We have recently spent our hard earned cash on what we thought was a great first time van, but it appears we may have made a boo boo!
On our first trip out we noticed a wet patach coming from around the water heater and on inspecting believed to have found that tee piece was leaking, so thought problme solved. Since then the floor has continued to feel wet and yesteday I noticed water seeping in through the panel underneath the seating area on the front wall. We have 3 cracks around the large front window one of which I think is new and obtained on our first trip and I'm assuming this is where the water is coming in.
Having been out this morning to look, now its stopped raining I think the water may have been coming in around the front handle, this seems to have some grey sticking stuff around both sides?? where handle joins the van.
Basically how easy is it to repair, and how do i dry out the wet caravan, im so gutted , I love this caravan and it appears to be in good nick for its 12 yrs, but feel sick that this will now be a write off.
Any advice greatly appreciated we are complete novices.
If the cracks are all the way through the front panel then these need sealing up first of all. Depending on what material the front is made from will determine the method of repair.ABS fronts are smooth on the back side GRP fronts feel rough. GRP can be repaired with a fibreglass kit from the car shop from behind the crack. ABS is a little more difficult. It can either be stitched using a soldering iron or you can make up a paste of acetone and abs offcuts and then use as a filler. Either way you must drill a small hole at the end of the crack to stop it spreading.....
To dry out, cover the suspect leaking area with a tarp and give the van plenty of fresh air.....
So my first job is to sort the cracks out, and it looks like we are ABS. Do we just fill the cracks from the outside ? or do I need to take it apart from the inside? very nervous of doing this. Also where do I cut off cut ABS
Since my first post we also think the trim may need resealing, Ive looked around on info and is this job as simple as people say it is?
Apologies for garbled and hurried first message, just panicked and upset.
If its ABS then it can be filled from the outside, left to dry then lightly sanded to match front panel. You will always be able to see the repair this way but the only other option is a new front at about £700 plus fitting.
And yes resealing is as easy as it sounds, just make sure all the old sealant is removed and before applying new, wipe down with meths
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Topic: ABI Sprinter 450 Ct cracked around window
