Since I purchased my 2008 Rapido on Mercedes chasis in March 2017 I noticed a knock from the front left hand corner , suspected the shock absorber but all checked ok. knock was more noticeable when stationary and moving about in motorhome. Finally I started looking inside small inspection panel under the dash and removed insulation material to find water ingress to side panel . The dashboard bolts through the side panel with some sort of coach bolt and that's making the noise. I inspected under the wheel arch and to my surprised the plastic under tray has a gap of a couple of inches
There is nothing to stop water and spray going up behind the side panel board , resulting in damage to boarding . Its just thin furniture board with no water protection whatsoever. The dealer I purchased it from has agreed ( after a bit of a fight as its out of its six month warranty ) to repair the damage free of charge.
So I would urge all Rapido 9 series owners to check under the wheel arch and see if there is any protection from water damage.
There is nothing to stop water and spray going up behind the side panel board , resulting in damage to boarding . Its just thin furniture board with no water protection whatsoever. The dealer I purchased it from has agreed ( after a bit of a fight as its out of its six month warranty ) to repair the damage free of charge.
So I would urge all Rapido 9 series owners to check under the wheel arch and see if there is any protection from water damage.