HiLo Surf roof unhinged

[1604hutch]

My cup runneth over...

The nearside hinge of our HiLo surf roof has just popped off! Has anyone else had a problem like this? They are held on by 2 rivets and I'm not sure how to go about fixing this... Any thoughts (on the repair)? I think it will need to be a 'blind' repair in that I can't get into the back of the attachment point. A high stress point at that. I'll post some pics when the van limps home... Obviously it did this when I wasn't in it.

Unfortunately our friends at HiLo have not been replying to my emails or letters for the past 6 months so I'm not holding out any hope of them assisting. They will have their hands full soon as their final deadline has just passed.

However, this is probably the final straw for this roof.

If you have a Surf roof, can I advise you to check the hinges... It's pretty catastrophic... First sign of trouble is the misalignment of the screw in locks at the front...

Feel free to contact me directly.
I'm not aiming to turn this into another opportunity to bash HiLo, so please refrain from that if you're tempted

I was wondering if you had any luck fixing your roof? I fear I have the same issue and the company have now drilled at the back to try and resolve the problem but I think it’s now beyond economical repair. The bolts at the front are 20 mil out due to the work done at the back and I can’t even drive it as the rod of won’t close. It is my only mode of transport so I am losing patience with what to do next. I was told that an announcement may be released from a company that fits these roof to continue now that hilo have gone into liquidation but nothing heard so far.

 

[seewhy]

I was wondering if you had any luck fixing your roof? I fear I have the same issue and the company have now drilled at the back to try and resolve the problem but I think it’s now beyond economical repair. The bolts at the front are 20 mil out due to the work done at the back and I can’t even drive it as the rod of won’t close. It is my only mode of transport so I am losing patience with what to do next. I was told that an announcement may be released from a company that fits these roof to continue now that hilo have gone into liquidation but nothing heard so far.

Hey @1604hutch
Ouch!

I will be able to tell you in a couple of weeks whether I've solved this. I am due to take the van to Vanmax for a replacement roof (yup, the whole shebang!)

A couple of questions - who did the work at the back? If it was HiLo themselves, then you might be stuck (given that they are in liquidation) - if they did this as warranty work (heaven forbid), then you might have a case to become a creditor (not that will do much). However, don't hold your breath for anyone to come to the rescue with the Surf roof even if they become a supplier of roofs that have an identical design to a company formerly known as HiLo - the Directors sold the assets just before they liquidated and out of the ashes comes All Things Custom Ltd. and the liquidation report doesn't even mention the debacle of the Surf roof!

If you paid someone else for this 'repair', I would recommend you 'insist' that this company repositions the hinges so that you can at least close your roof. I would guess that they would need to disconnect the gas struts, lower / position the roof flat on the van, connect the front bolts exactly central to the holes, and THEN tighten their bolts at the back. Then raise the roof and put the gas struts back on. This was a major reason that I decided not to try and fix the hinge - the tolerances are small and the knock-on effects are significant (sorry, I know I'm pointing out the obvious to you at this time, but this is for the benefit of other owners of Surf roofs!).

In my case the roof went squint at the front because the hinge had broken, so I got a long strap, wrapped it across the roof and pulled outwards until the front rods dropped in the holes - then got another person to tighten the bolts inside whilst I (literally) hung off the side of the van. I'm not sure that you'll be able to do that if the rear corner has been fixed in position.

I will let you know how things go with Vanmax - my discussions so far suggest that the existing cut-out should be fairly similar to that required for the new roof (I haven't yet found another manufacturer who can confirm the size / position of their cut out, possibly for commercial confidentiality reasons). I have made a deliberate decision to go direct to the manufacturer rather than a fitter, even though I have to take the van 380 miles each way and leave it with them for 2 weeks. If you can wait until mid October, I'll report back. I've got everything crossed (including my bank account) that this works.

Send me a direct message if you want any more information / discuss anything... I feel your pain, so if there's anything that you need to get off your chest, best done privately!

Good luck in the meantime.

 

[1604hutch]

Hey @1604hutch
Ouch!

I will be able to tell you in a couple of weeks whether I've solved this. I am due to take the van to Vanmax for a replacement roof (yup, the whole shebang!)

A couple of questions - who did the work at the back? If it was HiLo themselves, then you might be stuck (given that they are in liquidation) - if they did this as warranty work (heaven forbid), then you might have a case to become a creditor (not that will do much). However, don't hold your breath for anyone to come to the rescue with the Surf roof even if they become a supplier of roofs that have an identical design to a company formerly known as HiLo - the Directors sold the assets just before they liquidated and out of the ashes comes All Things Custom Ltd. and the liquidation report doesn't even mention the debacle of the Surf roof!

If you paid someone else for this 'repair', I would recommend you 'insist' that this company repositions the hinges so that you can at least close your roof. I would guess that they would need to disconnect the gas struts, lower / position the roof flat on the van, connect the front bolts exactly central to the holes, and THEN tighten their bolts at the back. Then raise the roof and put the gas struts back on. This was a major reason that I decided not to try and fix the hinge - the tolerances are small and the knock-on effects are significant (sorry, I know I'm pointing out the obvious to you at this time, but this is for the benefit of other owners of Surf roofs!).

In my case the roof went squint at the front because the hinge had broken, so I got a long strap, wrapped it across the roof and pulled outwards until the front rods dropped in the holes - then got another person to tighten the bolts inside whilst I (literally) hung off the side of the van. I'm not sure that you'll be able to do that if the rear corner has been fixed in position.

I will let you know how things go with Vanmax - my discussions so far suggest that the existing cut-out should be fairly similar to that required for the new roof (I haven't yet found another manufacturer who can confirm the size / position of their cut out, possibly for commercial confidentiality reasons). I have made a deliberate decision to go direct to the manufacturer rather than a fitter, even though I have to take the van 380 miles each way and leave it with them for 2 weeks. If you can wait until mid October, I'll report back. I've got everything crossed (including my bank account) that this works.

Send me a direct message if you want any more information / discuss anything... I feel your pain, so if there's anything that you need to get off your chest, best done privately!

Good luck in the meantime.

Hey,

It all sounds very familiar to the state of my roof at the moment. Hilo in Preston fitted the roof in 2019. The Custom Shop was who I paid to do the full conversion so they subcontracted the work out to Hilo.

It is under warranty which means very little right now and the argument I have is who is liable to fix this. The work at the back is what the custom shop have done to try and rectify the issue but they have now stopped all work on the van until they know where they stand.

The company have been great and naturally want to protect things at their end but in the meantime I am having to get around on the most unreliable train service ever! I appreciate the information and advice because I know nothing about engineering. What’s ironic is I’ve hardly used the van since I had it converted so this can not be attributed to west and tear. This is surely a poorly designed product? I’m really keen to see how you get on so please keep in touch and best of luck. I live in Edinburgh, work in a hull and the van is sat in Liverpool!

 

[1604hutch]

Hey,

It all sounds very familiar to the state of my roof at the moment. Hilo in Preston fitted the roof in 2019. The Custom Shop was who I paid to do the full conversion so they subcontracted the work out to Hilo.

It is under warranty which means very little right now and the argument I have is who is liable to fix this. The work at the back is what the custom shop have done to try and rectify the issue but they have now stopped all work on the van until they know where they stand.

The company have been great and naturally want to protect things at their end but in the meantime I am having to get around on the most unreliable train service ever! I appreciate the information and advice because I know nothing about engineering. What’s ironic is I’ve hardly used the van since I had it converted so this can not be attributed to west and tear. This is surely a poorly designed product? I’m really keen to see how you get on so please keep in touch and best of luck. I live in Edinburgh, work in a hull and the van is sat in Liverpool!

Could you send me a PM as I’m new to this.