Check your sportsmobile wiring!

[4xdog]

That looks like astoundingly poor craftsmanship. Horrifying. That's *got* to be anomalous for Sportsmobile West, yes?

Can any other SMB owners report on their results from lifting the curtain?

[billwilson]

from another site
no first hand knowledge
some well known issues documented at badgertrek.com

[jage]

My wall wasn't finished and the insulation was dropping out the bottom, plus my top leaked for due to having the wrong hardware and by the time it was fixed and fixed again, there was so much damage it didn't solve the problem- and mine was a "Show Van" for West at one time.

I've had good and bad experiences with both West and Texas, I won't rehash it, but it's all been worth it when I get out in the van. QC is an issue as I've often commented.... seeing that cut makes me sick on a bunch of levels.

Anyway, expecting SMB to monitor ExPo and SMB4um and the yahoo groups, or frankly any one of them more than a fraction of the time, is expecting a lot. Expecting them to react even if these threads are brought to their attention? Well that is just silly in my opinion, and hardly fair.

I'm not saying you'll get an answer you'll like, or a fix that sits better (I've got $20 on sandwiching that section with two other pieces of metal and re-trimming to hide...) but it won't happen if you just sit back and expect them to come to you.

Go back and read Buji's story is what I always tell everybody. That and Badgertrek.com.

[billwilson]

My wall wasn't finished and the insulation was dropping out the bottom, plus my top leaked for due to having the wrong hardware and by the time it was fixed and fixed again, there was so much damage it didn't solve the problem- and mine was a "Show Van" for West at one time.

I've had good and bad experiences with both West and Texas, I won't rehash it, but it's all been worth it when I get out in the van. QC is an issue as I've often commented.... seeing that cut makes me sick on a bunch of levels.

Anyway, expecting SMB to monitor ExPo and SMB4um and the yahoo groups, or frankly any one of them more than a fraction of the time, is expecting a lot. Expecting them to react even if these threads are brought to their attention? Well that is just silly in my opinion, and hardly fair.

I'm not saying you'll get an answer you'll like, or a fix that sits better (I've got $20 on sandwiching that section with two other pieces of metal and re-trimming to hide...) but it won't happen if you just sit back and expect them to come to you.

Go back and read Buji's story is what I always tell everybody. That and Badgertrek.com.

Well said Jage,
Good news: we get to go out an play
Bad news: we gotta take some lumps gettin there

[Herbie]

Holy crap, that roof cut is SCARY.

I'm with Patman, I would have thought they would have a template.

I have to admit, though, that I'm not intimately familiar with the penthouse construction - Are those fasteners holding the "tent" to the body, or the top "hinge" mechanism, or what?

If it's just the tent, it's probably "acceptable" in that the tent shouldn't be pulling up on the roof too much, but if that's "structural" in the sense that the weight of the fiberglass top, mechanism, and anything lashed to the roof is depending on those fasteners.... well then I'd be looking into having someone make me a backing plate to "sandwich" the roof sheet metal.

EDIT: Looking at the other pictures I'm a bit confused. I see a line of self tappers outboard and parallel to the cut, so I'm guessing THAT is where the tent material attaches (the GTRV pop-top I transplanted was done sort of like that, so I copied it). My GTRV included a "ring" of welded steel plate and c-channel that got riveted to the roof for the entire perimeter of the roof cut. When I did the transplant, I rough-cut the roof a few inches "small", riveted the ring into place, then used the ring itself as a guide and ran the nibbler around the ring to trim the roof straight and tight up against the ring. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm surprised there's no reinforcement there, and more importantly I can't really figure out what those fasteners DO. I guess they attach the shelf/trim thing that's up in the bunk area I see overhanging the roof?

[1leglance]

I think it is important for everyone to know a few facts...
there are 3 Sportsmobile locations....Indiania is the original, Texas and then Sportsmobile West in Fresno.
It is SMB West who sponsors this forum, and they do it more to support the community than to generate sales....having spent a ton of time with Alan, Liz, Jonathan and the rest of the folks at SMB West I can say that they are top notch people. However their primary concern is building rigs not hanging on the forums.

There is a huge difference in the 3 operations and the buying public should know that before getting a SMB.

It would be nice to know which SMB location did the work listed above...was it a ground up build or something rushed on a used van...and a bit more background work.

I always crack up when someone comes on a forum with a problem and has not contacted the company. How can they help you if they don't know there is something wrong?
Coke, McDonalds, Toyota...all huge companies but none of them can fix something if all someone does is post on a forum or 2.

I made 3 site visited while my van was built and every step along the way SMB WEST did an amazing job and the work was excellent.

Looking forward to more details from 4x4tour and the result of him contacting whichever of the 3 SMB locations did the work.

[Herbie]

It would be nice to know which SMB location did the work listed above...was it a ground up build or something rushed on a used van...and a bit more background work.

I won't try to cover the circumstances of the build, but the OP did say on the Sportsmobile Forum thread that the work was done by Sportsmobile WEST.

[billwilson]

I think it is important for everyone to know a few facts...
there are 3 Sportsmobile locations....Indiania is the original, Texas and then Sportsmobile West in Fresno.
It is SMB West who sponsors this forum, and they do it more to support the community than to generate sales....having spent a ton of time with Alan, Liz, Jonathan and the rest of the folks at SMB West I can say that they are top notch people. However their primary concern is building rigs not hanging on the forums.

There is a huge difference in the 3 operations and the buying public should know that before getting a SMB.

It would be nice to know which SMB location did the work listed above...was it a ground up build or something rushed on a used van...and a bit more background work.

I always crack up when someone comes on a forum with a problem and has not contacted the company. How can they help you if they don't know there is something wrong?
Coke, McDonalds, Toyota...all huge companies but none of them can fix something if all someone does is post on a forum or 2.

I made 3 site visited while my van was built and every step along the way SMB WEST did an amazing job and the work was excellent.

Looking forward to more details from 4x4tour and the result of him contacting whichever of the 3 SMB locations did the work.

I am pretty sure fresno
and would a rush job with a used rig
get different service (a jagged hole)
AND pay the same price....

as for hangin online
GOOD customer service and repeat business
is a product of listening to clients

email is free
30 minutes a week to send to everyones clients
anyone get emails from SMB?

ask GoWesty how much of thier business
comes from thier monthly email LOL

[thedjjack]

I just put a fibreglass hightop on my van (cut the top and re-glassed together to go from a dodge onto a Mitsubishi Delica L300).

It took all of about 10 minutes to cut the roof section out (drill 4 holes from the inside out to mark the corners, caulk line between corners, cut off wheel on grinder and a perfect straight clean cut, touched up with a sanding disk).

I still have to finish the interior (foam tiles are for insulation).

Seriously that is horrible looking. My profession is not installing roofs on vans (this is my first roof install in a backyard under a tent). No reason I can see for the cut to be like that!



Outside:

[Roonie]

Since we aren't seeing other sportsmobile owners showing pictures with better craftsmanship, I am leaning toward this being a typical installation.

The fact they would use a self tapper screw ANYWHERE on a $100,000 + rig is a TOTAL Joke!

HORRIBLE design implementation!

IMO, there is not a single excuse for that type of work, other than they hired a new guy and let him take the truck home to build it when they realized he was a tweaker.

The reason why your not seeing any other pics is probably because 99% of owners have no reason to peel back the lining in this place to look nor have any reason too. Also it is not structural only cosmetic which is usually covered by a cloth lining.

The self tappers as I understand it hold the plate that holds the tent fabric in place. Not structural. The real structural part are two big metal I-beam like slots that the lifting mechanism sits in on the sides. At least that is how it looks on mine.