Buying a new Swift

[Keefanmaxx]

So, Mrs Keith and I are considering changing the trusty Bailey and have taken a liking to one of the 'dealer special' Challenger 580s

My question is ....
Has anyone owned a Challenger from new and if so were there any problems with it?
We may be travelling a little way to the dealers, so warranty issues could be problem if there are known issues.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Its a sad reflection on the abilities of the UK caravan manufacturers when two consecutive caravans off the same production line can be chalk and cheese in terms of what might be right and wrong. Its fantastic If one customer has a great experience, but there is no guarantee you would have the same experience. Equally a customer with a poor experience does not mean you would also have the same poor experience. Its the luck of the draw, as inconsistency seems to be the only consistent issue.

You must accept the consequences if you do use a remote dealer, as the Manufacturers warranty will you require you to take the caravan to their agent for warranty work and the inconvenience will be yours.

 

[Mel]

Sorry to say this keefanmax, we owned a brand new swift challenger in 2006. First Service: Damp-repaired under warranty. Second service; Damp-repaired under warranty. Third service, guess what, Damp repaired under warranty. There wasn't a fourth service. Changed it.
However, as the Prof says that could have been equally true of any British manufacturer. The next van was an Elddis. Consistently dry as a bone. But others report fault after fault with Elddis.
Not sure that you are going to get any feedback that is going to help you with your decision.
Bon Chance.
Mel

 

[Thingy]

We have now had three Swifts and Three Baileys. Never had a problem with any of the Baileys, our first van a Swift Milano was the same quality. However, our last two vans, both Swift have been disappointing. Most of this stems from the dealer network who across the board appear to be pretty dire as is Swifts customer service. All the niggles with the vans could have been sorted easily, but eventually became a battle.

 

[Martin24]

Swift do have a bit of a reputation at the moment and their customer service tends not to be all it should be. The flip side with all the manufacturers is the odd good one comes out of all stables. It's known as a Wednesday morning model.

With a van from any manufacturer it is more likely that you will have issues than not so I would be very wary about purchasing very far home just incase. Although many vans' warranty work can be carried out at other workshops and dealers, it's a case of whether they want to do the work and you could possibly be turned away.

We purchased away from home (90 miles each way) once but a condition of the sale that we had in writing that if there were any warranty issues the dealer would collect and return the van. There were many issues and the dealer ended up replacing the van with a new model the next year but that's another story.

 

[Keefanmaxx]

Thank you for the replies, the comments are appreciated.
We're looking at the 'van from a dealer about 35 miles from home so not that far considering I take the Bailey just over 20 miles to the dealers for its service and any work.

I'm a realist so do expect that I could get a 'Wednesday' model or at worst a 'Friday afternoon' one. I also recognise that when the orders are stacking up, the factory will want them out the door so finish quality may suffer.

We have lots of questions at the moment and are finding the experience more daunting than when we brought the Bailey, but there's alot more finance involved so we're taking a cautious approach.

 

[Parksy]

When you buy a caravan it's more important to check the reputation of the dealership than of the manufacturer of the caravan, because no one manufacturer stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of quality and after sales service.
Internet forums appear to suggest that all caravans have problems, but this is not a true picture, we only see comments regarding problems but the majority of caravan buyers are presumably happy with their purchase (including myself).
Satisfied customers never add a post to sing the praises of their supplying dealer or manufacturer.
Unfortunately the information available across the internet regarding many aspects of caravan buying tends to be negative, so the handover of your purchase is very important and the overall reputation of the dealers service department (not the dealers sales team or the manufacturers) is what counts.

 

[ProfJohnL]

When you buy a caravan it's more important to check the reputation of the dealership than of the manufacturer of the caravan, because no one manufacturer stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of quality and after sales service.
Internet forums appear to suggest that all caravans have problems, but this is not a true picture, we only see comments regarding problems but the majority of caravan buyers are presumably happy with their purchase (including myself).
Satisfied customers never add a post to sing the praises of their supplying dealer or manufacturer.
Unfortunately the information available across the internet regarding many aspects of caravan buying tends to be negative, so the handover of your purchase is very important and the overall reputation of the dealers service department (not the dealers sales team or the manufacturers) is what counts.

Hello Parksy,

It is certainly the case that problems will always produce more comment than when things go right. But I do have to pick up on on aspect of your contribution. There is a difference between "being happy" and having a fault free caravan.

Sadly the UK caravanning buyers have become preconditioned to the probability that their product will be faulty in some even if it is a very minor way. I would love to read of someone who has purchased a Perfect new caravan and not had any form of failure of some kind in the first couple of years. I of course do not count things like the replenishment of consumables or accidental or wilfull damaged.

I do think you make a good point about the service you receive from the dealer as virtually all caravans will need to have visit to the dealers at a number of points during their life.

Am I being unduly pessimistic? well I don't think so, when you consider the complexity of a caravan compared to that of a car, caravans are way simpler, yet they cost almost as much as a car, and when you look at the number of cars that get returned to dealers for warranty failures, caravans have a much higher return rate. Some may say its unfair to make the comparison, but I believe it shows that if an high tech industry that is really tuned in to its customers, and is exceptionally price conscious (i.e the car industry) can bring failure rates down to such a low level, then really doing the same for the less techy caravan should be a "walk in the park".

I will continue to to keep the pressure up on caravan manufacturers, as they still don't seem see the customer as king.

 

[xtrailman]

I've just got rid of a damp Bailey Unicorn, repaired 3 times for a damp floor, only for it to return at 6 years old, big style.

So now ordered a 2017 Swift Conqueror HT smart model.
I would say that the Swift 2017 smart range is even an improvement on the Alutech construction, as the floor has no wood on the outside to rot, like my Bailey did.

Only wood in the swift smart construction is the interior floor which is around 6 to 8mm thick, Bailey one is around 4mm.
I also had about 40 faults on my Bailey, making it the worst one I've ever had, best was our 1997 Avondale with only 15, last swift i had was in 1992 with 20.

 

[Parksy]

[*]
Hello Parksy,

It is certainly the case that problems will always produce more comment than when things go right. But I do have to pick up on on aspect of your contribution. There is a difference between "being happy" and having a fault free caravan.

Sadly the UK caravanning buyers have become preconditioned to the probability that their product will be faulty in some even if it is a very minor way. I would love to read of someone who has purchased a Perfect new caravan and not had any form of failure of some kind in the first couple of years. I of course do not count things like the replenishment of consumables or accidental or wilfull damaged.

I do think you make a good point about the service you receive from the dealer as virtually all caravans will need to have visit to the dealers at a number of points during their life.
.

Hi Prof
I completely accept the points that you have raised about the caravan manufacturing industry and the apparent lack of consistency in their approach to QA.
It's high time that consumer legislation was adjusted to make manufacturers more directly responsible for their well documented faillings.
Our caravan is approaching ten years old and we bought it from brand new.
The only minor issues that we experienced were caused by a poor pre-delivery inspection from the supplying dealer.
These issues were things like grubby finger marks left by the dealership fitters, a few stray self tapping screws left lying around and neglecting to remove some transit packaging from the heater.
Needless to say, the service manager concerned received a full and frank verbal appraisal from me regarding the slipshod pdi!
As soon as possible I switched to using a reliable mobile approved service engineer to service our caravan, but at least as far as we are concerned our Abbey 620 has exceeded expectations and we are very happy with it.
Buyers need to take a more robust approach when they collect their caravan.
Dealers know that families are excited when they arrive to take delivery and often plan to use the caravan straight away.
Perhaps a better approach might be to be a bit more detached and dispassionate when handover day arrives, to allow time for a thorough detailed inspection and a potential rejection there and then for any issue that comes to light at the time.
As buyers we are too accepting of faults and too easily fobbed off, if everyone took a tougher line dealers and manufacturers would be forced to raise their standards.

 

[Raywood]

The magazines customer survey seems to suggest that you have only between 20 and 30% chance of getting a fault free caravan. Compared with our car that we have just changed that has been completely fault free for four and a half years that figure is very poor. The results show a mixed bag of bad build and poor quality bought in items with all manufacturers having serious problems.
As far as I can see you just have to hope for the best whatever you buy and Sw ift are about average although Sprites do beter than their more expensive siblings.

 

[ProfJohnL]

It's high time that consumer legislation was adjusted to make manufacturers more directly responsible for their well documented faillings.

Sadly that simply won't happen, becasue liability follows the contract chain, and as far a consumers are concerned that will always be the retail seller. Don't forget that in many cases sellers do not purchase directly from manufacturers but from wholesalers and other middle men. Each one of these are equally culpable if they allow faulty goods through their hands

What it needs is for consumers to be more proactive in pursuing the seller when things go wrong.

Where legislation could help would be to make it mandatory that when a customer makes warranty claim, the question about which scheme does the customer want to use, the Consumer's statutory rights or the manufacturers warranty, and if no election is made then it should be assumed the consumers rights take precedence.

By making the seller take a greater risk to their profits, they will take greater care of what they accept from their suppliers, and so on back through the supply chain.

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

Keefanmaxx,

After having a range of Bailey caravans since 2006, some had no issues & some had issues, last year we changed our then Bailey for a Swift 580 sb ALD, we took delivery Jan 2016, yes we had some minor problems, all related to fit & finish, but with the the co-operation from our dealer (whom we've been customers off since the late 1990's) and Swift themselves, ALL the issues were resolved to our satisfaction without fuss or faffing.

As previously stated by another poster, it's all down to how good your dealer is (and of course your relationship with them) and their relationship with the manufacturer.

You have to bear in mind that caravans, cars etc are all designed by humans (and computers, also designed by humans plus the software, need I say more), built by humans with components made by humans! something, somewhere along the line is bound to go wrong! the "perfect" caravan, car, lorry house etc has not ever been built!]

 

[Keefanmaxx]

We have visited the dealer over the weekend to look at what we might be buying and confirm basics like build time, delivery and handover. I've also had telephone and e-mail exchanges with the salesman as we have many questions!! We would intend to see the van before handover so we can check it over for ourselves, which the salesman was ok with as they will need our current van to swap the movers.

Again, thankyou for the replies and honest comments. :cheer:

 

[Keefanmaxx]

So, to update this topic, Mrs Keith and I have gone for it ...... we take delivery of our new Swift Siena Accent on Monday :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

I've taken the trusty Bailey on it's last tow behind the Antara today so our motor movers can be swapped and thoroughly inspected the new van ....... and I mean thoroughly!!!

It's a big investment, but we're now looking forward to lots of new adventures. :cheer:

 

[Martin24]

As you say what could possibly go wrong?

Good luck for Monday, you know the drill when you get there so enjoy and hope all goes well :cheer:

 

[Keefanmaxx]

Hopefully nothing Martin!!

We'll have the van at home for a couple of weekends before the first outing so plenty of time to figure out how it all works ...... I'll even read the instruction manual!!

 

[Icaru5]

Luck you ! - You definitely won't be disappointed, especially with Grantham Caravans.

We bought our first caravan brand new from them in March (Siena 6 TD), and they made the experience a very enjoyable one. We dealt with Richard, and after spending a full day there prior to ordering and then visiting them again at the NEC, we almost felt like part of the family. You don't need to worry at handover time. They had a very polite, helpful, knowledgeable chap waiting to show us all around our van, and nothing was too much trouble. After spending a couple of hours with us, he left us alone and we were encouraged to spend as much time as we liked inspecting the van both inside and out before returning to the office to discuss payment.

As we hitched up and drove off to the local campsite where they had arranged a stay for us, we really felt like we were leaving friends behind. They are a real credit to the industry, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the same great experience. We visited a few local dealerships first of all, but we just weren't feeling the love ! - After broadening our horizons, we made the 5 hour round trip to Grantham and are so glad that we did, and would recommend them to anyone nationwide. Absolutely loving the van too !

 

[Keefanmaxx]

Thank you for the post Icaru5. It's taken 2 months to get to this point and, up to now, we have had good service. All our questions have been answered and they have been patient, especially as we were considering another make at one point. It's a 90 mile round trip for us to Grantham and I was given as long as I wanted to inspect the new van. We're really looking forward to handover now!! :cheer:

 

[Hutch]

Enjoy your new van , and have a good time in it, and hopefully you will have a good first summer in it.

 

[Keefanmaxx]

Bearing in mind the thread running about a caravan being rejected, I thought I'd post something positive ..... as mentioned, Mrs Keith and I have our new van, which we are really pleased with.
Handover was great, everything explained by a very enthusiatic and knowledgeable chap and some minor marks on the body attended too. We also had to have a unit fitted to the van as it has LED lighting and our car didn't like them ..... mainly indicators. This was fitted with no squabbles.

Unfortunately, a part of the habitation door retainer parted company on the way home after collection, which we reported the same day. We also found two scratches on the habitation door window, again reported and evidenced with photos.

I took the van to the dealers Friday morning where thr habitation door retaining magnt was replaced and the scratches polished out. The service staff were really good and looked after me aswell as the van. There was no quarrel from Swift on getting the bits done and they had agreed to replace the whole door if the scratches didn't come out. I was asked to inspect the van by the technician to make sure I would accept the repair.

We then went on to enjoy two nights away and can proudly announce that I think I've mastered the Swift Command panel. Nothing like being on a site to get to grips with it and as a bonus, the van attracted a few admiring glances and interest. :woohoo:

 

[Steve78]

I bought our first and only caravan from Grantham Caravans - a Swift Challenger Sport. I thought I'd chip in to say that the caravan has been faultless, even though we're determined to get our money's worth out of it so have toured Europe and camp throughout the year.

First, I got a cracking deal, beating by a margin anyone else out there, the on Handover, Tim the salesman took the time to explain every little thing while we were actually in the 'van, so that any faults would have been apparent even then. I got some good tips (as a newbie) and Tim installed the gas bottle and battery I'd brought with me.

I have the 'van serviced locally by a main dealer, but earlier in the year, due to a burglary, both sets of keys were stolen. The local dealer was so offhand that I phoned Grantham, and the chap there worked really hard, as did Swift I understand, to get new keys cut from the manufacturer in Germany as quickly as possible.

Grantham has my vote.