Tiny blisters on roof

[Jarmany]

Hello to everybody in the Roof Blister Club

Good and Bad News
I have just heard that our 19 plate caravansite blue MP 250D, has been accepted by MB for a new replacement roof. MB Guildford took a good, while I waited, look at it with photos and measure of paint depth etc which was then submitted for approval.
The bad news is that the previous two MP roofs they replaced had to wait 3 to 4 months for a new roof to arrive from Germany. I have been advised of the same delay. We are however grateful that something is going to be done about it under warranty.

I, like other contributors, am surprised that this issue relies on unhappy owners having to contact MB individually rather than a blanket recall to check the scope of the issue. It is probably too large/expensive a problem to resolve and it is not a safety issue.
In a previous life I was in the yacht manufacturing industry and the big worry was 'Has my yacht got Osmosis?' (blisters under the gel coat). This is a very time consuming and expensive problem to cure by specialists. Is this a similar scenario?

Just to give a final resolution, does anybody have an idea if this problem is 'book ended' i.e. the earliest/latest case?

Jarmany

 

[Grand Tourismo]

Would anyone be interested in starting to try and bring together an online document of the UK cases of roof trouble?
I thought maybe we could use Google Forms or similar to try to bring together a spreadsheet of how small/large this issue really is.

It might be interesting and helpful to know how many vehicles are effected, how many replacement roofs have been issued per vehicle, when the issue was first noted and if it has become a non-issue with later vehicles maybe.

If so what questions would you like to see? how much data should we share?

Might be really helpful as some of the 17 &18 plate vehicles are now dropping off manufacturers warranty, owners may need a body of evidence to support out of warranty claims.

 

[Paul Cardiff]

Thanks Paul, OK I think it would be prudent to remove them....is it just a case of unplugging the panel or did you have to do something with the wiring/fuses to disconnect?

Hi, Not sure of your setup but i removed the panels and cable attached to panel that runs to the charger unit, I have a Victron unit in the cupboard. Yes a nuisance to reinstate but not too difficult and not a big job really, I did not want to give them an excuse to get out of fixing the issue, hopefully!!

 

[Steve B]

It might be interesting and helpful to know how many vehicles are effected, how many replacement roofs have been issued per vehicle, when the issue was first noted and if it has become a non-issue with later vehicles maybe.

If so what questions would you like to see? how much data should we share?

Might be really helpful as some of the 17 &18 plate vehicles are now dropping off manufacturers warranty, owners may need a body of evidence to support out of warranty claims.

I think it would be interesting, it just needs someone with some time/skill/interest to set up and run a poll or questionnaire. Survey monkey is free to use and I think you can run polls on facebook. Also, I think the chat group on facebook has more active members, so probably get more ownership share if its included.

 

[Paul Mc]

Hi Paul, we sold the vehicle not long after the roof was changed so can’t answer your query I’m afraid. MB Poole were confident that the problem wouldn’t recur - and at that time I don’t think there had been many cases of a second failure.

Thanks for your reply.
I don’t think I would ever need or wish to sell my van but I’m determined to find a solution for a permanent fix for MBs roof/defects.
There are only seven small blisters on my roof at the moment but I don’t want to wait too long to see if they get worse and miss the opportunity of getting a replacement under warranty.
Its a long trip down to Poole from Belfast but I need assurance that the work is being done by experienced technicians.

 

[askho]

I have no technical knowledge but I have a suspicion the problem has got something to do with defective curing process of the fibreglass. The original and repaired paintwork initially look perfect until the blisters appear. And I think they appear because air or whatever (vapours) are released and cause the bubbles. Someone with knowledge of fibreglass curing can confirm.

 

[Grand Tourismo]

Hi, Not sure of your setup but i removed the panels and cable attached to panel that runs to the charger unit, I have a Victron unit in the cupboard. Yes a nuisance to reinstate but not too difficult and not a big job really, I did not want to give them an excuse to get out of fixing the issue, hopefully!!

Thanks Paul, I also have a Victron (mppt 75/15), its a nice little unit in the back top cupboard. I plan to unplug & remove the panel and then curl the PV input wire up inside the cupboard...just wondered if I needed to isolate or disconnect the unit but it looks like this will be enough.

 

[Grand Tourismo]

I think it would be interesting, it just needs someone with some time/skill/interest to set up and run a poll or questionnaire. Survey monkey is free to use and I think you can run polls on facebook. Also, I think the chat group on facebook has more active members, so probably get more ownership share if its included.

Hi Steve, I have started an online survey Steve if you are willing to be the first participant? As a test dummy? - I can PM you a link if you like?

 

[Grand Tourismo]

Anyone else wishing to test drive a new roof survey I am working on? I can post a link on here but then it becomes "live" and I would like to test run it first...therefore I can PM you a link to take a look at

 

[Steve B]

Anyone else wishing to test drive a new roof survey I am working on? I can post a link on here but then it becomes "live" and I would like to test run it first...therefore I can PM you a link to take a look at

Yes, happy to help, send me the link and we can review afterwards via PM's.

 

[Grand Tourismo]

Yes, happy to help, send me the link and we can review afterwards via PM's.

PM sent with link

 

[Gek]

Wow
Had my MP (2029) a week and read this thread and checked the roof.
Yup small blisters all over it ... always assumed was just wet as never stops raining!
Looks like a trip to Sandown Poole is in order.
Rather annoyed it was not picked up on the delivery valet by MB Truro where we got it... especially as we paid for the starguard so they must have seen it.
A week without the van just as we are able to use it soon ... gutted.

 

[Grand Tourismo]

Wow
Had my MP (2029) a week and read this thread and checked the roof.
Yup small blisters all over it ... always assumed was just wet as never stops raining!
Looks like a trip to Sandown Poole is in order.
Rather annoyed it was not picked up on the delivery valet by MB Truro where we got it... especially as we paid for the starguard so they must have seen it.
A week without the van just as we are able to use it soon ... gutted.

Sorry Gek, gutted for you...

 

[SteveR]

Wow
Had my MP (2029) a week and read this thread and checked the roof.
Yup small blisters all over it ... always assumed was just wet as never stops raining!
Looks like a trip to Sandown Poole is in order.
Rather annoyed it was not picked up on the delivery valet by MB Truro where we got it... especially as we paid for the starguard so they must have seen it.
A week without the van just as we are able to use it soon ... gutted.

Sorry to hear that. Not a nice intro to MP world. Try not to lose sleep over it though, it WILL get sorted and you can book in at a time that suits you. On the bright side a lot of dealers now have experience swapping the roofs over. When mine was done it took a couple of weeks as it was their first!!

 

[Gek]

Thanks everyone! Is there any information yet on the longevity of the replacement roof ... or are they replacing like for like?

 

[askho]

I have no technical knowledge but I have a suspicion the problem has got something to do with defective curing process of the fibreglass. The original and repaired paintwork initially look perfect until the blisters appear. And I think they appear because air or whatever (vapours) are released and cause the bubbles. Someone with knowledge of fibreglass curing can confirm.

Just read something about blisters in the paintwork in Lotus cars. They describe it as "moisture sweating from the composite body". I am sure that is what's happening with MP's composite roof.
Lotus have been doing fibreglass bodies forever, and yet they still have problems. What chances have we got?

 

[Grand Tourismo]

Thanks everyone! Is there any information yet on the longevity of the replacement roof ... or are they replacing like for like?

Hi Gek, not as yet...we are running an online questionnaire so that we can track when/if any changes occur, how many vehicles are effected, if it is specific colours or year models etc...you can find it here.

Marco Polo and Horizon roof blistering questionnaire

Hi, If you are interested in helping out to document just how many MP and Horizon roofs have been affected by blistering please read on... Enclosed in this post is a link to an online questionnaire created in Google Forms, the idea is to create a permanent document for Marco Polo and Horizon...

www.marcopoloownersclub.com

 

[Gek]

@Grand Tourismo - all completed... results make interesting reading!

 

[Grand Tourismo]

@Grand Tourismo - all completed... results make interesting reading!

Thanks Gek, as we get more and more data in I hope we will be able to spot trends...
Don't forget you can check back anytime and update your info to keep the data up-to-date

 

[Paul Mc]

Wow
Had my MP (2029) a week and read this thread and checked the roof.
Yup small blisters all over it ... always assumed was just wet as never stops raining!
Looks like a trip to Sandown Poole is in order.
Rather annoyed it was not picked up on the delivery valet by MB Truro where we got it... especially as we paid for the starguard so they must have seen it.
A week without the van just as we are able to use it soon ... gutted.

Sorry to hear about your roof. It took two years for my roof blisters to appear! Fortunately, the van is still under warranty.
What age is your MP ( you’ve typed 2029)?