Rooflight Dodgy Size 500 x 350 i cannot find

[Lcfc78]

HI

My T25 has a knackered rooflight i thought originally to get the roof welded but after research buckling of the roof is too much of a risk so thought i could get a replacement rooflight. This seemed simple until after days of internet searching i cannot find one anywhere near the size i need, i need 500 x 350 i cannot go 500 x 500 as the roofs raised bits are at 500 intervals so it womt work. I am after ideas of what to do to sort this as i need to make it watertight before i sort the interior!

Any help/ideas please??

[cassandra]

Hi, have you considered using a 500x500 and making packers to fit between the raised sections of the roof most caravan type skylights need at least a 25mm thick roof so you would need a frame on the inside too. Having said this any decent bodyshop should be able to weld a plate into the hole without buckling the roof. We have 3 panel beaters/welders at work who could do this quite easily. The correct method involves short tack welds and plenty of cooling with an airline between each weld and also using a special cooling gel which is spread over the panels on either side of the weld. Welding up the hole would not be cheap but if done correctly would be a permanent solution.

Hope this helps.

[Lcfc78]

Welding the hole up was what I wanted to have done but I was warned off it due to buckling .
Do u know what the rough cost of the job would be to give me an idea?
I will have to try some bodyshops round Leicester.

[cassandra]

Hi, I will talk to one of our estimators at work to try and get a realistic idea of cost but a few details would help. Does the van have a headlining fitted and if so would you be prepared to remove (and refit) it? Are you going to remove the old skylight or would you want the bodyshop to do this? What colour is the van ? Is it solid colour or metallic and indeed would you want the repair painted or just left in primer. A picture of the van/roof would help. Sorry if this seems like a lot of information but I would like to be able to give you a realistic price so you know if another bodyshop is over or under pricing the job.

[Lcfc78]

Hi

The headlining and skylight are removed if possible a price for both painted and unpainted would be great. If painted I want the roof white rather than the brown it currently is.

Thanks for this as I have no clue about bodywork it will be a great help to have a guide.

[cassandra]

Hi, spoken to The Boss who is also an estimator. We would say a days work for the panel beater/welder including grinding back the welds and a light skim of filler to make good so about £200+vat. Then to paint just the repaired section and blend out would be another day for the painter so another £200+vat and then add about £150+vat for paint and materials. However to paint the whole roof would be double that cost so £400 for the painter and £300 for paint ETC again plus the VAT. So about £240 or £250 for a repair left in primer up to over £1000 for a complete job including colour change to the whole roof.Not a cheap job especially compared to the cost of a new skylight however you might be able to find somebody near you who is cheaper but beware of anybody who seems too cheap if you want a decent job that will last as there are many corners that can be cut when painting and there is some very cheap paint out there that will start to oxidise very quickly as it is not very U.V. stable. It really is a case of you get what you pay for when it comes to body repairs.

I realise this is quite an expensive option so have you thought about fitting a sunroof? Found this on Ebay to give an idea:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-GOLF-JETTA ... SwLF1X~84d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hope this helps

[Lcfc78]

I think I am going to go for the welding option as I want it to be right from the start, again thanks for all your help it has given me a great benchmark to use when I am getting quotes!