New van has been built!

[Grahamh]

Spoke to the dealer today who tells me that our new Elddis rolled off the production line today
Now do I get the stuff I need (battery, mover, hitchlock etc) from the dealer who offers a 10% discount or do I search the web?
Pick up the van on 1st March; it will be delivered to the dealer about 10 days before that.
Roll on spring.

 

[Mikaroony]

Looks like you have got a good year ahead. What elddis have you bought?

 

[Raywood]

Spoke to the dealer today who tells me that our new Elddis rolled off the production line today
Now do I get the stuff I need (battery, mover, hitchlock etc) from the dealer who offers a 10% discount or do I search the web?
Pick up the van on 1st March; it will be delivered to the dealer about 10 days before that.
Roll on spring.

Check the price of what you need at the dealers and then compare with the web. You need to add towing mirrors and water and waste carriers to your list pluis gas.

 

[otherclive]

See my posts in General about the difficulty of returning web batteries. The are under 'battery company gone bust'.

 

[Surfer]

We used Tayna batteries and they were a pleasure to deal with and prompt delivery. Most of our stuff was bought of www.preloved.co.uk and we paid excellent prices and saved a fortune. The only thing we bought new was our Ventura porch awning and the dealer knocked off 10%.

 

[otherclive]

I had no problem with the delivery, not sure it would come under the definition of 'a pleasure'..... But have you had occasion to return a battery?

 

[RichL812]

We ordered our new van at the show to get the show deal of a 'free' solar panel and chose the Elddis Crusader Super Scirocco with privacy glass and wrap round seating. Got a call from the dealer confirming she is due to be delivered to the dealer today and that I should be able to collect on Saturday once the new mover has been fitted.

So spent the day yesterday emptying out and cleaning from top to bottom inside and out our 2009 Elddis Crusader Aurora until she gleams - she is in perfect condition and will be sad to see her go.

Dealer and Elddis have been top notch so far! Roll on Saturday!!

 

[Grahamh]

Had a van until last July so have most of what we need already. Gave up on the last one as just couldn't keep the water out. That was a factor in choosing the Elddis (with the water ingress warranty). The hitch lock is different so need that + battery and mover. Can't decide on the mover. Had a bad experience with purpleline though I realise they are the most reasonably priced. Awning is the same size as the old van. The dealer (Wiltshire Caravans) is having an anniversary sale with 10% off everything. They have been great - I would have not bought a new van had it not been for them; changed my opinion of dealers; but, as usual the internet is still cheaper. I am aware of the snag of returning items bought on the web tho. Dealer will price match most things tho - as I said I am impressed with them.
we opted for an Xplore 530, the last van had a fixed bed which we hated. Seems a lifetime since we last went on a trip.

 

[otherclive]

Looks a very good specification. Just reading the Eldiss website for the 530 it seems to show two MTPLM with the higher giving. Payload of 261 kg. do you have to order the higher MTPLM version at new or could a later owner have it officially upgraded by Eldiss. One reason we have hung onto our S5 Bordeaux is that it has Payload of 250kg with a Shipping Length of 7m and MTPLM of 1400kg so could be towed by a smaller car if we so decided. Looks like Eldiss have identified a market gap.

 

[Grahamh]

The higher MTPLM comes as a free upgrade. We opted for that. The rear washroom seems huge compared to our last van. One of the things we noticed in the last couple of years was how pitch fees are soaring so we thought this would enable us to use CL's more. We tend to go on one long trip during late spring to europe but wanted to use the van more in summer. The high pitch fees are a problem. Have lots of plans for the coming season

 

[otherclive]

What a sensible approach by Eldiss, wish all makers would do likewise. With a full 250kg payload calculated in the 'old way' we can live comfortably. How families get by on some of the low payloads on offer defeats me. Although looking at what comes out of vans and how full front lockers are I suspect many still overload the van without knowing. I guess Eldiss free upgrade is like ours was on the S5 there was a heavier van in the range which used the same tyres chassis and running gear so there were no physical changes required although I did upgrade tyres to a higher LI.

 

[Grahamh]

I am going to get this one weighed at my local weighbridge. I think I was guilty of being overloaded with the last van but it used to tow like a dream. I am also going to buy a noseweight gauge - no more using the bathroom scales.
it's great sitting in front of the fire with the map planning our spring trip to Italy/France

 

[Surfer]

I am going to get this one weighed at my local weighbridge. I think I was guilty of being overloaded with the last van but it used to tow like a dream. I am also going to buy a noseweight gauge - no more using the bathroom scales.
it's great sitting in front of the fire with the map planning our spring trip to Italy/France

We have bought the Milenco calibrated guage and used it for the first time yesterday when we went to collect the caravan from the dealership. Noseweight was 120kgs. After moving stuff around we were able to get it down to 100kgs however we put a few items further back than we would like to in order to achieve the correct noseweight.
Did not want to faff around too much as it was freezing cold outside yesterday. Luckily we did not have far to tow and it towed like a dream!

 

[Grahamh]

Just been reading a thread on another forum about how inaccurate noseweight gauges are when checked against bathroom scales - as much as 15 Kgs out. My cars max noseweight is 75 but always towed best when about 65Kgs. I want to get a second gas bottle(calorlite) so we can do without hookup on CLs etc. The lighting on new van is all LED so should be easy for short trips.