Hi everyone
I have a 2009 Coachman VIP 545/4 which I tow with my Land Rover Discovery 3. It gets a lot of use and goes annually and sometime bi-annually on a European trip taking in such places as the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.
I have had no issues with the caravan but a few with the chassis.
About 5 years ago I had to have the front horizontal damper securing bolt (there are 2 fixing the damper cylinder to the V shaped damper frame) replaced as it had broken. It had to be replaced again 18 months ago, and again at the last service. My service engineer told me to cut the weight down as much as possible in the front locker, which I did by putting as much as I could apart from 2 calor lite 6KG bottles in the rear of my Disco when travelling.
I recently had an issue with the Trailer Control led light failing and replaced it myself. However I notice that again the bolt had bent and split in the middle. My service engineer has been and replaced it. I examined the old bolt and it appears to have rubbed against something as there are signs of the thread being worn away over about 1/2 inch.
I also note that of the 2 folded pieces of metal welded onto the front of the A frame members (they are each a vertical folded piece of metal welded front and back onto the inside of the end of the A frame (beneath the V shaped damper holding unit)) 1 has come completely unwelded and the other has come unwelded at the front.
Finally, I note that the V shaped damper unit has a small hairline crack across the metal immediately in front of each of the front bolt holes.
My service engineer said that it might be a good idea to get these cracks and the two brackets welded as a further precaution.
I would be very interested if any chassis experts could say what is going on please. It is, to say the least, very alarming.
I've attached 2 photos, one showing one of the small hairline cracks, and the second showing one of the two brackets I am referring to which were welding into the ends of the A frame on manufacture. It is the bracket seen through the gap between the 2 pieces of metal circled in red. The one in the photo has come adrift at the front but is still attached at the rear.
I feel it is worth mentioning a problem I had with this van from new in that every time I slowed down fast it would give my towcar a massive thump up the rear. About 15 months ago when the van was service by a mobile engineer, he did something to the brakes which meant this didn't happen again, and indeed, I thought it was probably causing the broken damper retaining bolts, but apparently not! I also had to have a new rear cross member on my Land Rover when they were recalled about 6 years ago due to excessive play in the removeable tow bar slot. It was replaced with a fixed tow bar.
I have a 2009 Coachman VIP 545/4 which I tow with my Land Rover Discovery 3. It gets a lot of use and goes annually and sometime bi-annually on a European trip taking in such places as the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.
I have had no issues with the caravan but a few with the chassis.
About 5 years ago I had to have the front horizontal damper securing bolt (there are 2 fixing the damper cylinder to the V shaped damper frame) replaced as it had broken. It had to be replaced again 18 months ago, and again at the last service. My service engineer told me to cut the weight down as much as possible in the front locker, which I did by putting as much as I could apart from 2 calor lite 6KG bottles in the rear of my Disco when travelling.
I recently had an issue with the Trailer Control led light failing and replaced it myself. However I notice that again the bolt had bent and split in the middle. My service engineer has been and replaced it. I examined the old bolt and it appears to have rubbed against something as there are signs of the thread being worn away over about 1/2 inch.
I also note that of the 2 folded pieces of metal welded onto the front of the A frame members (they are each a vertical folded piece of metal welded front and back onto the inside of the end of the A frame (beneath the V shaped damper holding unit)) 1 has come completely unwelded and the other has come unwelded at the front.
Finally, I note that the V shaped damper unit has a small hairline crack across the metal immediately in front of each of the front bolt holes.
My service engineer said that it might be a good idea to get these cracks and the two brackets welded as a further precaution.
I would be very interested if any chassis experts could say what is going on please. It is, to say the least, very alarming.
I've attached 2 photos, one showing one of the small hairline cracks, and the second showing one of the two brackets I am referring to which were welding into the ends of the A frame on manufacture. It is the bracket seen through the gap between the 2 pieces of metal circled in red. The one in the photo has come adrift at the front but is still attached at the rear.
I feel it is worth mentioning a problem I had with this van from new in that every time I slowed down fast it would give my towcar a massive thump up the rear. About 15 months ago when the van was service by a mobile engineer, he did something to the brakes which meant this didn't happen again, and indeed, I thought it was probably causing the broken damper retaining bolts, but apparently not! I also had to have a new rear cross member on my Land Rover when they were recalled about 6 years ago due to excessive play in the removeable tow bar slot. It was replaced with a fixed tow bar.
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