General Paintwork Cracking Issue

[bugsymike]

People don't always realise how much strength is derived from the roof - you need a lot of reinforcement to make up for it. I guess the TR4 had this built in but the Morris 1000 had it added later as an afterthought?

Another I recall was the Rover 412 convertible, whilst road testing you could actually hear the body creaking

 

[Reg 65]

lost the finish paint from the whole of its front end) the primer is intact and the galvanising still prevents corrosion.

I found that on my 2008 manufactured Citroen Relay - the paint was flaking off the bonnet but the primer beneath was fine. I guess the primer can be a softer and more flexible paint because it doesn't need the high gloss finish or hard wearing qualities. It was easy to take off the bonnet - just 4 bolts and you can use the paint marks to line them up when you put it back. Being white and spraying the whole bonnet I could use a cheap generic white aerosol paint because the gap around the bonnet masks any slight difference in colour.

 

[NeilWR]

Not just the weight but higher floor put me off the Iveco Daily for a campervan.
I don't think the chassis adds much to the torsional rigidity? - you get these issues with coachbuilts on a chassis. I saw a slow motion video of the rear of an artic flat semi-trailer loaded with timber overturn on a roundabout. The front of an artic is very stable because the centre of gravity is low and there is usually an anti roll bar - amazing how fast the tractor units can corner in truck racing. But the back of the trailer is much less stable as the centre of gravity is higher and the springs close together to accommodate the twin wheels with no anti roll bar. As the truck tipped over the rear of the trailer went first - till it was almost right over - the chassis flexing through nearly 90 degrees till it flipped the tractor unit over with it. - thats why they roll over because the driver in the cab doesn't feel how much the rear of the semi-trailer is rolling.
The torsional rigidity comes from the bodyshell. You can demonstrate this with a flimsy oblong food container and tight fitting lid. Grasp each end and try to twist it with the lid on - its very strong, but take off the lid and the strength just evaporates. Problem with the Ducato XLWB is they have made the van longer with big doors and big holes everywhere for extra windows roof vents etc- making it more flexible like taking the lid off the food container. The windscreen makes it more rigid - like the flimsy lid on the food container. So if its not bonded in as well as it should be you are bound to get cracking around there.
But all big structures have to flex - even concrete tower blocks and bridges flex a bit - if they didn't flex they would crack!. Van bodyshell flexing can be caused by heat expansion when the shell doesn't heat up evenly. So you are bound to get a tiny movement around these joints, thats what they are designed for. movement the mastic can cope with but not the paint.

Thank you, understood. Painting over flexible sealants is always difficult but perhaps its time Fiat took a better look at the issue as its not a great look on a white camper.
I think I'll be paying more attention when visiting dealer and check a few used stock to see how prevalent these splits are on other campers

 

[The Panda Nut]

Thank you, So we'll have to hope the bond of paint either side of the split is better than the Fiat Ducato examples that owners have that just flake prematurely. Still baffled that Dealer and Fiat used the phrase "its only cosmetic".
So when did cosmetic defects get excluded from Fiats paint warranty ?

You could get a touch up paint (Chipex.co.uk are useful) and carefully brush the edges to help prevent any peeling. Fiat cars seem to have good paintwork, but Vans may be done to a different spec. My transport manager at work was always touching in edges and used to paint a tiny laquer band around any works stickers that were fitted. He was convinced it worked and he seemd to know what he was doing, so worth a try.

 

[NeilWR]

You could get a touch up paint (Chipex.co.uk are useful) and carefully brush the edges to help prevent any peeling. Fiat cars seem to have good paintwork, but Vans may be done to a different spec. My transport manager at work was always touching in edges and used to paint a tiny laquer band around any works stickers that were fitted. He was convinced it worked and he seemd to know what he was doing, so worth a try.

Yes, already thinking I'll do something like that. Shame the dealer/Fiat won't!

 

[The Panda Nut]

Yes, already thinking I'll do something like that. Shame the dealer/Fiat won't!

Fiat are a maker of good cars but as a company they are average at best. Fiat have always made dealers pay for warranty work so its a lottery as to how you are handled. Some are good but most are dreadful unfortunately.

 

[Reg 65]

I think I'll be paying more attention when visiting dealer and check a few used stock to see how prevalent these splits are on other campers

Maybe the dealer has touched them up to sell them?
Because, I agree its not a great look because it looks like it could be start of rust
But I'm sure it isn't.
This is the only occasion I can think of where it looks worse than it is.
With rust and damp ingress its usually the other way round - when you start poking around you usually find its worse than it looks. because it doesn't usually have the galvanising we have on our van bodyshells.