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Post Info TOPIC: Has this ever happened to your Caravan?
Golddetectornomad


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Has this ever happened to your Caravan?
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G'day, just returned from a week in magnificent Tarra Valley South Gippsland. On the way we had our front window stone guard/shade ripped off our Jayco Heritage, in a combination of strong winds, road undulations, and my error in not checking lockdowns........and could have resulted in causing an accident to a following vehicle...or worse..

Prior to leaving we had friends sleep in our van for a week and unknown to me they had opened the front window shade/stone guard and simply closed it without locking......and of course it was the one thing I did not check prior to departure....it lasted some 300 Kms  before tearing off.....the most bizarre part is I saw it intact when refuelling and some 50kms later it was gone....it had obviously bent upwards as the sticker imprints reversed were on top of the front where it must have ripped up before disappearing over or to the side......apart from some scratches to the fibreglass it was a clean break ripping off the struts etc..

I check my extended mirrors often and I saw no movement or flapping to warn me.... I did not even see it happen, and we were buffeted by very strong winds at the time.......

Luck?...how lucky it did not hit any one following, or even a pedestrian... although there was little following traffic at the time it must have happened... I had previously been sailing along at 85/90kmh on the M1 and how lucky it did not happen in all that traffic......how lucky it did not smash my 3 x Solar panels on top ....

 I put gaffer tape across the glass for the return journey....Took it straight into Jayco Prestige Bendigo ""Service Division"" upon my return and they told me to come back in mid January 2015...far too busy to even look at it..or even order one....so much for much previous business I have given them....

I contacted Jayco Dandenong direct, who state they can supply one with all the struts etc etc but it has to be made and will take about 3/4 weeks @ $750 plus freight....I see no problem with that as I live in the real world and they are prepared to help, unlike Prestige Jayco Bendigo..< at least Prestige Jayco did tell me to try another repairer in another adjacent Town, phoned and he's away for a week..>

Moral...although I have a check list which I always check prior to departure, I did not have the front window shade/guard on the list as I'm always aware if I open, I shut & lock, however in this instance I hadn't opened them...can happen so easily and could have proved disastrous....a couple of photos before and after...Hoo Roo

 



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goannaway


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Cheers for the headsup on this, I have a Sterling and check the front window cover when I have had it up but now will put it on the definitely always check to do before depart list
Paul

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Dougwe


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Shut the front gate!!

I agree with you, very lucky indeed. At least no one was hurt apart from a little pride maybe, just.

I think we have all just learnt a valuable lesson in your unwanted experience. I know I have, infact two lessons for me.

1. Make sure the window fittings are closed and locked in place.

2. (For me anyway) Don't lend my Caravan to anyone. In my case I can't really anyway as it is my home and I would have to find a
bridge to sleep under.

Thanks for the post

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Blue


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we have 2 louvers on the front of our van and have only been opened one time when down in Tasmania...

I put them back down before we headed down to the boat to travel back to Australia.. so drove around 40 ks...

then got off the boat in Melbourne drove through Geelong and out the other side when I noticed one of the front Louvers up... confuse

so I couldn't have locked them down properly... could have sworn I did... confuse

sorry to hear about your mishap.. hopefully not too big a drama to get it fixed..



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GaryKelly


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What a bummer, Goldy. I have one of those too but PJ is an old fashioned camper with a forward slope rather than rearward, so I guess the wind would keep it closed in a similar situation. Even so, it pays to check everything. And what happened to the old saying, 'if you want something done ask a busy person'? It obviously doesn't apply to Prestige Jayco Bendigo.

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Phil C


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Dont feel too bad about that one Goldy. I drove 50KMs before I realized Id left the caravan hand brake on.

I cooked all the 4 brakes. I hope CIL cover that one.

Checklist, checklist, checklist DAMN!!!!

Safe travels

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chopit


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We also lost ours. On a narrow stretch of 100Km road. Double white lines. No shoulder,just a ditch.
I always check before heading off & all was good.
Doing about 90kms there was a brief sound of aluminium rattling then a clunk.
Took a Km or so to get a safe spot to pull over and there it wasn't.
The hinge and arm supports were there but no shield.
Like you I counted my blessings that it didn't connect with the 2 cars behind me.
A sheet of aluminium cut to shape took care of things.

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Grams


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I have seen quiet a few vans driving around with their step still out, I have seen them with the cover for the power plug flapping in the wind, I have also seen the stone guard on the front window still up. If we are in the Prado we use the UHF to warn them if we can.

We were traveling on a very busy highway, when a guy kept blaring his horn at us, we pulled over and the door was swinging in the wind. The lock had broken and the wind had pushed the door open. It was one of those old vans with the door opening the wrong way, against the wind. We had to use ties to close it till we get somewhere we could get it fixed.

You were very lucky with the what ifs, glad you can get it fixed eventually.

Grams



-- Edited by Grams on Tuesday 28th of October 2014 09:47:25 AM

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Cupie


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I pulled into a servo in Warwick after driving from Girraween NP.

As I walked around to the filler flap there was a clanging noise.   That was the aluminium cover to the front window falling onto the A frame.

Got out my battery drill & removed the remaining rivets on the arms & stowed it on the inside lounge.

Talk about lucky.  The cladding was not even torn at the rivet holes so when I got home all I had to do was knock out a minor dent & fit new slightly larger pop rivets.

 

It seems that I had forgotten to put the cover down when packing up that morning.

I have extensive lists but having done the routine so many times I just don't look at it anymore.  I just mentally run thru the list as I drive along & often have to stop to check something that I may have forgotten.  I have forgotten to do most things at one time or other over the years.  

You'd think that I'd learn, wouldn't you.



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deverall11


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Phil C wrote:

Dont feel too bad about that one Goldy. I drove 50KMs before I realized Id left the caravan hand brake on.

I cooked all the 4 brakes. I hope CIL cover that one.

Checklist, checklist, checklist DAMN!!!!

Safe travels

 Does the handbrake on your van apply on all four wheels? If so, what make is it?

Larry



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Johnty


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I am so glad to read that even the well seasoned GN's forget things. We are only newbies and are constantly forgetting things even though we have a check list which we use every time. Generally our errors have been when someone has distracted us while we are hitching up. Memo to self. Add this to my list "Buzz off till I have hitched up".


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Vic41


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With Jayco, I dealt with a shoddy Jayco repairer (fortunately for me found out there are some good ones nearer) in the Perth area, so I rang the Jayco Head office and asked for customer complaints, they put me through to someone else and I was given an order number for my repair at their expense and the names of places I could have the work done without charge.   This happened on two occasions.

So Jayco head office worth a call as well...



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exa41


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A few years ago I was going to Bathurst , we stopped for fuel and I did my customary check of the trailer and to my surprise there was one wheel missing , did`t even hear or feel it come off , bugger,

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Phil C


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deverall11 wrote:
Phil C wrote:

Dont feel too bad about that one Goldy. I drove 50KMs before I realized Id left the caravan hand brake on.

I cooked all the 4 brakes. I hope CIL cover that one.

Checklist, checklist, checklist DAMN!!!!

Safe travels

 Does the handbrake on your van apply on all four wheels? If so, what make is it?

Larry

 Im about 99% sure it does Larry, wont go the full 100% as I may be wrong. Base this on the fact all 4 were hot as heck when I got near them.

Good news is CIL will cover the repairs.

Be good, get excited.



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Phil C


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Johnty wrote:

I am so glad to read that even the well seasoned GN's forget things. We are only newbies and are constantly forgetting things even though we have a check list which we use every time. Generally our errors have been when someone has distracted us while we are hitching up. Memo to self. Add this to my list "Buzz off till I have hitched up".

 Yeah Johnty, we had been connected up for two nights, went around the van and set out, 5 mins later I asked the bride if she locked the door? Nope, so we pulled over and locked the door, then dumba**e (me) remebered the handbrake... after another 50K  DUHHHHHH!!!!!

And unfortunately I cant use distraction as an excuse, just plain dumb me!! CIL told me it happens a lot, maybe just to make me feel better.

Safe travels and dont forget the handbrake



-- Edited by Phil C on Tuesday 28th of October 2014 04:59:11 PM

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Cloak


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Even when I was younger I towed the van all the way to Rochester with the roof vent up.

It was ripped off on the way up but easy to replace after buying a spare up in Echuca.

Now I'm a bit older I might forget to hitch up and drive around without it.

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Phil C


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Its good to see Im not the only duffer that forgets stuff.

Lesson learnt

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Baz421


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UHF on Ch 40 often gets others to tell you if they see something,,,,, and it's often used.



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