This Sunday we collected our van ( Pageant Bordeaux 2007 S6 fitted with the Remi Variotop roof light)to travel over to the lake district about a 90 mile trip.
After encountering high winds and driving rain on the trip we pitched the van only to find to our horror that the main roof-light was missing , van soaked etc etc
I managed to do a temporary repair using polythene and duck tape how long this would remain watertight I do not know. Whilst doing the repair I noticed that the roof light had snapped clean off just near the hinges and all hinges and the associated arms remain in place.
The van had just been serviced and it was on its first trip after the service ,Immediately my initial thoughts were was the roof light secure before travelling.
After some irate conversations with the dealer who carried out the service him blaming me and vice versa we had to cut the holiday short and have dropped the van off with the dealer to investigate.
On returning home i have stumbled across a topic in another forum which opens my eyes a little regarding previous similar happenings with this type of roof light in strong winds. Just penned an email to Bailey and eagerly await a response .
Will keep you informed of the outcome as I wouldn't want anyone else to encounter the same problem in the future , I cannot get out of my mind what the worst case scenario could have been.
sorry about your misfortune with the skylight.bet you felt sick.i would.just done some work on ours and discovered that the skylight was only secured by fixings front and sides.the rear fixings were hanging in mid air not doing nothing.its a 2003 bailey.an accident waiting to happen perhaps.fixed it now.emailed bailey but no reply.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Its just the tilt one that tilts from the side, all the hinges and side arms are still in place and about an inch of the roof light is still atatched to the hinges.
I think the remis relies more on the sealant to hold it in place than the screws, the section that the screws go into being less than 1.5 mm thick.
no it has L shaped alloy brackets all round,the rear 4 were just hanging there not even touching the roof.
I know that the brackets are there, but the bit the screws go into is so thin they would never hold the roof light on by themselves or with non-setting bedding mastic
It is the sikaflex 512 or equivalent that holds the roof light in place, the screws just keep the light in place while the sealant sets.
Thinking about it - that's probably the reason why the guy (the one you met) that lost his whole light lost it - wrong sealant
------------- Caravanning is a way of getting a cheap holiday out of an expensive hobby
Quote: Originally posted by jimbouk on 07/7/2010
Its just the tilt one that tilts from the side, all the hinges and side arms are still in place and about an inch of the roof light is still atatched to the hinges.
Are these not the Heki rooflight - I thought Remis only did the tilt and slide?
And it is these that I've seen open on 2 Bailey vans within half an hour - so definitely one for Bailey owners to watch
------------- Caravanning is a way of getting a cheap holiday out of an expensive hobby
We have a 2006 Pageant Burgundy with the side tilting Heki and we were flagged down on the way home last Sunday as ours was wide open despite checking all catches were fastened before setting off. When I checked the 2 catches they did not have a tight fit at all and I can only assume they " vibrated " loose and as it was quite windy it was blown open. I think we've been very lucky not to have a broken heki and will have to look at a solution that will stop the catches coming loose again.
We have a 2006 Pageant Burgundy with the side tilting Heki and we were flagged down on the way home last Sunday as ours was wide open despite checking all catches were fastened before setting off. When I checked the 2 catches they did not have a tight fit at all and I can only assume they " vibrated " loose and as it was quite windy it was blown open. I think we've been very lucky not to have a broken heki and will have to look at a solution that will stop the catches coming loose again.
Jim
got me worried now,never been happy with two tiny catches holding down the skylight.will look at other options as an add on.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Roof light blown off
