Grey/black ''finisher'' trim strip on Duetto

Bulletguy wrote:
The bolts on mine do appear nylon/plastic and dome headed. If they were simply a 'twist to unlock' style of fitting, then i could understand the use of nylon/plastic. But if an actual screw bolt......then i can't fathom out the logic as the chances of getting that out in one piece without snapping it are virtually zero! What are they screwed into?

I initially thought they were going to be quarter-turn fixings, but not on my van. The pillar on the standoff is internally threaded, and that's what they screw into.

-mojo- wrote:

Bulletguy wrote:
The bolts on mine do appear nylon/plastic and dome headed. If they were simply a 'twist to unlock' style of fitting, then i could understand the use of nylon/plastic. But if an actual screw bolt......then i can't fathom out the logic as the chances of getting that out in one piece without snapping it are virtually zero! What are they screwed into?

I initially thought they were going to be quarter-turn fixings, but not on my van. The pillar on the standoff is internally threaded, and that's what they screw into.

And they were actual threaded bolts......made of nylon/plastic? Then i'm amazed you got them out without snapping given the amount of weathering they get.

Why on earth couldn't AS do the sensible thing and use stainless steel bolts? 

Bulletguy wrote:
And they were actual threaded bolts......made of nylon/plastic? Then i'm amazed you got them out without snapping given the amount of weathering they get.

Why on earth couldn't AS do the sensible thing and use stainless steel bolts? 

Essentially because A/S only care about assembly - they don't care about how hard they make it for you to get something apart later, because it's either not  their problem or, if it is their problem, you will probably be paying for their time in solving it.

I've seen it numerous times myself, and seen accounts about how, for example, on a Duetto, the carpet continues under the shower tray. And on the seat bases, the carpet is glued on after the fixings are put in. And in some cases, drawer runners are screwed in place and then the whole seat base is turned upside down and fixed to the floor - so you can't remove a drawer without removing the whole seat base from the vehicle. On my van, the whole wardrobe assembly was put in ~after~ the roof window had been fitted, overlapping with one corner - which made getting it out to reseal it a whole load of fun.

However - I don't think A/S is unusual in this respect...

-mojo- wrote:

Bulletguy wrote:
And they were actual threaded bolts......made of nylon/plastic? Then i'm amazed you got them out without snapping given the amount of weathering they get.

Why on earth couldn't AS do the sensible thing and use stainless steel bolts? 

Essentially because A/S only care about assembly - they don't care about how hard they make it for you to get something apart later, because it's either not  their problem or, if it is their problem, you will probably be paying for their time in solving it.

I've seen it numerous times myself, and seen accounts about how, for example, on a Duetto, the carpet continues under the shower tray. And on the seat bases, the carpet is glued on after the fixings are put in. And in some cases, drawer runners are screwed in place and then the whole seat base is turned upside down and fixed to the floor - so you can't remove a drawer without removing the whole seat base from the vehicle. On my van, the whole wardrobe assembly was put in ~after~ the roof window had been fitted, overlapping with one corner - which made getting it out to reseal it a whole load of fun.

However - I don't think A/S is unusual in this respect...

I couldn't agree more! I know in order to replace the shower tray the entire toilet has to come out. Absolutely bonkers!

My first Duetto job was sorting the roof aerial which had rusted away in the mount and literally came off in my hand! But then the "fun" really started. How to get the damn mount out? 

It meant removing two internal roof sections (many many screws!). 

Rather than use the rubber duck type aerial i sourced a much neater looking slim aerial mount from a Rover 200 at a scrap yard. The right size aerial i found on a Citroen. Cost me a couple of quid! But then how to fit?? Five minute job on a saloon car.....quite different on a van where it soon became obvious it was a two man job plus a pair of step ladders!

The crazy part about all this. Who on earth in their wisdom decided to drill a damn hole through a brand new fibre glass mould.......when an internal strip of copper wire would have done the job perfectly, taken seconds to fit, cost pence, and last the life of the vehicle?!! 

In reply to Bulletguy.
The fiberglass gutter trim on my 1998 Duetto was moulded  by using non marine ply (approx 25MM X 6MM) as a former , obviously encapsulated in resin (badly).
It was then sikoflexed to the roof and screwed.

art wrote:In reply to Bulletguy.
The fiberglass gutter trim on my 1998 Duetto was moulded  by using non marine ply (approx 25MM X 6MM) as a former , obviously encapsulated in resin (badly).
It was then sikoflexed to the roof and screwed.

This doesn't seem very professional to me, particularly in an area purposely made for draining off rainwater. It's a disaster just waiting to happen.

However this is not unlike the engine bay insulation which on the whole, does at least dry out from the heat off the engine.....apart from two areas. Ford stuck the stuff over the inner wheel arch before bolting the battery tray on. The result being that never dries out and the inner arch starts to rot away.....very quickly too. Having witnessed hidden inner arch rot under a battery tray (not on my van!), i removed both battery trays and cut that insulation * Inappropriate Word * out. The arches were in good order so i sprayed a liberal coating of waxoyl on the metal and also took the opportunity to renovate both trays giving them a few layers of hammerite plus waxoyl. So they will probably outlast the van now but at least i won't have to worry about the arches rotting.

Just a quick update on this thread: Autosleepers don't stock this part, but they can get them made, and as mentioned earlier the last time they were quoted to do this, they were £400 a pop, and given the cost of carriage of something like this, it's probably best to pick it up and get it fitted by AS at the same time. Not sure if that's the road I'm going to go down yet, but at least I have the clear picture at last.

I have had stuff fitted by AS at their works and they did a good job. You can stay overnight at their 'aire', which includes electric hook-up. This is a good thing as it allows them a first-thing start in the morning and you have the opportunity to explore Evesham while they do the work.

Brian Emrys wrote:Just a quick update on this thread: Autosleepers don't stock this part, but they can get them made, and as mentioned earlier the last time they were quoted to do this, they were £400 a pop, and given the cost of carriage of something like this, it's probably best to pick it up and get it fitted by AS at the same time. Not sure if that's the road I'm going to go down yet, but at least I have the clear picture at last.

Sadly i suppose the only justification for this is they might get an order for one.....every five years or so! One thing for sure, material cost is minimal. It could be interesting to find out who makes 'em though A/S aren't going to tell you that.

Further update part two: the cost is actually £197 plus VAT for one side, plus fitting (and fittings) at £62.50/hr plus VAT  if AS do it. The moulds do still exist apparently, so as our beloved old Duettos get to that stage of needing new ones, no matter how cosmetic only they are, I guess they'll maybe start to turn them over a bit more regularly.

I had the same thing happen to my Duetto 1999 within three miles of picking it up from the dealer about three weeks ago. Quite disconcerting when bits of the vehicle one is driving begin to fly off!
I got straight on to A-S parts (Alan) and was told "The O/S gutter for a 1999 Duetto will be £250 + VAT crating & carriage will be £85.00 + VAT." When Mike of Meridian Motorhomes (from whom I bought the van) learned of the mishap, he immediately offered to foot the bill for it and its fitting - early days in my relationship with him but nothing to frighten the horses so far! Praise, where praise is due!
Anyway, mine was fibreglass and simply glued to the roof. 
Worth checking the fixings on yours?
All the best

Good result there then. I had a similarly 'round-figure' quote from Alan, (£400 the pair), but later dealt with a Mike Burdett at AS who gave me the actual figure of £197 + VAT per side. This was without the crating and carriage though, and though I can totally understand why something so unwieldy and fragile needs to be crated securely, for me at least at that price it would be cheaper to drive down and have it fitted by AS. At present I'm just waiting for a window to be able to do that. He said to give them two weeks' notice to get the strip ordered, (i.e. made). 
And yes, I've checked the other fixings! Good luck with yours.