Cover damaged my van!
Hi All,
Thought I would give my 8yr old Lunar Delta a treat and ordered a cover from a well know makes at the NEC in 2016. It duly arrived, and in October we fitted washed the van and fitted the covere as per the instructions.
Checked through the Winter that all was well inside, and give the occasional; airing.
Decided on a west country holiday in June 17, but when we removed the cover, both sides were covered in black marks, and looked awful. Even worse, when I checked the roof, there were huge ripples across it. The front main rooflight had 1cm gaps between the roof and the frame.
Fortunately, I had some speciaiist sealing compound that I was able to use there, as we were due to leave next day, and it hasn't leaked so far.
I tried gently polishing the sides, but made no impression on the marks.
On returning home, I took the van to our dealer, who also tried polishing the marks, with no success, but recommended a car body shop nearby. There they tried a sample, and with the correct polish and power tools they were able to remove the marks over a small area. They quoted £400 to do the whole van.
i have contacted the manufacturers, saying that the cover was not fit for purpose, due to the damage caused, and requesting a refund of the purchase price (£400), and reimbursement of the cost of polishing. After lengthy discussions, they have denied any liability (surprise), so I'm now starting the Small Claims process.
The is a major problem to fix, requiring a new aluminium sheet and new rooflights etc. The cause of this was that under the green cover roof, the temperatures became very high, causing the aluminium to expand and hence cause the rippling. Cost of repair is probably not economic, so we'll have to live with it.
Has anybody else had any similar experiences like this with covers, that are a supposed to protect the caravan, not damage it.
Thanks
Comments
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An ex neighbor had a problem with a leading brand cover. No longer in contact with him but he will have researched and bought 'the best' tailored breathable cover. I do not remember the full extent but manufacturer paid to have a specialist firm re-polish. The damage was limited to the finish on the caravan. That was probably 8 years ago.
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My S/H Elddis came with a cover.The salesman had said it was a front cover, but it is most certainly a full cover - with no openings at all - and doesn't look as if it had EVER been used. Probably just as well, and it is going to remain unused
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Thanks for the comments so far. I had no condensation problems, inside was dry although I did open it up every few weeks to air it.
EasyT, what was the manufacturer of that one? If it started with P it might help my argument
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WW, throwing in the name of a random owner based on sketchy knowledge that came from someone who can’t really remember the facts will not help you at all I’m afraid
. For a court of Law you need cold hard facts backed up by a testimonial. I used a ‘Kampa’ cover for 3yrs with no bad effects. It was cheap at less than £200, there will be more positives than negatives or these covers would have been withdrawn from sale. You could be throwing more money away.0 -
I've used covers on all my caravans & motorhomes over nearly 30 years including the make I suspect you are alluding to, with only good results so far.
I'm sure the cover manufacturers will be able to produce testimonials from many satisfied users (like me).
I would suspect there must have been some fault with your van.
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R2B I was not intending to throw in random names, just gathering information. There are very similar complaints on another forum from a few years ago, so just seeing if the problem is still around.
Tintent, yes I have several friends who have used covers with no problems. However, the fact is the cover has caused scuff marks on both sides of the van, although the makers brochure states that with their soft inner liner "IT WILL NOT MARK YOUR WINDOWS OR PANELS", but it did!
There is no fault with my van, it is in excellent condition, with no damp or other problems, and it was thoroughly washed before fitting the cover. Fortunately the scuffing has not worn through the paint, so careful polishing by a specialist will correct the problem.
Whatever the outcome, I will not be using a cover again.
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Hi all,
When we moved to France in 2007 with a brand new Ausie spec GEIST caravan with extra roll out omnistore and air-con on the roof I decided the sun in the summer may do more damage than poor weather in the winter. Contacting Protec covers, they advised a light Grey cover sooner than the dark green one as it would reflect the heat of the sun better. We travelled to Bradford with the 'van so they could measure it for a bespoke fit, the boss came out on to the street and took all details required for a sung fit. We received the cover and it did indeed fit as wished like a glove around all the roof fittings. This we used for five years, so good was it that on changing to a shorter, with the door on the other side Hymer my wife made alterations to fit, the next 'van was bigger so decided to leave the cover with 'van for next owner.
I would certainly recommend Protec Covers and also to fit them properly ( IMO if the cover is allowed to move in the wind it will chafe and mark the 'van )
Happy caravanning.
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