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wizzard glad to be here im a canvas camper but inevitably my job has drawn me to read the caravan forum aswell lol i love the smell of tents and hate towing so no van for us lol

im happy to help in any way i can is there a fix it yourself section on here as that would interest me now i have more time on my hands thanks to three day week

Quote: Originally posted by iank01 on 22/5/2006

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Surely there are some caravan dealers who would like to have some one competent to do repairs.

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yes your right there are a few around here crossley coachcraft, cambels, dave barrons, hymer..ect....but here lies the problem...i hate seeing people ripped off and the prices they charge are totally extortionate i will not be a part of that

im actually concidering starting a mobile repair service as i spend a bit of time doing repairs on friends vans and also people he tells on site when hes away im just doing some research into liabillity insurance ect as up till now all jobs have been as a favour to people known to me or my friends and trying to talk mrs into letting me work for myself shes worried as it isnt garunteed income and we have 2 kids so ill keep working on it

>>im happy to help in any way i can is there a fix it yourself section on here as that would interest me now i have more time on my hands thanks to three day week .

Hi 007cammie , yes there is a sort of fix it yourself club on here , see
http://hp-h.com/p/wizard41/ and here http://www.alanparkers.dsl.pipex.com/

I do have one question that you'd probably be able to answer , what's the best caravan tube sealant to use for awning rails etc .

atb

Wizard

it depends on build of van some use sealant that never dries(non drying bedding sealant)

we use a pu sealand (poly urathene)that sticks like something to a blanket dont know who makes it as tubes ar just white no writting as we get pallets of the stuff sorry, if you use the blue/grey tape us pu aswell never leak(he says working for leakys lol) it dries like no nails and is a swine to remove

thanks for the links im sure they will interest me

thanks for the links im sure they will interest me

you will not get off so easy,im sure theres a 1000 questions coming your way

its a good idea ian

i have loads of experiance with repairs water ingress, rot, repanneling,delaming,and electrics ect its just the gas side i would have a prob with as you need to be qualified its something i need to weigh up as cash is tight at min with two young ones and being on a three day week to pay for courses ect i know i have to speculate ect but also would have to buy van and have insurance ect so i will have to think about the servicing side when ive talked mrs round to letting me do it and maybee made enough cash to take time off for course unless i can find a part time one i guess im just going to have to look into it eh

there are lots of peeps that keep giving me smaller jobs that they are over the moon about getting job done half price and less the transport fees and time or having to entrust their vans to a company for a week at a time to keep me busy for the min but i love traveling to different sites having a holiday and earning a bit of cash too lol the perfect job/hobby in one

It doesn't take much to become Corgi registered and you may get a sponsorship through your local job centre.  Give them a ring  there is no harm in asking. May also be worthwhile finding about servicing fridges in caravans.  I stand to be corrected but I think that there is a course specifically designed to give you a qualification in caravan servicing.  Have a look at http://www.cito.org.uk/dealers/city_guilds.htm  You may be able to do it distance learning.

As a side note, not many people realise that generally when the dealer services your caravan, they do not service your gas appliances, i.e. heater, gas boiler etc, or electric appliances.

Either way all the best for the future and hope things get sorted out for you and your family.

hi thanks for that link m8

dont suppose you have one that helps talk mrs into letting me go self employed do you :0)

the non servicing of gas apliances is right im not sure if its dealer specific as when i worked in van repairs before lunars they did do a drop test on your gas to make sure there are no leaks as part of the service but not the apliances

to add the link states that you only need to be cogi registered if the van or motorhome id to be hired out so thats excellant news

Message for Cammie 007.

It's always the way - you only find the good forums when you have a problem - so I joined today.

Sorry to hear about your Lunar situation as I've been really happy with my 1995 Lunar Premier, bought new and never a leak. Perhaps you built it!  Really hope your situation has improved since I saw your posts dated May 06.

Now I have a question - just above and to the front of the left wheel arch I noticed the paint had started to flake and the surface was rough - looked like acid had been spilt but I know it hasn't. First noticed this a year ago and all looked fine so I ignored it - silly me. I have now noticed the metal is wafer thin and there is a hairline horizontal split about one inch long.Any ideas what could have caused this/have you experienced this before and what do I need to do to fix it? If I lived near you I'd ask you to quote for the remedial work and would pay a decent price - but not what some of the rip-off merchants here in Eastern region charge!

Any help appreciated.

hello thanks for your concern i no longer work for them now full time dad to two

the leaky lunar name is a case of poo sticks they have come along way over last few years to try and rid that lable but its hard i wouldnt say they were any more leaky than other makes now but as i say poo sticks

as for the problem hhhhm could be a couple of things

firstly it could have been a repair carried out before you bought van ie rough paint from spray job to cover split(but i doubt this if you bought from new) or acid etch that they need to spray onto ally before painting it eats into the ally so the paint has a surface to stick to and doesnt flake off

or it could be metal fatigue(poor spelling i know) caused by movement when towing ie the wooden frame inside flexing but that wouldnt explain the rough texture

its realy hard to have a guess without seeing it tbh do you have a pic you could post in your profile?

same goes for the repair i would realy need to see it to give you any advice

 idealy its a new panel as any filler repairs to a split skin will show their ugly heads again no matter how well done due to all the movement and expansion ect(if you havnt got the money though your only option is to fill it and move your reflectors) a new panel is expensive though if you can get one lol they are all made in france and wait is a few months and your prob talking about a grand at a guess the panels are dear and very easily damaged so the carriage charge is extortionate

sorry i cant realy be much help

where abouts are you?

Hi Cammie 007

Thanks for your ultra fast reply. Thought a photo would help but van stored at moment but coming out for a rock/blues festival in August. Will take a piccy then - in the meantime I reckon it's a very carefully applied bit of gaffer tape.Thanks for guide price for a new panel - at least I will know if someone is trying to rip me off.

Thanks for the suggestions of possible causes, my thought was acid etch from the inside out - if you're ever coming to the Cambridgeshire area please look me up unfortunately I don't have a trip to Preston lined up!

no probs

just squirt a bit of silicone into crack first before you tape it or stick a reflector over it

dont get as far as cambridgeshire unfortunately dont trust the car lol thurthest we go is south wales but if i ever do ill give you a shout

good luck

Thanks for the silicone tip - would have forgotten that one.

Good luck to you too, and the family. Enjoy Wales and visit Cambridgeshire some time!