So this happened today......

[CaliGem]

Tears were shed.....

 

[KevH]

Oh dear, a lesson for us all. I feel your pain.

 

[Flower Power]

Ouuuuch, so sorry. Not possible to predict and safeguard everything. costly mistake. Good luck forward!

 

[soulstyledevon]

Bugger.
You must be gutted, so sorry to see this.
Give Volksvan or Kernow a ring to see if they have a replacement kicking about.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

The alu roof is very lightweight & easy to bend, so probably looks worse than it is. Local body shop should be able to get it back into shape fairly easily.

 

[TripleBee]

This is something I will never dream of happening to me.
Bikes with such wide handles are indeed not really fitted for the tailgate bike rack.
I hope you can find a solution.

The alu roof is very lightweight & easy to bend, so probably looks worse than it is. Local body shop should be able to get it back into shape fairly easily.

One of the problems with aluminium is that you can bend it once, but it will most likely break when you bend it the second time. The upper side is stretched, and the underside is shortened. If you bend it back the other way, the underside can't stretch anymore, and will tear.
I hope I am wrong, but I fear the worst.

 

[The Merle]

Tears were shed.....View attachment 121959

What a nightmare.
Is that mtb on a bike arm?

 

[Ch1pbutty]

This is something I will never dream of happening to me.
Bikes with such wide handles are indeed not really fitted for the tailgate bike rack.
I hope you can find a solution.

You can just spin the handle bars parallel to the frame - just need an Allen key, takes a few seconds. Also makes loading other bikes easier to load, as stops one bikes bars fouling on anothers seat post.

 

[Corradobrit]

So sorry to see this. Unlike a normal vehicle there are so many other 'things' to think about. Like remembering to open a door or windows when opening/closing the poptop, ensuring the bellows is folding properly, checking the upper bed to make sure the mattress is positioned correctly and there has been nothing bulky left there. I have already dinged my bumper by reversing into a water standpipe on a campsite whilst manoeuvring in the rain. Long story short, the tall grass on the site was playing havoc with my parking sensors and I foolishly ignored the one time I should have paid attention. Mistakes happen but are repairable.
I think this is an insurance claim. New roof, painted, ensure the brackets and hinges align correctly. The bike is probably OK but I would carefully check the tailgate. It's steel but the hinges may have shifted. I hope it's just the roof.

 

[CaliGem]

What a nightmare.
Is that mtb on a bike arm?

It is

 

[CaliGem]

Thanks all. In this instance it was the only time I've not put the bikes on myself.

We had 2 hours to do an emergency campsite flood evacuation in the Lake District so I'd dealt with the awning, kayak, child, equipment etc whilst the husband put the bikes on.

We got it to the second site fine and I opened the roof without problem. Not sure how it opened without problem?

When packing away from out second site however, I checked the roof twice as I lowered it, as I always do from the front end of the vehicle. I'd totally forgot the bikes hadn't been put on as I would usually.

The roof made all the usual sounds on the final close and I didn't suspect anything until I stepped out to check. My heart broke.


I managed to re open it and remove the bikes. Surprisingly, it closed just fine, enabling me to drive home just fine

I'm a gold/silversmith which is a helpful skill and this is how it looks now after a bit of malleting!

Not sure yet if it will be water tight but a lesson has been learned.....

... I'll put the bikes on myself next time! ‍

 

[Corradobrit]

Thanks all. In this instance it was the only time I've not put the bikes on myself.

We had 2 hours to do an emergency campsite flood evacuation in the Lake District so I'd dealt with the awning, kayak, child, equipment etc whilst the husband put the bikes on.

We got it to the second site fine and I opened the roof without problem. Not sure how it opened without problem?

When packing away from out second site however, I checked the roof twice as I lowered it, as I always do from the front end of the vehicle. I'd totally forgot the bikes hadn't been put on as I would usually.

The roof made all the usual sounds on the final close and I didn't suspect anything until I stepped out to check. My heart broke.


I managed to re open it and remove the bikes. Surprisingly, it closed just fine, enabling me to drive home just fine

I'm a gold/silversmith which is a helpful skill and this is how it looks now after a bit of malleting!

Not sure yet if it will be water tight but a lesson has been learned.....

... I'll put the bikes on myself next time! ‍View attachment 121982

Bravo. Looks far better than I would have expected. Perhaps you dodged a bullet there.

 

[CaliGem]

Bravo. Looks far better than I would have expected. Perhaps you dodged a bullet there.

Me too. I really did fear the worst and had visions of being rescued on a low-loader to get home. It's not perfect but I'll see how it goes now and maybe get it looked at at some point. Needless to say, hubby is in the dog-house!

 

[Barry Chuckle]

Me too. I really did fear the worst and had visions of being rescued on a low-loader to get home. It's not perfect but I'll see how it goes now and maybe get it looked at at some point. Needless to say, hubby is in the dog-house!

I'm guessing the long term challenge will be the paint starting to flake and the bare metal may start to corrode.

 

[andyinluton]

I'm a gold/silversmith which is a helpful skill and this is how it looks now after a bit of malleting!

You've done an excellent job with that.

If you did take it to a dealer the first thing they would do is remove the bellows & they don't re-use them so you could end up with a new design leaky bellows. Best stick with what you've got.

 

[Corradobrit]

Me too. I really did fear the worst and had visions of being rescued on a low-loader to get home. It's not perfect but I'll see how it goes now and maybe get it looked at at some point. Needless to say, hubby is in the dog-house!

If he knows whats good for him, he'll be secretly looking at inventory in your favourite shop.

 

[Nik_campervan]

Thanks all. In this instance it was the only time I've not put the bikes on myself.

We had 2 hours to do an emergency campsite flood evacuation in the Lake District so I'd dealt with the awning, kayak, child, equipment etc whilst the husband put the bikes on.

We got it to the second site fine and I opened the roof without problem. Not sure how it opened without problem?

When packing away from out second site however, I checked the roof twice as I lowered it, as I always do from the front end of the vehicle. I'd totally forgot the bikes hadn't been put on as I would usually.

The roof made all the usual sounds on the final close and I didn't suspect anything until I stepped out to check. My heart broke.


I managed to re open it and remove the bikes. Surprisingly, it closed just fine, enabling me to drive home just fine

I'm a gold/silversmith which is a helpful skill and this is how it looks now after a bit of malleting!

Not sure yet if it will be water tight but a lesson has been learned.....

... I'll put the bikes on myself next time! ‍View attachment 121982

Your repair is amazing, like nothing ever happened.

 

[Corradobrit]

Your repair is amazing, like nothing ever happened.

All I can see is a slight dimple that could be easily pulled out by a PDR specialist and the rear crease not being perfectly symmetrical both sides. Brilliant result I would say.

 

[stationmaster]

Best story ever...it is brilliant you fixed it.

Makes the van even more special in my book. I had an old T2 camper and that had all sorts of adventures where we drove it into bollards, wired up the valves on the heaters, bodged up the throttle pedal that had fallen off on the way back from Spain...resprayed it at the side of the road, each panel a different colour to save cash...loved that van

 

[Kayleigh]

Thanks all. In this instance it was the only time I've not put the bikes on myself.

We had 2 hours to do an emergency campsite flood evacuation in the Lake District so I'd dealt with the awning, kayak, child, equipment etc whilst the husband put the bikes on.

We got it to the second site fine and I opened the roof without problem. Not sure how it opened without problem?

When packing away from out second site however, I checked the roof twice as I lowered it, as I always do from the front end of the vehicle. I'd totally forgot the bikes hadn't been put on as I would usually.

The roof made all the usual sounds on the final close and I didn't suspect anything until I stepped out to check. My heart broke.


I managed to re open it and remove the bikes. Surprisingly, it closed just fine, enabling me to drive home just fine

I'm a gold/silversmith which is a helpful skill and this is how it looks now after a bit of malleting!

Not sure yet if it will be water tight but a lesson has been learned.....

... I'll put the bikes on myself next time! ‍View attachment 121982

That’s an amazing job you have done! Looks like you have the curve of the roof spot on. Let’s hope it’s watertight so you can avoid a new roof and the accompanying new leaking bellows!

 

[TripleBee]

Thanks all. In this instance it was the only time I've not put the bikes on myself.

We had 2 hours to do an emergency campsite flood evacuation in the Lake District so I'd dealt with the awning, kayak, child, equipment etc whilst the husband put the bikes on.

We got it to the second site fine and I opened the roof without problem. Not sure how it opened without problem?

When packing away from out second site however, I checked the roof twice as I lowered it, as I always do from the front end of the vehicle. I'd totally forgot the bikes hadn't been put on as I would usually.

The roof made all the usual sounds on the final close and I didn't suspect anything until I stepped out to check. My heart broke.


I managed to re open it and remove the bikes. Surprisingly, it closed just fine, enabling me to drive home just fine

I'm a gold/silversmith which is a helpful skill and this is how it looks now after a bit of malleting!

Not sure yet if it will be water tight but a lesson has been learned.....

... I'll put the bikes on myself next time! ‍View attachment 121982

Bravo!!

If the roof doesn't fully close at the back, you can just pull down the rubber sealing a bit. I did the same on the right rear corner, where the rubber didn't touch the roof of the van because of the awning bracket. Just put a small light under the roof, then close it. If you see light shining through, just pull the rubber a bit down until you don't see any light anymore.

 

[KevH]

You can just spin the handle bars parallel to the frame - just need an Allen key, takes a few seconds. Also makes loading other bikes easier to load, as stops one bikes bars fouling on anothers seat post.

Great advice, and worth doing if only to avoid such a nasty surprise.
And a brilliant bit of malleting too, if that is a word.

 

[CaliGem]

Best story ever...it is brilliant you fixed it.

Makes the van even more special in my book. I had an old T2 camper and that had all sorts of adventures where we drove it into bollards, wired up the valves on the heaters, bodged up the throttle pedal that had fallen off on the way back from Spain...resprayed it at the side of the road, each panel a different colour to save cash...loved that van

They certainly end up with character I do love that with the older vans.

 

[CaliGem]

If he knows whats good for him, he'll be secretly looking at inventory in your favourite shop.

VW parts

 

[CaliGem]

Great advice, and worth doing if only to avoid such a nasty surprise.
And a brilliant bit of malleting too, if that is a word.

If It wasn't before, it is now!