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In the summer of 2015 we had a towbar fitted to our motorhome by LNB, of Bristol, as well as having our Smart car adapted for towing by A-Frame. LNB also supplied the A-Frame.
While we were in France, on 25 September, we had left the motorway and were descending a hill on the way to our campsite at Grimaud. I had slowed from 50-55mph to 40-41mph to go around a slight bend in the road when we heard, and felt, a thud/thunk. A quick look in the monitor attached to my rearview mirror confirmed that the Smart car we were towing was attempting an ill-advised overtake. Luckily, the car had moved to the nearside (right side) and, keeping an eye on the car and the Armco barrier, I was able to bring us all to a halt without leaving a white smear down the said barrier.
I discovered that the socket into which the offside (UK offside) connector was screwed had sheared from the crossmember. The weld had failed. Examination showed that the weld had only taken on less than half the circumference of the threaded cylinder. The rest was rusty.
We deployed two warning triangles (one of which was run over by a careless driver) while I separated the vehicles and detached the remaining arm of the A-Frame. There was little damage to the Smart, although new wings will be required to bring it back to pristine condition. The damage to the van was also minimal, but panels have been split and will need replacing. I always carry duct tape with me, and after taping the van up, we were able to drive, separately, to the campsite.
I telephoned LNB who were appalled that the weld had failed. They sent out a replacement crossmember to us and we had it fitted at a garage in Frejus. Thus, we were able to continue but decided not to venture any further from home. Françoise was far from relaxed and sensitive to every bump in the road, or unexplained sound.
This was another reason for the visit to the NEC that we made, as everyone we needed to speak to was at the show. LNB has been supportive but cannot take the matter further until after the show. We need to take the car, faulty crossmember and A-Frame to them in Bristol, so they can see exactly what happened. I have sent pictures, and even have the recording taken from the Dash Cam at the time of the incident. Meanwhile, I am waiting for a call from someone, also at the show, recommended by Hobby (I spoke to John Hindle and Craig Robinson on the Hobby stand), so we can take the van to be assessed/repaired.
For the moment I have no reason to believe that everything will not be sorted out by LNB. They told me that all the welding was done by a third party “specialist”, intended to make the units as safe as possible. Obviously something has gone wrong in our case, but LNB are fully insured.I will report on progress later.
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Final update – I hope.
Yesterday we received reimbursement, in full, from LNB Towbars covering the cost of repair to our van. They had already reimbursed me for the cost of swapping out the crossmember in France, and had repaired the minor damage to the Smart car. Throughout this saga LNB has been helpful, supportive and friendly. If I had any gripe, it would be that they could have paid up a little quicker. In reality, we only collected the van a couple of days before Christmas, and New Year intervened as well. I did breathe a sigh of relief when the payment came through, though.
Leigh Bryant, of LNB, told me that the faulty weld had been the result of an intermittent earth on the welding equipment. We were just unlucky to have a crossmember that was welded before the fault was diagnosed. We now have, apparently, a beefier version.
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Update to the A-Frame failure saga:
On 28 October we collected our Smart from LNB Towbars in Bristol. They had carried out repairs, following our little “coming together”, and had lent us a courtesy car for the few days they took to carry out the work. The front end looks as it did before, with the exception of the two caps that cover the towing connector holes. They are now colour coded white which actually looks better! We were also reimbursed for the amount the French garage charged to swap out the failed crossmember. Full marks, so far, to LNB Towbars.
Yesterday we collected our van from Bristol Caravans, where we had taken it for repair to the rear end that the Smart had clobbered. The repair is excellent and, once again, you would not know that anything amiss had occurred. Only one panel (the large corner panel that runs from the bottom of the van all the way up, and then under, the black panel at the top) had to be replaced. Bristol Caravans had arranged, through Craig Robinson of Hobby, to be sent almost all the panels/parts that comprise the rear end. This was insurance against casualties during the dismembering process. No other part was damaged when taking the rear panel off, however, so the surplus parts were returned (against a re-stocking fee) to Hobby.
John Hindle also deserves a mention here. At the AGM he promised to replace our damaged flyscreen. I know that Dave Lawson had reminded him of this and I reminded him too at the NEC. I had suggested to Craig Robinson in an email that it would be a good opportunity to send the fly screen with the parts that were being sent to Bristol Caravans. I was delighted to discover yesterday that, not only had the fly screen been sent, but that it had been fitted as well.
We are grateful to both John Hindle and Craig Robinson for their part in bringing our van back up to spec once more.
I had to pay Bristol Caravans for the repair to the van, and have asked LNB Towbars to reimburse us. The invoice was made out in their name so that they may claim back the VAT. I have not yet had a response, but the request only went to them yesterday afternoon. I live in hope and have no reason to doubt their assertion that they will foot the bill. I gather that they, in turn, will be demanding recompense from the firm that carried out the dodgy welding in the first place.
Merry Christmas to you all.
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Steve phoned LNB today to see if our Peugeot should be checked. Apparently ours is different to yours and LNB has every confidence in it. He has fitted 800 A frames and yours is the only one that he knows has failed. What with your air awning porch problem you’ve had a tortuous few weeks. Hope it gets better. Looking forward to catching up at the pre- Christmas meet. Maureen and Steve
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