Roller team Zefiro roof leaking (1 Viewer)

[Richie B]

Hi all. Long time lurker and some of your threads helped me choose my recent purchase, so thank you.

After much deliberation I purchased a 2014 Roller team Zefiro 675 from a Rollerteam dealer mid July for my wife and two young children.

This weekend we managed our first night away, a test run prior to a two week trip through Cornwall as of the 13th August.

The weather was shocking and we woke this morning to find the dinette seats wet. Further investigation showed there is water dripping off the sunroof cowling and along a joining strip in the ceiling. This strip when pushed will secrete water all along the width of the seal which is across the ceiling wall to wall. Not a minor leak, this is substantial.

I had noted some minor staining on a small patch only visible in some light so this appears to be a repeat issue or just coming through. Last night was the first rain since we purchased the van.

I have called the dealer this AM and will be taking the van back this Wednesday for them to inspect. I have told them I am away on the Friday and have sites booked so they will have it for two days. I'm hoping for an inspection and a temporary repair. I'm assuming a proper repair will require the roof coming off and being rebuilt?

My overall question though, is this motorhome fit for purpose? if a leak of this size has occurred what else is likely to be affected and to what level. Is it worthwhile this being repaired or simply return it for a full refund? I don't doubt the dealers commitment or believe anything sinister is afoot but I don't want to be stuck with a shoddy motorhome which later on will be impossible to move on.

Sorry about the length and thanks in advance.

Rich Barnett.

 

[Zains Pops]

Return it, it’s not of merchantable quality, get ready for a fight though.

 

[Cheshirecat57]

Sorry for being personal, did use a finance company for the purchase.?

Its early days, see what the dealer’s response is, but log everything and every word

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[Richie B]

Thanks both thus far, would appreciate any further experiences or observations. No finance, cash transfer so no protection there, does have a warranty and outstanding Rollerteam body warranty (10 years). The dealer was very apologetic and of course surprised to hear of the leak. The consumer rights act 2015 appears to back me, but gutted I'm even in this position having spent 6 months looking and used a dealer to avoid being in this situation : (

 

[Gellyneck]

Sorry to hear of your problems.
On the warranty, you'll need to check an annual habitation has been done to comply with the t&c's of this. If it hasn't the manufacturer will probably reject the claim.
Also, some manufacturers, and I think Rollerteam may be one, have a sliding scale of customer contribution dependent upon age.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Also, some manufacturers, and I think Rollerteam may be one, have a sliding scale of customer contribution dependent upon age.

Our Elddis 'warranty' is the same, not worth the paper it's written on. I would reject it, it's probably been steadily leaking, getting worse for a couple of years.

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[Richie B]

Sorry to hear of your problems.
On the warranty, you'll need to check an annual habitation has been done to comply with the t&c's of this. If it hasn't the manufacturer will probably reject the claim.
Also, some manufacturers, and I think Rollerteam may be one, have a sliding scale of customer contribution dependent upon age.

Yes its a sliding scale having checked the terms. If I kept it any idea of a best case scenario. The only thing I can thing is a total rebuild!

 

[hilldweller]

I'm assuming a proper repair will require the roof coming off and being rebuilt?

Rich Barnett.

Not an uncommon fault and lifting the rooflight, clean, re-seal is not a long job. When it's lifted off they will see if the timber is sound.

If there is no wood rot your only complaint may be staining on the ceiling.

 

[Gellyneck]

any idea of a best case scenario

Could be there is an external panel joint seal on the roof above the internal jointing strip which hasn't been sealed properly or the seal has failed. If so, it may be as "simple" as removal, resealing and refitting of this but ......
When the seal is removed the repairer should be checking for damp \ rot damage but how easy this would be?
If the water is entering at the skylight it could be a similar type repair scenario.
Suppose the question for you has to be how happy \ comfortable would you be with a repair and would concern over a potential return reduce your enjoyment of the vehicle?
Other, more techie minded guys, may be along in a minute.

Edit, as Brian as said!

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[Richie B]

I suspect its a seal which is on the slope down from the overhead cab towards the horizontal part of the body. When I looked at it I always thought it was a strange place to put the join as it would stop water coming down the slope and gather, this inducing the potential for ingress. So probably removing this seal and re-sealing would probably fix it. But what damage has the water done and where has it gone?

 

[Gellyneck]

But what damage has the water done and where has it gone?

Hence my last comment above.

 

[suavecarve]

Was the motorhome rented by them beforehand ? if there was previous evidence of a leak and they owned it (as rollerteam are often hiring vehicles) you may have them by the proverbials

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[Richie B]

Owned by the salesman who did used to rent it out privately. The consumer rights act 2015 appears to be on my side in this scenario. But refusing it spoils our entire summer. A repair if one could be trusted would be ideal, but not sure I want to take the risk.

 

[Bognor Saint]

Have you got any records of any habitation checks?

 

[ambulancekidd]

Sorry to hear that your having these issues, but in the meantime

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[Richie B]

nope, got service receipts with previous owners details so some follow up possible with any previous repairs. Dealer was providing a report that I have yet to collect with another set of keys. They spotted some minor damp in the rear that they would take care of after the summer, no mention of damp in the ceiling area.

I will be returning it to the dealer tomorrow AM and discussing options. So gutted.

 

[Richie B]

Sorry to hear that your having these issues, but in the meantime

I'm not getting the fun bit at the moment! But thanks for the welcome.

 

[Bognor Saint]

Just thinking that the dealer could have provided you with a habitation check report as part of your purchase.

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[swanseajack13]

We had a 2013 746model new first check 2014 damp in the garage, repaired test 2015damp in the garage in the same place repaired 2016 damp in the roof around the sky light put it in px for a class German motor home load of shit ray xx dilly dilly HAND IT BACK

 

[TheBig1]

build quality on roller team is pretty crap, but this is likely to be the mastic sealing the skylight has dried out and cracked in the last few months. quick and cheap to repair by removing skylight, clean off old mastic and refit with fresh mastic

 

[Minxy]

Return it and get your money back ... once water is in you simply do not know where it's gone, as it's already got a damp issue at the rear it's not worth the worry, also you'd have to disclose it in the future when you sell and that would likely mean a large reduction in your selling price.

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[Bognor Saint]

Any outcome to your problems?

 

[Richie B]

It went back to the dealer. Very apologetic and they have dismantled dried and resealed an outer seal that had perishes which was on the roof. At this stage I have informed them I am considering my options which includes my 30 day money back option.

But I have 10 days of sites booked across Cornwall and will lose £400 and a family holiday. I have secured some additional guarantees at this time and will be testing the van over the 2 weeks. If I'm not happy I will return.

The problem is I spent 6 months looking for a motorhome that suits my needs. If I buy another van I could be in the same position. If privately purchased I'd be up s&it creek
I could buy from another dealer and have the same issue.

At this stage the dealer appear honest, its solent motor homes at Poole in case anyone has any observations. I will also consider an independent habitation test to verify their own certificate it was supplied with and get a second expert opinion.

My options are still open at this time. A hole load of stress I didn't need and looking for another van does not fill me full of joy and neither do I have the time.

 

[Bognor Saint]

I think others on here will have a better opinion than mine but it is a worry as to how far the damp may have spread.
Independent damp check is a very good idea and I would think as very necessary.

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[Anthea M]

It went back to the dealer. Very apologetic and they have dismantled dried and resealed an outer seal that had perishes which was on the roof. At this stage I have informed them I am considering my options which includes my 30 day money back option.

But I have 10 days of sites booked across Cornwall and will lose £400 and a family holiday. I have secured some additional guarantees at this time and will be testing the van over the 2 weeks. If I'm not happy I will return.

The problem is I spent 6 months looking for a motorhome that suits my needs. If I buy another van I could be in the same position. If privately purchased I'd be up s&it creek
I could buy from another dealer and have the same issue.

At this stage the dealer appear honest, its solent motor homes at Poole in case anyone has any observations. I will also consider an independent habitation test to verify their own certificate it was supplied with and get a second expert opinion.

My options are still open at this time. A hole load of stress I didn't need and looking for another van does not fill me full of joy and neither do I have the time.

If they are going to make good and you feel happy about it , try and enjoy your family holidays .
Make sure they change the stained ceiling board as that would certainly not look good to sell on.
Don’t let it dampen your spirits !
( We had 2 Italian vans that had water ingress and even though repaired under extended warranty’s never made me quite happy.)

 

[Bognor Saint]

Duplicate post

 

[Richie B]

The stained ceiling is being addressed. The obvious answer would be money back, but as above brings a host of other issues. A possibility is extended warranty to cover the issues. I do wonder about the generally theory that a van has a leak, it's junk.

Surely modern vans don't utilise wood stripping anymore for structure other than possibly the floor and can take some water? I can't ascertain the building materials used in Roller Team construction. If they do use wood, surely it's marine spec?

So thanks all for your advice I'm considering my options. I'll see how it performs over the next 10 days. If anyone has any successful stories of water ingress and repair / longevity I'd be interested to know to help me form a balanced opinion.

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[deleted-member02]

Unless It was a van with PUAL Construction, I’d avoid any vehicle that had had a damp repair, regardless of quality or warranty given.
I’ve personally known too many owners that have had ongoing problems, almost to the point of scrapping vehicles, even after returns to the factory, or 10k repairs.
If it’s damp - walk away, simples...

FWIW, Rollerteam appear to still be using timber framing (as I would of expected)

 

[Xabia]

Don’t take this as definite information about your particular motorhome but the following website suggests that there is no wood in the roof construction. If this is correct there would have been no internal damage and providing that the new seal is proven to be watertight I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Certainly an independent damp test would be sensible, after the vehicle has been subjected to serious water dousing.

https://www.rollerteammotorhomes.co.uk/warranty

 

[Richie B]

Don’t take this as definite information about your particular motorhome but the following website suggests that there is no wood in the roof construction. If this is correct there would have been no internal damage and providing that the new seal is proven to be watertight I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Certainly an independent damp test would be sensible, after the vehicle has been subjected to serious water dousing.

https://www.rollerteammotorhomes.co.uk/warranty

Well the dealership said, although they would, there was no damage and the construction contained no wood, so that's some good news. As before being that the majority of MH live outside and exposed to the elements I fail to see why any unprotected wood should be used. Thick PVC joists and aluminium would be better and potentially lighter. Wood seems irresponsible unless it's high grade marine material.

I have the dealership putting everything in writing. I will give them the option to walk away if they think I'll be coming back with issues as the consumer act 2015 gives me six months and I'm a bit of a nightmare for statutory law and following things up. That's if after then next 10 days I decide to keep it. That's still within my 30 days.

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