After coming home from this years travels we noticed that the panels on both sides of the van are loose and floating free of the frame. It is a Coromal Capri 2003 model with aluminium frame. I am assuming that the rivets that lock each panel to the frame have broken and whatever bonding that may have been used has also given up the ghost. Repair quotes are around the region of $15,000 which seems exorbitant.
Has anyone else experienced this kind of failure.
Does anyone know of competent repairers who aren't related to wounded bulls.
Sorry to here of your problem but not the end of the world only a couple of months back I found with our van some lifting of the decorative panelling after some enquires I found that it was caused by water enguess though some screw holes where in manufacture they missed with sealant. Our van went from a sale able item to a give away very quick blowing our dream of selling it to finance our new one.
Following enquires have found I am faced with a $1500 bill to repair it but the man doing the job has assured me with him using better sealant the van will out last us. We are using a small business and the man has a load of experience in boat and caravan repairs.
We are in south east Queensland, I would be looking to see if the insurance will come to the party for some of it but be care full. I am surprised of learning of late the amount of vans that have these of types promblems.
Radar the areas of loose panelling are quite large but a lot of the door side of the van consists of short panels between windows and door and ends of van and some of the longer sections have things like 240v outlet, awning brackets, battery compartment etc. that stop any loose panels being noticeable. I suspect that the parted rivets and lack of bonding of the skin is a lot more extensive than we know at present. The quotes amaze me as they allow about $10,000 for labour and at an average of $100 per hour that amounts to about 100 man hours. One dealer/repairer let slip that it would take two days to do one side so I suspect a ripoff.
I think this is or was a common fault with coromal, when i did a factory tour several years ago they were using silicon only to "bond" the panels to the alloy frame, with the odd tech screw and rivet here and there.
As the chassis flexes it pulls the panels away from the frame.
The Fleetwood group that own coromal were supposedly pretty good with warranty a few years back, but unsure now.
Ten years ago it was costing $18,000 or more to re-skin the top, both ends and one side of our vans when 20 of us were caught in a hail storm. Re-skinning both sides will involve less work, but when you add inflation, $15,000 sounds cheap to me.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
