UKC

I’m looking at a 2nd hand Peugeot Boxer campervan, 2018 converted by Ventura.

When the pop top is down it has about a 3cm gap at the back right and 1cm at the back left, it’s tight at the back middle.

Dealership says that “because of the position of the scissor hinges it won’t go all the way down, we can adjust it and it will be closer but it will still have a gap, but that’s ok because water will run away along the gutter groove”.

This sounds like BS, I think the roof is somehow misshaped or has been poorly fitted. It’s got some 2cm thick plastic blocks which  are sandwiched between the van body and the scissor hinges which look odd, they would raise the roof up by 2cm and cause the problem - why they are there, I can only guess it was a bodge of some sort to fix another problem.

Does anyone have a Poptop roof, or even better a Poptop roof on a Boxer? Is it watertight at the back? 
 

I can only assume previous owners parked it in a garage and didn’t use it in the rain much as there is no sign of water ingress on the canvas.

Define something not right there. That’s going to make quite a racket once you start driving down the motorway at any sort of speed. I wouldn’t go anywhere near it.

Your post reads so much like a classic "run away" situation.

Having said that, have you thought about sending detailed photos to the conversion company Ventura?

Regardless, it needs to be enough of a bargain so that you have enough left from your budget to fix things properly if needed.

We've a t6 rather than a boxer and our pop top is super snug. Run away now, that looks rubbish.

The make of the van is irrelevant; the pop top should be snug all round. There are plenty of other vans on the market. Walk away from this one.

Presumably these are semi-universal, one roof fits several vans after some trimming? One could definitely make it fit but do you want a camper or a project?

I'd assume the blocks are supposed to be bedded down flat on a gap filling adhesive for a nice flat hinge mount that doesn't rub the paint.

I doubt the lid has warped, more likely it has never been trimmed to fit the roof properly but then I can't imagine anyone running a business delivering it in that state so maybe the solution is simpler. Is the soft seal seated properly all the way around the lid edge, could it just be hanging up on that? Is there a catch inside to pull the back edge down onto the seal that isn't done up or is mal-adjusted?

jk

Having just spent the best part of a month trying to solve a leak in our pop top after the conversion company / installers fobbed us off I can assure you this is a run away situation. 

Water is a menace, it gets in everywhere, even tiny spaces you cant see. My thought is if it was an easy fix, someone would have done it by now. 

The dealership are taking the van to highline Poptops to have a look, who I think will either say the roof is warped or it needs scribing (cutting to shape).

I spoke to the conversion company who can’t understand what the plastic blocks are doing there and says that potentially someone has changed the scissor hinges and that has caused the problem.

I didn't say easy fix. It could be though, especially so if it did once fit right.

Whether a project is right for the OP is up to them but it is fixable. I wouldn't assume anyone has even tried to fix it, assuming it does need fixing. They may not have the skills or time and frankly it may well sell as is anyway so why bother.

jk

I know nothing of campers and pop-tops, but to my untrained eye Pic #2 seems to have involved use of silicon sealant to prevent water ingress and a hammer to improve drainage.

I went back to the dealership this morning. They had sent it to a pop top installer who have improved it but there was still a 1cm gap along one side and about half a cm at each side at the back.

Dealer said it was fine, I decided that if that was the best a specialist could do with it it obviously wasn’t an easy fix so have left it.

Late to this conversation, but ours is tight all the way around.