Hard wearing performance plastics are the perfect material to make a range of components on a caravan.
From wheel spats to bootlids, spoilers, bathroom parts and roof joiners, performance plastic parts provide a stylish and elegant finish, are robust, easily cleaned and maintained, and are long wearing. Most importantly, whilst providing all these benefits, performance plastic parts are lightweight – of key importance on a caravan.
Why do you need to regularly check the plastic parts on your caravan?
Caravans spend most of their life out in the elements, particularly exposed to the harsh Australian sun. Whilst performance plastics, particularly those made in Australia, are UV stabilised, they will still degrade over time, leading at least to fading colour, and ultimately to brittleness and cracking. Cracking in key components like tail light housings, bootlids and roof joiners will allow water ingress into areas you least want it, and can cause damage to other items on the caravan, electrical issues, or in the worst case, water ingress into the wooden structural components of the caravan.
Owners of the Fleetwood range of caravans – the Coromal and Windsor brands – should be particularly vigilant. Australian made performance plastic parts should last 7-10 years comfortably, and longer if the caravan is stored under shelter when it is not exploring the country. However, during the mid 2010’s, Fleetwood off-shored to China a substantial amount of their production and sourcing, including all the plastic components. Plastic components made in China during this time appear not to have been as well UV stabilised as the Australian made equivalent, and have demonstrated a substantially shorter lifetime in Australian conditions – often as little as 3-5 years.
Caravan Repairer Near YouSo, what do I do?
You should regularly check over your caravan. If you find a cracked or brittle plastic component on your caravan, you should seek to have it replaced as soon as possible. The good news for Coromal and Windsor owners is that the replacement performance plastic parts you need for your 2004 -2018 model caravan are readily available here in Australia, from a Perth based manufacturer – BCJ Plastic Products.
The OEM manufacturer of the Fleetwood range of plastic parts, including Bootlids, Protector Shades, Spoilers, Tail Light Housings, Wheel Spats and other sundry plastic items, BCJ continues to manufacture and supply these parts in high quality, UV stabilised plastic, and supply them both to caravan repairers and direct to the public. BCJ Plastic products also manufacturers some parts for the Apollo caravan range – specifically roof joiners and tail light housings.
All these products and more are available through their on line shop. Or you can contact your local caravan repair to source the part for you – you can find a BCJ Repair Partner on the BCJ Plastic Products website too!
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