hi, just looking for some advice. We bought a brand new Hillside vwt6 conversion in Feb this year and had a few issues with it. The roof sorted under warranty and this week noticed the panel under the rear seats is starting to bubble where it meets the floor about 2 inches up and half the way across the panel. We have rented the van out but not been abused and in good condition. Hillside recommended this as a good business model. Now they are saying the panel bubbling has been caused by the boot base getting wet and then the panel absorbing this. It is sealed with silicone (although not brilliantly well). At the side of the boot is a shower attachment point so clearly they expect the boot to be open when water is run. They are saying that they won’t fix the panel under warranty as it basically has been flooded (which there is no other sign of) and it will cost £2000 to replace one panel. Anyone got any advice? We are seething and wish we hadn’t bought from them as their customer service is v poor. Took 3 month to get the roof fixed. Obviously with this kind of service it makes running the hiring business pretty impossible. Thanks for any advice.
Bubbled Interior Panel
- Thread starter jem
- Start date
Got a picture so we can see what it looks like?
Can't help with your issues but must say, your experience of Hillside's customer service couldn't be further away from mine. The 2 year warranty on mine is about to expire and I decided to take it back last week for them to look at a couple of little issues - they dealt with one there and then (blockage in domestic water pump) and have got me booked in to get the other sorted in a few weeks after the NEC show.
Looking at the photos, I'm wondering if the problem, rather than poor silicone application, has been caused by ingress of water and flooding from the other side of the panel (inside the gas locker), eg. someone running the shower whilst the gas locker was open (we store our shower head in there)??
Looking at the photos, I'm wondering if the problem, rather than poor silicone application, has been caused by ingress of water and flooding from the other side of the panel (inside the gas locker), eg. someone running the shower whilst the gas locker was open (we store our shower head in there)??
Coming from the Caravan industry, it just looks like normal de-lamination, normally caused by getting wet or damp.
Yep defiantly water soaking up behind the laminate (or down from the door area) ...... and causing the expansion and bubbling...
Most likely from water getting behind that silicone seal at the floor join.....
I don't suppose there is much you can do about that Appart from replace the panel and reseal.... or just live with it..
Now who's going to pay for it may be a different problem.......... you would expect that the water proofing and sealing in that area would be adequate.... obviously not.
Most likely from water getting behind that silicone seal at the floor join.....
I don't suppose there is much you can do about that Appart from replace the panel and reseal.... or just live with it..
Now who's going to pay for it may be a different problem.......... you would expect that the water proofing and sealing in that area would be adequate.... obviously not.
Thanks all for your comments. It is useful to get others thoughts. It is an annoying situation! As you think the same that the delimitation has occurred through water ingress that helps clear up one aspect. Hillside think that the tailgate has been left open in heavy rain and the floor of the boot area has become flooded leading to ingress. This could have occurred when a hirer has used the vehicle but there is no other sign. My partner feels they should have told us that you need to be careful getting the boot area wet as in effect it isn't sealed. We felt that as the boot area was covered in the lino from the main part of the van and this is then sealed to a unit that it would be more durable. One of the other Hillside staff had said it is likely to be caused by someone throwing their wet kit in that area. There are a few inconsistencies and that is what has annoyed us about Hillside. Maybe we have too high expectations. They have offered to put a skirting type cover over the delamination as a gesture of good will as they say it is out of the scope of warranty because it is I suppose negligence or accidental damage. I am not sure this will look great if we ever chose to sell the van. The quote of £2000 to replace the piece seems crazy on the other hand.
Does seem a bit steep but they make the units up and then slot the whole thing in - the piece in question goes floor to ceiling and covers about half the length of the cupboard run - they would have to strip everything out to do a proper job of replacing.£2000 to replace a piece of de-laminated wood?That cannot be right.
I'd be tempted to pop along to a good woodwork company, or shop fitters and get a 2nd opinion.
@jem - I'd take the skirting type cover up and maybe not put the shower hose in next time you hire it out.
thanks for the photos of your units waiting to go in @Davenjo it isn't actually the big unit it is one of the two separate pieces in this picture you have shared. The damage is the panel under the back seats and not the main body - the side furthest away from the shower connection. Only one hirer actually used the shower connector and that was back in May, this bubbling has only happened in the last couple of weeks (admittedly it may have taken a while to dry out). Most of the hirers haven't even filled the water tank by the way, it is amazing how many just use the vehicle to sleep in. I know £2000 is too expensive as I work with shopfitters who have their own CNC machine and we have made stuff like this before for less than £200 custom. Even with a day labour on top but they say a full week is what it will take.
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Where do they get £2k from? I'm surprised they don't go at least 50/50 to keep you happy as a potential repeat customer.
That silicone doesn't look sufficient though so I'm not sure you should have to pay anything at all to be honest.
Point them to this thread, see if that gets their attention? It worked when Sl*deP*ds had some very shoddy work highlighted on here.
That silicone doesn't look sufficient though so I'm not sure you should have to pay anything at all to be honest.
Point them to this thread, see if that gets their attention? It worked when Sl*deP*ds had some very shoddy work highlighted on here.
Sorry - I thought from the photos and description it was the piece below the gas locker - I now think you are referring to the filler panel that closes the gap under the RIB bed, in which case even the £200 your shopfitter friends are quoting is a bit steep.
Cause is going to be down to water getting in possibly from the other side of the panel which wont be protected by a silicone bead - you will probably never bottom out when or by whom this happened as it could take ages to show.
Could even be as simple as over zealous cleaning and water running through under the seat?
Good luck with getting sorted.
Thank you. Hillside checked for leaks as they said if there was a leak it would be protected under warranty. Spoken to consumer advice today (Trading Standards). It isn't straight forward but they believe that we should see what use they say for that boot storage area and as an outdoor vehicle and what other companies say. If other companies or campervan owners believe that you should be able to put your wet outdoor gear in the boot or that it may get wet through normal other usage such as having to open the Tailgate in bad weather or splash back from the shower, than there is a sufficient argument that it is not fit for purpose in its design and therefore under the new Consumer Right legislation they have to replace it or repair it in good time and without undue inconvenience. They also said that as the vehicle has some HP finance that the financial ombudsmen may look to fight it on our behalf as technically we don't own the vehicle until the finance is paid off. The last aspect they said was with regard to the £2000 - that we should speak to other conversation companies to see what they would charge us for the replacement section and present other quotes to them if they did not renegotiate that it would support our case in front of a judge. A bit to think about. We are going to write to them, outlining the case with supporting evidence and see what comes back in a given time. The campervan looks in really good order apart from that, we want it to be right. If they had just come back with a sensible figure and decent customer service about it probably would have just paid for it because who wants the hassle and lots of 3 hour journeys to Derby and taking time off work!
One of our main uses is for sailing breaks but I would never leave anything wet in the boot area or leave the tailgate open in the rain but that is as much about protecting my seats as anything else - we also always take care to ensure everything is bone dry before leaving the van standing for any length of time. Anything wet when we pack up (typically our external screens and/or awnings) tends to get placed in the van so we can keep an eye on it and easily deal with any water seepage.
I think your argument will come down to the quality of the silicon beads and whether they are up to the job, e.g was it badly applied or were they damaged as a result of something placed in the boot (I've seen some convertors that don't even apply silicon along the bottom of the panels).
Ultimately, whilst an unsightly annoyance you'll see every time you open the tailgate, I don't think the issue is that big and is relatively easy to fix - I totally agree with your sentiment that they should have come back with a sensible figure in the first place though.
I think your argument will come down to the quality of the silicon beads and whether they are up to the job, e.g was it badly applied or were they damaged as a result of something placed in the boot (I've seen some convertors that don't even apply silicon along the bottom of the panels).
Ultimately, whilst an unsightly annoyance you'll see every time you open the tailgate, I don't think the issue is that big and is relatively easy to fix - I totally agree with your sentiment that they should have come back with a sensible figure in the first place though.
Update: there was some misunderstanding which would have been cleared up earlier if they had called as we originally asked. They will replace the panel and put a skirt on to cover the tiny issue on the other unit which we aren’t bothered about. Would love it if people just talked rather than email as it makes things so much easier. Anyway, looks like we will get it sorted. The £2k was to replace the main unit too we think but it isn’t clear. Thanks to all for help.
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