Very Rookie caravanners need help!!!.

[jowales215]

Hi,
Very rookie caravanner! We bought second hand Bailey Scorpio Avergne 1993 last weekend, problem with left indicator but assumed bulb so bought it anyway.

We were hitched up and ready to go today for a weekend away and no towing lights at all... Local caravan repair looked at it and 12v fuses in board had melted, problem with connections to towing lights, tyres 14 yrs old... No, we diidn't think of checking any of these!

It is going in for a full service, all fuses needs replacing, work out why the lights aren't working, and get everything sorted. It looks like the van hasn't ever been serviced... Thinking about what the previous owners said they have overloaded everything 12 v wise with an inverter which might have caused the electrical issues... Also what about chassis issues?
Just trying to get an idea on cost to sort this out from anyone who has these sort of problems...

And no we didn't think of any of this as I said total rookies, but grateful for any advic e

 

[Robtel]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Not personally experienced the problems you have encountered with your electrics so can't give any indication of cost. The tyres you should be able to source from any of your local tyre outlets, just make sure they are suitable for a caravan. I've read of a few people using one of the mobile tyre fitters that will come out and supply and fit new tyres at your home, they seem to be competitive price wise with other suppliers. I would suggest you consider having the wheels balanced, not something that has always been routinely done with caravans.
You are doing the right thing in having the van serviced, they should give you an idea of what needs done and cost of work.
You might be able to tackle some of the work yourself depending on what needs done, though strongly recommend leaving anything to do with gas to some one qualified. Let us know what the results of the service are, there are a good few people on here with experience in doing repairs so good advice to be had. Hopefully Damien ( one of the moderators) will come along, he is a mobile caravan engineer and will give good advice.

 

[Parksy]

Hello, welcome to the forum and to touring caravan ownership.
You have done exactly the right thing in booking your caravan in for a service where it can be checked over and any issues sorted out or highlighted for future attention.
The most expensive items are probably going to be the tyres from what you've written ,but you can't put a price on safety and the gas and electrics will be tested and remedial work done with your agreement.
Things like 12v fuses are not particularly expensive and the road lights might be simply a poor earth connection or loose wiring hopefully.
Please let us know how the work progresses, and when it's done you'll be able to enjoy using your caravan with the knowledge that it's safe and roadworthy, good luck and happy caravanning

 

[tenpole]

Rather than Halfrauds try ebay for fuses and get a few just for a couple of quid.

 

[Dustydog]

Welcome to the forum. .
As Parksy says you have taken the correct action to safeguard your welfare and investment.
Tyres are not too expensive.Just be certain you buy the correct load rated ones suitable for the caravan.
The engineer will do a thorough check and repairs where needed (with your ok) on all the chassis, water ,gas and 12v and 230v electrics items plus appliances and damp testing.
I paid £220 for a full annual service on my twin axle with our local..mobile engineer.God luck and please let us know how you get on

 

[Parksy]

Rather than Halfrauds try ebay for fuses and get a few just for a couple of quid.

Any motor accessory shop or even larger supermarkets will sell things like automotive fuses.
I deliberately provided the link for one of the most expensive retail outlets because Jowales was asking about the possible cost of repairs and servicing.
I was trying to demonstrate that the fuses are not too expensive even from a place where the mark up is significant.

 

[Dustydog]

Rather than Halfrauds try ebay for fuses and get a few just for a couple of quid.

Any motor accessory shop or even larger supermarkets will sell things like automotive fuses.
I deliberately provided the link for one of the most expensive retail outlets because Jowales was asking about the possible cost of repairs and servicing.
I was trying to demonstrate that the fuses are not too expensive even from a place where the mark up is significant.

£7.99 for 100 assorted fuses looks good to me. Less than 8 pence each

 

[Raywood]

Have to agree that you are doing the right thing in getting it serviced and checked over. The lights should be something simple like corroded connections and easy to fix but it needs investigating.
For tyres I would have them replaced on the spot as 14 year old tyres must be at best very dubious and I would not want to go anywhere with those. We have used e tyres who were very helpful and competitive. They coud be undercut by a small amount but probably no more than the fuel needed to tow to a ttyre depot where room might be tight and manouvering tricky.
Hope it all works out.

 

[jowales215]

Thank you everyone, we aren't able to get it booked in until the 16th to get it sorted, will keep you posted..

 

[pensioner]

Before my caravanning days I used to ride a very large trike, and was a member of a club dedicated to that make.

We were allowed to have display lighting for show days,a sight never to be forgotten, and the company I used to buy all my wiring needs from was " Vehicle Wiring Products" who are based in Derbyshire.

They'll send you a catalogue on request and you can get EVERYTHING you'll ever need for any wiring job.

I built many harnesses for many of the bikers, and they're still glowing brightly to this day.

 

[Woodentop]

Can I recommend Just Tyres for your replacements. They do a good range - I got Avon AV4 van tyres and they are magic.

When looking for tyre sizes note the following:-
The tyre may be 175/70R13 96N

175 is the tread width in mm
70 is the profile - the height of the tyre wall as a percentage of the width. If there is no oblique and number, i.e. it is 175R13 then if a tyre web site insists on a profile enter /80 which means a full sized tyre.
13 is the size of the rim in inches.
96 is the load rating. DO NOT get a tyre with a lower rating but one with a higher rating is no loss except on cost. Ratings are now often of the form L102/100 which means 102 rating for single axle or 100 rating for twin axle. 96 is 710Kg and each unit increase or decrease is 20Kg to 750Kg at rating 98. Rating 99 is 775Kg and each unit step thereafter is 25Kg.
N is the speed rating 87mph or 140Kph with each letter increment (in the alphabet) is an increase of 10Kph. The most common speed rating is R or 106mph - granted you will never go that fast but it is just the way the tyre trade works.
You will find the ratings on
http://www.blackcircles.com/general/speedrating

Good luck.