Our hopeless Dometic skylight which lets the hot air in in summer ( should have been tinted and when I hold my hand 300 mil under it the heat coming through the flimsy blind is so intense) and the cold in in winter has two gas rams which hold it fully open . Now we bought our van brand new in september last year and now the gas rams are shot.... won't hold the hatch open and both have blown as there is oil around both rams:evil:
The van is still under warrenty but we are on our way around OZ and we bought our van in brissy. Now I would love to throw this hopeless Dometic hatch in the rubbish and fit a four seasons hatch but the hole in the roof is too large so it looks like we are stuck with it. The hatches on my 40 year old Viscount are still OK mind you and work perfectly..
Sad when they fit rubbish to caravans that won't even last a year....
Also have had problems with our Dometic fridge.............. Dometic = POS

I just found two gas struts for my crap Dometic skylight. Date on struts says they were made in Febuary 2011. Mind you we have only had the van for 10 months from new...
Now these two rams are slightly larger than a ball point pen... Price is .........$102 each... WTF!!!!!
Are they made of GOLD !!!!
So a length of timber will keep my Dometic Seitz Skylight HEKI-2 960mm x 655mm open
from now on.......

NICE ONE DOMETIC..........................NOT

We are not all RICH..

Dometic Skylight gas springs were $102 each but they are on sale for only $86 each.
I REFUSE to pay so much money for a gas spring that will only last a few months...
So after searching the net I found gas springs the right length with eyes either end for $11.61 each delivered to my door free on fleabay.
Worth the gamble I think. If they don't fit I have also bought 400 mm toolbox gas springs for $39 a pair off fleabay . These will be mounted on the inside of the skylight via brakets screwed into the sides and into the dome itself just like the struts in your RV windows..
So $60.22 total for 4 gas springs is still heaps cheaper than 1 Dometic gas spring... If this doesn't work the length of wood is still an option.

Pinto
If the van is still under warranty then it should be covered, if you start replacing struts with something else then you will void the warranty.
Have you even bothered to check with the manufacturer about a replacement, no good winging to us or making posts like this if you haven't spoken to the manufacturer



Frank

Hi Pinto,
Sounds like you are not having a good run with the Dometic hatch.
Is it the larger one about 950x655mm.

Not sure which one you have but some people even paint over the clear Perspex to black it out.

I personally love the thing mine is six years old and the rams are still working OK.

I assume you realise there are three positions you can open it to!

We also have a Fantastic fan hatch and have it set on exhaust out so when it runs it draws air through the Dometic hatch and out the Fantastic fan. When it is a hot day we leave the shade closed but you still draw air via the vents all the way around the side of the shade. Ours is over the bed and it is great to lie in bed and watch the stars.

Dometic parts are renowned to be expensive especially in Australia.

Yes I would certainly try the $11 rams hope they fit OK, but as Frank said could wreck the warranty but you can always refit the Dometic rams if you decide to go for warranty. But as you are on the road it is not always easy to get warranty things done.

This is the one I have


JR

Yes J. Reeves: Yes That is the skylight we have. Rams have lost the gas due to blown seals . One still has a little preasure in it . Hatch works great in winter but lets in too much heat in summer. The A/C can keep the van cool but the heat coming through the hatch is very intense .We were trying to get tinting on it but were told it will not stick so we put a towel over the top which keeps blowing off on windy days.
I made a frame from a flyscreen and put sun block material in which helps keep the heat from coming through but does not stop the problem. It is fastened to the hatch on the inside with the plastic clips which were used on the caravans of old fly screens.
Frank: the runaround I got when my Dometic fridge played up was astounding..I was told to take the van to a local repairer near where I bought the van and leave it there for a few weeks....( So drive thousands of kilometers back and spend more $ for motel while it gets looked at ) fixed it myself in the end as we are on the road living in the van. I expect when I spend my cash on a brand new caravan to get quality not crap which does not last . If money is no problem for you great.. WHY spend hundreds on parts that don't last when you can get replacements for one tenth the price?? For me the money I save is better spent on fuel. My budget is very limited.
My LG microwave oven also packed it in and the hassel of trying to get that replaced under warrenty while on the road... Ended up buying a new one for $100 at Harvey Norman..

Mate, money is no problem for me only in that I have none to be a problem, we're on a pension and our van is 32 years old, I know that when you spend hard earned you expect a decent product, i was just trying to say that you should pursue any available avenue of warranty before doing it yourself, unfortunately the caravan industry is self regulated and no b@st@rd out there will stand up for the consumer, we are left to our own devises, if you have a decent dealer and manufacturer then you may get help, if not, you'll have to fix it yourself and tell all and sundry what sort of van you have.
Frank
PS try contacting Dometic them selves and explain your predicament and point them to this thread, knowing that people ar seeing this MAY help

Hi

I don't know why they call this page "Dometic " I posted a question re our fridge on the 27 July 2011 while we were up in the Kimberleys.
Guess what! Still haven't heard from Dometic.
The post hasn't been lost or dropped because I just checked and it's still there.

So- why is it called " Dometic" ????????

Cheers Hans

Hi hans,
Originally there was a sales push by Dometic and a person was allocated to answer questions re Dometic stuff.(stuff ups ?) Was it Dr Dometic?

Of course Dometic are big advertisers and it is their option with the magazine to implement this.
It soon became obvious that any serious questions could not be actioned and particularly with regard to warrantee work.

For example a Dometic fridge catch replacement can be anything up to $100-00 to replace and even then parts are non existent. And yes it is the person at fault for buying a van with the window in the front of the van. And when you buy a van you are told the front hatch will leak, so don't block the drain valve.

The much heralded V2500 air vacuum toilet is now no longer imported and owners are left in the lurch for parts. The windows leak and it has been proven not to be Dometics fault. etc, etc.

No wonder the won't answer customer questions.

Sorry folks , is this the rant section.... ?

Amen
Cheers Hans