Impact and damp damage to back corners of van - how serious and how much?

[Gerryp]

Hi hive mind!

Have previously posted on a related topic but now adding some photos and details.

We've had a bit of a double nightmare whilst traveling round Europe for a year with our new baby. We are first time motorhomes so learning as we go. For context van is a Swift Sundance 600L from 2005, otherwise good condition bought for 20k, 70,000 miles.

1. Problem one, back right damage. Going up a bit of a hidden dip I majorly biffed the back corner of the van against the road causing the stabiliser to push up against the floor and split the floor a bit. Stabiliser is fine but floor definitely need repair. (See first three photos)

2. Problem two, the other corner has water damage and the wood is slowly buckling. The problem was pre existing when we bought the van (somehow the previous owners neglected to mention it and we were newbies so didn't spot!) and was identified in the habitation service immediately after. At the time they said cost of repair could be so high we would be better off sealing everywhere with sealant, monitoring and hoping the problem didn't get worse (maybe the biff made things worse? Who knows). It's getting worse and there's more ingress every time it rains. It needs addressing - panels need opening up, identify and seal cause of leak, dry out and replace where necessary wood, reseal etc. (Pics 4-6)

So a few questions really!

1. What would people expect a fair cost of repairing these two issues to be? I know it's hard to know when you don't know the cost of damp damage but ranges would be great.

2. We were planning to be in southern France then Spain for next 6 months and don't want to come all the way home to fix. Do people have experience getting work done in France and Spain? Would it be much cheaper? Any recommendations for somewhere to get it done particularly in Andalusia? For context I speak good Spanish and passable French.

3. Would the biff to the back right be the kind of thing that insurance would cover in people's experiences? It's not really clear at all from the policy document. I've got no NCD to protect.

 

[simsy56]

I wouldn't have a clue at costs, but a great repair man I used many years ago could fix anything. His favourite saying was, "If man made it, man can remake it".

My brother full times in his Winnebago, and he has had repairs done whilst in Spain, a new stainless steel water tank was made for him by a fabricator and cost pennies compared to England, maybe get a quote out there.

A good joiner/mechanic/coachbuilder could sort that out easily. Good luck!

Craig

 

[Boringfrog]

I think the insurance company would write that off.

 

[Lenny HB]

The floor looks repairable and not too expensive but that looks like a bad design with the steadies bolted through the floor.
The damp on the other side is probably water filtering down from a roof joint and would probably need the inner wall taking off to investigate where it's coming from and that could cost a few grand.

 

[TerryL]

Steadies bolted to the floor are definitely an after sales amateur job, they should be fixed to the chassis. I'd get them off first, they'll have to come off anyway for a repair, and leave them off or if you really need them get them done properly when all is done.

Unhappily the other floor problem is very common on Swifts of that age due to the way it has been "sealed" - just made it worse. However it is repairable and if you can find someone who has some experience with this work then it shouldn't be too bad. You do need to make sure any source of ingress is found and sorted as it will only happen again a couple of years down the line.

Given what you paid for it I'd guess the vendor knew all about that damp problem, just wanted shot of it and you were the unwitting victim. Otherwise, in good condition, IMO that would have been a £25k van.

Oh yes,

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[GeoffnDee]

The damp floor problem on Swift Motorhomes 2005-2007 was caused by the wrong material being used for the flooring (it had a coating that held the damp in ) , most were repaired under warranty , but I expect some were missed or not repaired properly. So if you are having any repairs done to the floor make sure that the correct material is used for the replacement.

 

[Gerryp]

Steadies bolted to the floor are definitely an after sales amateur job, they should be fixed to the chassis. I'd get them off first, they'll have to come off anyway for a repair, and leave them off or if you really need them get them done properly when all is done.

Unhappily the other floor problem is very common on Swifts of that age due to the way it has been "sealed" - just made it worse. However it is repairable and if you can find someone who has some experience with this work then it shouldn't be too bad. You do need to make sure any source of ingress is found and sorted as it will only happen again a couple of years down the line.

Given what you paid for it I'd guess the vendor knew all about that damp problem, just wanted shot of it and you were the unwitting victim. Otherwise, in good condition, IMO that would have been a £25k van.

Oh yes,

Thanks Terry and everyone else that's super helpful. I think we will get rid of the stabilisers and be done with them - just another thing to biff!

Yes I'm really keen we find the ingress, sort it and stop it coming back by properly sealing it and am braced for that being the expensive bit, particularly if the wood inside is v damaged.

Encouraging to know the damp was probably factored into the price so when we sell it hopefully won't be huge loss for us.

I've started contacting well reviewed motorhome repair garages in Andalucía for quotes and will see what they come back with...

 

[AlanandMayya]

Hi hive mind!

Have previously posted on a related topic but now adding some photos and details.

We've had a bit of a double nightmare whilst traveling round Europe for a year with our new baby. We are first time motorhomes so learning as we go. For context van is a Swift Sundance 600L from 2005, otherwise good condition bought for 20k, 70,000 miles.

1. Problem one, back right damage. Going up a bit of a hidden dip I majorly biffed the back corner of the van against the road causing the stabiliser to push up against the floor and split the floor a bit. Stabiliser is fine but floor definitely need repair. (See first three photos)

2. Problem two, the other corner has water damage and the wood is slowly buckling. The problem was pre existing when we bought the van (somehow the previous owners neglected to mention it and we were newbies so didn't spot!) and was identified in the habitation service immediately after. At the time they said cost of repair could be so high we would be better off sealing everywhere with sealant, monitoring and hoping the problem didn't get worse (maybe the biff made things worse? Who knows). It's getting worse and there's more ingress every time it rains. It needs addressing - panels need opening up, identify and seal cause of leak, dry out and replace where necessary wood, reseal etc. (Pics 4-6)

So a few questions really!

1. What would people expect a fair cost of repairing these two issues to be? I know it's hard to know when you don't know the cost of damp damage but ranges would be great.

2. We were planning to be in southern France then Spain for next 6 months and don't want to come all the way home to fix. Do people have experience getting work done in France and Spain? Would it be much cheaper? Any recommendations for somewhere to get it done particularly in Andalusia? For context I speak good Spanish and passable French.

3. Would the biff to the back right be the kind of thing that insurance would cover in people's experiences? It's not really clear at all from the policy document. I've got no NCD to protect.

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Can’t help you with specifics but our experience (slightly dodgy DIY Transit conversion, long term in Spain) is that sourcing materials and getting stuff done in Spain is a doddle compared to in UK. For context, we live in Weymouth and speak no Spanish at all.

 

[HKF]

From my experience, anything done in Spain will be significantly cheaper than having it done in France.

Good luck with the repairs and

 

[MisterB]

I think I saw a YouTube video where a full timer had some repairs done in Turkey that they were very pleased with, not sure who they were but their van was bright orange ...

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[Landy Andy]

Have you considered popping over to Morocco?

I bet they would do a great job, and the best price you’ll get.

 

[maison]

The floor looks repairable and not too expensive but that looks like a bad design with the steadies bolted through the floor.
The damp on the other side is probably water filtering down from a roof joint and would probably need the inner wall taking off to investigate where it's coming from and that could cost a few grand.

We had a Swift of similar vintage when we returned to motorhoming after a brief flirtation with tugging.

It suffered from the same floor damp problem but was not caused by any leaks from above. Someone at Swift had the “bright” idea of lining under the floor with a “polythene” like liner to prevent water splashing up onto the wood. Unfortunately, it actually allowed the water to get behind the liner and stay there, causing the rot.

The damaged area was cut out and replaced, the liner removed from the rest of the floor, and then a form of under seal applied.

If the OP has the same construction it may not be too expensive to fix as no walls or roof problems are involved.

I hope, for his case, that is the answer.

 

[Kayak Kid]

Oops sorry posted on wrong thread - so now removed!

 

[Jake Royd]

I had some water damage repaired commercially a couple of years ago.
Rotten floor just after of the rear wheel ultimately caused by a leaking pushfit connector
Also rotten rear boarding behind the rear lamp clusters right across the width of the vehicle.

Perhaps not completely unlike yours.
This cost £1700. The standard of the work was very good.
Done by Hayes Leisure, unfortunately now retired.

The only other quote I had was for £10000 by a company that wanted to strip and refit the whole bathroom. That would have scrapped my motorhome value wise.

 

[Speve]

Have you considered popping over to Morocco?

I bet they would do a great job, and the best price you’ll get.

By the time you ad ferry costs it will be a lot more expensive

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[mikebeaches]

We've been helped by Hispavan, at Antas, Almeria (next to the Vera junction on the A7).

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It's a large dealership and appears to be managed by British / Spanish owners - fluent English spoken.

No idea how much they might quote, but be surprised if they couldn't at least offer some advice.

We damaged an electric step and expected to need a replacement, but they dropped everything when we called in, removed it, stripped it down and repaired it - took a couple of hours and then charged €90, which we thought very reasonable. We saw the step in parts and had the exact damage pointed out and what the proposed fix was. All good.

The British manager we spoke to restored wrecked Range Rovers as a hobby - we saw a couple in progress.

We know a few others who have been helped by them and in fact we called in on recommendation.

Whatever, hope you can get your van sorted.

 

[RobertJary]

Another vote for Hispavan

 

[2bob]

any news on the mh

 

[Gerryp]

Update on this: W/we got both corners fixed and done to a very nice standard for €1000 by Taller Dark in Almería, Andalucía. They also sealed some gaps up top where water may have been coming in from. They ended up removing the stabilisers as they were so annoying and not worth the hassle. One week later we scraped the bottom of the back of the van going into a campsite - no damage at all but if we'd had the steadies on it would have been another €1000 probably. Much better without them!

 

[Saucer]

When I had car body trouble a few years ago, I got it fixed in Spain at a very reasonable cost and quality. Given you speak Spanish I’d say thats a no brainer

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[Saucer]

Oops, I missed that you are sorted, but it looks like Spain was answer

 

[Beltie]

Update on this: W/we got both corners fixed and done to a very nice standard for €1000 by Taller Dark in Almería, Andalucía. They also sealed some gaps up top where water may have been coming in from. They ended up removing the stabilisers as they were so annoying and not worth the hassle. One week later we scraped the bottom of the back of the van going into a campsite - no damage at all but if we'd had the steadies on it would have been another €1000 probably. Much better without them!

Maybe time to get Airides or similar on the back end!