Our new Bailey has an extra we certainly did not expect. It is fitted with an interior wall wash. When it rains water flows down the interior wall.. not now and then drips but running water.
When you remove the interior plastic moulding/cover the water just flows out.
The van is on seasonal pitch and can only be towed by a tacho equipped vehicle.
Of course it is shut down time so tuff luck wait until early January.
Has anyone had similar water LEAKS and what was the remedy /success rate ??
Is this a problem with alu-tec type vans Advice please !!!
If you read on another forum, on the Bailey section, this is happening to some people's Alutec tourers which have not been sealed properly during manufacture. It looks as though Bailey have been attempting to seal them from the inside, which they call back-filling, but i have read of some still leaking after that has been done.As your van is a semi-static i would insist they come to you unless it has to be returned to their factory, then it is up to them to transport it. Good luck.
Yes, see the horror story unfold from 4.07 onward in this youtube vid. Its pretty easy to see how errors creep in. I hate the way that instead of overlapping & sealing side/roof/end panels & then capping the panels do not meet & rely just on the capping for waterproofing. The construction method does not look accurate enough & relies too much on the human element to get it perfect everytime, which at the speed they are working will not happen.
It isn't capping, it's a structural member. The idea is that the fixings do not go through the sealing areas.
In conventional construction the screws that hold the sealing strips on penetrate the sealing strip and the panel
If you watch the video you will see there is some drilling from the outside but yes, I understand the idea but leaving a gap in the body panels leaves less sealing area. As the op describes it suggests a failure of the sealant. This could be either that a gap was left in the sealant, the bolts were not tightened or have come loose or maybe body flex while towing has caused the sealant to fail, ie a design flaw. The larger the caravan, the more the flex.
In any event it is difficult to see how a permanent repair could be effected without removing strip completely from one side & resealing/rebolting. I can't see how just appling sealant to affected area both inside & out would work long term.
In the meantime I would suggest the op locates position of leak on outside of caravan & applies plenty of Gaffa tape to the area.
If the leak as as bad as described & the 'van is new then the correct course of action would be for Bailey to uplift the 'van from the site & return it to their factory for repair.
WOW thank you very much for your feedback,the contents of which are very interesting and informative.
As the caravan was only purchased three months ago,we would be very reluctant to accept a repair. Unless it was backed by an extended water ingress warranty.
We have had caravans for decades new and used but never anything like this unit.
Is there anyone out there who has had this type of problem on an Alu-tec type van
Happy New year to every one all the Very Best for 2014.
Got to go now the bowl is full again It is constant drip drip drip...Laminate peeling off etc etc
If you could find the leak on the outside then you could temporarily seal it with Gaffa Tape/Duct tape which would at least stop the water coming in. If you can get up there with a ladder you should be able to spot the bit with no sealant visible.
If it were my three month old van, I would be beating a path to the manufacturers door as well as the supplying dealer. The longer it is left, the worse things will be and each day that passes is another day less on the warranty and is another day you have accepted the situation without action. Their fault - Their problem. Let them collect it so you cannot be held liable for further damage by moving it yourself. If they can blame you for anything, they will.
Hi to All the forum replies great,thanks a lot.
Our caravan is a Retreat willow 9m plus long and 8ft wide
so as much as I would like to tow it down to BristolIt has to be a 3-5 ton tow vehicle with tacho fitted. Both Bailey and the selling Dealer have e-mails regarding this problem and the selling dealer also has 12 photo's.Bailey's web-site will not accept photo's it just fires them back.
Although we are both pensioner's and Iam disabled we are fighter's and will stand our corner.
We will keep this going and also let everyone know of our
fight if necessary you will all be kept up to speed.
Thanks Jon-Jon I managed to get up to the roof yesterday am as it was dry , so armed with gaffer tape all joints within reach were covered. As unusually it started to rain again shortly after ,the tape did seem to help stem the flow into the unit.
I watched the you tube film of how they build these caravans and the system seems to rely completely on the diaphragm type edge to seal so if for instance you are pitched on a not so level site you could have trouble.
Thanks a lot everyone for your feedback ..Very typical of the caravan family ...always there when you need them.
I have read some real bad story's about the alutech system and the YouTube video is a bit of an eye opener.
As said above the capping seems to be the only seal on the van.
I would get on the phone daily as this shoddy workmanship is not acceptable, do they not test before shipping? Seems not!
Also is it correct a Bailey caravan is put together in approx 2 hrs?
" Also is it correct a Bailey caravan is put together in approx 2 hrs? "
Only on a Friday
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Just a little point I noticed at the end of the video.
The caravan is moved off the production line by pulling the front grab handles.
Unless things have changed these handles are only to help position the van not designed as the sole means of pulling the caravan.
------------- It is a wise man who has something to say.
It is a fool who has to say something.
Hi Iam back able to log in etc bloody cookies (it's an age thing).VangoMan02 many thanks for your very valid comments.
And I love your friendship comment.
We have been in touch with CAB, Trading standards and the caravan's insurance company..The general theme that is coming through is "IF you accept a repair,You must insist on a written Guarantee from the manufacturer",the main thing is the item MUST BE RETURNED TO ITS PRE-FAILURE STATE this is the theme of the advice..for example TV stops working the seller takes it away replaces the defective part TV comes back and it works fine,end of problem.
With the Bailey it is a little more involved watching the you tube videos it shows that the walls and roof are three layers glued together,if the leak is cured it would have to be achieved by replacing the effected parts,ie roof,near side panel,wardrobe and invisible items that have been affected by the water ingress.What effect long term would the water have on the longevity of the soaking wet panels drying out ?
You are so right the handles are for positioning only,even though every Caravan Dealer uses them for moving vans around. !! Equally so steadies are that NOT jacks !!!! Blue Expo97 yes it looks like you are correct the average build time is around two hours Terrifying!!
If this site lets me back in again .I will update you with the Engineers Findings after lunch Friday.
REMEMBER YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION....