# habitation door retainer



## hanray (Feb 2, 2011)

Hello
I have an 09 Swift Bolero.
The side door/habitation door metal retainer on the top of the door has come away from the door. It is held in place on the door by a plastic clip which slides along a channel on top of the door. My local Swift dealer said I must purchase the whole mechanism for almost £20. This does sound like a bit of a rip off and an unnecessary over purchase, surely the plastic clip is available on it's own. If anyone knows where I can purchase a few of these plastic clips, I would be most grateful for the information.
Kindest regards
Ray (the lesser half of HanRay)


----------



## premiermotorhomes (Feb 13, 2008)

Good morning Ray, 

Is the part you have been quoted for shown in the image below?

If so these are PN 9826124 at a SSP of £16.05+ VAT 
Swift currently have 16 in stock

Unfortunately, I am not aware of another source for this part.

Regards,
Chris


----------



## hanray (Feb 2, 2011)

Hello Chris
Many thanks for your swift (no pun intended) reply. The part you have shown is the correct one. Also, thanks for the advice given over the phone.
Regards
Ray


----------



## Robell (Mar 13, 2013)

Hi Ray

My brother bought a new Swift MH back in 2010 and the first time it was used a mild gust of wind caught the door and broke the restrainer on the top. When he went back to the dealer (for a few minor fixes) he mentioned this and they said that they go fairly easily as it's only a plastic slide and would probably go again. They recommended fitting an alternative standard type door retainer (no charge) instead which did the job just as well. They could of course just not wanted to go to the expense of the proper one. I don't know whether it's worth doing this instead - just a thought.

Rob


----------



## xgx (Oct 14, 2005)

Thanks for the reminder!

I'm also looking for just the 'plastic' clip too if anyone knows where it can be bought as a single item.

... mine broke away in France but I was able to do a quick temporary fix by turning the plastic clip around ... 

These clips should last longer than 4 or 5 years!


----------



## hanray (Feb 2, 2011)

*broken plastic clip*



Robell said:


> Hi Ray
> 
> My brother bought a new Swift MH back in 2010 and the first time it was used a mild gust of wind caught the door and broke the restrainer on the top. When he went back to the dealer (for a few minor fixes) he mentioned this and they said that they go fairly easily as it's only a plastic slide and would probably go again. They recommended fitting an alternative standard type door retainer (no charge) instead which did the job just as well. They could of course just not wanted to go to the expense of the proper one. I don't know whether it's worth doing this instead - just a thought.
> 
> Rob


Hello Rob
Many thanks for your input. I have taken advice and have removed the offending article and will be fitting a door retainer instead.
Kindest regards
Ray (Devon)


----------



## hanray (Feb 2, 2011)

*broken plastic clip*



xgx said:


> Thanks for the reminder!
> 
> I'm also looking for just the 'plastic' clip too if anyone knows where it can be bought as a single item.
> 
> ...


Glad to be a reminder. Unfortunately the clips are apparently not available on their own! You have to purchase a whole assembly @ £20 inc Vat. I have removed the metal arm to prevent any damage to the door and will be fitting a door retainer from Chris @ 01243 511189.
Kindest regards
Ray


----------



## premiermotorhomes (Feb 13, 2008)

Good afternoon, 

I recommended for Ray to use the door retainers we source from Dethleffs, these are commonly known as Venetta however the ones Dethleffs supply the female half to hinge so when they interlock they do it in parallel to make a better connection and they are also made of a higher quality plastic so are longer lasting. The other benefit is that if you need one quickly the Dethleffs are interchangeable with the Venetta which can be sourced at the majority of dealers.

They can be sourced from any Dethleffs dealer with part number 700472, photo shown below.

@ Ray, your retainers will be posted on Monday for you.

Regards,
Chris


----------



## suedew (May 10, 2005)

Our retainer went a couple of times on the escape, we now hold the door in place with a bungee attached to the fridge grill :roll:  
This has worked ok for 3 years, also means the door does not foul the awning as invariably it gets put out when the door is open.
Met a couple in spain who have the type of restraint suggested by Ray, should really go down that road as it is always my fault when the bungee can't be found.

Sue


----------



## hanray (Feb 2, 2011)

*broken habitation door retainer*

.....and I thought it was only me who mislaid stuff and then blamed her who must be obeyed! :hippy2: 
I also felt a more permanent answer should be sought. Fortunately Chris from Premier motor-homes & leisure came to the rescue,(01243 511189 ). I have ordered 4 x door retainer today so I'll let you know how I get on with them. Incidentally, the 4 retainers inc delivery and vat = £9.22. I ordered 4 because I have another use for two of them and a spare in case I cock up the first one. You've now reminded me, I've run out of bungee's.
Kindest regards
Ray


----------



## TerryL (Feb 19, 2009)

Puzzled.

The door retainer on our 07 Bolero was removed in a Swift recall and replaced with a retaining clip on the body side so that the door is fixed flat against the side.

Wasn't too impressed at the time but with use now find that this is a better idea than the flimsy bit of metal retainer which I noted is used on a friends new Sundance.


----------



## xgx (Oct 14, 2005)

Good News!

The slider IS available as a separate part despite what some trade members have said.
Two new sliders arrived yesterday courtesy of Mark at Central Leisure Services ( http://www.central-leisure-services.co.uk ). 
Hartal must have changed the specs 'cos the hole was undersized, no prob, a quick tickle with a 13/64" drill made for a good fit on mine 

I sourced the part myself, less than £1 each, unfortunately the supplier only deals with the trade ... Mark (CLS) who has Approved Workshop status and does me Hab check (Bookings : Freephone 0800 024 6119) was more than happy to order the part for me.

Mark's contact numbers:
Office : 024 7639 3485 Mobile : 07899 801523


----------



## premiermotorhomes (Feb 13, 2008)

Good morning xgx, 

Thank you for your update, this will be helpful to many members.

Regards,
Chris


----------



## Priston (Jul 3, 2012)

We have a Bessacarr E345 and the plastic retainer illustrated is fitted to retain the habitation door. We find that it lasts less than a season before it looses its retention and needs replacing. We cannot use the bungy idea as the door opens the opposite way. We are looking for a clip which retains the door in place with a clip that needs to be released to close the door. SWMBO has had couple of nasty knocks as wind catches the door and slams against anything, or anybody. in the way


----------



## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

We have had the same problems with the plastic Venetta type ones - they don't last long and become unreliable, OK not too bad on a door but on a lift up hatch door which you then bend down to get under and into the locker and it then fails......

the resultant bruise can be quite severe I can assure you - on the back of the head or the forearm...... (ouch).

We have yet to find a suitable "positive" clip which could be used so that it has to be physically released.......

So the ouches will continue (sadly),

Dave


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

I'll add our twopennorth to the saga of failing plastic door retainer clips ( Venetta type) Ours went in Spain this winter. We searched caravan accessory shops in vain for one, though we were loathe to replace it as the part that had broken was the part attached to the skin of the van ( ie not to the door). 

Bungees and bits of rope only worked until a gust of wind caused the peg to pull out from the ground. There was no-where strong to attach the other end of the bungee to the van.

Our new van has the same kind of door that we had on the current van before Swift replaced the complete door ie the door only opens half way. There is no mechanism that I can remember to hold it open in that position but we haven't collected the new van yet so I might be wrong about that.

G


----------



## makems (Jul 26, 2010)

It's not just Swifts that suffer from this problem. 
We bought a b
New Burstner in November and our first adventure the end attached to the door frame had come adrift and the door wouldn't shut. I didn't know this so I slammed the door harder and when that didn't work slammed it harder again. 
After a few tries I realised there was something wrong and discovered the problem. 
Each slam had created a gouge in the slot the plastic part slides along and the top of the door was slightly bowed. 
Took ages with a flat bladed screwdriver and a hammer to straighten the edges of the slot so we could open and close the door properly. 
Just left CamperUK workshop where they have ordered a new door under warranty. Which resolves another issue: another time when the stay came loose the door swung open and banged into the corner of an open window gouging the paint and decal. So new door equals new paint and decal too!


----------



## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

> Grizzly said:- Our new van has the same kind of door that we had on the current van before Swift replaced the complete door ie the door only opens half way. There is no mechanism that I can remember to hold it open in that position but we haven't collected the new van yet so I might be wrong about that.


Hi Grizz

It will have one. :wink:

There is a door stay right at the top which looks like a gas ram - but it isn't. It's a largely ineffectual gadget with (probably) an internal detent at the fully extended position which is meant to hold the door open. You can feel it "bump" as you push the door wide open, or when you pull it to begin closing it.

_(Does this make sense - it's difficult to explain in a few words!  )_

It ain't much good, however it works, but it's not too difficult to improve its efficacy. When the door is fully open you can put a strong clothes peg or crock clip on the inner rod, right up against the outer tube of the "gas ram" thingy, and that will help prevent it from closing too easily. _(It simply adds friction where it's needed, to increase the closing resistance of the "gas ram".)_

Only problem is remembering to release the peg/clip when closing the door, but I guess if you hand a little flag on it you would be less likely to forget.

It's not a perfect solution, but it does help when it's windy.

Dave


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Zebedee said:


> Only problem is remembering to release the peg/clip when closing the door, but I guess if you hand a little flag on it you would be less likely to forget.
> 
> Dave


Thanks very much Dave...that's good to know. I'll add a " Release Door Clip " to our stock of brightly coloured luggage labels. ( eg Turn Off 12v, Heating On (= don't turn on the kettle) etc) Twenty years ago I used to remember these things without aides memoire.

G


----------



## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Tell me about them Grizz

My most essential label is the short length of duct tape which is stored along the top of the habitation door.

Sometimes it needs to be stuck across the door handle.

Printed on it in big black letters is, "ALARM". :roll:

Mrs Zeb is usually up first, and she tends to run on auto-pilot until she has had a cup of strong caffeine . . . . unless she opens the door and sets of the "_Devil's Wail_" as fitted to Eddie VanBitz' Strikeback alarm.

On occasions she has terrified dogs and small boys over a five mile radius, and caused several premature births . . . not to mention the effect on numerous pairs of previously clean underwear!! 8O :lol:

Dave


----------

