Hymer - A confession - Its got Damp

h1ghway1

h1ghway1

Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Posts
512
Likes collected
938
Location
Oxford
Funster No
30,368
MH
Hymer B584
Exp
since 2013
Yes .. I'm owning up to a German van with damp.

So all you British van owners gather around... get a comfy seat...pour yourself a glass of Bombardier bitter, Wadsworth 6X or any non lager drink...

Bring your cheddar/Wensleydale or other quintessential English cheese to room temperature, open a pack of Jacobs cream crackers , take the lid off the butter dish and settle down to read about my woes...feel the cockles of your heart start to warm... because here we go...

I am the owner of a 1999 Hymer B584.. I have owned and loved it for the last 3 years, it has Wild camper options ...solar panel and two gaslow bottles.

Over winter I haven't been away much but every week I take it for a 20 mile run.
On returning from a run in March
IMG_20190323_115049.jpg
I noticed that the passenger side wall had detached from the rear wall...see pics..

I took van to a Midlands motorhome repairer and asked for an opinion and a quote to repair..

Well.. when a knowledgeable engineer says ' I've never seen that before' ... my heart sunk and I knew I was in trouble..

They suspected damp but advised me that a repair would be starting at £2500 ..could be more and they could not guarantee the repair..

so my options...
1. Trade in with a dealer - Probably no chance or buttons.
2. 2nd opinion ? the workshop are well respected..
3. Advertise on a specialist site and hope a hobbyist wants a challenge.
4.. Tape over the join and just keep it going until another major repair arises.. eg Engine or gearbox failure..

Option 4 is my current choice.

Anyone else have an opinion ?

This is written tongue in cheek and I don't want to upset anyone.
I accept in life sometimes we are lucky.. and sometimes we are unlucky..
Overall in my life I feel I'm in credit.

PS I still love her.. meiner liebling xx
 

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As a Swift owner I feel your pain...hope you get it sorted :unsure:
 
I looked at first pic and thought don't look that bad.
Then saw the second one and said "oh sh##"

Apart from drinking my Spanish dark lager I can't help but fingers crossed for you.
 
If only there was a drying out clinic for motorhomers..
 
DIY.

What is inside at that point ?

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Its the back of the shower cubicle.. which is a self contained unit with no access to the frame/body..

DIY.. not me.. no way.. absolutely 5 thumbed :D
 
What a shame as 1999 Hymers were quality built vans
Question is how long as it been leaking, you are certainly in the minority with a troublesome 1999 Hymer,
Apart from aluminium corrosion and soggy under floors they are cracking vans
 
...........Dehumidifier inside the van, seal up inside with silicone, scrape out between trim and body outside seal with Sikaflex.... carry on........ it's not going to fall apart
(y)
 
Literally picked up the damage with 7 days... its a RHD so I always exit through passenger door .. so I suppose I haven't discovered the source of the leak.. a quick visual check doesn't reveal anything obvious... but their is a seam that runs across the van above the rear kitchen so I will waterproof tape over that...

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h1ghway1 said:
Yes .. I'm owning up to a German van with damp.

So all you British van owners gather around... get a comfy seat...pour yourself a glass of Bombardier bitter, Wadsworth 6X or any non lager drink...

Bring your cheddar/Wensleydale or other quintessential English cheese to room temperature, open a pack of Jacobs cream crackers , take the lid off the butter dish and settle down to read about my woes...feel the cockles of your heart start to warm... because here we go...

I am the owner of a 1999 Hymer B584.. I have owned and loved it for the last 3 years, it has Wild camper options ...solar panel and two gaslow bottles.

Over winter I haven't been away much but every week I take it for a 20 mile run.
On returning from a run in March View attachment 304461 I noticed that the passenger side wall had detached from the rear wall...see pics..

I took van to a Midlands motorhome repairer and asked for an opinion and a quote to repair..

Well.. when a knowledgeable engineer says ' I've never seen that before' ... my heart sunk and I knew I was in trouble..

They suspected damp but advised me that a repair would be starting at £2500 ..could be more and they could not guarantee the repair..

so my options...
1. Trade in with a dealer - Probably no chance or buttons.
2. 2nd opinion ? the workshop are well respected..
3. Advertise on a specialist site and hope a hobbyist wants a challenge.
4.. Tape over the join and just keep it going until another major repair arises.. eg Engine or gearbox failure..

Option 4 is my current choice.

Anyone else have an opinion ?

This is written tongue in cheek and I don't want to upset anyone.
I accept in life sometimes we are lucky.. and sometimes we are unlucky..
Overall in my life I feel I'm in credit.

PS I still love her.. meiner liebling xx
Click to expand...

Any pictures showing the inside shower area at all please? Just trying to establish where it has started?

KEV
 
Could you get a couple of other quotes, and ask yourself is the van worth more then £2500 or can you buy another van for that. It might be a lot of money but think it’s cheapest option as you say px for another will cost a lot.
 
I think the van before the crack was worth somewhere between 10-12k.. its just under 100k miles..
so a bill of 2.5k or more is a decision to take...

I'm happy to keep it for a few more years and hope it doesn't get worse..but if anyone knows off a retired hobbyist with a workshop .. let me know :)
 
I am minded to get a couple of quotes.. any recommendations of places within 50 miles of Oxford ?
TIA

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There is an outside locker under the damage, can you see/feel any rot there ? Try digging your finger nails in.
 
@h1ghway1
"They suspected damp but advised me that a repair would be starting at £2500 ..could be more and they could not guarantee the repair..
But did they actually find any ?

Wild camping ,rough roads ?
Could have shook that bodywork about?
A good body shop maybe with big panel suckers to get a grip on the fiberglass sides and after a good clean out possibly pull body back into line and a good dose of sikaflex .
If pressure can be applied from inside all the better .
 
There is a quick and dirty fix far easier than doing it properly. Clean out the joint and find a length of 2x1 the length of the seam. Push in plenty of sikaflex all down the seam. Immediately before it sets screw the length of wood down the join clamping it shut. Leave to cure for 24 hours then remove the wood, clean off excess sikaflex and fill screw holes
 
SMB said:
As a Swift owner I feel your pain...
Click to expand...

Yup, as another (former) Swift owner, I too felt that pain:

mh_roof_leak_feb_2016_002.jpg


@h1ghway1 I know that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach :(

But, it is repairable.

You might be looking at a bit more than £2500 though :unsure:

If you fancy a trip further north, I can whole heartedly recommend a guy called Paul:

http://www.motorhomeservicesltd.com/motorhome_damprepairs.html

(y)

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  • Like
Reactions: SMB
It look to me that it’s the joint between the two panels that’s coming out.
I believe it a ‘T’ shape. Remove it clean out the sealant and hopefully let dry out and then fill with Seam sealer like
CARAVAN & MOTORHOME HODGSON SEAMSEAL CV NON-DRYING BEDDING SEALANT Amazon product ASIN B006LMSA58
This is just my opinion from looking at the photos.
 
Thats a fantastic response from some many people... I will go down the 2nd opinion route after I've done my summer trips..and I'll try that guy at motorhome repairs...

Feel free to keep your comments, commiserations and advice flowing... just like the alcohol -))
 
Why not do it yourself.
 
h1ghway1 said:
I will go down the 2nd opinion route after I've done my summer trips.
Click to expand...
NOOOOOO!
It's already started, driving now will only make it worse. Any movement of the body, rough roads, potholes etc, will pull even more of the panels apart.
I would rather cancel a trip or two than increase the risk of more damage and expense.
 
pappajohn said:
NOOOOOO!
It's already started, driving now will only make it worse. Any movement of the body, rough roads, potholes etc, will pull even more of the panels apart.
I would rather cancel a trip or two than increase the risk of more damage and expense.
Click to expand...
Inclined to agree with pappajohn on this one.

Hope you can get something sorted. (y)

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Clean the old sealer/glue out, pull the side, re-glue, clamp and seal.
 
Well it is 20 years old if it was a Brit van it could of happened in the 1st year.

To start with Hymer's PUAL construction means there is no timber in the bodywork to rot and they use PU foam which does not absorb or capillary water. So there won't be any major damage.

A very strange one could be due to water getting behind the shower wall from the shower.
I'm more inclined to think it may have been in an accident in the past and not properly repaired.

Although you say DIY is not your thing, it's just a case of mind over matter and get stuck in.
 
we had a worse problem the rear corner caught a post ripping of the rear corner and pulling apart corner simaler to yours cleared the old out repositioned panel with sikoflex clamped all untill set had to replace the cover strip as bent out of shape but when finished you could not tell not a hard job give it a go dont drive with it in damaged conditon.....
 
If the van is a member of the family then get her sorted by the professionals. If it's just a van then get rid. We've had more problems than enough with our van but we are both stubborn and have plenty of elbow grease to sort whatever nightmare raises it's ugly head this time. Good luck and hope to see you back on the road soon.
 
90 miles from Oxford, but Cannock Resprays have a very good reputation. You could, at least, discuss it with them over the phone.

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