replacing rooflight

The rooflight/vent on my 1993 Trident high roof is old, discoloured, leaks and horrible looking. Does anybody know what make it is so I can replace it or is it simply a case of getting any one that is the same size in which case does anybody know what size it will be. Presumably they are relatively simple to replace. I'd like one with a flyscreen and blind I think.

Mal,
I cannot advise on your specific installation but this website list several rooflights, one of which which may well be suitable.

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squip

Hi Mal


I replaced the vent in my then Trident about a few years ago. This is a job that should be done in the Spring or Summer when the mastic will have softened up a bit, plus you need a dry spell of a few days, to do the job.

You remove the top cover, then use a thin trowel or filler spatula (metal) to cut through the old mastic, then ease the frame up and out of the whole. This is a bit of a chore, but take your time and eventually remove all the old mastic. If it is difficult, you can always cut the frame very carefully, and remove, as you wont be using the old frame again

There are quite a few mastics available on Ebay.

It is quite an easy job, just takes a bit of patience.



Andy

Hi Mal.

As Andy said plenty of different types of mastic available but avoid any silicon based products if can.

Cheers. Whisky.

squip wrote:Mal,
I cannot advise on your specific installation but this website list several rooflights, one of which which may well be suitable.

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squip

Squip,

Thanks for that link - may just have saved me more than a few bob!

Best regards,

Hi Mal

I have used "O'Leary motorhomes" on quite a few occaisions over the years and have always been satisfied with their service, they specialise in self build so hold a large stock of spare parts, look under rooflights and accessories.

When I have replaced roof vents I used mastic strip which comes in a roll on non stick backing and can be cut to required length, use four strips ensuring that the corner joints are butted together to be water tight, the frame will bed down nicely on this. I'm a bit belt and braces and run a bead of cartridge mastic around the frame after bedding in, this is optional but it makes me feel better.

All the best John.

Hi Mal,
You do not ned to replace the whole frame. You just unscrew the phillips screws at the end's of the handels where they are attached to the frame. you then remove the top with the handels, leaving the frame in situ, You can purchase the top and handel assembley on it's own. I am assuming that you don't have any problem with leaking around the frame.
Cheers John.

Thanks for all your advice. It leaks around frame and through a crack in dome I think so am replacing the whole lot. Have ordered MPK clear dome and grey frame on inside which should look okay with grey interior lining and better than the discoloured beige/cream frame at the moment. I would like to replace lights as well as these have all aged and become discoloured and generally look awful but don't suppose I will be able to get anything exactly the same size. Think the hardest part of replacing rooflight will actually being able to reach!

Hi,
I've got the same problem . . . I need to replace the rooflight on my 1995 VW Trident Hightop. My rooflight frame looks ok but there's a bad crack where one of the operating handle ends connects to the translucent dome - and the water is pouring in. I've temp repaired the leak with loads of gaffer tape and stopped 90% of the leak.

Problem now is replacement ? . . I have no idea exactly what make the broken rooflight is ? . . if I knew, I think I could take jaybee3946's advice above . . ie ("You do not need to replace the whole frame. You just unscrew the phillips screws at the end's of the handles where they are attached to the frame. you then remove the top with the handles, leaving the frame in situ, You can purchase the top and handel assembley on it's own.")

So question is . . does anyone know what is the make/model of rooflight fitted to a Nov 1995 VW Trident hard top . . . . or how can I find out what exactly it is I need to order ?

Any advice will be much appreciated Thanks

MPK?

Is it 400x400, or a smaller 280x280?

I replaced all the domes on our old '95 Exec for this very reason. I then replaced one of the new ones for a Fiamma to reduce wind noise, so I have a new MPK dome in my garage, shame you're not closer, you could have had it.

One thing to note, the frame had a small design change between my old version and the newer dome, the handles don't clip under the lugs on the frame so you have to file them down to secure the vent closed.

I could post a picture of the one in my garage if that would help?

Here's my dome with the gaffer tape over the broken handle position. Having had a look on line it looks similar to some MPK ones that are shown on line, but as I say I have no idea exactly what model it is. ie the new one or the old type. I only know that its the original factory fitted one from new in Nov 1995. Not sure of the size either till I get up there and measure it !
 

would be grateful to know what you think I need to order  and if I can get the dome and handle component rather than the whole unit as my base seems watertight to the roof and ok ?

Thanks,

You don't need to climb up to measure. The 400x400 unit is 470x470 across the fitting that you can see from inside the van, so just measure across the plastic surround where the blind is.

I'm pretty sure that I just bought replacement domes like these:

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You'll need to check what colour yours are and search for the right ones.

All I had to do, all from inside the van,  was undo the four handle screws on the old unit, pull the handles inwards to release them from their support boss/pillar, push the skylight up away from the roof and turn it so that it would come back down through the hole in the frame.
Refitting is the reverse of this process, except that I then found that the handles wouldn't lock, as they've changed the design slightly.

I'll take a photo of how I modified the latching tabs so that they'd catch on the frame lip again, it isn't difficult but you need to get it right so that the dome isn't able to lift when the wind catches it.

Here's the modified handle where I cut a notch, in the red circle, I sloped the cut so that it would find its own position which stays firmly engaged with the lip




Here's the handle sitting on the lip of the old frame

It is a simple screw/fix job, just 4 capped screws, on the 400x400 anyway, unfortunately mine is a 400x400 otherwise you'd have been welcome to have it. 

You' don't have to buy the whole thing though:

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The one I linked is just the dome and handles (AFAIK).

They are attached to the handles from underneath with screws that go into those little plastic domed bosses, and you fit the whole thing as described in the thread above.

You may be able to buy just the plastic dome, but I didn't find any when I was looking for them. I bought replacements complete with handles but no inner frame.

Perhaps I'm wrong, it's not that unusual. 

I've been serching the net and there seem to be lots of spares available for MPK rooflights.

I also contacted Autosleeper sand they've been very helpful and told me that my van is fitted with a MPK rooflight model number EF0304. So, guess what, I went on to google and typed "MPK EF0304" in . . . . not a thing ? . . . can't find even a single reference to MPK EF0304 anywhere on the internet ! ! !  . . just my luck !

I have spotted several ebay auctions for 400 x 400 MPK units and/or spares sets, where at least the dome (looking down on it from above) looks to have four seperate recesses where the handles are connected to the dome, as does my broken one, rather than just the two longer recesses that some other auction photos show. I'm assuming the ones with only two recesses are possibly the newer models ?

I'm going to double check my inside dimension and if its 470, that will at least confirm I've got a 400 x 400 unit so thanks for that advice.

So, in the absence of being able to find any reference model numbers, I'm sort of gambling that an ebay punt on one of the 400 x 400 ones that at least look like mine from the outside would deliver the correct spares ? . .

Any thoughts . . .

Thanks for replies so far

That's what I bought for our '95 van, and had to slightly modify the handles as detailed above.

Thanks meanchris . . . . I think I'll take the ebay gamble and I will let you know how I get on !

Cheers for all the above advice

I replaced the outer cover on the vent above the kitchen, catches modified, supplied from an E-Bay trader. When it came to the bathroom vent I bought a complete vent from Magnum because they were local and it was the same price as just the outer. 
Of course when I did both vents it rained half way through both jobs. The main vent was easy because you can do this from inside feeding the cover through the hole. The bathroom was more fun due to the step ladders being a bit short. The sticky sealing tape is far better than tube sealant. Just make sure you get it right first time. No leaks now and fresh clean looking vents with no drips.

I have come upon this thread rather late but wonder if anyone can help. I have a 1993 Rapport. The top cover of the roof vent has been ripped off but the rest of the unit - the section attached to the handles which rises but which has a perforated section in the middle so is not waterproof - is perfectly OK. I did find a replacement cover on ebay but the only one I could get was thick white whereas mine was translucent. I gather from the thread that it may be necessary to replace the whole thing including the handles and the raised bit attached to the handles but wonder if anyone thinks there is an alternative.

petern