Hymer Damp check. (1 Viewer)

[GWAYGWAY]

Now the van has passed its first birthday it is due for a damp check,However as it is at the end of a long dry period any dampness would have dried out and not show, What happens now do they spray it continuously for a week to see if it leaks (IT DOESN'T) or is it a ruse to relieve me of a lot of money to play check the meter readings are nothing. Good mind not to do it here but get it done at a foreign dealer for half the price if at all. what do you think.

 

[Larrynwin]

The damp check also involves the underside being sprayed with a
damp proofing liquid which is an annual necessity to maintain the Hymer damp proof warranty. May cost a bit but worth it in the long run.

 

[Hettie's Crew]

Ours has just been today for it's third test. We bought it at one year old and when we picked it up the rear locker was wet inside. I assumed that they had washed it a bit vigorously with a hose and didn't think much about it, it's all plastic in there. It had just had its first ingress test and passed.
Last year on the second test they found the rear locker to have high readings around the door and replaced the whole locker door under warranty. Over the last year we have had water in the locker on several occasions, usually when water is running off the roof in that corner. I reported this today prior to the ingress test. Again high readings were found and again they are replacing the door.
I said no to the replacement until they could identify why it was happening, so it is going in for a water test next month which apparently takes several days.
It appears the test I pay £135 for is no more than poking about with a damp meter, the same as anyone else dose, plus the spray underneath. I had assumed they sprayed water at it, hence the the term 'water ingress test'
Lowdhams appear very happy to just put another door on, nice bit of warranty work for them.
We would no doubt be in the same situation next year unless they identify the cause.

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[mitzimad]

i would put the hose on it my self then get inside with a torch till i found it i suspect they will do the same but with a lot less interest

 

[two]

My check is going to cost £305 plus VAT. i wonder why it's not @295 plus VAT if they want it to appear cheap, and what do companies dealing with the public separate the VAT anyway?
Somehow I'm thinking "Stuff the warranty, I'll save my money". I wonder how it might affect the resale value (not at all if it's in ten years)?

 

[Larrynwin]

My check is going to cost £305 plus VAT. i wonder why it's not @295 plus VAT if they want it to appear cheap, and what do companies dealing with the public separate the VAT anyway?
Somehow I'm thinking "Stuff the warranty, I'll save my money". I wonder how it might affect the resale value (not at all if it's in ten years)?

A leak in the roof in two years could be costly with no warranty.

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[Chris]

I didn't think Hymers leaked. Ever

 

[John Stanton]

I didn't think Hymers leaked. Ever

I beg to differ from bitter personal experience - new in 2015 damp by 2016 ...

 

[Chris]

I beg to differ from bitter personal experience - new in 2015 damp by 2016 ...

Crikey.

Perhaps get a Swift next?

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[GWAYGWAY]

Well when it rained and it was parked at home the rain ran down the body and straight into the garage seals to the floor which was soaked. Fixed it with two stuck on gutters over the top of the door and it runs down passed the seals now. This business of spraying around the floor underneath, I do not understand as it is all GRP and it is sealed all around. I spray the chassis with anti corrosion oil but that is not what they claim to do. The cost over 5 years of checks would allow me to run it for a year tax and insurance, not stuck in a dealer pockets. Why is it twice as much in the UK as Belgium.

 

[Khizzie]

I beg to differ from bitter personal experience - new in 2015 damp by 2016 ...

Oh good Lord go and wash your mouth out !!! Glad I have an autocruise .9 years passed with no damp recorded ..

 

[Larrynwin]

I didn't think Hymers leaked. Ever

Hope not

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[John Stanton]

Oh good Lord go and wash your mouth out !!! Glad I have an autocruise .9 years passed with no damp recorded ..

Wise choice and well done ...

 

[Xabia]

This business of spraying around the floor underneath, I do not understand as it is all GRP and it is sealed all around. .

I am open to correction here but I believe that the spray is only applied to those areas where cables, pipes etc come through the floor. Totally agree that I can't see why any other area would be sprayed as the underfloor is some sort of grip and mine has a double floor.

As a matter of interest what sort of anti corrosion oil do you use?

 

[jongood]

I beg to differ from bitter personal experience - new in 2015 damp by 2016 ...

I think it would be very interesting to lots of people if you could give some details about this.

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[John Stanton]

I think it would be very interesting to lots of people if you could give some details about this.

Well I've already outlined our two year tale of woe on other threads, so I'll not repeat them otherwise some may accuse me of being sad and obsessive . Let's just say there were lots of issues and the final habitation check revealed damp in the garage - some might say not serious at 20%, but it was the final straw for us so "Adolf" had to go.

 

[Theonlysue]

Cost me eur 90 at their head office in bad waldsee. As for the underspray, I was told each can had a unique number which is recorded on the check. I was also told they put the van in a vacuum to check if any leaks anywhere.

 

[bellabee]

@Hettie's Crew , I can well imagine your frustration . Have they tried replacing the rubber seal round the door? That would seem to be the obvious place for water to get in.

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[Hettie's Crew]

@Hettie's Crew , I can well imagine your frustration . Have they tried replacing the rubber seal round the door? That would seem to be the obvious place for water to get in.

They replaced the whole door including all the seals last year and they intend doing the same again, but at no point have Lowdhams attempted to identify why it happens.
It seams to me they are just interested in carrying out warranty work rather than curing the problem.
It's booked in for a full water stress test now, at my insistence, before they fit another door.
Looks to me like it just needs some guttering to deflect any water running down the side, which I think I'll sort out myself.

 

[CazPaul]

Floors rotting has always been a big problem with Hymers, not sure when they changed from using a cheap chipboard floor to GRP.
I have seen loads upto 2007 with rotten floors, especially from the rear wheels backwards, I have put my thumb in and felt like little Jack Horner, only it was water running down my sleeve.

 

[jongood]

Floors rotting has always been a big problem with Hymers, not sure when they changed from using a cheap chipboard floor to GRP.
I have seen loads upto 2007 with rotten floors, especially from the rear wheels backwards, I have put my thumb in and felt like little Jack Horner, only it was water running down my sleeve.

I dont think Hymer have ever used chipboard in floors. Earlier models had a plywood garage floor that occasionally caused problems when garage door seals leaked.

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[CazPaul]

I dont think Hymer have ever used chipboard in floors. Earlier models had a plywood garage floor that occasionally caused problems when garage door seals leaked.

Looks like cheap chipboard to me, not ply. I would disagree with occasional problems, big problems I would assess it as, I have looked at many over the last few months that have rotten floors, especially from the rear wheels backwards.

One dealer had 5 Hymers, all were rotten to some degree, the one I specifically went to see was so rotten it was terrible, it had a piece of plastic stuck on underneath to try and cover it up. I never posted on here about it because the dealer had a good reputation and I couldn't be bothered with the hassle because of the conversation we had afterwards as I had travelled a fair distance.

Definitely looks like rotten, soggy chipboard to me not plywood.

They made a big error using it instead of plastic/GRP. Just look at an Arto or Flair from the same year, 1996-2007 and the floors underneath are quality made to last.

 

[Pausim]

It seams to me they are just interested in carrying out warranty work rather than curing the problem.

Perhaps try a different Hymer dealer.

 

[Hettie's Crew]

Perhaps try a different Hymer dealer.

It's bad enough doing the 75miles to Lowdhams, others are much further away.
They will fit another new door under warranty and get paid by Hymer for doing it. If the warranty had run out I'd be taking it to my local NCC Workshop, 3 miles away, he'd rebuild the door with a new core, using the the existing hinges, surround, catches etc and fit a drip stop gutter to prevent further problems.

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[jdk62]

Perhaps try a different Hymer dealer.

Perhaps try a British van....

 

[Hettie's Crew]

Perhaps try a British van....

Been there, done that, full electric failure, multiple draughts, sticking locker catches, rattles+++, poor heating/insulation and flimsy structure/build.
The worst aspect is same old, same old build/design in the best tradition of the old British car industry, with the exception of Bailey.

 

[MitchandJenny]

Love our Autotrail Tracker T. !!!
Mitch.

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[GWAYGWAY]

I am open to correction here but I believe that the spray is only applied to those areas where cables, pipes etc come through the floor. Totally agree that I can't see why any other area would be sprayed as the underfloor is some sort of grip and mine has a double floor.

As a matter of interest what sort of anti corrosion oil do you use?

The spray I used on the Chassis box is called XCP and it is made in Edinburgh. I use it for anti corrosion on aircraft parts and it creeps into joints between the welds on the chassis to stop the creeping rusty patches. The exterior I used plain old Waxoyl heated and sprayed using the same pressure sprayer off my compressor I sprayed that in all manner of places that condensation might get to . The XCP is also available in spray cans and is very good on engine and equipment surfaces made of various alloys.

 

[Xabia]

Thanks for that, I will order some supplies.

 

[WonkyBass]

@ Hetties's Crew. The damp check this year on our 2014 Hymer showed up damp in both garage doors. This was several months ago and both doors were replaced under the water ingress warranty yesterday.

Your problem with the same door changed twice alerted me to the possibility of a design issue and I wanted to avoid the multiple occurrences you suffered so I asked my dealer what the cause was likely to be. Before the work was done we speculated that the flexing of the garage doors is, apparently, a common reason for water leaks generally. These doors are 28 inches wide and 42 inches tall with the bottom 6 inches angled inwards and covered by a skirt.

I collected the van today. The cause was human error. I am told that the skirt is secured to a c-shaped rail/ bracket that is itself screwed to the door. No sealant had been used around these screws during manufacture and this is where the water had entered.

I was relieved the damp check found problems I had not noticed. I am very happy that the water ingress warranty covered the replacement after 3 years. And I am also (secretly) most pleased that a garage door that had been dented in 2014 when one of us left their bike on the kick stand on grass too close to the new van has been replaced. This happened on a rally with only 200 miles on the clock with several ralliers watching. And it now never needs to be mentioned again.

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