I have a 1997 Sterling excel which has a damaged rear middle panel which happens to be the smallest panel. I would like to know if it is something that can easily be replaced by one's self?
Would I have to remove the internal wallboards to do this or can it be replaced externally and what would the correct procedure be?
Hi Paul & Julie , i wouldn't have thought you'd need to remove the internal wallboards to replace the panel , but you may need to remove the rear awning rails both sides if the panel tucks under them . Could you post a picture of the panel on here or email one to me .
Hi Paul , got your picture , i what way is the panel damaged ?
Although it should be possible to do it your self , if you can get the panel , it may be one of those jobs that's best left to a caravan dealer . One other thing to bear in mind is panel repairs are sometimes done by bonding a whole new panel ontop of the old one , and this maybe how a dealer will repair it . If i had to replace a panel i would have a go at it myself rather than pay a dealer to do it , but it would be labour intensive and take some time to do a good job .
The panel has been damaged behind the decorative green stripes where the rain has somehow found its way behind it causing corrosion. I have removed some of this & behind it the panel is powdery & flakey.
This is the sort of thing i was thinking of Car_graphics , basically you tell a graphics company what you want and give them some sizes and they make it ( doesn't have to be letters , they could do stripes ) . I don't think there would be a problem sticking them as long as you clean the surface well first , and they should last / be water proof .
Good idea never thought of that. The only problem is the panel surface now has raised bumps where the rain has been trapped beneath the stripes, what would you recommend to treat & smooth this corrision so it would not show beneath the new graphic?
I'd rub down the bumps with wet & dry , then use car body filler . If you can treat the corrision before applying the filler , Alicrome is what you need for the corrision , but where you'd be able to buy it i've no idea ( Oh and it's nasty stuff handle with care ) . Don't get too carried away when rubbing down , these panels are pretty thin .
These are only idea's and i haven't tried them myself , so examine other options as well .
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Topic: Replacing a damaged panel
