Seitz Heki 2 rooflights flawed

The Fuso Szulc is equipped with two Seitz Heki 2 roof windows.

Large hatches of 33 by 22 inches (85 x 55 cm).
They give fantastic light inside the expedition vehicle.
And they allow maximum inflow of fresh air.

There is nothing more beautiful but laying in bed in a camper and seeing the stars right above thanks to the Seitz Heki 2 roof window.

However, unfortunately, the Seitz Heki 2 roof windows have major flaws.
To begin with, they are not cheap.
In Germany they sell for € 425
($ 600) and the next thing is to get them to the USA.
These challenges can be met though.
But next comes the issue of using the Seitz Heki 2.
And then surprises await.

First of all, the build in mosquito net and curtain have been made too narrow.
They don’t fit generously in their side gliders.
Hence, if one applies the mosquito net, even a light wind blows it out of position.
And the insects can come in no problem.

Secondly, the Seitz Heki 2 is kept in position, when closed, by two handles.
Small plastic parts keep the large window in position.
Obviously, when a real strong wind blows, this goes underneath the sides of the window and applies upward power.
As a result, the small plastic handles cannot keep the large window in place anymore.
The handles simply break off.
As of then the Seitz Heki 2 roof windows need to be kept closed by rubber strings.

The last flaw of the Seitz Heki 2 roof windows are the gas struts.
In the case of the Fuso Szulc, within two years they broke.
Lost their pressure and became worthless.
Pieces of wood need to be used to keep the Seitz Heki 2 windows in the upright position.

The German company Seitz Heki is now owned by the American company Dometic.
This makes it possible to obtain parts for the Seitz Heki 2 windows in the USA.

Last week the necessary parts were ordered.
The gas struts and the handles.
The salesperson checked and explained they came in one package.
And they were in stock!
For $ 68 plus tax each and $ 25 shipping.

An order was placed and after 6 working days the parcel was received.
A Dometic customer therefore waits 8 days before to receive the needed parts.
The parcel though contained only the gas struts and not the handles.
The Dometic sales person had not informed correctly.
The gas struts come separated from the handles.
They are different parts.
Hence, one simple gas strut costs over $ 70 (€ 50).
While they sell them in Germany for $ 28 (€ 19,75).
Dometic puts 150 % on the original price.

What is the conclusion of this story?
That’s obvious.
 

Attachments

  • 38067_popup.jpg
    38067_popup.jpg
    73.6 KB · Views: 290
  • _DSC4313.jpg
    _DSC4313.jpg
    349.8 KB · Views: 317
  • _DSC4316.jpg
    _DSC4316.jpg
    376 KB · Views: 251
  • _DSC4317.jpg
    _DSC4317.jpg
    360.6 KB · Views: 210
  • _DSC4319.jpg
    _DSC4319.jpg
    625.1 KB · Views: 198
  • _DSC4321.jpg
    _DSC4321.jpg
    515.9 KB · Views: 184
  • _DSC4324.jpg
    _DSC4324.jpg
    229.8 KB · Views: 184
  • _DSC4325.jpg
    _DSC4325.jpg
    345.3 KB · Views: 220

spencyg

This Space For Rent
Why not just use a heavy duty marine unit instead? Bomar makes some excellet stuff...I'd put one of their cast hatches in the BOTTOM of a boat if I thought it would be of any use. They are expensive as well, but at least they'd hold up better than your unfortunate version...

Spence
 

Pinto

New member
The Fuso Szulc is equipped with two Seitz Heki 2 roof windows.

Large hatches of 33 by 22 inches (85 x 55 cm).
They give fantastic light inside the expedition vehicle.
And they allow maximum inflow of fresh air.

There is nothing more beautiful but laying in bed in a camper and seeing the stars right above thanks to the Seitz Heki 2 roof window.

However, unfortunately, the Seitz Heki 2 roof windows have major flaws.
To begin with, they are not cheap.
In Germany they sell for € 425
($ 600) and the next thing is to get them to the USA.
These challenges can be met though.
But next comes the issue of using the Seitz Heki 2.
And then surprises await.

First of all, the build in mosquito net and curtain have been made too narrow.
They don't fit generously in their side gliders.
Hence, if one applies the mosquito net, even a light wind blows it out of position.
And the insects can come in no problem.

Secondly, the Seitz Heki 2 is kept in position, when closed, by two handles.
Small plastic parts keep the large window in position.
Obviously, when a real strong wind blows, this goes underneath the sides of the window and applies upward power.
As a result, the small plastic handles cannot keep the large window in place anymore.
The handles simply break off.
As of then the Seitz Heki 2 roof windows need to be kept closed by rubber strings.

The last flaw of the Seitz Heki 2 roof windows are the gas struts.
In the case of the Fuso Szulc, within two years they broke.
Lost their pressure and became worthless.
Pieces of wood need to be used to keep the Seitz Heki 2 windows in the upright position.

The German company Seitz Heki is now owned by the American company Dometic.
This makes it possible to obtain parts for the Seitz Heki 2 windows in the USA.

Last week the necessary parts were ordered.
The gas struts and the handles.
The salesperson checked and explained they came in one package.
And they were in stock!
For $ 68 plus tax each and $ 25 shipping.

An order was placed and after 6 working days the parcel was received.
A Dometic customer therefore waits 8 days before to receive the needed parts.
The parcel though contained only the gas struts and not the handles.
The Dometic sales person had not informed correctly.
The gas struts come separated from the handles.
They are different parts.
Hence, one simple gas strut costs over $ 70 (€ 50).
While they sell them in Germany for $ 28 (€ 19,75).
Dometic puts 150 % on the original price.

What is the conclusion of this story?
That's obvious.

Totally agree with you .. My gas springs only lasted 6 months and was quoted $110 each Australian for replacement ones
so I bought after market ones for $11 each and they don't fit.
The actual ram is too thick to fit in the skylight groove when shut.. :(
So a bit of wood does the job now...
 

lloydsboy123

New member
Strut replacement

Here in the UK a company called SGS Engineering makes a more robust replacement strut for the Heki Rooflight at a reasonable price.
My problem is that I am having difficulty removing the faulty struts.
I have removed the plastic cap which covers the pin holding the bottom of the strut but can,t see how the pin comes out.
Do the pins push outwards or do they pull back through the inner hole. I just cant shift them !
Does anyone have experience of removing the struts ?
 

lloydsboy123

New member
I have now replaced my struts. The problem was removing the retaining pins. The top one is easy, it is held in place by a metal grip cap which just pops off allowing you to push the pin back. The bottom one is not so easy. If you try to remove the inner plastic cap you will just damage it and still find that you cant get the pin out. The answer is to drill a small hole from the outside (the hole can be plugged with sealant afterwards) and drift the pin back through. This not only allows easy removal of the struts but also pushes the inner plastic cap out which allows you to get hold of the pin. Fitting new struts is simply reversal of the procedure. Incidentally, I sourced replacement struts from SGS Engineering here in the UK. They are more robust than the originals and a lot cheaper !
 

Iain_U1250

Explorer
I had three goes at finding a roof hatch, first was the Mini Heki ( 400x400) - and I thought it was too plasticky, it did not seal properly, and the fittings were very lightweight, almost guaranteed to break. The next was the Fiamma - they cracked when I dropped them from a table, the mechanisms seemed more solid, but the covers were really brittle. Finally I bought some Vetus Marine Hatches, very solid, great seal (up to 5m underwater) - I needed to make my own mosquito screens , as Vetus decided not to make the matching screens for some reason. I'd go with a marine hatch before an RV hatch if you plan on going off-road.
 

mattandlana

New member
The bottom one is not so easy.

Glad you got it sorted. A tip for anyone else reading this thread is that you don't need to remove the bottom pin. The gas strut shaft is threaded and simply unscrews from the base fitting. But this may not help you if you are buying the SGS struts which have a thicker shaft and so may have a different thread (or not be threaded at all).
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,529
Messages
2,875,555
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top