Bailey Alu Tec 2

[kevrev219]

Please ignore last posting, I hit the wrong key.
I recently asked about the servicing on the alutec bodies.
I've heard from a non bailey dealer that already Bailey are having trouble with the bodies of these caravans
and that some have been taken back to the factory to be rectifided. Has anyone heard of this or know of anyone who has had problems.
I'm cosidering buying the Olympus 534.

 

[seth1]

Trouble? perhaps a bit like the ones they replaced.Dampness,panels cracking,bad build quality.The bit that baffles me is the retorque procedure,why would the body bolts need to be retorqued periodically?Once yes. Is something stretching(bolt)? Is something giving(adjacent body panels )? hmm.

 

[MikeWild]

Now why would a non Bailey dealer suggest that a rival Manufacturers products might be defective- I wonder!!!! Reading all the comments on forums about problems people have with their caravan/dealer/manufacturer I fail to understand why they keep buying them!!

 

[WatsonJohnG]

It must be hard to understand why people on a caravan forum buy caravans

 

[forestgump]

they said thyey were built on the lorry body type (ie fridge body) but dont see them going back every year for re torck.

 

[jimmy the golfer]

I HAVE RECENTLY RETURNED FROM A 2 WEEK STAY AT THE CARAVAN CLUB SITE AT SOUTHPORT.
DURING MY STAY I SPOKE TO SEVERAL OWNERS OF THE BAILEY PEGASUS MODELS AND THEY ALL SEEMED TO BE HIGHLY SATISFIED WITH THEIR PURCHASE.
CARAVAN DEALERS WILL ALWAYS TALK DOWN OTHER MAKES OF VAN PARTICULARLY IF THEY DO NOT HAVE THAT FRANCHISE. IF THE OLYMPUS IS YOUR CHOICE, GO AHEAD AND BUY IT. I HAVE A BAILEY UNICORN ON ORDER AND HOPE TO TAKE DELIVERY SOON.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

That seems something to shout about

 

[TD42]

Bailey's warrantee recommendation is that on The 3rd service ONLY they recommend that a torque check of the accessable fixing bolts is carried out.This is only required mainly as a a check & as said by them,if a low incidence of retorque is found they may eliminate the requirement from the 3rd year service at a later date in the future.
So this retorque is a once only check at (if my memory serves me right) a total cost inc service of £300 in the 3rd year

 

[forestgump]

what about behind the shower.

 

[xtrailman]

The shower wall is screwed to the wall, just resting on the base, that is the case with the unicorn.

 

[forestgump]

is it the same for olympus shower.

 

[Stephen1956]

I questioned a dealer about the shower being removed andat whoes risk as it would be 3 years old and not as flexible as when new and was told it would be at the owners risk and showers are not cheap that sort of killed my interest there and then but a as I was leaving another sales came over and said its not that bad only the easy to get to bolts inside the centre lockers would be checked and if they were all right the rest would be left, not sure I would be happy paying £300 for half a job.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

That's a good point and one expressed on other forums
But in the conventional construction method as in our California its not possible to do a damp test on the nearside corner as its behind the shower cubicle in just the same way
It seems that if you like the popular rear corner shower then you forfeit any maintenance or damp testing in that area

 

[Damian]

The bolt checking and re torque is not a five minute job,,far from it.
With regard the posting about removal of the shower at the owners risk, that is a load of rubbish,,,the shower is NOT removed.
As for it "only being the bolts in the centre lockers",again that is a load of salesman rubbish.

There are special access panels throughout the van which have to be removed to check the bolting, and that does not include the shower corner, which simply cannot be removed.

As none of the vans have reached the 3 year mark yet,and as Bailey have not trained all the engineers who will be allowed to work on Alu Tech vans, any surmising by dealers and particularly salesmen is just that,supposition,

 

[Dustydog]

I understand from my dealer the retorque test is purely belts and braces. Apparently the Alu-tec underwent severe rigorous testing with no detrimental effects. However with over 8000 units now in the field it makes sense to double check.
It may be useful if someone from Bailey would be kind enough to explain on here the true facts of the matter please and the findings to date..
Since I lost a wheel off the car last year I check both car and caravan wheel nut torques befroe each trip. That doesn't mean there is something inheritantly wrong, just me being over cautious perhaps.

 

[xtrailman]

The bolt checking and re torque is not a five minute job,,far from it.
With regard the posting about removal of the shower at the owners risk, that is a load of rubbish,,,the shower is NOT removed.
As for it "only being the bolts in the centre lockers",again that is a load of salesman rubbish.

There are special access panels throughout the van which have to be removed to check the bolting, and that does not include the shower corner, which simply cannot be removed.

As none of the vans have reached the 3 year mark yet,and as Bailey have not trained all the engineers who will be allowed to work on Alu Tech vans, any surmising by dealers and particularly salesmen is just that,supposition,

Damien
What is your source re the shower not being removed?
The shower in the valencia is not in the corner, the shower wall is NOT sealed to the shower base, so to me it looks like its capable of being removed.

I have not read any post except yours that states the shower is not removed, nor seen any quote from bailey?

As for what a salesman says, forget it, a sales man is trained to look you in the eye and lie, his soul existence is to sell the product, and if it requires telling you what you want to hear, then he will make something up.

 

[Stephen1956]

The bolt checking and re torque is not a five minute job,,far from it.
With regard the posting about removal of the shower at the owners risk, that is a load of rubbish,,,the shower is NOT removed.
As for it "only being the bolts in the centre lockers",again that is a load of salesman rubbish.

There are special access panels throughout the van which have to be removed to check the bolting, and that does not include the shower corner, which simply cannot be removed.

As none of the vans have reached the 3 year mark yet,and as Bailey have not trained all the engineers who will be allowed to work on Alu Tech vans, any surmising by dealers and particularly salesmen is just that,supposition,

Then clearly there has been a lamentable lack of information issued by Bailey not only to the public but to the dealers also, If Bailey responded in a timely profesional manner to the problems voiced over the whole Alu-Tec debacle then many of the threads on Caravan forums would not be so long and damming.

 

[Damian]

Technical Services Manager at Bailey.

 

[xtrailman]

Cheers damian,
Which now begs the question, why isnt the shower fully sealed as of old?

 

[Damian]

Ray, I think you will find that there is an upturn on the shower base which extends upwards behind the front panel, forming a water tight seal as such between the panel and wall, rather than relying on a silicone seal.
This method allows some movement without compromising the waterightness of the shower cubicle.

 

[Royston]

Looking over the 2nd hand Bailey vans at my local dealers,Looks like a lot of owners trade their vans in after 2 years ownership, so the problem of the 3rd year service will not effect them, the problem of the rear bolts only effects the models with the rear showers,easy answer steer well clear of them .
Be curious to see how many caravan owners actually use the internal shower, its amazing how many people shun the use of the kitchen sink, trecking over to the shower block to wash their dishes.

 

[anotherDavid]

We rarely ever wash up in the van as I find it much easier to carry a few dishes to a wash up than carry the water to and from the van. We even get to speak to other campers there sometimes.
Dave

 

[Damian]

Quote "the problem of the rear bolts only "

What problem??????

There is no problem with any of the bolting system that is known about yet.

As the Alu Tech range is, in caravan terms, a new system, the 3rd year bolt checking is to find out IF there is a problem, which should come back with the answer,NO.

 

[xtrailman]

If what you say is correct then why test all the caravans?
Surly a radom FOC check should suffice?

 

[Damian]

Because until they are sure there is no slackening, it makes sense to check every single one of them.