Hymer / Hella spoil my weekend again (1 Viewer)

[Lenny HB]

I’ve just bought a 2007/2008 Hymer B664 CL, yesterday, and it appears to have the same shape headlights. Are there any checks or a solution I can get the dealer to do while they are prepping it and before I pick it up next Saturday?

I don't think it is relevant to the glass breaking but get the DLR bulb holders checked the plastic on them overheats and they burn out.
Insist on the dealer fitting a set of the protectors and warranty the headlamps, the protectors may not help but it means they can't wriggle out of a claim saying it was a stone chip.

 

[DavidG58]

Still the Left hand light though?

Martin

Yes as far as I know, I am just trying to think who I know has lost one now

@dabhand @Theonlysue @Hils and Glenns are yours LHD was it the left side light

 

[Lenny HB]

Still the Left hand light though?

Martin

I've never heard of a right hand one going.

I totally agree the product is not fit for purpose but I do wonder what the percentage of failures is. Unfortunately on the web you only hear about the problem ones. Hymer produce around 10,000 vans a year probably over 50% with those headlamps since late 2006 so there has got to be well over 50,000 vans out there with those lamps.
In percentage terms not enough to worry Hymer or Hella so they just brush their hands of it. You would think if it is a small percentage they would just replace them for customer good will, dealers like TW don't help the situation.

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[Larrynwin]

I was only joking Larry about the vans and their owners.

I can’t believe this headlight issue though or the cost of replacement. If I hadn’t read it here and seen the pics I wouldn’t believe it.

Thanks Chris.
Bearing in mind the numbers on this forum, several of who may well have a class Hymers of the vintage in question , not many have reported the same experience so I'm not convinced of the perceived extent of the problem or the cause.
IMO the toughened glass used on the headlight is a poor design and vulnerable to stone impact shattering but if protected with covers should be ok. As a result of this I have put protectors on mine.
It's possible that the two occasions of shattering experienced by David are linked to his earlier model and a less than perfect fit.

Knowing you are a Hymer fan I must say that the two I have had have been excellent and would certainly recommend and buy another.

 

[Larrynwin]

I really don't understand why the glass on these headlights are considered to be "exploding" , it is tempered / toughened glass and shatters under impact or stress just like the side and rear windows in a car.

 

[Chris]

Thanks Chris.
Bearing in mind the numbers on this forum, several of who may well have a class Hymers of the vintage in question , not many have reported the same experience so I'm not convinced of the perceived extent of the problem or the cause.
IMO the toughened glass used on the headlight is a poor design and vulnerable to stone impact shattering but if protected with covers should be ok. As a result of this I have put protectors on mine.
It's possible that the two occasions of shattering experienced by David are linked to his earlier model and a less than perfect fit.

Knowing you are a Hymer fan I must say that the two I have had have been excellent and would certainly recommend and buy another.

I love Hymers actually Larry. I love all German vans just not the layout.

We started with a Burstner Aviano A class but it just didn’t work for me. The wife and kids loved it but I just found the seating area claustrophobic. We looked at a new Elegance which I could have lived with but I was so unhappy with the part exchange offer from the dealer that we didn’t go ahead. I think that was a mistake looking back.

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[Lenny HB]

Elegance which I could have lived with but I was so unhappy with the part exchange offer from the dealer that we didn’t go ahead. I think that was a mistake looking back.

UK dealers take the pee on part ex, our last van UK dealers offered £40k both Belgium & German dealers offered £54k and big discounts on new van.

 

[Detnor]

I've said this before, mine went, same nearside unit, van had sat still for a few days, not heat or impact. I was loading the van, so getting in and out when it went. It was out of warranty, Brownhills who supplied it didn't want to know, but Travelworld sorted it under warranty, quickly and minimum fuss.

 

[Theonlysue]

@DavidG58 mine was rhd and nearside light went.

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[DuxDeluxe]

Maybe it is a TW contact that started it off in the first place.???????????

I must fess up......it was me...... all part of my devious plan to undermine Hymer by sneaking around and pecking at headlights with my beak until they break and then saying “please sir! Big boy done it and run away” to TW and the HOGroasters.....

 

[Larrynwin]

I love Hymers actually Larry. I love all German vans just not the layout.

We started with a Burstner Aviano A class but it just didn’t work for me. The wife and kids loved it but I just found the seating area claustrophobic. We looked at a new Elegance which I could have lived with but I was so unhappy with the part exchange offer from the dealer that we didn’t go ahead. I think that was a mistake looking back.

It's why we like the B544 with just two of us travelling. After having three RVs we were used to lounging space and the B544 with bed up has seating for eight and room to put feet up on a wet day.

 

[jockaneezer]

We had an incident at work a few years ago, when tightening up a hardened retainer in a component, the Allen key jumped out and hit the tempered glass in the 2m x 4m window beside the bench, it sounded like a rifle shot, but the glass remained intact and there was no sign of the impact or any cracking. About 4 hours later, there was an almighty bang and the complete window crazed over, so it's possible that the headlamp glass could suffer a delayed fracture too ? As to it always being the nearside glass going, that's where most of the loose stones are found on the carriageway, just needs the vehicle in front to drift towards the kerb and all sorts gets flung up, but ultimately, a poor decision by Hella to use glass over plastic even if it is to cope with higher bulb temperatures.

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[GWAYGWAY]

May be better with some silicone grease than WD40.

Yes it would be better tase a longer lasting material like that but tu get it ou first you need to penetrate the grommet to ease removal, put it back with a silicone grease or even Vaseline.

 

[DavidG58]

I really don't understand why the glass on these headlights are considered to be "exploding" , it is tempered / toughened glass and shatters under impact or stress just like the side and rear windows in a car.

I think it is to do with some of them happening while parked, like I am 99% sure happened to mine this time, I had walked right past in on consecutive days after getting back and am certain I would have seen it, then it got put back where we keep it in the garden and then next time I went past I saw the damage

but it might just bear out @jockaneezer tale, delayed reaction maybe leading to the confusion

what ever you call it the lights are written off with no physical signs of impact

 

[CazPaul]

We had an incident at work a few years ago, when tightening up a hardened retainer in a component, the Allen key jumped out and hit the tempered glass in the 2m x 4m window beside the bench, it sounded like a rifle shot, but the glass remained intact and there was no sign of the impact or any cracking. About 4 hours later, there was an almighty bang and the complete window crazed over, so it's possible that the headlamp glass could suffer a delayed fracture too ? As to it always being the nearside glass going, that's where most of the loose stones are found on the carriageway, just needs the vehicle in front to drift towards the kerb and all sorts gets flung up, but ultimately, a poor decision by Hella to use glass over plastic even if it is to cope with higher bulb temperatures.

I like that reason, sounds very likely, in that case the protectors would work then.

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[Lenny HB]

, a poor decision by Hella to use glass over plastic even if it is to cope with higher bulb temperatures.

They didn't think it through very well, didn't bother to use heat resistant plastic for the DLR bulb holders which burn & melt with only a 21w bulb. I suppose Hymer are only a small customer to Hella compared to the car manufactures so not the same level of testing put into the product as they can only exercise X amount of time for the returns.

 

[dabhand]

Yes as far as I know, I am just trying to think who I know has lost one now

@dabhand @Theonlysue @Hils and Glenns are yours LHD was it the left side light

Yes, LHD and left side headlight, but same as Detnor, TW sorted it under warranty quickly and efficiently even though warranty was up. Although they did have to get approval from Hymer first.

Mine shattered two days into a rally, not moving and no stone chip, I did hear of a story of an overheard conversation at a trade show between a Hymer guy and a Hella rep, whereby they were agreeing that the fault was caused by the unit being fitted under stress, I have no idea whether this is true though.

Just to add, I like my Hymer but like all vans, there are often model specific problems, mine had shitty rubber pipe on the hot water off take on the boiler, burst three times before I replaced it with John Guest semi rigid and push fit connectors £50 all in (the connector to the boiler was £35 ), crappy micro switches on taps etc etc. What gets me is that if there is a known problem, and you only have to search this forum to find them, with..... a headlight, a micro switch, a piece of heating pipe, a hob where the glass shatters, a Dometic tower with a cack door lock on the fridge etc etc etc it seems to take the manufactures years to address the problem if at all. Imagine if Boeing had the same philosophy! Mind you I spoke to one of the Dometic sales persons at the NEC last year they don’t use the w*nky sliding lock any more, is the new one any better?

I still reckon that none of the designers have ever spent time in a Motorhome, we wouldn’t get such crappy fittings if they had!

 

[Larrynwin]

They didn't think it through very well, didn't bother to use heat resistant plastic for the DLR bulb holders which burn & melt with only a 21w bulb. I suppose Hymer are only a small customer to Hella compared to the car manufactures so not the same level of testing put into the product as they can only exercise X amount of time for the returns.

You would think when planning a product every eventuality is factored in , we all know that tempered glass shatters so why use it in such a vulnerable area, we stopped using it in windscreens rears ago.

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[csd4t]

I changed my DRL's to led and became an expert at removing and replacing my light units. When I replaced them I used some rubber packing to make a sort of washer/packing piece before only lightly tightening up the three top screws. the bottom locator goes back easily with a bit of vaseline applied.

 

[Lenny HB]

You would think when planning a product every eventuality is factored in , we all know that tempered glass shatters so why use it in such a vulnerable area, we stopped using it in windscreens rears ago.

We all drove about in cars many years that had glass headlamp lenses I don't remember ever having one break.
Something funny going on with the Hymer ones.

 

[Larrynwin]

We all drove about in cars many years that had glass headlamp lenses I don't remember ever having one break.
Something funny going on with the Hymer ones.

I have seen them cracked from a stone chip but perfectly usable .

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[funflair]

We all drove about in cars many years that had glass headlamp lenses I don't remember ever having one break.
Something funny going on with the Hymer ones.

Depends how many years ago Lenny, the ones I remember were not toughened so a decent stone impact would "pop"a bit of glass off the inside leaving just a small hole at the front that most folk put a spot of Araldite on.

Martin

 

[CazPaul]

Cheap quality and high prices, it wouldn't surprise me if they knew straight away that the units would shatter but continue to put them in and charge a fortune. After all, they made the units really difficult to copy, that's where most of the thought went into.

Its the price I still can't get over for new ones.

 

[funflair]

Something funny going on with the Hymer ones.

They most likely designed them to be plain glass and then somebody said "you can't do that they are too big" so they had spent money on the tooling for the glass so they just toughened it and said "that'l be reet"

Martin

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[canopus]

If old man Hymer was still alive there wouldn't be all this controversy with the headlights, it would have been sorted long since.

 

[Lenny HB]

If old man Hymer was still alive there wouldn't be all this controversy with the headlights, it would have been sorted long since.

Although still a private company, run by accounts these days.

 

[andy63]

Hi david ..read the thread from start to finish...
Just lost for words.. life is to short i suppose to get to up tight about a few issues that have been mentioned but if nobody did anything i suppose those attitudes would simply increase..
It sounds disgraceful that hymer and travelworld appear to be indifferent and blind to an obvious issue..
Whatever you decide to do , wishing you well and the best of luck..
Andy

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[Clarky]

I can understand why the lamps might shatter under stress or after a stone impact but what I can't get my head round is the price of the things.
How on earth can a headlamp possibly cost £1500?
Even if they are a bit complicated and contain several units the price is out of all proportion.
Just think what range of complicated white goods or TV's you could buy from Currys for that sort of money.
Crazy!!!!

Richard.

 

[chaser]

I can understand why the lamps might shatter under stress or after a stone impact but what I can't get my head round is the price of the things.
How on earth can a headlamp possibly cost £1500?
Even if they are a bit complicated and contain several units the price is out of all proportion.
Just think what range of complicated white goods or TV's you could buy from Currys for that sort of money.
Crazy!!!!

Richard.

That's the thing that gets me on this thread, £1500 for a headlight I'd want a whole motorhome for that, it's ridiculous, do they tell you how much they are when you buy them?

 

[gus-lopez]

it’s a Hymer problem not a dealer rip off it’s them you need to address before you destroy and bridges further.

Hymer Probkem not Travel world Nor any other Hymer dealers probkem but Hymer AG its that simple

Yes & your legal point of contact under the consumer act is the dealer. They are the ones who should be ****ing Hymer up hill & down dale. No one else.

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