Dormobile roof action
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November 3, 2012 at 5:10 pm #1093
Hi all,
I am struggling to get my roof to lock in the up position! The first time a tried a few weeks ago we just managed to get it to do it (2no people and brute force) today with the help of one other I could not get it to lock in place… The fabric is tight, it looks like it fully extended but the clips on the inner pole does not even appear at the locking hole, although must be close!! How do I sort this one, is it just lack of use and cold weather? I need to be able to put it up on my own and so far I can’t with help…. The fabric is in good condition, just needs a good clean with a water/bleach solution, still need to get in the up position though, v.frustrating (thought about putting a heater in there and then trying?)
Dan
November 3, 2012 at 5:59 pm #4954Hello , the original canopy gets shorter with the years , it become harder , first : it’s better to open it when the weather is hot , leave the car under the sun a few hours , it become smoother , second : ensure that the top of the arm is in the shorter position , there are 3 positions , and third : push the roof by holding the arm and then if you can’t reach the locking hole , make a new hole , it’s not a good idea to force too much on the canopy , anyway your original material will be much better than the new one sold by Dormobile UK , even if it’s too short
MichelNovember 3, 2012 at 6:03 pm #4955Thanks Michel,
How do you change the positions? I just seem to have one hole…. Am I missing something?
First time I managed to lock it in with help by pushing hard on the rod, if needs be I will drill a second hole below the first one although I was trying to keep things as original as possible!
Dan
November 3, 2012 at 6:13 pm #4956Dan
The positions are in the roof. The arm can be put in three different positions.
When I first bought mine, I put the roof up and left it up for months. But, as Michel says, every time I use it (june and then August plus a few weekends in between) the first lift is the hardest as the plastic gets harder and stiffer. Wait for a warm day (??) and lift it and leavve it up for a few days if possible.November 3, 2012 at 6:16 pm #4957Thanks Alex,
Warm day, in Carlisle!!! I will have a look at the positions tomorrow and see if I can figure it out…. I think I will put a heater in it for an hour and see if I can warm the whole thing up.
Dan
November 3, 2012 at 6:30 pm #4958At the top of the arm there is a system but I don’t know the word in english , I show it to you on these pictures , one of the full arm , the other of the top , easyer to understand
I can see taht you know how to send pictures on the forum , could we see your car ? Thank’s
MichelNovember 3, 2012 at 6:36 pm #4959Of course Michel, I will look at my brackets tomorrow and see if I have any adjustment!!
Here she is..
November 3, 2012 at 6:39 pm #4960Will add some more tomorrow.
November 3, 2012 at 7:46 pm #4961Superbe , can you give me some detail of the roof rack ?
MichelNovember 3, 2012 at 9:23 pm #4962Hi Dan
(good to see you here!)Mine doesn’t have the 3 positions; the first time I saw this was on Mr. Jones’ Dormobile in France this fall. Do you other owners have this, as well?
However a previous owner did drill my roof struts about 3″ below the top hole. This was necessary because the canopy had shrunk so much it couldn’t be opened all the way without first loosening the bolts on the hoops and tightening them only after the roof was up.
The replacement canopies are really poor quality. For one, the stripes aren’t horizontal. Second, mine and one other I know of even split open at the seams when the roof folded closed. I kept my original one and I’d put it back on (it looks better than the replacement, too), except that it’s shrunk too much. The roof can’t open all the way without it being scary tight.
I would think that bleach could make PVC brittle. Try vinegar (full strength) from a spray bottle: spray, soak, then wipe off with soap and water. Vinegar kills mold and mildew. Make sure the hoops are dry before closing the roof for an extended period, as they are very thin and rust through easily.
-Jeremy
November 4, 2012 at 2:33 pm #4963Hi Jeremy,
Mine does not have three positions, just one hole like yours!!! I think my only option is to drill a second hole about 25mm below the first, this can wait until the weather warms up!! At least the canopy and bunks are in really good condition…. Original curtains currently in wash, wonder if they will survive the experience??
Michel, it is an original roof rack, it has a space for the spare wheel on the side you can see (circular) with standard roof rack over the driver… What details would you like?
November 4, 2012 at 4:28 pm #4964Dan , I would like to build a roof rack , a small one , not above the wind screen, I even have plans of an original model , if you could make a pic with the details of yours , it would be nice Thank you
MichelNovember 4, 2012 at 4:37 pm #4965Will do, bit dark here now, so will do it as soon as I can…. This is the best pic I have at the moment.
November 4, 2012 at 7:07 pm #4966Hi Dan
As Alex says, it is possible to stretch them back a bit. My first roof was just like yours and I did manage to stretch her enough to start using the original holes again. Best to wait now until the warm weather comes. 😆
Mick
November 4, 2012 at 7:14 pm #4967I found the photos of my ultra-tight canopy at the bottom of this page:
http://n.ethz.ch/~jhackney/DormobileRoof3.htmlAs for cleaning: I forgot, I cleaned/degreased mine with acetone where I patched it (using swatches of the same material that were in the vehicle when I bought it). The acetone completely removed all the stains, but also made the material very soft and a bit warm. It also removes the stripes if it gets on the outside. I’d recommend avoiding acetone, then, as well as bleach!
You’re in trouble having so many original details! I’ll queue up behind Michel to request some details on the curtains:
locations of press studs, count of how many Silent Gliss sliders, whether these are sewn on or on detachable hangers, etc. … maybe make some notes while you’re ironing them 😉 ?I’ve seen a handful of Land Rover Dormobiles and each one is quite different; same phenomenon as plain old Land Rovers. Maybe it’s why I like them so much. My S2C contribution will be along these lines, too!
-Jeremy
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