Two of the tightening knobs of the 10" Polyplastic window stays, of my Swift challenger caravan have broken. The collars on the arms where the tightening knob is situated have cracked, due possibly to them becoming brittle from exposure to the sun and being over-tightened. I believe that replacement stays are about £20 each, but have found this repair kit on the net. http:///www.great-outdoors-leisure.co.uk/index1.htmlat a cost of £7.50 each. Has anyone had occasion to use these, or would this be false economy, and should I just bite the bullet and buy new ones?
I had to buy two new black stays when I broke one of my grey ones, if it happens again I`ll go for one of these repair kits I think they seem worth a try
I put a small pipe clip, (Jubilee clip) around the body of the split barrel, tighten gently till the split is closed and put back into service, Cost about a pound.
Hi Mike,
I changed some of mine because they were broken, if you do change them make sure you get the right ones (there are two or three different patterns). I had to adapt the ones I bought, see Herer
Thanks Stevieb, thats a great tip, unfortunately its not that bit of the stay, (the barrell) that has broken, it is the plastic collar of the tightening nut, so a jubilee clip would fit around it. great tip tho', thanks. Mike
Cheers Mike, actually a plastic cable tie might do the same job as they can hold very tight when you pull the tail hard, you might get one in the right colour too.
Ive got a few RAPSTRAPS (from Dragons Den) in the van, handy things for all sorts of uses. Andy (the guy who did the pitch) sent me a bag of samples free of charge.
Thanks for all the advice guys, in the end I decided not to muck about with ties and jubilee clips etc. and I ordered a new pair from Michael Jordan Caravans in Gomshal Surrey (£29.50). They told me they would be in by the end of the week. That was 3 weeks ago! They phoned me last week to say they were in, and I drove down there, 50 miles round trip, to be told "Sorry, our mistake, they still haven’t come in yet"! I must admit I've just had another look at the repair kit at http://www.great-outdoors-leisure.co.uk/index1.html a cost of £7.50 each. That’s still 15 quid, plus postage £4.95, but at £20 it’s still slightly cheaper than buying a new pair, and they do look as though they will do the job, and at least I could have them in three days! I’ll let you know how I get on! Thanks again chaps! Regards Mike.
Hi guys, Well in the end Michael Jordan Caravans in Gomshall Surrey came up trumps. I was just about to place an order for the repair kit at http://www.great-outdoors-leisure.co.uk/index1.html a cost of £7.50 each, when I had a call today from Michael Jordan to say the replacement stays were in, and ready for collection. And after having told me that the cost would be £29.50 for the pair. It turns out that they were just £6.85 each. Cheaper than the repair kit! Thanks MJ and you guys for all the advice. Mike.
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