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Poll: QB Tanks Leak or Not

What is your experience with QB Tanks leaking?

  • Leaked fuel within 6 months

    Votes: 20 26.0%
  • Leaked fuel after 6 months

    Votes: 11 14.3%
  • Did not leak fuel within 6 months

    Votes: 4 5.2%
  • Did not leak fuel after 6 months

    Votes: 42 54.5%

  • Total voters
    77

SeanB

Well Known Member
There are many posted conversations regarding QB fuel tanks leaking. There is very little about how many QB tanks did not leak. What is your experience with QB tanks? Leaking....or Not?
 
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just an observation but i think the failure rate of rv tanks is terrible. i have never had a new piece of equipment with an engine leak fuel from its tank. and this is in an airplane, not a lawn mower. i understand that assembly procedure is everything but maybe vans should be looking at something different.
how would you look at a surgical procedure with a failure rate of almost half after 6 months?
 
The failure rate of QB tanks is almost a joke- except to the owners! The attitude at Vans (at least towards me) is probably best described as "aloof". I get the feeling that with the popularity of the RV series, they just don't care. If you don't like the failure rate, build your own.

Isn't it interesting that Vans is fairly silent on the subject? Scott, what's the deal? Is this even being addressed at the factory?

-Marc
 
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Scott, what's the deal? Is this even being addressed at the factory?

Yes, it is.
It has been, and will continue to be the highest priority focus detail regarding QB quality.

Two things that I hope people will keep in mind while discussing this issue. (And before anyone accuses me of down playing any issue they might have had, I am not. Just stating facts that should be be kept in mind by those that are interested in the subject)

QB kits have been available for a loooong time (first one was delivered sometime in 1994/1995 time frame I think). That coupled with the fact that the average completion time of even a QB kit is a few years, makes it clear that an issue that someone encounters recently, can be in tanks that were completed many years ago.

A sample count of 20 in a poll, out of 500+ QB kits produced (just a guess, it is probably double that or more), is not in any way going to give a reasonable indication of what the leak rate in QB fuel tanks is. That coupled with the fact that in the world of the internet, anyone that has ever had a problem with something is always willing to talk about it to anyone that will listen..... those that were totally pleased with something, rarely say anything.
 
QB RV-10, right wing vent “B” nut 1.75 turns loose. Leaked after first flight. Tightened thru fuel level port. Wings picked up mid 2012. Factory was informed and was helpful, but it took two days of frustration to tighten the nut.
 
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Scott,
is it really that much cheaper for Vans to outsource these QB's overseas with the shipping costs involved? Once you ship parts to them, ship the completed builds back, QC them in house and fix any issues with them. Then you have to store them because you get big batches of completed builds back to save on shipping. Seems to me the QC would be ALOT better if these were done in house and we probably would not be having this conversation right now.
I'm in the leaked after 6 month column. Mine started at about 7 months of use on a set of older quick builds.
 
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Preemptive strike

After hearing so many stories about leaking Q.B. tanks, I decided to do a preemptive strike on my -7 tanks, and I sent them to Paul at Weep No More. He opened up the rear baffles and completely stripped the inside of the tanks. He then applied his sealing compound and closed the tanks up. He stopped short in saying that in his opinion if the tanks would have actually leaked or not, but he did say that the quality of the workmanship left a lot to be desired. His service is a little bit expensive, but I feel like I can sleep at knight now knowing that my tanks won?t leak.
 
After hearing so many stories about leaking Q.B. tanks, I decided to do a preemptive strike on my -7 tanks, and I sent them to Paul at Weep No More. He opened up the rear baffles and completely stripped the inside of the tanks. He then applied his sealing compound and closed the tanks up. He stopped short in saying that in his opinion if the tanks would have actually leaked or not, but he did say that the quality of the workmanship left a lot to be desired. His service is a little bit expensive, but I feel like I can sleep at knight now knowing that my tanks won?t leak.

So the cost of your QB wings went up considerably. I would have a hard time eating that. IMHO.
 
So the cost of your QB wings went up considerably. I would have a hard time eating that. IMHO.

Yes it did. It was a hard pill to swallow, but the time saved in standard build wings and tanks VS. quick build was still worth it it me. I certainly could have just left well enough alone and tried the tanks as they were, but I guess I just wanted the insurance of not having to mess with them after the airplane was painted.
 
So the cost of your QB wings went up considerably. I would have a hard time eating that. IMHO.

What does it cost to remove tanks after the fact and repair your $20K paint job?

A tank repair patch is $8.10 from Van's. Might be worth opening up at least the inboard and outboard bays for inspection.It appears some people are expecting Lexus quality but you are paying less than minimum wage for the Philippine labor.
 
What does it cost to remove tanks after the fact and repair your $20K paint job?

A tank repair patch is $8.10 from Van's. Might be worth opening up at least the inboard and outboard bays for inspection.It appears some people are expecting Lexus quality but you are paying less than minimum wage for the Philippine labor.

Any product that I purchase, I expect Lexus quality. My quality expectations do not change as to where THEY decide to have their product assembled. That is their choice, not mine. But they should have to deal with those consequences, not me. Don't get me wrong, I am not bashing vans in any way. I just think there should be additional QC put in place in some areas.
 
quality

"...Any product that I purchase, I expect Lexus quality. My quality expectations do not change as to where THEY decide to have their product assembled. That is their choice, not mine. But they should have to deal with those consequences, not me. Don't get me wrong, I am not bashing vans in any way. I just think there should be additional QC put in place in some areas..."

The question becomes, "How do you determine what is acceptable?" You say you expect "Lexus Quality"...problem is, if you look at Lexus products, they are not perfect either; there is an acceptable level of quality. Don't get me wrong, Lexus has really good QC...but they are by no means perfect. (from personal experience)

That being said, there are a lot of generalizations being made in this thread. Apparently, there are a handful of people that have had issues with their QB tanks. How does this number compare to the number that haven't had issues? Is there a correlation between the faulty tanks and a specific time range or shift range? There are a lot of variables; to say "the QB tanks are bad and will leak" based on such a small sample size is pretty silly. There is also no guarantee that those will build their own tanks won't leak. Maybe, another poll should be conducted to get this data?:rolleyes:

In the end, it is up to each individual to decide for themselves and base their decision on either a tiny sample of failed tanks or the thousands of tanks that haven't had issues...
 
Yes, it is.
It has been, and will continue to be the highest priority focus detail regarding QB quality.

Two things that I hope people will keep in mind while discussing this issue. (And before anyone accuses me of down playing any issue they might have had, I am not. Just stating facts that should be be kept in mind by those that are interested in the subject)

QB kits have been available for a loooong time (first one was delivered sometime in 1994/1995 time frame I think). That coupled with the fact that the average completion time of even a QB kit is a few years, makes it clear that an issue that someone encounters recently, can be in tanks that were completed many years ago.

A sample count of 20 in a poll, out of 500+ QB kits produced (just a guess, it is probably double that or more), is not in any way going to give a reasonable indication of what the leak rate in QB fuel tanks is. That coupled with the fact that in the world of the internet, anyone that has ever had a problem with something is always willing to talk about it to anyone that will listen..... those that were totally pleased with something, rarely say anything.

Let me be one of those who speak positively about the QB tanks. I purchased two separate QB wings (RV7A and 14A) and very pleased with the QB tanks. The paint on a few of the rivets swelled up but no leak. The RV7A is about 10 years old now.
 
500 hours, 5 years no leaks

I received my QB wings December 2012, been flying for 5 years / 500 hours, no leaks :).
 
Let me be one of those who speak positively about the QB tanks. I purchased two separate QB wings (RV7A and 14A) and very pleased with the QB tanks. The paint on a few of the rivets swelled up but no leak. The RV7A is about 10 years old now.

I would not be able to say that I am pleased with the quality having that issue but as other stated, it depends of the level of quality each of us expects or accepts.

My tanks were not built by Van's but were leaking too. A friend of mine with quick built wings has a good dozen of rivets leaking from factory QB wings.
From my perspective, I find it unacceptable.
 
"Apparently, there are a handful of people that have had issues with their QB tanks. How does this number compare to the number that haven't had issues?"

This is what I hoped would be revealed in this poll. Are there a large portion of folks that never had leaks with their QB tanks? I suppose it's impossible to get a real data set. I agree and understand why the upset portion are more vocal, while the satisfied tend to be silent.

Because I have QB tanks, (not yet flying) I wonder if I should open them up before fuel and paint.

I remain an impressed and happy Van's customer overall. I do agree the QB tanks are an area for improvement.
 
I would not be able to say that I am pleased with the quality having that issue but as other stated, it depends of the level of quality each of us expects or accepts.

My tanks were not built by Van's but were leaking too. A friend of mine with quick built wings has a good dozen of rivets leaking from factory QB wings.
From my perspective, I find it unacceptable.
If mine were leaking, I would also be very very unhappy, considering both of my planes were painted prior to flying and it would be harder and a bigger pain to deal with a leaky tank when it is painted.
 
I voted no leak for more than 6 months, but my wings are polished so I don't know if they have the minuscule leaks that cause the paint bubbles which seems like most of the complaints.
 
I voted a leak after 6 months however I will clarify that I have a weeping rivet and a blue stain. I cannot say I am losing much fuel but I cleaned the stain with mouse milk and injected green loctite at the rivet which seems to have done the trick. 560 hours.
 
Yes, it is.
It has been, and will continue to be the highest priority focus detail regarding QB quality.

That coupled with the fact that the average completion time of even a QB kit is a few years, makes it clear that an issue that someone encounters recently, can be in tanks that were completed many years ago.

A sample count of 20 in a poll, out of 500+ QB kits produced (just a guess, it is probably double that or more), is not in any way going to give a reasonable indication of what the leak rate in QB fuel tanks is.

Well that's fair dinkum. What has Vans found from sold and delivered QB kits that had leaks? I would doubt that's it's anywhere near 50% but is 20% considered acceptable? If the leaks aren't found for a period of years due to the completion time frame, does that come into play as far as to whether or not Vans accepts that the quality is sub-standard? I know what Vans told me about my leaks and frankly, it was down-played based on time. I didn't complain earlier because I didn't build my -10 and I (rightfully) assumed Vans wouldn't do anything about it.

-Marc
 
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Well that's fair dinkum. What has Vans found from sold and delivered QB kits that had leaks? I would doubt that's it's anywhere near 50% but is 20% considered acceptable? If the leaks aren't found for a period of years due to the completion time frame, does that come into play as far as to whether or not Vans accepts that the quality is sub-standard? I know what Vans told me about my leaks and frankly, it was down-played based on time. I didn't complain earlier because I didn't build my -10 and I (rightfully) assumed Vans wouldn't do anything about it.

-Marc

That is a huge number, but at the time of this post, there are 18 leaks reported in the poll. A 20% leak rate would be a drastic production failure rate in any business, but I haven't seen what data that number is based on.

The build quality of my tanks appears to be very good. I've inspected with a borescope internally and performed pressure tests with no issues noted.
 
That is a huge number, but at the time of this post, there are 18 leaks reported in the poll. A 20% leak rate would be a drastic production failure rate in any business, but I haven't seen what data that number is based on.

The build quality of my tanks appears to be very good. I've inspected with a borescope internally and performed pressure tests with no issues noted.

I'm thinking that not everyone that has experienced a leak is on this forum or participated in this poll. It's possible that there are builders who contacted Vans directly, and Vans would be in the best position to calc the failure rate, which could be even higher. Regardless I feel the sample is high enough that is should be addressed. It won't help me but it might help another builder/buyer.

-Marc
 
This thread is from a while back and I’m wondering if Van’s has communicated what actual steps they’ve taken to reduce the tank leakage problem. In my mind, for the extra $$$$ paid for QB, the tanks should absolutely not leak.
 
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