New caravan falling to bits and the sellers aren't interested

cybergibbons

Mark1971 wrote: »

I am sorry about the quality of the e-mails (I am not used to sending letters of complaint).
I did ask for a quote for repairs not a claim under warranty as I wasnt aware at the time it was under warranty, but when they checked our records to get the right parts THEY MUST HAVE BEEN AWARE so why didnt they let me know?

A lot of companies have big issues with the left hand speaking to the right.

And finally the handbook tells you to check the studs and how to set the torgue wrench and it says nothing about loosening them first, just what setting to test them at.
Would I have been better off not testing them?

Yes, improper use of torque wrench is worse than doing nothing. You don't "test" torque - you tighten the bolts to a given torque. The problem with torque is you are actually measuring the force used to rotate the bolt to infer the amount of tension (called pre-load) in the bolt itself (it's acting like a spring, albeit a very stiff, short one). Friction around the threads, corrosion between the head and wheel etc. will cause the amount of torque to vary compared to the tension in bolt.

But worse still - picture a bolt that is done up so tightly that you can't possibly move it. You can use a torque wrench to "test" for 10Nm, 20Nm, 30Nm and so on. You can get any reading lower than the break-free torque on the bolt.

Mark1971

cybergibbons wrote: »

A lot of companies have big issues with the left hand speaking to the right.



Yes, improper use of torque wrench is worse than doing nothing. You don't "test" torque - you tighten the bolts to a given torque. The problem with torque is you are actually measuring the force used to rotate the bolt to infer the amount of tension (called pre-load) in the bolt itself (it's acting like a spring, albeit a very stiff, short one). Friction around the threads, corrosion between the head and wheel etc. will cause the amount of torque to vary compared to the tension in bolt.

But worse still - picture a bolt that is done up so tightly that you can't possibly move it. You can use a torque wrench to "test" for 10Nm, 20Nm, 30Nm and so on. You can get any reading lower than the break-free torque on the bolt.

Thanks for the info, It seems I could have caused the bolts to be overtightened then?
But the manual only insists you check the wheels and that is what i did, and the instructions with the torque wrench only show you how to ensure it is set to the right settings.
I didnt realise you had to loosen the nuts then re-tighten them, but I do now :T.
Do you think though in your honest opinion that they could have been overtightened from the start given it's only done about 540 miles or would this have happened earlier if this was the case?

And I received another letter today from the finance company telling me they were in deep discussions with Robinsons and they thanked me for my patience, and hopefully the matter will soon be resolved one way or the other.

burnsguitarman

Any updates yet?

Mark1971

burnsguitarman wrote: »

Any updates yet?

Last I heard the finance companies Business Development Department were trying to sort things out, it just seems to be taking soooooooooo long