SCA Pop roof leaving a gap
- Thread starter Pbowman
- Start date
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- jobl conversions pop top roof sca
Hi,
looking at pic 5 is looks like you have damage to the paint on your scissor hinge probably due to it catching. This could be due to the rear strut not closing fully and pushing the hinge sideways. I would try as previously suggested and swap rear struts side to side and then check operation.
D
Sometimes the hinges can catch when closing and do this. Is it all aligned at the front? Any marks on the hinges? Try closing but pulling roof over on side its catching to see if it closes properly. Just needs a slight catch to not shut properly.
Rgds
Ian
DieselJames
Member
It is odd that they suggest not opening the tailgate with the roof up- kinda important for some setups (slidepods etc)
Just wondering if your bike rack is the issue- I've never owned one but it I wonder if this would make contact with the strut? (if it has, then that would explain why its performing differently).
I also agree it doesn't sound like the best customer service offered by the dealer- its an odd request to not use a door when SCA and no other converter has this restriction (it's a potential means of escape too if you wanted to go there with exploring how unreasonable it is for a lay person to know whether a door can be opened or not).
Hope they see some sense and offer to help resolve it for you
Sorry randomly didn’t get email replies to this. So the bike rack comes no where near the roof (dealer claims having the bike rack on and boot open means it causes an imbalance) I went to vanguard conversions in fort William as was up for the weekend (cannot rate these guys highly enough - two staff talked me through the issues at no cost - and advised me to push this back to the dealer or go via trading standards ) they don’t believe the roof was fitted level, or that when the solar panel was fitted they have unbalanced the roof.
You are correct that the paint chipping on the hinge shows the alignment problem and the gap in the rear right is getting worse with use.
Have sent them another email and will update.
pictures showing bike rack clearance and hinge attached. Will keep you guys posted (jobl site also mentions uk wide warantee cover which definitely doesn’t seem to be the case…as they previously said I’d need to goto Ellesmere Port)
You are correct that the paint chipping on the hinge shows the alignment problem and the gap in the rear right is getting worse with use.
Have sent them another email and will update.
pictures showing bike rack clearance and hinge attached. Will keep you guys posted (jobl site also mentions uk wide warantee cover which definitely doesn’t seem to be the case…as they previously said I’d need to goto Ellesmere Port)
Have you tried to close the roof while the rear door was open at some point?
Not that we were aware of. Did look into seeing if that would be the case. But the fiamma bike rack does have ample clearance that would only be a problem if there was a bike on it.
Have it booked into the dealer Friday morning so will see what they say
Roofs now repaired at the cost of £200 - garage adament it was due to me closing something in the roof (only ever had a sleeping bag up there and always brought it down first)
they backtracked on the fact they mentioned the bike rack. But again it’s my word v theirs and they aren’t willing to budge.
amount of bullshit that came out of that garage is unbelievable. Story changed every time I spoke to someone, so much that I recorded all conversations to ensure I wasn’t making things up in my head.
the uk wide warantee mentioned on their website has also now been removed after I stated it was False, and the replacement hinge was taken from another vehicle instead of a direct new replacement.
day off work, £100 petrol and £200 for a repair a month into owning it. Definitely wouldn’t recommend them….
original photos show the damaged paintwork however they are contesting this is just cosmetic and means nothing.
they backtracked on the fact they mentioned the bike rack. But again it’s my word v theirs and they aren’t willing to budge.
amount of bullshit that came out of that garage is unbelievable. Story changed every time I spoke to someone, so much that I recorded all conversations to ensure I wasn’t making things up in my head.
the uk wide warantee mentioned on their website has also now been removed after I stated it was False, and the replacement hinge was taken from another vehicle instead of a direct new replacement.
day off work, £100 petrol and £200 for a repair a month into owning it. Definitely wouldn’t recommend them….
original photos show the damaged paintwork however they are contesting this is just cosmetic and means nothing.
Having read through this thread & seeing that you took it to the shop for repair. What was the fix the shop completed? What adjustment did they make?. Was it a rear cylinder replacement someone mentioned as probable cause? Or scissor adjustment? Or??? I have similar issue —after a shop tried to replace my cylinders & said the new cylinders wouldn’t allow the top to close - They stayed with my existing ones - which had been installed by van manufacturer upside down (cylinders down versus up) so they reversed them and re-installed with cylinders up. That manufacture error is what started the whole process of going ahead and trying to replace them because I feared they had not been getting proper lubrication due to upside down install. But now the back of the pop top closes at about 1 inch off top of roof - not closing on the van roof as before. They of course claimed it was that way before. Photos showing water / dust marks where it had closed proved them wrong but they said they couldn’t fix it. Does anyone on this forum have SCA instructions or a video on how to adjust these pop tops? Mine has also been known to bind on the front driver’s side in cold weather and not want to close. When it warms up - it closes but the front drivers side seal still rubs against the I’m in USA. No support for SCA here - Sole US distributor and upfitters have been no help. Would adjust it myself with help of friends if I had instructions or guidance. Can’t be that complicated. Only 3 adjustment bolts each side on the scissor rails. As for getting the rear of the pop top to again rest in the van roof - open to all suggestions. Thanks.
The end repair was to replace the scissor hinge as it had buckled slightly. And by sounds of things once they go. They get worse pretty quickly!
Thanks for the update. Like you had noticed on your scissor hinge- I also have a hinge that shows wear - paint removed by friction. Likely first place to focus on for the fix. Appreciate the reply - it helps.
We have experienced this a number of times even on brand new fits we have completed as I previously mentioned in a post. The hinge is just slightly out of line and it catches when closing. Sometimes angling the roof down on the problem side when closing stop the catching, sometimes we have to adjust the hinge, certainly nothing to do with bike racks etc. Please note that some roofs need to have the tailgate closed when opening roof as the arc created by the opening roof can touch the tailgate, only really an iussue when a spoiler is fitted.
All the best,
Ian
All the best,
Ian
Could it be possible that the hinge pivot bolts were over tightened on one side. The bolts have Nylon washers as spacers and Nyloc nuts to allow adjustment without being too tight.
If one side were tighter than the other the tight side might resist closure.
If one side were tighter than the other the tight side might resist closure.
Because I haven’t yet found a shop or up fitter that will touch an SCA loft - a question. Should I discover the scissor hinge is not bent or compromised - When you adjust the scissor hinges is there a method you can describe that I can give to a van shop I trust who is fearful of making it worse because they lack experience or instructions. SCA & their exclusive US distributor won’t provide service instructions to independent shops & their authorized shops are clueless. Any tips or info is appreciated. Thanks.We have experienced this a number of times even on brand new fits we have completed as I previously mentioned in a post. The hinge is just slightly out of line and it catches when closing. Sometimes angling the roof down on the problem side when closing stop the catching, sometimes we have to adjust the hinge, certainly nothing to do with bike racks etc. Please note that some roofs need to have the tailgate closed when opening roof as the arc created by the opening roof can touch the tailgate, only really an iussue when a spoiler is fitted.
All the best,
Ian
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