Hi, We are gutted, towards the end of last year our long sought out caravan 'slipped' off the jack (not very much) but right after this we noticed the dreaded hairline cracks around the awning rail, front and back on opposite corners.
We initially treated these with creeping crack cure and since then they have had a covering of putty over the top.
The cracks don't appear to have gone striaght through the ABS, but appear to be only on the top acrylic coating (could be wrong).
Anyway we have been monitoring the situation, and thought all was well until NOW.
Yesterday, we removed part of the wallboard, behind the cupboards in the front corners and in the centre behind the clock, and the whole roof section seems wet! The insulation is quite wet, we have pushed back the insulation and used kitchen roll to soak up as much moisture as possible, also we have left the 3 opening in the roof boards open so that air can ciculate, and hopefully dry out.
Now I'm not convinced this water is getting in through the cracks but suspect the metal strip joining the roof panels (these always seem to be surrounded with water due to the construction of the roof) and/or awning rail, I did have my reservations about this type of roof before we bought the van, but all the Baileys were the same.
As the van is not under warranty (2nd owner) private sale, we do not have any dealer or manufacturer to fall back on.
Where do we go from here? We were contemplating attempting any repairs ourselves, but access to the roof is not easy, and again we're not absolutley sure where the water is getting in.
As yet we haven't checked the back corner as it involves removing the shower wall, and we're still reeling with the shock of what we've found up to now!
At the moment the joint on the roof and a small area of awning rail has been covered with 3 layers of 'Duck' tape hopefully this will provide a temporary solution.
Can anybody give advice or point us in the right direction to a possible solution? Please!!!
I have also posted this on another forum for maximum help!
Hi I am in same position as you.Bailey Discovery 2005.Bought off Ebay in December so no dealer and no warranty, although it should still have another 11/2 years to go.A crack on the front panel,dampness for most of the front 3rd of the van.Repair costs have been £2250 at dealers and £1600 at independent.For vans of this age to have this much damage is out of order.Only advice I can give unless you are a very good diy is take the hit and get it fixed proper.
Jeanhill burnsguitarman, quoted £1300 for new /refurbished front panel for my Pagent,fitted ,or remove repair & refitt your own cost dependant on amount of damage. they tell me that they do warranty repair work for Bailey
Thanks for both replies, I have sent an email to panelworks, I would hope for a repair rather than replacement, as it would mean new front & back panels, along with the roof strip needing removing and resealing and possibly the awning rail on both sides. I cant see that coming in at an affordable price, so it will probably end up being a diy job!
Hi I am in same position as you.Bailey Discovery 2005.Bought off Ebay in December so no dealer and no warranty, although it should still have another 11/2 years to go.A crack on the front panel,dampness for most of the front 3rd of the van.Repair costs have been £2250 at dealers and £1600 at independent.For vans of this age to have this much damage is out of order.Only advice I can give unless you are a very good diy is take the hit and get it fixed proper.
Hi Jean, Where did you get your quotes for repairs from?
I have every sympathy with you,it's not very nice finding a major problem with you caravan is it!
I am going to try and claim on the insurance, as accidental damage, because I KNOW FOR CERTAIN that these cracks only appeared immediately after the van fell of the jack, and it went with a crash.
I don't hold out much hope of them coughing up though, so we will have to fund the repairs ourselves.
I wouldn't mind as much but this was the only model of van that fitted our criteria & needs, and we love it!
HI.I got quote of £2250 tops from Eglington caravans in Irvine,and £1600 from McCullochs Garage services in Glasgow.Richard from McCullochs was brand new,very helpfull
Hi, Just a quick update!
We contacted our ins (C&CC), and they sent out an assessor who, after hearing what happened have authorised the repairs to be done by Panelworks.
We are made up to say the least! We have asked them to check out the rest of the van whilst they have it.
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Topic: HELP! Wet Roof 2005 Bailey Normandie
