Nuevo Damp Floor

Hello all,

I purchased a 2012 Nuevo ES with 15k on clock in April last year and despite numerous problems which meant we could not use the vehicle to mid May 2014.
I received and accepted compensation of 2 free habitation surveys and a tank full of fuel.

Recently the 1st habitation survey was undertaken to my entire satisfaction. As well as mechanical defects highlighted in its first MOT that were remedied.
The habitation check revealed significant levels of dampness to the entire floor. The vendors/dealer were unable attribute a cause for the increased levels of damp and suggested I keep an eye on it.
I have sent them the attached e-mail.
Do you think I am being reasonable?

"You may be aware my troubled Nuevo recently returned to ????? for its annual habitation service and remedial work.
It transpired the floor had detected damp levels of 25% throughout.
You will no doubt appreciate this is in excess of acceptable levels and it was mooted that despite the vehicle being kept under cover within a building for four months over winter it could be down to being stood.
That said, I am mindful that limits of indemnity with the warranty reduce significantly in the second year of ownership which is approaching.

Given, by you own assessment and documentation the damp reading is too high and that the presence of damp is noted within the first 12 months of ownership, can I take it if the problem persists in to the second year and beyond that you will remedy the defect without any additional cost to myself?"

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Regards,

J

If you put 'damp' in the search box you might find some other relevant postings but I couldn't find my own fairly recent post about the damp found between the door and fridge. ( about 25%).

I think Marquis took off the skirts and then resealed at just above floor level all around the van.

The van was away for nearly two months (Dec-Jan) as they said it had to dry out naturally.
Hope this helps
Fred

Sounds like you've been very unlucky... Surprised to hear of your problems on such a recent van.

Out of interest are your skirts around the base of your Nuevo sealed? The first thing I did when getting our Broadway home from Marquis was to seal along the seams as there was no sealant along either side! I doubt it had been sealed since leaving the factory. (Surprised this wasn't done when supplied by Marquis) but anyway I used SOUDASEAL which I find easier to work with than Sikaflex

Typicle that the dealer couldn't attribute to the likely cause of your damp floor, they should know all the weak spots of these vehicles inside & out.  have you contacted AutoSleepers for their advice? I think I'd be visiting them at the service centre for a thorough check and detailed conclusion.

Hi J
Have you ruled out leakage from pipe work, water heater etc, On my 09 Nuevo I had a leak from my kitchen monobloc sink tap, the leak came from one of the pipes contacting to the base of the tap.
I had left the electric hot water heater on overnight and the water pump activated.
The water had leaked out onto the kitchen floor, under the units and cooker, fortunately the floor area dried out whilst on holiday and the tap replaced on my return home.
I had to reseal most of the exterior joints on my Nuevo and on my replacement 08 Sigma, as the sealant had degraded and in some areas gone altogether, especially around the grey side skirting.
Boaby

Thank you for your replies.

There seems to be common thread with these issues, namely, the same dealer!
I will check the skirts as suggested. Due to a long  illness of my mum last year we only used the nuevo once last year and traveled just over 300 miles. It has been SORNED since October.
I do not think it is due to an internal water leak as we have barely used it.
I have had the heating on low for few days and had a dehumidifier running but little water has come out of the fabric of the van.
This latest problem is the tip of an iceberg but I will not put you through war and peace. That said the dealer although sold me a defective motorhome did eventually put things right but I did miss the important Easter break.
I will wait for a reply to my e-mail to them and I feel a trip to Auto Sleepers would be prudent.
I just think it reasonable to get an undertaking that they will pay for the repairs costs in full even if the work in done in the second year of the warranty when the financial limit drops to £1000.

Regards,

J

If I am correct in thinking that a damp reading of around 13% is acceptable, then surely your readings of 25% require investigation rather than "keeping an eye on it."
I would tend to go back to the dealer to get some immediate attention rather than wait another year in the hope that it will either have gone away or take a chance that it would be rectifiable if it continued.

This site suggests anything between 15-20% or more requires further investigation? 

http://lancingcommercial.co.uk/latest-news-lancing-commercial/water-ingress-article.html 

I always understood it was more like 25-30% 

It also says about sealing skirts as mentioned earlier by myself and Boaby as this gets overlooked by most people, seem to recall the AutoSleepers service center said this is an annual job but I'd say if it's done properly you should get 2-3 yrs before the sealant starts breaking down.

It also says about allowing plenty of ventilation which is something most of us attempt to avoid where possible. 

I can't imagine the company agreeing to put the vehicle right in the future as they would then leave themselves wide open to Legal action, but a reputable company should stand by the vehicle.

A recent day spent spent (another story) fitting larger mud-flaps underneath our 2015-spec Stanton (Nuevo on a M-B chassis) made me wonder about the specification of the floor material fitted by A-S; one might have hoped that it would be marine-grade plywood but it looked for all the world like "Smartply" which is commonly used for flat roofing. I have no idea if I am correct in this supposition but that is the impression I formed; if I am wrong then I unreservedly apologise in advance.
The critical difference is that marine ply is totally waterproof right through, whereas other grades of plywood- exterior, Smartply, etc are merely treated with water-proofing on the faces. If water enters via the edges, or through surface damage, then: there could be trouble ahead. 
From what I have seen the build-sequence for a coach-built is, roughly speaking, fit floor to cab/chassis unit... then fit everything else on top. If the floor requires replacement due to water-ingress this will never be a viable economical proposition and may lead to insurance write-off.

Incidentally, was your A-S dealer the nearest one to Northwich?

Spinney supplied the vehicle to the first and only other owner.
I purchased the Nuevo from a dealership in the northwest who have a particularly very close affiliation to AS.
I have spoken to A-S this morning who said it is most unusual not likely to be a pipe.
A friend of mine lives a narrow boat which has a "cruiser back".
He uses phenolic coated plywood to cover engine compartment which manages all weathers exposed.

http://www.specialisedpanels.co.uk/phenol-plywood.html.

A-S's service manager M Burdett, who is off today, is to contact me with his thoughts- I will keep you posted.

Regards,

J

J
Mark, hopefully will put your mind at rest.
Boaby

I too have a damp underfloor rear offside which appears to be a) due to rain water dripping down the rear panel, behind fibreglass skin, from somewhere above and b) from the joint between rear and side lower wings being unsealed. The edge of the plywood at the rear does not appear to have been sealed in anyway, despite being painted black underneath. Also there is a length of 25mm softwood going forwards on the edges of the floor which is also sodden in this area. This is my first motorhome and I am not impressed with the AS construction. I am going to have to try and reseal everything in sight in the hopes of solving this in short term before perhaps getting inspected for possible remedial work at AS.

FOA wrote:I too have a damp underfloor rear offside which appears to be a) due to rain water dripping down the rear panel, behind fibreglass skin, from somewhere above and b) from the joint between rear and side lower wings being unsealed. The edge of the plywood at the rear does not appear to have been sealed in anyway, despite being painted black underneath. Also there is a length of 25mm softwood going forwards on the edges of the floor which is also sodden in this area. This is my first motorhome and I am not impressed with the AS construction. I am going to have to try and reseal everything in sight in the hopes of solving this in short term before perhaps getting inspected for possible remedial work at AS.

Worth a call to Mark Burdett 01386853511, the workshops could be on Hoildays over the Easter break, the area you discribe seems be a common area for water ingress ,many members have highlighted problems with dampness in this area.
My son has had three different coachbuilt vans , two continental and his current van a Autotrail, have all suffered with dampness somewhere in the body, its not just Autosleeper coachbuilt that sometimes leak.
Boaby

Thanks Boaby comforting, in a way, to know I am not alone!

As your supplying dealer is closely affiliated with AS I strongly suggest that you agree with them that the investigation/remedial work be done at Willersey. They have better facilities and expertise than M******* and WILL do a better job.
M****** have agreed to this in the past as reported on this forum.
It's really worth the journey.