Reimo Roof getting old and tatty - what to do?

GFamily01928
GFamily01928 Forum Participant Posts: 2
edited February 2018 in Motorhomes #1

The lifting roof on our Motorhome is now getting on for 9 years old and is showing signs of ageing. As you can see from the photos, the top surface is flaking and coming away. We're not getting any water ingress, but we want to protect it from further weathering. 

Is there something DIY-ish I can do to repair-protect the roof, or do I need to go to a specialist? 

Many thanks

Comments

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2018 #2

    A job to know without knowing the construction material. Sand the whole thing down and a couple of coats of epoxy resin followed by a paint coat might give it a new lease of life.

  • ABM
    ABM Forum Participant Posts: 14,578
    1000 Comments
    edited February 2018 #3

    Back  in  the  late  '70s + 80's  it  was  normal  to  see  the  VW's  with  e/roofs  painted  black.  In  the  case  of  mine  it  was  leaking  seriously  around  the  rivets  so  out  with  the  tins  of  mastic  &  a  paint  brush.  Two  or  so  coats  of  mastic,  allowed  to  dry  for  a  couple  of  weeks  when  occasional  cracks  appeared.  Then  out  with  the  tackle  again  but  the  mastic  was  50%  diluted.  This  sealed  everything  quite  nicely  so  I  no  longer  had  to  raise  the  roof  on  a  tilt  !!

  • GFamily01928
    GFamily01928 Forum Participant Posts: 2
    edited February 2018 #4

    Thank you both for your responses. I'm reminded that my 'goto' mechanic has done quite a bit of work with Reliants, so should be familiar with handing fibreglass body elements, so I think I'll see what he can suggest for restoring the surface whilst keeping the colour match. 

  • Phishing
    Phishing Forum Participant Posts: 597
    500 Comments
    edited February 2018 #5

    This the lacquer lifting from the paint.

    Modern paint systems paint the colour on then seal with a few coats of lacquer. Over time the lacquer can lift from the paint. If you want to maintain the colour then you need to remove all the lacquer , put a tie coat on and repaint and lacquer. Bodyshop will charge £700 ish for a job this size. You will save money if you strip and smooth it yourself.

    If it was mine I would strip all the lacquer and sand it back then brush paint it with silver metalized roof paint. You can get this in B&Q (5060382230117) just make sure you key and prime the surface, apply with roller looks OK.

     

     

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