Hi, I’m after some advice regarding my 2005 540. I’ve owned the ‘van for about seven years and both myself and the previous owner have kept it garaged when not in use. The nearside skin above the waistline has developed a bulge in a couple of places and two screws have become loose underneath the Herzim strip. Looking along the line of the ‘van it looks as if the side has been bumped and knocked out of shape, which is not the case. Is this something I need to worry about? I’ve ordered mastic and replacement Herzim strip but don’t think that this will remove the bulge. I’ve taken some photos that I hope illustrate the problem. Looking through the forum I’ve been unable to find any posts involving a similar problem. I’d welcome any advice regarding this as I’m unsure how to go about rectifying it.
Thanks in advance.

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Mmmm - nasty.
If I remember my 540's that's the washroom window and there's the possibility that it might be considerable splash from the washbasin or a leak from the tap or a pipe feeding the tap. a gander inside the cupboard should provide evidence.

What puzzles me is that if the van's been garaged it won't have had any rain on it for a while to do such damage.

The killer question, sorry, is was the van drained down over winter as even in a garage pipes and taps can freeze and burst in the temperatures we had this winter.

Hi Colin, thanks for your quick response. As I mentioned the van has spent most of its life undercover, I'll need to investigate further. I imagine a caravan dealers would be able to test for damp, there's no evidence of it inside the van.
Thanks again

Hi, the van was drained prior to the winter as there's no obvious signs of damp inside the washroom.
Thanks for your reply.

Not wishing to press the point too far ETZ but have you filled the water system and run it since the winter? If you do that and all remains dry inside you'll at least have confirmed without doubt that it wasn't a leak.

It's odd that the deformity is external only, I'd have expected some sign on the internal wall too given the pressure needed to produce that sort of bump.

It looks like a long term water ingress issue to me. I would be surprised if that amount of swelling could be just one winters burst pipe.

The bulges in the red trim are probably rusty screw heads, also a potential sign of longer term water ingress somewhere, it might be from the window seal and you might not notice anything inside if water has simply been trickling down inside the outer skin?

We drove up to Kielder Forest a few weeks ago and there were no issues regarding leaks or frost damage The bulge gives under hand pressure and feels smooth underneath, as if the aluminium skin should be adhered to it. Not sure that the bulge has been caused by pressure though.
I’ll give an update when I’ve investigated further.
Thanks for the helpful comments.

It's got me puzzled as the alloy waist trim is quite a substantial bit of stuff and would take some pressure to bulge, though obviously that exists or has existed for it to happen and push the screws out of their beds too. If it was just along the waistline I'd say it was the steel rib underneath expanding as it corroded. And it still might be and that movement has buckled the relatively thin alloy skin above the waist. But depending on year the steel frame is galvanised and to create enough corrosion to cause that sort of movement means it's been rusting for years and years. What would worry me is how it can be put right, what it will cost and whether it will show afterwards.

Having seen how much moisture penetrated my Bailey through a tiny sliver of sealant on top of an exterior locker frame being removed, I can see how a lot of water could enter either from a faulty window surround seal or around the aluminium trim itself.

Quote: Pepé Le Pew wrote in post #11

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Quote: EnnTennZenn wrote in post #1

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The nearside skin above the waistline has developed a bulge in a couple of places and two screws have become loose underneath the Herzim strip.

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Have you removed the screws?

If you have, what kind of shape are they in? Are they wet, rusty or carrying loose rust on the threads when you back them out?

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[/quote]I
If you shine a torch along the wall any patches of swelling are easy to spot, and they don't go away when it's dried out, either. It's like a blotchy raised skin rash.

.[/quote]

As soon as I have time I’ll do that. I also intend to check around the washroom window and remove the waist strip for a better look.