Ripped Off!

Aug 6, 2006
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Hi, this is my first post, unfortunatley not a happy one. Earlier this week we had been loking for a caravan around £1000. At this price I knew that they would be a bit tatty and would have shown signs of damp but as long as it was not to bad I could live with it. Anyway we went to look at a van that was described as been a 1992 Fleetwood Colchester, it looked a bit old on the outside but inside it really was in good nick, none of the peeling lacquer and missing catches that we had seen on other vans, and the floor had been laid with a vinyl wood effect. The front of the van had obviously had some water ingress this had been repaired. Anyway deal done at £850 CASH! So I get it home and put it on the drive. So the next day I have a good look at it and noticed the tyre had a nice groove in the sidewall where it had been rubbing on the arch, upon further investigation the bracket holding it to the chassis has cracked. So not disheartened I phone around some breakers to be told that I would need to measure the distance between the back of the drums etc, so whilst doing this I noticed a large rotten part of the floor underneath the front locker! Ok now I start worrying. On to the next job, why is there no running water? Obviously because the previous owner decided to cut all the wiring to the water pump. So after re-wiring the taps etc (a very simple job actually) I turn on the kitchen tap, pump starts but no water, although I can hear it running. When I checked outside it had been gushing from the drain hole for the heater, so I attempt to screw it in and yep it snaps, but judging by the cooler of the water that was coming out I very much doubt it would work anyway. So back to the electrics, I noticed that the Zig unit would click after been on for about an hour and 12 volts would go to the battery, but its is not charging the battery so I suspect this is duff to. Anyway spoke to the person that sold it to me and made him aware of the problems and aksed what he would like to do about it, he has basically said that the van was fine when he last used it a year ago and that he had pointed this out when we looked at it, plus as it was sold as seen it was up to me to check for any problems before purchasing, so without resorting to legal help and the costs that go along without there is not really much I can do.

So there you have it, to any potential caravanners looking for a cheap van look at at it VERY closely and make sure you see everything working.

Any ideas on what to do with the thing that is sat on my drive, I don't mind doing the jobs but don't really want to spend too much more on it, any ideas of costs and where to source the parts particularly the axle.

Regards Simon
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Welcome to the wonderful world of secondhand caravanning and believe me if that's all that's wrong with it you may have something of a bargain!!!

Your suggestion to check and test everything is essential not to be ignored advice for buyers, private sellers are far worse than dealers at acting ignorant of any problems.

If the guy says he's not used it for a year it probably means because he gave up on it. If he says he has no idea how this or that works as he never used it, it definatly means it don't work. If the battery's flat and/or theres no gas to fire things up then again he's hiding something...the list goes on

Hopefully in your case all is not lost, many people have fell into the same trap and found ways to get something out of their purchas.

Much of this knowledge is now on personal websites, if you 'google' the specfic problems you have the internet will find most if not all your solutions and advice where to find the rest. At the very least you will feel better knowing you are far from alone!!
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Hello Simon,

I am sorry that you have found your peach of dael has turned into a lemon.

Sadly my advice wont help you directly, but it may save others from falling foul of your circumstances, and you will probably agree with this now.

A caravan is likely to be the second or third most costly thing you buy. It is not uncommon for a buyer to engage the services of a surveyor to check out a house or the AA/RAC for a car, so why not do the same for a caravan, especially as you are aware of the deterioration that is so common with these trailers.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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There is an obvious thing you can do, Simon but the ethics forbid me from saying. However, could you part ex it at a dealers? It may be cheaper in the long run and the dealers are obliged to fix the van for resale unless they state otherwise.
 
Aug 6, 2006
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Hi, thanks for the input. I decided that I would stick with the van and see if I could make it good. The axle has been sent off to have the bracket repaired, luckily the father in law knows the owner of a fabrication company so I am not getting charged!

The first time it rained I noticed that it had a severe tendency to leak! So I went to work sealing it, the previous owner had simply siliconed over everywhere and not paid any attention to cleaning or removing the old silicone. Anyway with the old silicone removed and the joins cleaned up I sealed everywhere with a clear sanitary silicone, this stuff really bonds well if the areas are clean. The previous owner had decided to use small nails to hold in the rubber sealing strips which had shrunk and gone hard, needless to say water was getting in here. If you have got an older caravan I would highly recommend you replace these, for the sake of 64p per metere and a few hours work it really does transform the look of the van and you can relax in the knowledge that water won't be seeping in through the screws.

The next job was to remove the ceiling where it had water damage, luckily this was confined to inside the overhead lockers at the front right hand side of the van, I just need to source some similar looking roof material and when installed you would never know there was a problem! I have been running a dehumidifier in there and it has really dried the van out, no more nasty smells!

All the gas appliances work including the water heater, I am now just waiting for the shower and once the axle arrives back and is back on I will be off on my first trip with it.

Anyway great forum, I hope to be contributing more in the future.

All the best Simon
 
Aug 19, 2006
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I know this feeling very well! I got my first van last week. It had 'minor damage' where water had lifted the paper by the window, but had not got worse in past two years. Anyway Mr naieve and excited thought the van looked fantastic! Actually better than I expected and I pictured these brilliant forthcomming holidays etc etc. Until I had a close look when I got home! ....The minor damage basically was a rotten front corner of the van plus all along the very lower edge of the side of the van.

Anyway (I'm a carpenter by the way) I've stripped the interior of the van of rotten plywood dryed it all out and am about to refit/refurbish the damaged bits. It really pi***d me off having to do all this, but I know when it's done the van will be sound and I WILL have some great holidays in it!!!! And heres an interesting thing ALL this damage originated from 3 or 4 tiny holes (imagine the holes in the top of a home salt dispenser/cellar) an inch down from the roof on the side wall of the van.
 
Aug 6, 2006
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Hi Phil, I know what you mean by thinking it only has a small amount of damage. When I first started on mine I thought it was just a couple of small patches to do. I have now removed the entire front panel, the wall halfway down the the left side of the van, both seat bases and the front shelf and dividing wall from the front of the van. All this because the front rail over the Windows had lost most of its sealent and the water was basically pouring in through the screws. My advice when buying a new van is if it has a "small" damp patch multiply the scale of damage by 20, if you feel you can fix it go ahead and buy it, if not leave it well alone.
 

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