secondly you will get to see exactly how good their after sales really is, or not, depending on the outcome.

I think the above are perfectly fair and reasonable points to raise with SMC.... As so far, that company are not exactly showing as taking dealer ownership of a blindingly obvious problem with a vehicle they sold . If i read correctly, they are just time wasting and delaying by stating they have now informed Globecar of the problem with Mels van . At this stage they should be in full consultation with Globecar , formulating a prompt solution .



SMC should simply get this actually quite serious problem fixed . Via arranging vehicle being shipped to Globecar factory, OR getting it fixed in UK and then argue with Globecar which of them are the "responsible" party in terms of repair /replacement costs . IE Globecar for building a not fit for purpose unit in their van. Or SMC for selling a not fit for purpose vehicle.

 

[Minxy]

Mel, I know I’m barking on, but why are you AGAIN waiting for Globecar. It has nothing to do with them, you have no relationship with them at all. Are or are not SMC going to fix it ?

I’m sorry, I don’t understand this, stop faffing around, take control of the situation, stop waiting for other people to dangle you around and kick arse.

Whilst SMC are trying to sort it out, whether they ultimately take responsibility for it, or Globecar do, I'm not going to rattle cages too much (within a reasonable timescale!) as there's no point in getting their backs up for the sake of it - they'd still have to get the tray from Globecar anyway regardless of who ends up having to foot the bill (NOT me!). Now that the right decals have been identified by Globecar I'm waiting for them to be produced and shipped to SMC so I'll be taking the camper in to have them done therefore there's no harm in letting them try the Globecar route at the moment so it won't mean 2 trips. I have been VERY patient with them so far over warranty stuff but suffice to say that no way is the shower issue going to drag on anywhere like as long as some of the other items as we could still use the van as it was meant to and cope with them, the shower tray makes it nearly impossible to do so.

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[funflair]

It all comes down to money of course, I believe the van in question is out of warranty so SMC don't want to do the work as they won't get paid without Globecar's approval, If they do "just this one" as a gesture of good will or whatever you can be sure they will quickly have a queue of others with similar claims.

Minxy doesn't want to pay as they feel that it is a design/manufacturing fault, so should be covered over and above the warranty period.

Globecar won't want to pay as only they know how many vans they have built like this and if they know they are at fault they know how much it could cost them to fix.

So it's a stalemate until somebody buckles under the pressure.

I am not unsympathetic but I think we need to keep in mind the "big picture"

Martin

 

[Minxy]

I think the above are perfectly fair and reasonable points to raise with SMC.... As so far, that company are not exactly showing as taking dealer ownership of a blindingly obvious problem with a vehicle they sold . If i read correctly, they are just time wasting and delaying by stating they have now informed Globecar of the problem with Mels van . At this stage they should be in full consultation with Globecar , formulating a prompt solution .

SMC should simply get this actually quite serious problem fixed . Via arranging vehicle being shipped to Globecar factory, OR getting it fixed in UK and then argue with Globecar which of them are the "responsible" party in terms of repair /replacement costs . IE Globecar for building a not fit for purpose unit in their van. Or SMC for selling a not fit for purpose vehicle.

Agree but, from what I have been told, assuming it is correct, Globecar like things very cut and dried so the response is either yes or no, no middle ground ... as an example to get the decals sorted SMC had to finally get the export chap in Germany involved as they were being told that without a part number they couldn't order the replacement decals, but there WASN'T A PART NUMBER as these stickers weren't a current model (I assume they simply deleted it from their records!) so they kept getting the same 'No' response ... hence stalemate! Now the decals have been correctly identified they've been ordered and are being produced by the decal producer for Globecar to send to SMC to arrange to get them fitted - its taken way too long but at least there is now light at the end of the tunnel for this at least.

It doesn't show Globecar in a good light which is a surprise to me especially as their vans are now very popular over here and they need to be 'seen' to support their customers fully ... how much of the delay with warranty stuff lies at their doors or SMC's I simply do not know. I can't contact Globecar 'customer services' as all they do is forward emails on to SMC to deal with as their UK agents however I may try contacting a Globecar/Possl dealer abroad and ask questions about warranty and see if they have the same problems/delays as it may simply a UK 'issue' or/and contact the Globecar CEO but at the moment I'm holding back on doing that so that hopefully it can be resolved with SMC as I have no wish to cause them any problems unduly.

 

[Minxy]

Other option may be to drive to globecars in germany and speak to them firsthand.

I did consider that when we were on holiday but it would have meant a 400km round trip which didn't seem sensible at the time! In hindsight though, it might have been ... might have to have a winter holiday abroad ...

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[CazPaul]

Agree but, from what I have been told, assuming it is correct, Globecar like things very cut and dried so the response is either yes or no, no middle ground ... as an example to get the decals sorted SMC had to finally get the export chap in Germany involved as they were being told that without a part number they couldn't order the replacement decals, but there WASN'T A PART NUMBER as these stickers weren't a current model (I assume they simply deleted it from their records!) so they kept getting the same 'No' response ... hence stalemate! Now the decals have been correctly identified they've been ordered and are being produced by the decal producer for Globecar to send to SMC to arrange to get them fitted - its taken way too long but at least there is now light at the end of the tunnel for this at least.

It doesn't show Globecar in a good light which is a surprise to me especially as their vans are now very popular over here and they need to be 'seen' to support their customers fully ... how much of the delay with warranty stuff lies at their doors or SMC's I simply do not know. I can't contact Globecar 'customer services' as all they do is forward emails on to SMC to deal with as their UK agents however I may try contacting a Globecar/Possl dealer abroad and ask questions about warranty and see if they have the same problems/delays as it may simply a UK 'issue' or/and contact the Globecar CEO but at the moment I'm holding back on doing that so that hopefully it can be resolved with SMC as I have no wish to cause them any problems unduly.

Think that's the best plan at the minute, just give them a chance to start with and see what's resolved in a couple of months or so.

 

[Minxy]

Think that's the best plan at the minute, just give them a chance to start with and see what's resolved in a couple of months or so.

Yes and no ... I ain't waiting 2 months ... not a flipping chance!!!! A couple of weeks maybe to get a decision but that's all, I'm fairly fed up of waiting for stuff to get resolved, I've spent too much time already chasing other warranty stuff so won't be doing the same this time round ... I expect to be able to use my camper as it should be, not just have a giant 'door stop' on the drive, so need to get this sorted asap.

How this pans out will certainly determine what vehicle we get next time and who from ... the cost for getting the shower fixed now will be small fry in comparison to the much bigger sum they'll 'lose' if we don't buy a Globecar (or other vehicle) from SMC in the future!

 

[SuperMike]

It all comes down to money of course, I believe the van in question is out of warranty so SMC don't want to do the work as they won't get paid without Globecar's approval, If they do "just this one" as a gesture of good will or whatever you can be sure they will quickly have a queue of others with similar claims.
Martin

Out of their supposed warranty, maybe, but they cannot restrict your legal rights, although they try to by faffing around. They cannot turn their back on you. An item such as this can reasonably be expected to last more than two years. Therefore SMC have to deal with it. Stuff Globecar, they are not even in this.

Mikes is getting on his box now and that can be dangerous to someone, even him if he falls off.

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[CazPaul]

Yes and no ... I ain't waiting 2 months ... not a flipping chance!!!! A couple of weeks maybe to get a decision but that's all, I'm fairly fed up of waiting for stuff to get resolved, I've spent too much time already chasing other warranty stuff so won't be doing the same this time round ... I expect to be able to use my camper as it should be, not just have a giant 'door stop' on the drive, so need to get this sorted asap.

How this pans out will certainly determine what vehicle we get next time and who from ... the cost for getting the shower fixed now will be small fry in comparison to the much bigger sum they'll 'lose' if we don't buy a Globecar (or other vehicle) from SMC in the future!

It maybe better, if you don't get anywhere with either of them(SMC and Globecar) to get someone who knows what they are doing to take the whole thing out, put a proper supporting base in and then get a heavy duty GRP mould done of the existing shower tray, same thickness as the existing one to allow for the wrap around door, then its belt and braces forever. You could even get the tray made thicker and allow for this in the support etc. But its the support that's the important part.

That would be a better job than just getting it coated.

Its like a lot of things in motorhomes, its the things you can't initially see that are the most important, water system, insulation etc.

But that's a bit further down the line at the minute.

 

[CazPaul]

@Minxy Girl any news or update on this please.

 

[Dorwyn]

When I was look for our present van, the Globecar was initially my first choice. But I did notice that the shower tray flexed, and also seemed very shallow. The fact that it was in the prime walking area, made me feel that it wasn't substantial enough to last. Mrs Dorwyn had an issue with the layout, so we passed on it. I did wonder if others would have a problem with the tray, was I being too careful. Sorry to hear it bit you.

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[Theonlysue]

Any update @Minxy Girl ?

 

[Minxy]

No news yet, gonna chase them up this week and see what's happening otherwise I can see it being the other side of Christmas at this rate!

 

[Minxy]

I've sent an email to SMC tonight so hopefully will get a quick response, we're wanting to go away next February for hubby's 60th birthday so need it all sorted by then ... not putting money on it being done though!

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[CazPaul]

I've sent an email to SMC tonight so hopefully will get a quick response, we're wanting to go away next February for hubby's 60th birthday so need it all sorted by then ... not putting money on it being done though!

That's around 4 months away, should be all sorted by then surely, one way or another.

 

[Minxy]

That's around 4 months away, should be all sorted by then surely, one way or another.

... we've been waiting longer than that other much more minor stuff ...

Just had a quick shuftie and I started a thread on 26 October 2016 about warranty stuff and we are STILL waiting for some of it to be resolved!!! That's over a YEAR ago!!!

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/dealer-attitude-to-customers-grrrr.140946/

 

[CazPaul]

... we've been waiting longer than that other much more minor stuff ...

Yes but you said in an earlier post on this thread that you were not waiting 2 months''Not a flipping chance''

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[Minxy]

Just to bring this thread up to date ... after sending follow up emails to the dealer's technician who's been sorting out our stuff, and having no responses, in the end I forwarded it to one of the directors and got an email back saying they had shut down for Christmas and wouldn't be back until January but that he knew that it was being actively pursued but Globecar were being intransigent (my word not theirs but I'm sure I could find a stronger one!) so a lot of too-ing and fro-ing had been taking place as they are adamant that the shower could NOT have been installed without the wooden base plate! This is despite me sending them some photos showing it isn't there!

Anyway I got a call on 4th Jan from the technician telling me exactly what was going on and that he'd finally got a sort of resolution from them ... first they need to order the tray which we have had to pay for - I told him in no uncertain terms that if Globecar didn't play ball it was the dealer who'd be footing the bill under the Sale of Goods Act as our contract is with them, not Globecar (I'd already put all this in the emails anyway), but in order to get it moving along I agreed to pay for it initially. Once the tray arrives and they've confirm it's the right one we'll need to take the van in then as per instructions from Globecar the dealer has been told to video the removal of the old tray to confirm that there isn't a full wooden framework underneath (which is what there should be and I know isn't there but hey-ho). When Globecar has seen the video which shows what I have been saying all along, they should then agree that it is a fault and fund the work so we'll get our money back.

We have been 'treading water' waiting to get this sorted before going away again but we've said s*d it and have just booked a holiday from mid-Feb to the end of March so they can then have the camper when we get back when there'll be no massive 'rush' to fix it and/or delay our getting away as we must be back in the UK by the end of March for something else. I haven't told the dealer yet and am not going to until either they confirm they've got the tray or we are just about to go away.

 

[Dare_Devil_Dennis]

Just seen this thread and sorry to hear your woes.

One poster (I don't want to lose the will to live by going back to look for him/her) suggested the tray could be supported by expanding foam. For anyone who might consider doing this to supplement the support to a flexing shower tray, DONT!

The surface area under the shower tray is considerable and the force created by the expanding foam will make the tray "heave" You will then be in a world of pain as the tray will be nigh on a permanent fixture as the foam will have glued it in place.

I did this on a domestic (heavy) shower tray and believe me it is a once in a lifetime experience.

So, any of you, don't be tempted to go anywhere near your pride and joy with expanding foam unless you can give it a safe escape route as it cures and don't mind it never coming out again.

Good luck I hope you finally get it resolved and enjoy your upcoming trip.

 

[CazPaul]

Is that 6 weeks away though and you can't use the shower at all during that time?

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[PeteH]

It is my Veiw, that the Vast Majority of Motorhome and Caravan Shower trays are largely "Self supporting". I installed a cheap domestic one in an Old Caravan some years ago (we used it as a utility area whilst doing a self build) before I fitted it I coated the underside with expanding foam (not recommanded if already installed as the foam needs escape routes!) Once installed you could physically jump up and down on it with no discernable movement. The extra cost of doing this in a manufacturing environment is peanuts, so it beggars belief that caravan and motorhome builder do not specify similar.

As an aside. Consumer legislation is on your side in this and the DEALER is the responsible party. (and he knows it!). "Merchantable Quality" is the code word!. "Fit for Purpose" also concentrates minds. Word of warning, it took me over 2 years to get through the courts with a Claim against a large car dealership!. (Evans Halshaw).

 

[CazPaul]

It is my Veiw, that the Vast Majority of Motorhome and Caravan Shower trays are largely "Self supporting". I installed a cheap domestic one in an Old Caravan some years ago (we used it as a utility area whilst doing a self build) before I fitted it I coated the underside with expanding foam (not recommanded if already installed as the foam needs escape routes!) Once installed you could physically jump up and down on it with no discernable movement. The extra cost of doing this in a manufacturing environment is peanuts, so it beggars belief that caravan and motorhome builder do not specify similar.

As an aside. Consumer legislation is on your side in this and the DEALER is the responsible party. (and he knows it!). "Merchantable Quality" is the code word!. "Fit for Purpose" also concentrates minds. Word of warning, it took me over 2 years to get through the courts with a Claim against a large car dealership!. (Evans Halshaw).

Exactly correct, it amazes me that you get £150,000 motorhomes etc and they are fitted with cheap 50 pence shower trays, you can buy stone shower trays for about £80 these days that would last forever, surely an inexpensive fitment for a motorhome.
Its the support underneath the tray that is also one of the main problems though, the areas you can't see are really important when building a motorhome.

 

[canopus]

I dont think a stone shower tray would be conducive to the net pay load of a PVC.

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