AS Harmony sliding windows frame removal

Hi all,

This is my second post here (first post is a little intro about myself ).

I've recently bought an Autosleeper Harmony, very happy with it. However, I have found there is some rust around the black trim panels on both sliding windows I didn't spot when I went to buy the van

Well I am going to have it fixed for sure, I could actually doing it myself (have been working in a body repair workshop in the past) but I live in a flat and park the van off the road, so I am forced me to take the AS to a local (very good actually) shop.

The big problem I have now is how to remove the plastic panels from the sides of the van. The guy at the workshop says that it might be necessary to remove the sliding window frames, as they seem to have been fitted on top of the black plastic trims. And, to remove said window frames, it my well be necessary to go inside the van and remove loads of trim, blind frames, etc.
Basically I am told that this could raise the cost of the repair very much, as the people at the workshop have no idea how to remove these things and would strip the whole inside of the van out if needed.

Now, I am thinking to remove these black plastic trims myself and take the van to the workshop, ready to be made rust-free and re-sprayed.

Here's the big question: does anybody know how to remove these panels, or how to dismantle the windows frames?

Thank you so much,

David

David,

I have a 1995 Harmony but, fortunately, I have not had to remove those black panels. However I have had to remove the blinds from the inside of both sliding windows which will require a similar scale of disassembly to your task. On the sliding door this is relatively straightforward. However gaining access to the inside of the other sliding window requires substantially more work. I can't remember all the details, but I recall having to remove numerous panels heading right towards the kitchen.

If you're confident to do it then I'd say have a go yourself as it's likely that you'll take much better care of the important bits than someone getting paid by the hour!

Of course if your blind needs attention then this is the opportunity to do it.


Bartfarst

Hi there Bartfast,

Sorry for the late reply, and thanks a lot for your post.

I ended up cutting the black plastic trims right at the point where they meet the aluminium window frames, as I did not want to remove the frames and have to reseal them. Had the rust removed and the bodywork professionally repaired by a local garage. Now I have to put the plastic trims back onto the van.

It appears that the rusting process started...from the screw holes....obviously.

The method AS put these black trims on the van is a very, very poorly designed one IMHO. What they did basically was:

- cut holes on the van panels to accommodate the alu windows.
- attach the black plastic trims to the van, by DRILLING holes to the van's panels and using METAL SCREWS to keep them in place. Actually, the trims were also glued and some silicon was put over each screw hole (to avoid water penetration I'd reckon).
- Finally, put the alu windows frames (silicon used as a sealant) on top of the plastic trims.

Now, this method wouldn't be that bad if the plastic trims had been properly sealed to avoid water to penetrate and rest between them and the chassis. However, not all the sealant was silicone, most of it looked like a white gummy mastic that had detached from the van panels, allowing water to enter....with obvious results.

Clearly, having a metal screw directly fixed into the bodywork is not a good idea, corrosion is just round the corner. That's why I bought nylon screws, which I am going to use to put the plastic trims back on the van. Also, this time I will make sure the edged of the trims are properly insulated to avoid water penetrating underneath them. Let's hope I can keep rust away ;-)

Well thanks again and Happy New Year everybody!!!