Only brand new one I’ve had was a S5 Bailey fro Chipping Sudbury caravans and I didn’t have it checked, although we took our time on handover. But the van never gave any problems, and it was Chipping Sudbury who discovered the front and rear panel cracks in years 2 and 3 and they handled everything. Other than that in 9 years ownership it was our best van ever.
Not sure if it counts, but we had an AWS technician thoroughly check our previous 2016 caravan when it was about 10 months old due to numerous faults. We were shocked at the report and everything was pointed out to us.
Condition:
The caravan is in good condition throughout showing little wear and tear, with the caravan having had replacement front and rear panels fitted. This is evident from the uneven application of sealant to be seen at the edges of the awning rails along the edge of these panels, not something found on caravans from the factory.
Notable faults/Damage:
The front outer windows do not appear to have had the rubber seals refitted correctly causing the window catch to pinch the rubber and stop it from sealing completely. The upper window/skylight has been sealed back in using both white and black sealant with messy edges easily in view when sitting or standing inside the caravan. This window also has a small crack coming into view from behind some of the sealant at the bottom. The headlining appears to have been caught and damaged by something sharp. There are cracks coming up from the NS bottom corner of the front panel, one around 4-5 inches the other over a foot long.
Conclusion:
With the caravan not being a year old yet all work should be completed under warranty which I believe the front and rear panels have been. However I feel that the quality of the work in replacing these may not be up to manufacturer’s finish or standards; I would also be concerned with the window seals not meeting the window properly and the cracked window/skylight. The front panel cracking does not appear to be from an impact and looks to be more from the stresses applied it from the rest of the caravan, meaning this should be covered by warranty.
A slight curvature noticeable where the front panel meets the side panel may be inducing more stress than it was designed for.
The caravan was rejected a month later!
I dought that we shall ever buy a new caravan again, due to our age and Mrs H's back. But it does seem strange NOT, to have a damp report on a new caravan, it should be standard on a PDI check. What is on a PDI check sheet, I have had two new Coachman caravans and never had a "Tick" sheet.
I doubt a damp report would be of a lot of use on a new model unless it had been stood outside for some considerable time, as the damp on just built models may not have had time to show up.
Hi,
This is not to say that the UK manufacturers should not to be held to account for the problems most new owners seem to have, or the lack of dealer support to fix any problems. However it seems the US RV products don't seem to be any better or may be worse.
See here
for an example.
However on reflection most UK built caravans chassis are built in the EU !!!!!!!!!!!!
Strangely enough there’s a post today where a 18 year old caravan has a fractured front end frame similar to the one shown in the front page of your video. Sadly the owner is on holiday in France.
What on earth though your comment on built in the EU beats me. What that’s got to do with chassis failures isn’t really relevant, as anyway chassis failure on caravans thankfully seems to be rare.
The chassis shown isn’t a chassis as I know it. It looks like a simple front end unit. Al-ko chassis are of course a series of components, like a Meccano put together by the caravan manufacturer for the particular model. Note the cross section does not look very rigid compared to an Al-ko. I’ve had B&B chassis and Peak years ago. I have no worries my Al-ko will go the same way as the video🤞🤞
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DD, i hope you mean that your chassis will not go the same way.
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