What’s this odd stain at rear of Carthago?

[Tony68000]

Nearly left a deposit on a Carthago E-Line, 2008, on Sunday at Lincoln show, when I noticed a couple of ‘stains’ on the wall carpets at the top rear of the van. Dealer couldn’t explain them. Either water, condensation, or blown dust… what’s your thoughts? Not damp to touch, didn’t get my meter out, I think the sales guy was getting fed up with me at this point…. He said it passed their inspection so couldn’t be damp.

This area is very top left, and exactly the same in the opposite corner, top right, kinda in an open cupboard above the bed.

also, this van has a few paint issues near the hab door. Serious or to be expected at this age? Not soft.

The rest of the van looks pretty good, and it’s the closest we’ve come to purchasing one in our seemingly never ending search…

 

[Figaro]

second photo looks like aluminium corrosion, I have a bit on Hymer window frame, older model than your looking at though.
Can't help with first photo

 

[Tony68000]

second photo looks like aluminium corrosion, I have a bit on Hymer window frame, older model than your looking at though.
Can't help with first photo

Wow, that’s not something I’ve heard of, thought this was steel. If I read Google right, water must have got under the paint for this to occur? There’s similar bits at the foot entrance, which I expect gets a lot more hammer than the side of the door frame.

Is this a ‘walk away’ situation? They want top dollar for this, I though Carthago’s we’re generally v. high quality and would justify the price they are asking. For ref, the dealer seems to have a good reputation.

 

[Boringfrog]

I wouldn't be bothered about the hab door, but the other stains I would. Walk away.

 

[Tony68000]

Wow, that’s not something I’ve heard of, thought this was steel. If I read Google right, water must have got under the paint for this to occur? There’s similar bits at the foot entrance, which I expect gets a lot more hammer than the side of the door frame.

Is this a ‘walk away’ situation? They want top dollar for this, I though Carthago’s we’re generally v. high quality and would justify the price they are asking. For ref, the dealer seems to have a good reputation.

I’m going to partially answer my own question here…

Filiform Corrosion. Cosmetic. Good details here: http://1pp2jy1h0dtm6dg8i11qjfb1-wpe...m-Association_Corrosion-Types-Automotive-.pdf

Makes sense to see this on a high traffic area liable to knocks and chips. Seems like it could be sorted easily and not ‘rust’ which I originally thought this was.

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[Tony68000]

For ref, picture of the matching stain on the other side…

…and a similar stain under bench seat…

this make me think ‘dust’, rather than damp, but that first picture does look quite horrific!

I have you guys to thank for making me this diligent!

 

[Lenny HB]

The hab doors looks like it's powder coated only need a small chip so that moisture gets underneath and it will bubble like that.

The area at the top looks like a joint could have leaked. I would want evidence of a proper repair has been carried out before parting with any cash.
You can't test it with a damp meter as the internal wall is aluminium only a visual check can be done.

 

[mushy]

Looks like it may have had a bit of moisture in the first pic but could have dried out and left its mark. As for the paint work it is 12 years old so you cannot expect it to be perfect. I would put a meter on the stain and not worry about the paint, you could soon rub that down and respray it.

 

[Lenny HB]

I would put a meter on the stain

See my post above.

 

[ctc]

Condensation in the coolest part of the van?

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[Swifter]

I wouldn't be bothered about the hab door, but the other stains I would. Walk away.

So would I . Those stains look horrible and if you take in to account what Lenny HB said . A moisture meter wouldn’t have been effective in this area .

 

[TheBig1]

it looks like historic damp staining and if repaired properly should be fine. top corners leaking is often linked to light fittings and the associated wires passing through the bodywork. under the bed is dirty. the door frame aluminium corrosion behind the paint, typical of the standard doors and frames fitted to nearly every motorhome and manufactured by hartal.

 

[Tony68000]

The hab doors looks like it's powder coated only need a small chip so that moisture gets underneath and it will bubble like that.

The area at the top looks like a joint could have leaked. I would want evidence of a proper repair has been carried out before parting with any cash.
You can't test it with a damp meter as the internal wall is aluminium only a visual check can be done.

Hmm, that’s what the dealer said about a damp meter on it. So that’s good. He also said it passed their appraisal, which he later told me was a 30 minute task. As this is a trade-in vehicle, they’ll have no knowledge of the history and I doubt they’ll entertain me if I ask for evidence of a proper repair.

I think as you, and others have said….walking away remains the right decision…. which I did on Sunday after returning to the show just to put a deposit down, but we do like this van… heart ruling head perhaps and trying to justify a purchase that isn’t right. It’s hard to know if our expectations are too high for our budget, or if a van is a genuinely bad purchase, so we’ll keep learning and hope we don’t annoy you all for the doubtless many more questions on other potential vans. For now, thank you all again!

 

[Swifter]

Tony68000 . Let us know your requirements in terms of size and berth of the vehicle and budget and we can keep an eye out

 

[Just smiffy]

Hmm, that’s what the dealer said about a damp meter on it. So that’s good. He also said it passed their appraisal, which he later told me was a 30 minute task. As this is a trade-in vehicle, they’ll have no knowledge of the history and I doubt they’ll entertain me if I ask for evidence of a proper repair.

I think as you, and others have said….walking away remains the right decision…. which I did on Sunday after returning to the show just to put a deposit down, but we do like this van… heart ruling head perhaps and trying to justify a purchase that isn’t right. It’s hard to know if our expectations are too high for our budget, or if a van is a genuinely bad purchase, so we’ll keep learning and hope we don’t annoy you all for the doubtless many more questions on other potential vans. For now, thank you all again!

You can not ask too many questions on here…. To me it looks like it had a damp problem in the past, the previous owners may have done lots of cooking and not had the ventilation open or just bad management, could be a fairly easy fix by stripping the wall carpet back and putting up new wall carpet…
The door paint is to be expected and is also an easy repair, but….. if the van is top dollar the dealer should put these things right if you do a deal… again a but, I wouldn’t rely on the dealer, if you really want it some deeper investigation in the van to make sure that’s all the problems are….

if your gut feeling is telling you to walk then you are doing the right thing …

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[Tony68000]

You can not ask too many questions on here…. To me it looks like it had a damp problem in the past, the previous owners may have done lots of cooking and not had the ventilation open or just bad management, could be a fairly easy fix by stripping the wall carpet back and putting up new wall carpet…
The door paint is to be expected and is also an easy repair, but….. if the van is top dollar the dealer should put these things right if you do a deal… again a but, I wouldn’t rely on the dealer, if you really want it some deeper investigation in the van to make sure that’s all the problems are….

if your gut feeling is telling you to walk then you are doing the right thing …

Thanks for the comments. The dealer did note all other issues I found, and said they'd sort them before hand-over, and said if I discovered more after hand-over they'd do their best to sort them. I might give them a bell, or call in at the weekend, quite local to me.

The problem with my gut feelings is that I don't have enough experience or knowledge to know if they are right or not! On the drive back to Lincoln to 'leave a deposit', I think I knew it wasn't going to happen, and would have been pleased if the van had sold before I got there - then I wouldn't have a big decision to make! So quite pleased I discovered a show-stopper!

With the helpful comments on this thread, I'm convinced the door issue isn't a problem, which is a good knowledge to have. I have learnt something new and useful here. The stains at the back, I'm liable to believe they are historical, but I would now want the dealer to investigate them and determine if a repair was carried out correctly, and if possible replace the wall carpets - if they had done this beforehand I would be none the wiser and the van would have been more appealing.

So, I may be left with a decent, if slightly overpriced, 2008 Carthago E-Line. The overprice is honestly a guess though, there's very few of these on the market right now, and it's from a good dealer (Campers UK), so perhaps to be expected.

I've got a Burstner to look at this weekend, unfortunately from the usual broker (MHD), it's overpriced for a private sale. I suspect they've added the broker commission to the asking price instead of taking a hit on it themselves, nothing a bit of haggling shouldn't be able to sort. I would be happy to walk away from an overpriced private sale. On paper, this is one of the best I've found so far, so it'll give me something to compare the Carthago to if nothing else.

Again, I am in debt to this forum and the members who spend their time helping me out.

 

[Tony68000]

Tony68000 . Let us know your requirements in terms of size and berth of the vehicle and budget and we can keep an eye out

Okay, I might just do that. I'll pop it on another thread though. I think I've got a very clear idea of what I'm looking for.

 

[Ingwe]

Let me simply add that it‘s not dissimilar to buying a house. There‘s always another house. You set your heart on a particular house and, for whatever reason, the sale doesn’t proceed. You feel as flat as a fart (as we used to say in S.A.) but keep looking and you’ll find another one.

It often then turns out that the failed purchase is a blessing in disguise as the successful purchase is more suitable. I think your caution is wise and your instinct, even though you feel you’re inexperienced, is probably right. Good luck in any event.

 

[Tony68000]

Let me simply add that it‘s not dissimilar to buying a house. There‘s always another house. You set your heart on a particular house and, for whatever reason, the sale doesn’t proceed. You feel as flat as a fart (as we used to say in S.A.) but keep looking and you’ll find another one.

It often then turns out that the failed purchase is a blessing in disguise as the successful purchase is more suitable. I think your caution is wise and your instinct, even though you feel you’re inexperienced, is probably right. Good luck in any event.

Thanks Ingwe! I've definitely not made a mistake so far and the only thing I've spent is money for fuel and time... but it's all a learning exercise and I've had a few day's out, so nothing wasted.

I get the impression that sellers, dealers and private, just expect you to turn up, take a quick look and hand over some money. I keep hearing stories about people buying vans remotely, or 'nipping to Wales with a mate' and bringing it back (yes, this guy is selling it 2 months later!).

You guys have taught me that a purchase should be done properly and the inspection should be as thorough as possible. I'm pleased to say I think I can do an initial inspection carefully now on my own, and then call in the experts where my knowledge fails me (see above!). I've got a helpful engineer on stand-by ready to do a full pre-purchase inspection. He convinced me not to do a PPI on a van I was unsure about.

As you say, motorhomes appear on the market all the time, and that's just what I need to give this process.. a little more time.

 

[Armytwowheels]

Tony68000 Hi and welcome to the forum.

My experience of buying a 2008 Carthago from Go European turned out to be good. They did give us a 1 year dealer warranty though and replaced any little/big niggles that came up. Including blown double glazed side cab windows.

We had the same stain in the top rear cupboards, but no smell or feel of damp. When pointed out to the dealer they thought that at some time the rear camera may have caused a leak and had then been spotted and resealed by the previous owner. I don't know how they did it but the dealers cleaned the area and removed the stain, 3 years later and having used the van in some pretty extreme weather - heat, rain, snow, freezing down to -18c, the stain has never come back.

Whether it was a leak or dust penetrating through an outside fitting I don't know, but it cleaned off and never came back, so far anyway. Personally I think it is dust as where we had a leak from the bathroom skylite, it left a typical light brownish stain on the roof carpet, also it looked like you would expect for water seeping in, an irregular stain with definite border.

We also have a similar bubbling in the paint around the drivers door, we will get round to doing something about it one day soon.

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[funflair]

For ref, picture of the matching stain on the other side…

View attachment 542837

…and a similar stain under bench seat…
View attachment 542838

this make me think ‘dust’, rather than damp, but that first picture does look quite horrific!

I have you guys to thank for making me this diligent!

If you are at all worried that the second picture could be damp I might be tempted to take that screw out that is hiding behind the plastic cover, of course it should not be rusty. As for the top picture the woodwork looks to be in perfectly OK condition and if both sides are identical I would be thinking that there is some air circulation at those points (could air be coming up from the garage) and that it is indeed just dirty, look at the outside at those corresponding points and if it all look OK and unmollested I would be thinking it was OK personally.

The marks should clean up OK.

 

[Hirsch]

For what it is worth the marks do look too regular for damp to have caused them.

 

[Lenny HB]

For what it is worth the marks do look too regular for damp to have caused them.

Starting to think the same especially after Sandra's comments.

 

[Just smiffy]

Thanks for the comments. The dealer did note all other issues I found, and said they'd sort them before hand-over, and said if I discovered more after hand-over they'd do their best to sort them. I might give them a bell, or call in at the weekend, quite local to me.

The problem with my gut feelings is that I don't have enough experience or knowledge to know if they are right or not! On the drive back to Lincoln to 'leave a deposit', I think I knew it wasn't going to happen, and would have been pleased if the van had sold before I got there - then I wouldn't have a big decision to make! So quite pleased I discovered a show-stopper!

With the helpful comments on this thread, I'm convinced the door issue isn't a problem, which is a good knowledge to have. I have learnt something new and useful here. The stains at the back, I'm liable to believe they are historical, but I would now want the dealer to investigate them and determine if a repair was carried out correctly, and if possible replace the wall carpets - if they had done this beforehand I would be none the wiser and the van would have been more appealing.

So, I may be left with a decent, if slightly overpriced, 2008 Carthago E-Line. The overprice is honestly a guess though, there's very few of these on the market right now, and it's from a good dealer (Campers UK), so perhaps to be expected.

I've got a Burstner to look at this weekend, unfortunately from the usual broker (MHD), it's overpriced for a private sale. I suspect they've added the broker commission to the asking price instead of taking a hit on it themselves, nothing a bit of haggling shouldn't be able to sort. I would be happy to walk away from an overpriced private sale. On paper, this is one of the best I've found so far, so it'll give me something to compare the Carthago to if nothing else.

Again, I am in debt to this forum and the members who spend their time helping me out.

The thing is, everything is over priced at the moment, I’ve been looking for over a year but I’m not going to pay 10-15k over the odds… even if I have to wait a couple of years..

but that’s me, don’t let my stubbornness put you off…

 

[TheBig1]

cleaning lining carpet stains, "dry cleaning" type upholstery cleaners work pretty well

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[Hirsch]

I have just purchased 3 bottles of professional cleaning liquid from a company. Used it to remove dried in red wine stains on one of our seat covers. Being cynical (or sceptical) I didn't really believe the testimonies but I am amazed how well it has removed the stains. Going to have to clean the remaining cushions now. Sparkly clean motorhome seat covers. Whatever next?

 

[Clarky]

My first thought on the stains were that they have been caused by condensation.
They are all areas that would get cold but get virtually no air circulation.
It often surprises me how cold the inside of our lockers and wardrobes are even when the rest of the van is toasty.

Richard.

 

[n8ess]

I have just purchased 3 bottles of professional cleaning liquid from a company. Used it to remove dried in red wine stains on one of our seat covers. Being cynical (or sceptical) I didn't really believe the testimonies but I am amazed how well it has removed the stains. Going to have to clean the remaining cushions now. Sparkly clean motorhome seat covers. Whatever next?

What was the make of the stain remover?

 

[Hirsch]

If I remember correctly I bought it from Stress no more Health and Wellbeing. Better price than amazon but also worth checking ebay.

Made in Hull. what more is there to say

Professional Strength Dried-In Stain Remover & Odour Destroyer

Professional Strength NEW Super Strength Formulas – Made in the UK Removes stubborn and dried in stains with no scrubbing required The probiotic formula does not just ‘mask’ or cover the smell – it ‘neutralises’ it! Completely safe for use of all fabrics and materials including carpets and...

www.stressnomore.co.uk

 

[n8ess]

Just ordered some, its on offer 3 for the price of 2