Cracked Shower Tray in Globecar camper

[CazPaul]

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

I disagree, that's the reason the converters will give you for fitting a 50pence one 15-20kg is nothing really for one of the most important aspects.

 

[funflair]

I disagree, that's the reason the converters will give you for fitting a 50pence one 15-20kg is nothing really for one of the most important aspects.

A GRP tray would be a lot lighter than that indeed about the same as the plastic ones, but would cost a few £ more and I believe that is what it really comes down to.

Some German builders now fit GRP trays as standard.

Martin

 

[CazPaul]

A GRP tray would be a lot lighter than that indeed about the same as the plastic ones, but would cost a few £ more and I believe that is what it really comes down to.

Some German builders now fit GRP trays as standard.

Martin

Yes agree Martin, at least you can repair GRP and a much better material than the cheap plastic.
Like you say, it comes down to overall cost, a bit like the door stays, cheap bits of plastic fitted on most. Why can't everyone fit the proper metal ones that Concorde use.

 

[PeteH]

Yes agree Martin, at least you can repair GRP and a much better material than the cheap plastic.
Like you say, it comes down to overall cost, a bit like the door stays, cheap bits of plastic fitted on most. Why can't everyone fit the proper metal ones that Concorde use.

Sounds as if your on commission!. But I take your point about plastic fittings!. BTW. it wasn't you heading to Bridlington this morning was it?. Big Concorde with a Garage I could park my car in!. As I showed, even just filling the underside with foam vastly improves longevity.

 

[CazPaul]

Sounds as if your on commission!. But I take your point about plastic fittings!. BTW. it wasn't you heading to Bridlington this morning was it?. Big Concorde with a Garage I could park my car in!. As I showed, even just filling the underside with foam vastly improves longevity.

No it wasn't me, I wish.

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[Minxy]

UPDATE: Had a call from the chap at the dealers to say that there was good new and some not so good ...

The good news is that the replacement shower tray has arrived with them (it appears to be the right one as he sent me some photos so I could check) ... but the bad news is that they are still waiting for the ruddy decals!

The earliest they can fit us in is 8th Feb but to take out the old shower tray and fit the new one, then do all the other jobs (excluding decals), we decided it is just too risky with it being so close to our departure date especially in case they hit any snags etc, and we don't want them to rush either, therefore we've agreed that we'll still gonna go away and have our holiday then get all the work done when we return by which time hopefully they'll finally have the decals. (I mentioned that they'd still need to make a 'support' for the new tray as it's still just a basic plastic shell, something which they hadn't thought about!)

So at least we're moving a little bit further forward ... one thing that I am definitely going to do when the camper goes in for the work is insist that the removal of the old tray is done whilst we are there so we can observe them doing so and see exactly what is underneath (not a lot IMV) and prove my point that it is a design/build fault and get our money back not only for the tray but also not end up being billed for the work to do it either.

 

[Theonlysue]

Good luck.some photos would be interesting taking the tray out.
I wonder if something was missed in the build stage?

 

[hilldweller]

and prove my point that it is a design/build fault

And most important of all, makes sure it does not happen again in a year's time.

Interesting times times if you say "that's never going to work............"

 

[Minxy]

Good luck.some photos would be interesting taking the tray out.
I wonder if something was missed in the build stage?

That's my thought too but I think it is more likely that the original wooden surround they used didn't have the front part in it which supports the edge etc but subsequent to this they redesigned it as the one you can see in the below definitely have the support going all the way round.

The first picture shows the cut-out which is virtually level with the floor:

The second picture shows the support framework that goes all the way round the shower - the bit nearest the chap's left foot is what is missing on ours ... I know this because I've looked under it.

 

[BusyBuilder]

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.

You could foam the tray whilst out, then cut the foam back level with the base before fitting. This way it will go in and be totally supported whilst still removable later if needed. And weight will be minimal.

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[SpeedyDux]

That chap in your pic with the hammer probably smashed the surround and said "Sod it, I'll chuck the broken piece in the bin and nobody will ever know".

 

[Minxy]

You could foam the tray whilst out, then cut the foam back level with the base before fitting. This way it will go in and be totally supported whilst still removable later if needed. And weight will be minimal.

Yes that's one thing that I suggested to the chap ... until the existing tray is out and what is, and isn't, there can be seen its difficult to sort out the best solution.

 

[Minxy]

Further update ...

The camper is now booked in for 26th May (Saturday) and they'll have it for the week (well 4 days!) so hopefully they'll get it sorted ... I'm glad we decided not to delay going away as I'd be climbing the walls by then if I hadn't had a bit of sun!

 

[Minxy]

Update to this saga

The camper went in to SMC on Saturday 19th May (not 26th ... that's when it SHOULD be done by) and we got a call today with a progress report.

Yesterday they set-to removing the shower tray and found it was well and truly stuck down with some black mastic/tar type adhesive and would NOT lift no matter what they did, consequently the only way they could remove it was in 3 sections as it cracked as they did so, so the old tray is totally kaput (yes I know I like jigsaw puzzles but ....).

When they finally got it out they did find some limited support under it however this was only at the 'lower' points/base of the tray with very little and/or none at the mid and higher points which is where the tambour door channels are and the raised parts which support the wooden shower cover that you actually stand on. They also confirmed there was no support at the front edge of the tray which is the part you step on/over as you walk up/down the aisle!

SMC have now sent a report to Globecar about it saying that in their view they believe the support provided is insufficient for the tray (or words to that effect) and is different to what they do now and also what is shown on the video of one being built (which Globecar produced I believe). They are therefore waiting for Globecar to accept their findings and refund them for the shower tray (and therefore they can return the cost of it to me) so hopefully that's just a formality ... if not and Globecar won't accept their findings then its gonna be a case of my going down the road of it not being 'fit for purpose' but hopefully that's a course of action I won't have to undertake. The new tray isn't quite the same shade of grey as the original but is a far superior product, a lot stronger and a better design, so will be much better once it's installed.

They've also started to remove the decals which is a b*gger of a job and the workshop guys are not happy bunnies either ... we knew it would be a prat to do especially cleaning off the adhesive once the stickers are off; the poor guy that got the job of cleaning up the mastic left from the shower tray removal has spent hours and hours doing so and isn't best pleased either. Consequently the chap I've been liaising with has avoided going anywhere near the workshop in case he ends up with some the mastic stuck where the sun don't shine or gets wrapped in the old decals!

 

[Blue Knight]

It sounds as if an entire stage of the shower tray installation has been omitted when your van was being built Mel.

Very strange indeed.

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[Minxy]

It sounds as if an entire stage of the shower tray installation has been omitted when your van was being built Mel.

Very strange indeed.

Exactly my thoughts, or they quickly changed the design when they realised it was an issue and hoped no-one would complain! The extensive use of the black mastic stuff to me speaks of a bodge anyway ... at least they altered it so later ones don't have an issue.

The only thing it goes to prove is that there was no way on earth I could have removed the tray, repaired the cracks and re-fitted it.

 

[Blue Knight]

They've also started to remove the decals which is a b*gger of a job and the workshop guys are not happy bunnies either ... we knew it would be a prat to do especially cleaning off the adhesive once the stickers are off; the poor guy that got the job of cleaning up the mastic left from the shower tray removal has spent hours and hours doing so and isn't best pleased either. Consequently the chap I've been liaising with has avoided going anywhere near the workshop in case he ends up with some the mastic stuck where the sun don't shine or gets wrapped in the old decals!

He is likely to be the bloke who bodged my solar installation, he was then demoted and is removing your decals with a few sheets of 40-grit sandpaper and some wire wool............

 

[Donk]

Hi we had a cracked shower floor on our 2006 Bessacar .We ended up having a company put speed coat down and a great job they did they also reinforced the shower floor
Guaranteed for life of van not cheap £500

 

[busby]

In

I agree with Lenny on this one - the tray is 100% knackered and needs stripping out and replacing. It could also lead to some fairly significant water ingress issues if not rectified correctly.

I took the opinion recently that Globecar products were top-notch items but this example is displaying signs of very poor workmanship (or very poor design).

You do need to pester the heck out of the dealer to get him to help support your cause but IMO it's Globecar itself that needs to rectify this particular issue as they should not be supplying such crap in the first instance.

I'm not a lover of dealers, far from it, but I don't even think a dealer should have to repair this level of shoddy workmanship - this is a manufacturers issue.

Good luck,

Andrew

In law the dealer is responsible i think,,BUSBY,,

 

[Minxy]

In

In law the dealer is responsible i think,,BUSBY,,

Yes ultimately the buck stops with the dealer who is currently battling it out with Globecar as they are trying to get it covered under warranty due to it happening not long after the 2 year warranty had expired - it simply should NOT have happened at all and definitely not within such a short timescale. If we had been the sort of people who use the camper more than just a couple of 6 week trips abroad and a few odd days in the UK, and shower every day as some do, the issue would certainly have shown up much sooner.

As SMC were between a rock and a hard place (I'll let you decide which was me and which was Globecar!) we were asked to pay the cost of the shower tray replacement (£510) under the premis that once removed and the 'bad build' issue was confirmed they would apply to get this refunded from Globecar and return it to us, if Globecar will NOT accept SMC's report then then they will be liable for it under the 'not fit for use' criteria. To some extent I can understand Globecar wanting proof of the problem as I'm sure they get ripped-off by some dealers trying to put in warranty claims for stuff that is unnecessary, or the costs are 'inflated' to get more money for the work, I'm not for one minute suggesting that SMC do this but this may be Globecar are playing 'hard ball'.

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[Minxy]

Why oh why doesn't anything go ruddy right for us!!!!

We were due to pick the camper up today but rang yesterday to see how they were doing as we didn't want to drive 60 odd miles there and back for nothing and it turns out that they have had a hell of a job to remove the decals why I don't know but they eventually got them all off, however, one of the new ones is creased ... of course it has to be one of the biggest ones doesn't it!

I don't know if it was already creased before they put it on or if it's been creased whilst they've fitted it but they have been trying to source a replacement locally which is a concern as I doubt very much if they will be able to get a match to the ones supplied by Globecar and I am NOT waiting over a year for yet another one!!!!

The upshot is that we haven't collected the camper and will be updated on Wednesday with progress ... its a flipping nuisance as I need to get it advertised and can't until I get some recent photos of it.

Aaaaarrrrrgggghhhhhhh!!!

 

[Blue Knight]

That's terrible news Mel - the story seems to get worse and worse as the 'many' months pass by.

I'm into my decals (I have them on my show car) and I'll say now that the big ones should be applied by a specialist bodyshop and not my some bodger in the repairs department. That said, creases can occur almost immediately after one part of the decal is applied to the bodywork so if the guy doesn't know what he/she is doing then you've got no chance of success.

This may be a long shot but if Globecar were able to supply the decal print measurements and the source and colour code of wrap material being used then any good wrap company could reproduce the goods.

Bad luck indeed

 

[Minxy]

Another update ... got a call from SMC to say the camper's sorted ... asked exactly what they've done and was told that they had:

• Decals - AFAIK they've managed to sort out the 'creased' graphic ... not sure how ...
• New hinge for wardrobe door - replaced
• Rear side window bar pitted - replaced
• Shower tray replacement/repair - replaced
• Corners for blinds fitted (well until they ran out of them!) so hopefully that means they've done them all bar the washroom! They said they have to replace the whole thing, not just the corners as they come as full units ... madness!

According to the chap we've been dealing with about the shower etc he's seen the camper and said it looks good as does the shower tray.

He's also confirmed that they will be reimbursing us for the cost of the shower tray and installation ... yay!!!!!!

Only fly in the ointment is that they can't refund to the original credit card I paid for it with as we don't have it, so they'll probably just give us a cheque tomorrow. Whether this is because they are being reimbursed from Globecar or not I don't know ... maybe they just want shot of us!

Back to 'musical campers' tomorrow but at least we'll be able to get it photographed and advertised.

 

[SpeedyDux]

Can't stop thinking that only 2 Globecars is never enough.

 

[Minxy]

Can't stop thinking that only 2 Globecars is never enough.

Behave ... I did have 6 of the older model Smart cars (not ALL at the same time ... although I did have 3 at home ... twice ... and then 2 when we bought our new one before we sold our old one! So 7 Smart Fortwo cars in total since 2012 .... but I am NOT going to start with Globecars!!!

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[Minxy]

AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH ......

Why oh why can't people do what they are supposed to and not tell us something has been sorted when it flipping well hasn't!!!!

It took us 2 hours to get there - there'd been an accident so the Police had closed a large chunk of road and we had to go on the smaller country lanes - we then went and had a frothy chocolate drink whilst we waited for one of the chaps to get the paperwork so we could go and check out the camper. We pottered out and the camper and had a good shuftie:

Decals - they looked very good, a vast improvement of the 'ever decreasing' ones and they'd done a good job of fitting them.

Shower tray - although the colour is a bit lighter it doesn't look out of place and they've done it very well, they made supports for the underneath so it felt sturdier than the original and have also sealed it well all round and done a neat job.

Hinge - unfortunately they'd supposedly sorted out the upper wardrobe door/hinge but it was still well crooked so they got the fitter to come out and re-adjust it to make sure it COULD be done, thankfully it was okay once he'd sorted it.

Window bar - replaced and now as it should be.

Blind corners ... this is where it get bl**dy annoying! They've replaced a lot of them but there are 2 that still need doing ... one on the sliding door and one for the large rear side window next to the bed ... to say I was peed off is an understatement! I let the chap know it too ... politely with no swearing, shouting or threats but he knew exactly how I felt about it although I did make a point to tell him that I knew it wasn't his fault! We then got the chap who'd been sorting them for me and he told me about the difficulty he had to get them, having had to 'acquire' them from when replacement blind units came in for other vehicles (which only needed the actual roller blind itself and not the framework) ... apparently they are not covered under warranty in the 2nd year! Talk about an idiotic set-up ... having to get the whole thing for a small part!

Apparently this is why he didn't have enough of the corners ... now, I appreciate all the hard work he'd done to get them for us BUT this was the first we'd heard of it ... and to get us to go to collect the camper knowing that 2 of the corners still needed sorting out is not on! I told him that no way was I going to be bringing it back again to have them fitted and that I wasn't happy as we have waited all this time for the work to be done so we can sell it but now have this on-going issue to still resolve! They're not allowed to cannibalise any of the vehicles they have in stock to sort our camper out either and he said he's gonna see if he can 'acquire' some more but whether he will or not I haven't a clue, if so he will send them to me to fit.


We parked up at Brownhills (on the way we'd noticed that all the laybys on the A46 between Lincoln and the A1 were all shut!), quickly ate our sarnies there then had a potter to the loos, but it still took us another 2 hours to get home as the road was still closed ... by the time we got back it had taken us over 5 hours and 30 mins, the poor dogs were crossed legged!

Anyway, the camper is now home safely and tucked up on the drive with his younger 'brother' so we can get him cleaned and advertise and hope that the corners come through soon ...

Oh, nearly forgot ... they have 'misplaced' the 2 securing straps for the shower curtain so I'm gonna have to make some and we've now noticed that one of the 'Globecar' name decals hasn't been fitted on the top of the rear ... not that you'd know if you weren't looking at the old decal photos!

 

[skylinersi]

Another example of crappy dealers. ...