I've been reading the forum topics and found one stating that to beware of Swift Group vans. After doing a deal on a Abbey Spectrum 540 at last weeks Malvern show I am now a bit concerned. We had a look at all the makes and found the Swift group delivered exactly what we required from a end bath fixed bed design. Are there satisfied Swift owners out there who can give me some reassurance.
Happy Swift Group Owners?
- Thread starter JaneyCapewell
- Start date
Jane
We took delivery of a new Bessacarr van, part of Swift Group, in March this year and were delighted with the quality and standard of finish. The van was immaculate when we picked it up. Whether that was down to the factory or the dealers PDI we will never know.
Because of a house move we haven't used the van as much as we would have wished but we have managed about 30 nights away.
Apart from a minor problem where an external locker would not close securely and needed re-aligning we have not had any problems.
The Bassacarr is loaded with kit, most of it electrical, and so there is plenty of potential for problems but so far so good.
So, don't worry, enjoy the anticipation of your new van and look forward to all the good times you will have.
Have fun,
Clarky.
We took delivery of a new Bessacarr van, part of Swift Group, in March this year and were delighted with the quality and standard of finish. The van was immaculate when we picked it up. Whether that was down to the factory or the dealers PDI we will never know.
Because of a house move we haven't used the van as much as we would have wished but we have managed about 30 nights away.
Apart from a minor problem where an external locker would not close securely and needed re-aligning we have not had any problems.
The Bassacarr is loaded with kit, most of it electrical, and so there is plenty of potential for problems but so far so good.
So, don't worry, enjoy the anticipation of your new van and look forward to all the good times you will have.
Have fun,
Clarky.
Hi. Picked up a new bessacarr 2006 model in Jan this year, has been back and forward to the dealers ever since, back in again tomorrow. I have had 8 new vans, 7 swift and 1 Coachman, which was the one before the bessacarr. Without doubt the Coachman was easily the best and it also came out top in the CC survey last year. The Coachman unfortunately do not do a layout like the 540 or I would be changing tomorrow. I am currently in discussions with the swift group regarding my van. I was a very loyal swift customer but after my current experience this has been really tested.
We bought a Ace Award 18 months ago, brand new. Had nothing but problems with it. Everytime we took it out it had another problem. It has been back to the dealership for warranty work so many times that we are on 'name' terms. We have now decided to get rid of it and buy from another group completely. We certainly won't buy a Swift van again EVER!
Thanks everyone for replying - not too reassured, though we have until Feb before new van and we are going to the NEC show later in the month - maybe we carry on looking
Hi. We bought a new Swift Charisma 535 in May, we had three weeks in France and seven weekends away and have not had a problem. We are very satisfied with our lovely van and would definitely buy another.
Are these problems mainly confined to 'new' models?? I bought a 6-7 year old Swift Allouette Azzura. The van is in 'as new ' condition, and its been to France(twice),Italy,Belguim as well as all over the Uk. Everything seems to be as it should,
Gavin.
Gavin.
New Bessacarr 2006 NO PROBLEMS, I don't think you can make up your mind from Forum members views. What might me OK for us may be a major problem to someone else.
The Cigar Lighter on the new Roller keeps playing up, talked to Rolls about it under warranty, but they just said tough.
Never Never buy a Rolls Royce see what I mean.
Val & Frank
The Cigar Lighter on the new Roller keeps playing up, talked to Rolls about it under warranty, but they just said tough.
Never Never buy a Rolls Royce see what I mean.
Val & Frank
It was probably my posting that you read regarding the appaling build qulity of my 2005 ace?.
I stand by everything i posted it was the worst built most unreliable van i have ever owned, it spent more time in the dealers having new cupboard hinges and doors and shelves fitted along with the window that fell out on the motorway as it had been forced in to its mount which had broken at the factory but was still dispatched to the dealer and the main door that was out of line and leaked rain in through to the outside locker doors that never closed properly and then the roof that sank to a level that meant the bathroom door hit the ceiling and my wife could not get out of the bathroom without me lifting the roof, they "fixed" this by shaving off the top of the bathroom door?.
Needless to say the van has gone and we now own a high quality coachman again thank god.
I stand by everything i posted it was the worst built most unreliable van i have ever owned, it spent more time in the dealers having new cupboard hinges and doors and shelves fitted along with the window that fell out on the motorway as it had been forced in to its mount which had broken at the factory but was still dispatched to the dealer and the main door that was out of line and leaked rain in through to the outside locker doors that never closed properly and then the roof that sank to a level that meant the bathroom door hit the ceiling and my wife could not get out of the bathroom without me lifting the roof, they "fixed" this by shaving off the top of the bathroom door?.
Needless to say the van has gone and we now own a high quality coachman again thank god.
On our second Abbey van, and on the whole very pleased with both. the first one was 3 years old when traded it in 2 weeks ago for a new one. Some wear and tear showing which was a bit disappointing as it wasnt used too much.
As Frank said to some this could of been a major problem t some but to us not as we were trading it in within the 3 years anyway!
the build quality looks better on the new Vogue range
Kevin H
As Frank said to some this could of been a major problem t some but to us not as we were trading it in within the 3 years anyway!
the build quality looks better on the new Vogue range
Kevin H
Damian
Moderator
- Mar 14, 2005
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We have an AbbeyGTS Vogue 420, bought new in 2005, and it is a brilliant van in every respect.
Only had one problem with it, caused by the makers, they stapled through the mains cable to the water heater, but Truma sent a new element complete with correct plug and detailed instructions on how to fit it, for free, otherwise it would have meant a costly boat trip back to the dealer.
Only had one problem with it, caused by the makers, they stapled through the mains cable to the water heater, but Truma sent a new element complete with correct plug and detailed instructions on how to fit it, for free, otherwise it would have meant a costly boat trip back to the dealer.
Interesting to read Ann's posting regarding her Award. I bought a 2006 Award Brightstar in June at a very good price as 2007 vans are on their way.
I am really pleased with it, everything works and as far as I can see the finish and detail are very good. I travelled 3000km in France and Germany and it towed like a dream behind a diesel CRV.
Perhaps I have been incredibly lucky but I have bought an 1991 Elddis Hurricane, a 1997 Bailey Pageant, a 2000 Herald Magnum ( Compass) all new and have never had any faults with them - ovens, fridges, water heaters etc have never let me down and none have had damp.
What does this prove, nothing I suspect. It's surprising that a bad van is exactly that. Why do bought in items like fridges, water heaters etc prove troublesome in one particular van? Is it just a coincidence?
I am really pleased with it, everything works and as far as I can see the finish and detail are very good. I travelled 3000km in France and Germany and it towed like a dream behind a diesel CRV.
Perhaps I have been incredibly lucky but I have bought an 1991 Elddis Hurricane, a 1997 Bailey Pageant, a 2000 Herald Magnum ( Compass) all new and have never had any faults with them - ovens, fridges, water heaters etc have never let me down and none have had damp.
What does this prove, nothing I suspect. It's surprising that a bad van is exactly that. Why do bought in items like fridges, water heaters etc prove troublesome in one particular van? Is it just a coincidence?
Ray, we had no faults what so ever with any of the third party items, fridge ,oven, water heater, etc, they all worked fine.
I must admit if the van did have one good point it was its towing ability, it was a 27 foot twin axle but it towed superbly, we also did 3000 miles round france and never once had a problem with stability even at 75 mph.
The faults we encountered where all related to cheap components used in the van and very poor attention to detail which resulted in failures on a regular basis. by far and large the worst components where the "new" pre formed plastic cupboards and hinges which only lasted about 3 month before the doors came crashing down on your head again due to hinge wear.
I must admit if the van did have one good point it was its towing ability, it was a 27 foot twin axle but it towed superbly, we also did 3000 miles round france and never once had a problem with stability even at 75 mph.
The faults we encountered where all related to cheap components used in the van and very poor attention to detail which resulted in failures on a regular basis. by far and large the worst components where the "new" pre formed plastic cupboards and hinges which only lasted about 3 month before the doors came crashing down on your head again due to hinge wear.
Icemaker, I am really sorry to hear of the problems, there is nothing worse than what should be a happy retail experience going wrong. It's made even worse if the dealer can not, or will not, sort it out. I can only say that my 2006 Award is, in my opinion, well built but of course I have only had it 3 months so time will tell.
Your van is 2005 and Ann said hers is 18 months old so perhaps ACE got the message and improved things for 2006?
Ray
We were loyal Swift group customers until recently when our 2005 Ace Award spent the majority of the ten months we owned it back at the dealers for warranty work. None of the faults were third party items but down to general poor build quality of the caravan. It was not just the frustration of the faults with the van but the time it took Swift to get parts to the dealer, the worst case being two month for a new bathroom door. In the end we took the financial hit on the van and changed it for a Bailey who it seems unlike Swift know how to look after there customers. I have used the same dealer for a number of years and built up a good relationship with them. They admit that in recent years they are carrying out far more warranty work on Swift group vans which does indicate that build quality has suffered recently.
Hi Richard,
It would be easy to explain why dealers appear to be carrying out more warranty on Swift Group Products. Maybe because they are selling more, or maybe we all complain more now than we used to ??. I don't know the answer just sharing thoughts.
Val & Frank
It would be easy to explain why dealers appear to be carrying out more warranty on Swift Group Products. Maybe because they are selling more, or maybe we all complain more now than we used to ??. I don't know the answer just sharing thoughts.
Val & Frank
Hopefully Ray they will have learnt, unfortunately for me its once bitten twice shy so swift have lost a customer for life. hope your van is reliable as i would not want anyone to have to loose the amount of money we did just to get rid of a van. thanks for your concern, Gary.
Hi Frank, thats a reasonable point we must also remember that the contributors to this forum are only an extremly small percentage of the people who have purchased Swift group vans and without doubt they will be many satisfied customers. I do not think it is not coincidental that the van I had was manufactured around the same time as the vans owned by Icemaker and Anne, this was an extremly productive time for the caravan industry and maybe Swift were paying more attention to meeting market demand than attention to detail in the build quality of there vans. Hopefully this was the case and people who have purchased recently will be happy with there purchases.
Jane
We are very pleased with our new Ace Award Firestar, which is a new model in the range. We have owned the van for 3 months now and used it for abour 20 nights without fault. We exchanged our 2006 Coachman for the ace because we wanted the fixed rear bed, and open space layout the ace has with the 7 ft 6" width which makes a difference. We looked at lots of other makes including Bailey, but in our opinion found the comfort, quality and fittings of the ace to be very good, in some respects better than the coachman and more substantial than bailey vans we look at. Maybe quality control is improving with swift products, but you should not be put off if the layout is right for you.
It also tows very well.
DJP
We are very pleased with our new Ace Award Firestar, which is a new model in the range. We have owned the van for 3 months now and used it for abour 20 nights without fault. We exchanged our 2006 Coachman for the ace because we wanted the fixed rear bed, and open space layout the ace has with the 7 ft 6" width which makes a difference. We looked at lots of other makes including Bailey, but in our opinion found the comfort, quality and fittings of the ace to be very good, in some respects better than the coachman and more substantial than bailey vans we look at. Maybe quality control is improving with swift products, but you should not be put off if the layout is right for you.
It also tows very well.
DJP
DJP, don't know who told you the ace was 7'6' but they where wrong. the ace is 2.29 meters which is 7'5' and the coachman if it was anything other than the amara is 2.24 inches which is only 1/2 inch smaller and as far as i was adviced that difference is in the overall width not the body. obviousley this is only a very small size difference which i doubt anybody would notice, all so cant understand why you say you swapped becouse you wanted the layout? the ace is whats known as a Y layout which is exactely the same as the coachman 530/4 layout which is all so Y layout plus the coachman is 7.26 meters long where the ace is shorter at 7.19 meters.
obviousley i hope you are very happy and have non of the many faults we suffered but personally i would never touch a swift van again, as it was pointed out to me the coachman isnt 131 kgs heavier for no reason. best wishes and enjoy the van.
obviousley i hope you are very happy and have non of the many faults we suffered but personally i would never touch a swift van again, as it was pointed out to me the coachman isnt 131 kgs heavier for no reason. best wishes and enjoy the van.
sorry should be 2.24 meters not inches obviousley. one of the problems with not being able to edit posts.
Icemaker,
The 7'6" width is info gathered on the Ace literature, but the Coachman we previously owned was the Amara 520/4, approx 4" less width. The quality was great, and if we could have lived without a fixed bed we probably would have kept it. Regarding the weights, they are both within a few kilos of each other, with the ace being 25 kilos heavier than our amara, but tow very similar to each other. The Coachman was well finished and we may own another some day, but in our opinion the Ace we brought is equally well made and in some areas slightly better. This is just our thoughts, but each to their own.
The 7'6" width is info gathered on the Ace literature, but the Coachman we previously owned was the Amara 520/4, approx 4" less width. The quality was great, and if we could have lived without a fixed bed we probably would have kept it. Regarding the weights, they are both within a few kilos of each other, with the ace being 25 kilos heavier than our amara, but tow very similar to each other. The Coachman was well finished and we may own another some day, but in our opinion the Ace we brought is equally well made and in some areas slightly better. This is just our thoughts, but each to their own.
before you take delivery check behind the door rubber to make sure the door fixings are fitted correctly and not just hanging on by a thread!
I've bought a new Swift this year and had serious problems with it and lots of inconveniance. Last week I was in the caravan storeage park when a fella came over to have a chat about my Swift and specifically wanted to know about quality issues. He'd agreed the price with the dealers for the Swift he wanted and had gone down to sign the paperwork. So before they signed they wanted to have one last look at the van, anyway it turns out his wife sat on the toilet and the toilet roll holder came off in her hand ! His concerns about quality together with my problems has convined him to look at german vans. I wish I'd done the same !
Hi Jane,
When we were in the UK on holiday last year we purchased a new Ace Jubilee Ambassador and shipped it back to New Zealand. I guess it was a bit of a gamble because returning it for work to be done under warrantee would be somewhat expensive!!!!
However I am very pleased to say that even if we lived next door to Chichester Caravans, from whom we bought it, we wouldn't have had to contact them about any problem!
A great product and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.
When we were in the UK on holiday last year we purchased a new Ace Jubilee Ambassador and shipped it back to New Zealand. I guess it was a bit of a gamble because returning it for work to be done under warrantee would be somewhat expensive!!!!
However I am very pleased to say that even if we lived next door to Chichester Caravans, from whom we bought it, we wouldn't have had to contact them about any problem!
A great product and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.
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