Purchased motorhome - discovered significant damp in rear wall

[Chris C]

Hi, I'm looking for some advice as am in a bit of a panic! I have purchased a 2004 CI Carioca (private sale) - the price was ok I think if in reasonable condition, however I have now discovered significant damp in the back wall (99% in places so basically sodden) due to a small hole in the back panel of the motorhome.

I have been quoted nearly £10,000 to replace the rear panel of the motorhome and to repair the internal damp (which would involve dismantling the kitchen and shower etc). I am sure that the hole in the rear panel could be repaired, so some of the cost could be reduced if not replacing that, but as most of the cost is labour I don't think it will make a huge difference.

It's not viable to spend that amount on repairs, so I am tempted to ensure that the hole is repaired and the motorhome is watertight, then put a heater / humidifier in there to dry out as best as possible. Some of the damp wall can be replaced as it is in the back of a cupboard so could remove that and just put in some new wood in those sections - I know that that won't get it all though. Then try to enjoy owning it for as long as it lasts.

I would really appreciate some advise as to whether a) it is safe to do that and b) what will happen to it if the damp is not properly treated and roughly how long the motorhome might last.

I am officially an idiot so any advice would be very much appreciated. Many thanks in advance!

 

[Figaro]

Don't be hard on yourself, you aren't the first and won't be the last to buy a leaky motorhome.
Lots have gone before you and done successful diy repairs. If your a little handy with a jig saw and a screwdriver it can be fixed at reasonable cost.
There are lots of threads on here giving others stories and advice on how to tackle it. If you do a search it should bring them up.
Good luck and ask questions on here if unsure.
If you pay to become a full member it'll pay for itself many times over, you only get 5 free posts as a guest.
Good luck and

 

[SM0129]

You certainly aren't the first person to have this. The van in my avatar had a totally damp rear wall- I thought it was just a small area, but it turned out to be bigger than we thought.

On the end we bit the bullet and did a full repair ourselves- the rear structure is effectively very slim studwork with 6mm ply on the inside and sheet material on the outside. The leak we had was quite old so the stud was rotten and it impacted the structural rigidity of the body- plugging the hole of your leak may not solve your problem if the studs are rotten.

We ended up taking out the furniture, removing the internal ply and insulation and then removing the stud. Removing the stud took the longest as we had to be very careful as it was bonded to the external skin- if we had been to hard with it, there was a risk of creasing it.

We then rebuilt the studwork, bonding it to the rear, put new ply in, matched the decorations and refitted the furniture- it matched perfectly and you would never know about the repair.

It didn't actually cost very much for the materials- it just took time and was quite soul destroying as we were dismantling what was to us, our new motorhome.

 

[buzz1]

Sorry to here this , but if you have the time and space to store stuff as you take it apart, just do the work your self , I would imagine no difference than taking a stud wall down in house, atleast you won’t have to worry about the floor above falling down. Yes different materials but just take your time and take plenty of photos .
I’m sure there's plenty of video and help on
you tube .
Your save your self a fortune and it be done properly,
I’m sure it will be daunting to start with but once you fully commit I’m sure your be fine,
when it’s done your be giving us tips on how to do it . I would definitely have go .
Good luck .

 

[Grummyb]

Hichris welcome to the fun and as others have said pay your subs and you will get all the advice you on the damp issue and all the things you come acros while motorhoming hell there s even advice on here about prostate cancer so has to be worth 20 quid.
With regard to your damp issue the way i see it is you currently have what really is a spnge by the sounds of things but your happy to do a temp repair so obviusly a bit of a diyer so instead of doing a temp repair just go the whole hog and do a proper you havnt really got anything to loose but potentially a good van in the end that will be worth some money when you decidde to upgrade for something newer

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[Mike800966]

Welcome, as you can see there's lots of advice on here.
We had a similar problem, I did it myself.
It will take longer than you thought, it will look awful but will cost very little money.
Hardest part will be getting an exact match on the wallboard.
Get your self a good multi cutter thing and a bucket of patience!
And don't worry.
I've got the tee shirt!
Mike

 

[BusyBuilder]

Best tool to use to remove inner walls is a multi tool saw.

 

[buzz1]

Welcome, as you can see there's lots of advice on here.
We had a similar problem, I did it myself.
It will take longer than you thought, it will look awful but will cost very little money.
Hardest part will be getting an exact match on the wallboard.
Get your self a good multi cutter thing and a bucket of patience!
And don't worry.
I've got the tee shirt!
Mike

It Will look awful ? , I take it you don’t mean the finished look

 

[Thornebt]

I would go the route you suggested in your first post. Repair the small hole. Install dehumidifiers and gentle heat and see if / how well it dries out. You can always take more drastic remedial work later if necessary.

 

[Mike800966]

It Will look awful ? , I take it you don’t mean the finished look

No , since it's a finished board you can hide a multitude of anything!

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[PeterCarole29]

Hi, I'm looking for some advice as am in a bit of a panic! I have purchased a 2004 CI Carioca (private sale) - the price was ok I think if in reasonable condition, however I have now discovered significant damp in the back wall (99% in places so basically sodden) due to a small hole in the back panel of the motorhome.

I have been quoted nearly £10,000 to replace the rear panel of the motorhome and to repair the internal damp (which would involve dismantling the kitchen and shower etc). I am sure that the hole in the rear panel could be repaired, so some of the cost could be reduced if not replacing that, but as most of the cost is labour I don't think it will make a huge difference.

It's not viable to spend that amount on repairs, so I am tempted to ensure that the hole is repaired and the motorhome is watertight, then put a heater / humidifier in there to dry out as best as possible. Some of the damp wall can be replaced as it is in the back of a cupboard so could remove that and just put in some new wood in those sections - I know that that won't get it all though. Then try to enjoy owning it for as long as it lasts.

I would really appreciate some advise as to whether a) it is safe to do that and b) what will happen to it if the damp is not properly treated and roughly how long the motorhome might last.

I am officially an idiot so any advice would be very much appreciated. Many thanks in advance!

What area do you live

 

[Run to the Sun]

Hope it all gets sorted out well for you, I wouldn't beat yourself up to much, we all travel the road of knowledge. I don't know if you have thought about this and might be a long shot, but maybe consider going back to the seller and tell him what has happened. He might tell you nothing and play ignorance or all being equal he might of not known and you can come up with some agreement. Some great advice above, good luck sorting it out.

 

[Lenny HB]

Just drying it out probability won't do much good as the timber supports in the wall will probably be rotten.
You need to take the inner wall board off dry out and replace any timbers that need doing then fit new wall board.

Your quote for 10k seems a bit OTT they probably didn't want the job 2 to 3k would be more realistic.

If you like the van worth going back to the seller and asking for a contribution. Legally a seller must declare any known faults, but if it's that bad I would think they knew about it.

 

[CAB96]

Assume it was a private sale and not a dealer?

 

[Thornebt]

Assume it was a private sale and not a dealer?

The OP says private sale in the first post.

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[Lizbiebrowne]

Just drying it out probability won't do much good as the timber supports in the wall will probably be rotten.
You need to take the inner wall board off dry out and replace any timbers that need doing then fit new wall board.

Your quote for 10k seems a bit OTT they probably didn't want the job 2 to 3k would be more realistic.

If you like the van worth going back to the seller and asking for a contribution. Legally a seller must declare any known faults, but if it's that bad I would think they knew about it.

I understood that in a private sale the seller was not obliged to disclose any faults. The vehicle must be roadworthy, accurately described and the seller must answer any buyer’s questions honestly otherwise it’s caveat emptor.

 

[Chris C]

What area do you live

In Cardiff

 

[Figaro]

In conversation with the seller, did you specifically ask if there were any defects you should be aware of ?
If so what was the reply.
If you are able, and have the diy skills, I'd put all your energy into repairing.
If you can't diy fix and will need to pay someone, then you may need to look at redress from the seller but that isn't going to be easy, happen quickly or even be possible ?
Good luck

 

[Shrimp]

I would go the route you suggested in your first post. Repair the small hole. Install dehumidifiers and gentle heat and see if / how well it dries out. You can always take more drastic remedial work later if necessary.

I think the same as above, stop the leak then dry it out slowly and then see what you’re left with.
May not be as bad as you think.
Pay your subs this place is full of advice & tips.

 

[Manic]

Check out @Northernraider’s posts on Moby , he had to do major repairs due to damp in that.

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[Thornebt]

I think the same as above, stop the leak then dry it out slowly and then see what you’re left with.
May not be as bad as you think.
Pay your subs this place is full of advice & tips.

Definitely remove a section of the wall you mentioned that is in the back of the cupboard. That should massively help with drying it out. It will also give you a very good idea of how bad it is. After it has dried you can very cheaply make a panel that can be unscrewed in future so you can check the damp situation.

 

[PeterCarole29]

I have sent a private message but can someone who hasnt joined recieve PMs

 

[Lenny HB]

I have sent a private message but can someone who hasnt joined recieve PMs

I think they need to be a paid up member.

 

[PeterCarole29]

I think they need to be a paid up member.

Thanks

 

[Geistguy]

Do a good temporary repair with top quality waterproof tape ASAP, unless you have indoor space it's probably best to leave the exterior repair until the weather improves.