Water tank security.. or lack of (1 Viewer)

[adi4]

Just a heads up, if you own an Auto trail V line I would recommend that you check the water and waste tank strap's.

I have one come in today and the bolts that secures the tank strap's to the floor have pulled right through the floor skin as the builders haven't put a plate between the bolts and the floor, in fact they have not even put a washer under the head of the bolts.

This particular van is a 2018.

 

[Cal54]

Whilst on holiday in France few years back my fresh water tank literally dropped off whilst I was driving. On investigation one set of bolts had come away but the front was luckily intact. I used all sorts of straps to hold it up and then limped to a garage just round the corner. Thankfully the ‘one man band’ wasn’t busy and immediately got on with repairing the problem - I don’t speak French and he didn’t speak English but hand signals got me through. After an hour or two and €50 later I was on my way. Thankfully I was in a village and not on a major road. My vehicle was an Autocruise pvc.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a network of places where we could get our vans on ramps and have them visually inspected underneath? Say £50 like an mot.
Extra for any work needed of course.
Some might say a habitation check should cover all these things but I doubt it does.

 

[adi4]

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a network of places where we could get our vans on ramps and have them visually inspected underneath? Say £50 like an mot.
Extra for any work needed of course.
Some might say a habitation check should cover all these things but I doubt it does.

We primarily work on American RVs, but we do work on European Vans as well, we can lift a vehicle up to 22 tons and are happy to inspect and repair any vehicle.

We are in Weymouth in Dorset

Adi and Cassie

 

[Spriddler]

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a network of places where we could get our vans on ramps

I've been taking my cars, motorbikes and m/home to Mr MOT locally for maybe 15 years. They only do MOTs and are happy to leave it up on the lift for 10 or 15 mins whilst I rummage around underneath checking stuff.

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[Riverbankannie]

I go to the South Glos testing centre and it’s very strict about sitting in waiting room. I drop it off on one side and find it finished on other side of building.

 

[CAB96]

That is appalling.

I wonder if it's one of those vans where they tell you to empty the tank before driving

 

[L' Hobo]

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a network of places where we could get our vans on ramps and have them visually inspected underneath? Say £50 like an mot.
Extra for any work needed of course.
Some might say a habitation check should cover all these things but I doubt it does.

If I suspect anything wrong, I book mine in for a PRE MOT check at my friendly tester without it being entered into the computer.
He's not too happy but what can he do?
Charges the same as a MOT.

 

[Kannon Fodda]

Please no not another thing that might go wrong

But as the tanks are only 60l capacity perhaps the Autotrail conversion didn't think they'd be heavy enough to fall off.

And no , no advice in manuals to drive empty, the water tank seemed designed to self empty through it's pants vent holes anyway. Never did arrive anywhere with more than 50%, even if i did leave full, until I got the gaffer tape out.

 

[L' Hobo]

Just a heads up, if you own an Auto trail V line I would recommend that you check the water and waste tank strap's.

I have one come in today and the bolts that secures the tank strap's to the floor have pulled right through the floor skin as the builders haven't put a plate between the bolts and the floor, in fact they have not even put a washer under the head of the bolts.

This particular van is a 2018.

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If I was the owner, I would report it to the Ministry.
That must contravene C&U regulations?
When that's full, how much must that weight?

Thanks for the warning, I'm glad I own a Murvi!

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[Tombola]

After the problems I had with my shiny new AT I'm not surprised

 

[Boaty]

Just a heads up, if you own an Auto trail V line I would recommend that you check the water and waste tank strap's.

I have one come in today and the bolts that secures the tank strap's to the floor have pulled right through the floor skin as the builders haven't put a plate between the bolts and the floor, in fact they have not even put a washer under the head of the bolts.

This particular van is a 2018.

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Thanks for the information, but how can the fitting be checked?
I'd have thought a question for Auto-Trail.

 

[Lenny HB]

Wasn't nt there a post on the forum where the straps holding the tank on an Autotrail had rusted through and the tank dropped off.

 

[Boaty]

Wasn't nt there a post on the forum where the straps holding the tank on an Autotrail had rusted through and the tank dropped off.

Aye ok that's the strap and like all underneath in the "UK" from exhaust onwards should be an annual check.
The OP raised a question regarding the retainer.

 

[LithiumConvert]

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a network of places where we could get our vans on ramps and have them visually inspected underneath?

The guy that does my MOT invites me to look underneath. Just like Spriddler above.
(and off the record, he looks as well)

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[Jez1966]

If I was the owner, I would report it to the Ministry.
That must contravene C&U regulations?
When that's full, how much must that weight?

Thanks for the warning, I'm glad I own a Murvi!

What is "the Ministry"?
What are "C&U regulations"?
When that's full, how much must that weight? @ 60l - 1l water is 1kg so 60x1kg + tank weight.

 

[L' Hobo]

What is "the Ministry"?
What are "C&U regulations"?
When that's full, how much must that weight? @ 60l - 1l water is 1kg so 60x1kg + tank weight.

Ministry of Transport, later called Vosa, now called something else I believe?

C & U = Construction and Use regulations.

60kgs, that's nearly the weight of a small person.

 

[Boaty]

60kgs, that's nearly the weight of a small person.

Cheeky sod 54kgs, and my we just make it

 

[L' Hobo]

Boaty , IF 54kg is the norm, there's 2 of me, so be careful who your calling ' a Cheeky Sod'. or we will come and kick sand in your face!

 

[Gromett]

Just a heads up, if you own an Auto trail V line I would recommend that you check the water and waste tank strap's.

I have one come in today and the bolts that secures the tank strap's to the floor have pulled right through the floor skin as the builders haven't put a plate between the bolts and the floor, in fact they have not even put a washer under the head of the bolts.

This particular van is a 2018.

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Am I misunderstanding something? Have they bolted it to the actual floor and not used spreader plates?
The correct way is to bolt it to the chassis surely. When I installed I did it to the chassis rails not the floor.

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[Boaty]

Boaty , IF 54kg is the norm, there's 2 of me, so be careful who your calling ' a Cheeky Sod'. or we will come and kick sand in your face!

Once told I don't appear on a normal distribution curve . So maybe I'm not a norm .

 

[Boaty]

Just crawled under for a peek.
Same all round.

Still cannot be sure what's been strengthened inside .

 

[adi4]

Am I misunderstanding something? Have they bolted it to the actual floor and not used spreader plates?
The correct way is to bolt it to the chassis surely. When I installed I did it to the chassis rails not the floor.

Yes, they have drilled a hole in the floor and put a 10mm bolt through it with a nut tightened underneath, then the tank strap with another nut NO spreader plates ......not even a washer under the bolt, absolutely appalling engineering.

Then they put the floor down and built the rest of the interior on top of it.

Adi

 

[adi4]

Just crawled under for a peek.
Same all round.
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Still cannot be sure what's been strengthened inside .

Yours at least has a penny washer underneath, maybe the fitter put one inside on yours as well, your best bet is to loosen the tank strap ( with the tank empty ) and give the bolt a wiggle and see how much you can move it from side to side / forward backwards, that might give you an indication if there is a plate above.

On the van that I worked on in the pictures, if you wiggled the bolt on the tank strap for the other tank that hadn't pulled through, you could flex the floor, and it was quite obvious that there are no plates under those bolts either.

Adi

 

[Boaty]

Yours at least has a penny washer underneath, maybe the fitter put one inside on yours as well, your best bet is to loosen the tank strap ( with the tank empty ) and give the bolt a wiggle and see how much you can move it from side to side / forward backwards, that might give you an indication if there is a plate above.

On the van that I worked on in the pictures, if you wiggled the bolt on the tank strap for the other tank that hadn't pulled through, you could flex the floor, and it was quite obvious that there are no plates under those bolts either.

Adi

Thanks.
Away for a while in the van so will chase later.
Maybe get the wife underneath to check the wiggle .

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[Kannon Fodda]

Presumably to resolve thus much of the interior has to be taken out so the flooring itself can come out for a spreader to be fitted? On mine I think I'd have to take the shower tray out too

 

[Gromett]

Presumably to resolve thus much of the interior has to be taken out so the flooring itself can come out for a spreader to be fitted? On mine I think I'd have to take the shower tray out too

Personally I would refit using straps connected to the chassis then cap the holes in the floor.