# Hymer/Thule Steps



## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Hi, Folks. On our travels thro' Spain, France, Germany have managed to damage our steps on Hymer 550.
This is because there is no audible warning.
Question: will Thule steps fit a Hymer MH ?
There seems to be a picture on Internet showing very similar item.
We are currently in Hamburg and want to replace steps and fit an audible alarm.
We can't fit an alarm at the moment because the steps will not fully retract.
Ho Hum !
Cheers Bill and Dorli


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## Drew (May 30, 2005)

Hi Bill,

More information please, were the steps damaged by impact?, or did they just pack up? 

If they just packed up for one reason or another they may be reparable. These steps were a pain in the **** for one reason or another and may just require a good clean.

Drew


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

*Steps*

Hi ,Drew. Thanks for your question.
Impact with a large rock wall did the damage.
Electrics of the steps are still in working order.
We managed to get the steps straightened sufficiently to use, but full retraction is not possible and the warning light is on permanently.
We want to get a buzzer wired in to help our failing memories !
Currently, this isn't possible.
Hopefully, when we return to Spain, I can rehash the wiring to make things automatic.
Learning....learning !


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## Geriatricbackpacker (Aug 21, 2012)

Bill, I redesigned my Hymer steps on our gate post a few years back. I took them into a local blacksmith/farrier and he straightened them out in minutes. It looked awful as he worked on them as the torch blasted holes in them but he soon reshaped them and they were as good as new. Cost me £7 and can of black Hammerite spray to make them look presentable. Must be someone local who knows a person who works with wrought iron who can help. 
If you can get to the wires of the warning light then you can add a buzzer as they are not very expensive and just have the two wires that you can splice in with a couple of Scotch locks. The buzzer on our 584 was located in the electrobloc cupboard. Maybe you have one fitted that just needs replacing.

Good luck


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## Drew (May 30, 2005)

Hi Bill,

While travelling in France many years age we had a similar experience. We were lucky enough to pass a blacksmith in a small village who offered to straighten them for me. He removed them, parked me up next to his yard, returned and fitted them and joined us with his wife for a BBQ. He refused any money, only on the condition that we returned and that he could join us for another BBQ. We did as promised on more than one occasion.


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## Geriatricbackpacker (Aug 21, 2012)

Drew said:


> Hi Bill,
> 
> While travelling in France many years age we had a similar experience. We were lucky enough to pass a blacksmith in a small village who offered to straighten them for me. He removed them, parked me up next to his yard, returned and fitted them and joined us with his wife for a BBQ. He refused any money, only on the condition that we returned and that he could join us for another BBQ. We did as promised on more than one occasion.


Bugger...I thought I had done well at £7! :grin2:


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Hi, Folks. Thanks for your admissions and experiences. I have a buzzer and a couple of scotchlocks ready to fit, but the rockwall intervened.
We have had two goes at straightening the steps via " experts " in France and Germany, but not wholly successful.
I am currently researching...( looking on the Internet ! ) for solutions. It seems Thule do a range of steps, and provisions of spare parts.
But I will have to take the steps off before buying anything. In the meantime, Dorli is on STEPDUTY !!
Thanks for your contributions. Now looking for a mirror so that I can see the steps from the driver's seat.
Bill


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

bc109 said:


> Hi, Folks. Thanks for your admissions and experiences. I have a buzzer and a couple of scotchlocks ready to fit, but the rockwall intervened.
> We have had two goes at straightening the steps via " experts " in France and Germany, but not wholly successful.
> I am currently researching...( looking on the Internet ! ) for solutions. It seems Thule do a range of steps, and provisions of spare parts.
> But I will have to take the steps off before buying anything. In the meantime, Dorli is on STEPDUTY !!
> ...


I don´t understand that Bill, I can see the step from my driving seat I would have thought it would have been so in all vans, if not why not?
Its a natural thing for me to make sure the step is away before driving off, my cat may be asleep on there:grin2:


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

The Thule step on my Autotrail automatically retracts when the engine is switched on. It also has an audible alarm telling me that it is doing it!

I naively thought that all MH's would have this.

Oh and as Jan says, you can also see the step from the drivers seat as well in the nearside mirror...

Graham :smile2:


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Yes. It seems not all vans are equal. Here, on the continent, we can't count the number of makes and styles. We haven't yet seen a van made of weatherboard, but I suppose if we are here long enough, something will turn up. Vans made from old army trucks are common, complete with elephant track on the roof.
Suffice it to say, we don't have auto steps and we can't see the steps from the driver's seat.
Pity we don't have a taller door and a well in the floor. 
Bill.
p.s. Lovely and sunny today. Went for a round trip thro' Hamburg on bikes. Cycle paths everywhere. No problems at all.
Ms May please note.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Plenty of money here for cycle paths, non to repair roads us motorist actually pay for :frown2:
You can probably ride from Hamburg to Berlin on cycle paths Bill.


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

On a Hymer tho...?!

We are off to Hamburg in September - any tips?

Graham :smile2:


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Two. Don't travel on autobahns near Hamburg Friday,Saturday. Monday clear as a bell. Diesel: cheap on Fridays, more expensive Mondays.
Knowledge gleaned from family members living here.
Bill


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

bc109 said:


> Two. Don't travel on autobahns near Hamburg Friday,Saturday. Monday clear as a bell. Diesel: cheap on Fridays, more expensive Mondays.
> Knowledge gleaned from family members living here.
> Bill


Oh dear - we are arriving on a Friday :frown2:

Graham :serious:


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Plenty of alternative routes into and around Hamburg without Autobahn if you have satnav. Best camping spot is by the river Elbe at Drage, SE of Hamburg centre. 
Bill


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Update.
Thule rivet repair kit not much use. Bolts are correct length. 4.5 cm but shanks are too short, so one or the two nylon inserts for each pivot
would rotate on thread. Only provision for seven pivots; not enough. Not good.
Managed to detach steps from motor. Used 6 cm bolts. slightly too long shank. One washer suffficient to solve that problem.
Aluminium bars straightened with a heat gun and metal working vise. Steps working,but one pivot very sloppy 'cos box section gone oval shape.
I looked for some aluminium tube to use as a sleeve, but no joy so far. Twelve mm inside, about 14 mm outside needed.
Steps not operating micro switch so gaffered a 10cent and one pound piece onto top of top step. Success.
Rang Mercedes garage to see if they would wire a buzzer into the warning light on dashboard. " Call back".....never did.
So.......we are now over conscious of steps, with tiny warning light to help us.
The oval pivot......have a correct size mandrel ( sort of ) and I will make an aluminium spiral tube out of a beer can to fit when we arrive home.
I hope we can negotiate France without any more rock walls.
Bill and Dorli


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Update.
Repair of steps.
These things take time !!! Put tube sleeves in the sides of the steps and made new struts on all sides.
Lots of slack eradicated.
Pillar drill packed up half way thro' the job....more delay.
Fitted steps today. Deep joy; steps working well but no warning light at all.
Tracked down the culprit to lack of an earth. Then found that the problem was the rivet point next to the steps up switch.
Spent half an hour trying to make a short pop rivet..rivet. Gave up and put a 6BA screw with a self locking nut thro' to make a decent connection. Why do I have these weird bits and pieces to hand for years on end ?
Tried out the system; warning light on....steps up...warning light off. Success. Old pound coin removed from the top of the step and now redundant.
Tomorrow it's time to fit a warning buzzer parallel to the warning light .
Anyone taken a Merc sprinter dashboard apart ? I'm not looking forward to this !
Bill


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## havingfun (Oct 31, 2007)

hi,

oh fitted a 4 pin relay to the ignition, so that when the engine is started the steps retract, because we kept forgetting, now the switch wont work until the engine is turned off.

if you need more tech talk bernard will talk you through it.


mags


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Hi, Mags. Thanks for your post..
It isn't the tech problem that concerns me, it's what happens when a dashboard is dismantled because there are so many things to reconnect when reassembling and there is a big lump of plastic in your lap.Breaking plastic lugs is another hazard. The literature always seems to shy away from useful instructions around this area. 
Thule have posted some wiring diags of alternative arrangementsfor steps and alarms.
Does anyone have an easily accessible place to wire in a buzzer ? The Merc details of fuses and relays are no help.
Bill


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## charlieivan (Apr 25, 2006)

On every Hymer we have had the step buzzer was near the electrobloc. Surely you can find somewhere to fit the buzzer without having to remove the dash. Can you not just fix it under the side locker beside the drivers seat, assuming you are RHD.


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## bc109 (Sep 17, 2016)

Update.
Chickened out of dismantling the dashboard, and that is the only place where the two leads for the warning light are available.
Tried a buzzer in series with the lamp, but no joy, as expected.
Now when we were in France we picked up some rubbish diesel, so we needed to get the diesel feed sorted to prevent fuel starvation at very low speeds.
Took the MH to our local garage, who changed the fuel filter and fitted a warning buzzer under the dashboard.
There are times when professional help comes to the rescue.
Bill


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## Drew (May 30, 2005)

Glad everything worked out for you Bill, there is nothing worse than these minor faults that we can't overcome ourselves. Well done.

Drew


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