What niggles you about your van?

[PC_5119929]

With fancy water connectors for a variety of plumbing and garden hose application why do we still have silly push on pipes that fall off and pipes that just dangle in waste water carriers.

You would think that some numpty building a van would catch on that water heater switch and pressure switch to jiggle about under a seat/bed is a no brain position.

Who came up with the smart idea of in board water tank that relies on you to switch over to the outside tank. Surely an automatic float switch that pumps in from a reserve tank and an indicator to let you know its time to fill up the reserve is a simple thing to do.

Why no automatic polarity switch over in every van!

Also how about battery running low warning and cut off rather than flat battery if someone leaves the lights on when you are not hooked up to electric.

 

[Jeff-Pontypridd]

Biggest niggle with our 2 y-o Abbey Aventura is the lack of anywhere suitable to hang a rubbish bag. Not even anywhere to place a hook.....

 

[Angela_5076436]

HOOKS - don't start me

Abbey Cardinal 312

Anyone found where you can hang a wet coat/jacket ??

 

[joeby]

3 things on my Indiana - the gas locker light which is at the bottom of the gas locker and gets covered up by anything that gets put in there (why not put it at the top?). Secondly, the method of ascertaining if the on board tank is full i.e. wait for it to overflow (I've added a length of pipe to mine so the overflow goes back into the Aquaroll). Lastly, the instructions for the water valve positions -why not put them by the valves, not on the door flap of the adjoining locker (fortunately, the lable peels off and can be put somewhere sensible).

All the "niggles" mentioned on this posting go towards proving that the people that design 'vans don't live in them.

Bailey have got it right with the water inlet and the outside BBQ point though - both on the non-awning side.

You could have added stooping down to your knees to get under the front locker lid

 

[PC_5119929]

We found some nice stick on hooks in the French DIY stores, you can pull the glue off and they don't leave holes if you want to move them or take them down.

ps. I thought the awning was for wet coats and rubbish bags.

 

[emmerson2]

Like stuart, I've no niggles with my 27 year old Royale.Quality gets it right first time!!

 

[Angela_5076436]

Awning - what awning ?? Don't use one - we are both slightly disabled .

Somehow no matter what we do to the stick on hooks in the bathroom [ the only plce you could put a dripping jacket - they fall off from time to time

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

I bought the self adhesive hooks Angela and put them in the shower cubicle for wet coats - so far so good, they haven't fell off yet. I used to use the rubber sucker ones but they were a waste of time and money.

 

[Angela_5076436]

mebbe it was the heat that keeps making ours fall off

Snag is , we tend to be in France when it's hot but you still need somewhere to hang wet things

 

[san]

HOOKS - don't start me

Abbey Cardinal 312

Anyone found where you can hang a wet coat/jacket ??

hi i put my wet coat in shower till it stops dripping then put fan heater on till dry, hpoe this helps. san

 

[MarcR]

mebbe it was the heat that keeps making ours fall off

Snag is , we tend to be in France when it's hot but you still need somewhere to hang wet things

The only niggles with my compass corana 362 is workmanship, screws not long enough to hold the sink panels in place in the shower room (now replaced and redone the silicone) and the useless status 315 aerial.

Marc

 

[Vic_5039745]

Elddis Avante 482 - the only niggles I have is that access to waste tank of the toilet is on the awning side of the caravan. Would much rather have it on the offside of the 'van.

Another thing, the battery box is far too small when using a 110 amp battery and is much too close to the front of the 'van thereby effecting the noseweight. This is also on the awning side of the 'van.

Finally a really cheap and nasty spare wheel carrier. It rattles and bangs as you go along and unless you get the 'van perfectly sited, it can creak with every footfall in the 'van. Can have the same effect as a dripping tap. Tried fitting the AlKo but because the chassis is BPW, the AlKo won't go. At least that was the scenario when I bought the 'van 2 years ago. Thought I read somewhere that this may have changed......

Any info gratefully received.

Cheers!

Vic

 

[chelsea1]

the lockers above our front chest in our senator, no matter if im cleaning inside the front windows or closing them, i always bang my head on the overhanging lockers.....ouch!

 

[popupJohn]

My van dosnt take me away enough.

Can this be cured?

 

[Maz_5041035]

I bought the self adhesive hooks Angela and put them in the shower cubicle for wet coats - so far so good, they haven't fell off yet. I used to use the rubber sucker ones but they were a waste of time and money.

I've stuck hooks up, mounted on a bit of 2x1 with No More Nails adhesive tape, it's easy to use & hooks haven't fallen off yet!

 

[rob_jax]

We have exactly the same set of problems with our Eriba as Stuart - None

Robert

 

[DavidW1]

Bits that come loose or fall off - all my recent vans have been the same (Swift and Bailey) Every trip or so a screw on a hinge or blind comes loose, last trip it was a front blind which actually fell off when one of the screws came out; trip before that the waste pipe detached from the sink outlet under the hob - right game to get at on site that was.

Cure is a drop of araldite on the screw or pipe before re fixing and they don't come out again but why aren't they built that way in the first place!

Self tappers into chipboard and vibrations from the road wheels do not go together it seems - any body get this too?! Ok not you Rob.

 

[rob_jax]

Hi David,

The tubular steel cage frame in an Eriba makes a major difference to the rigidity of the van, certainly compared to a van made with what I think of as softwood offcuts from B&Q

All the wall cupboards, lockers, appliances, beds and other stuff hang off this frame - the screws and bolts go into the steel frame - and the whole caravan is a reflection of the old "Panzerwagen" days of Mercedes.

Robert

 

[mikeE]

The screws holding drawer handles sometimes loosen in transit. Not always and not always the same drawers - wierd or what ?

Problem is tipping the contents out to tighten them. Araldite idea will be used - great notion ! Thanks.

Mike E

 

[DavidW1]

Another van that would probably be resistant to the dreaded screw loose syndrome, apart from Robs Panzer Wagon, would be the soon to be imported Airstream. They look like they are built like a DC3 or Mustang of WW2 era - incidentally they are so heavy that you would probably need an Aicraft Tug to tow them too!

 

[rayc]

The new, improved Alko in the A frame jockey wheel and the ON or OFF handbrake.

The jockey wheel means you must get the wheel in line prior to hitching up which is a pain if you pull the van towards the car at an angle. The handbrake is a pain if you are on a slight slope, on my previous vans with the button and ratchet type I could opull the handbrake on 4 - 5 clicks and I would have to push or pull against the slightly on brakes to get the van to move. The new handbrake is on or off and basically a 2 person task to move the van on a slope.

 

[rob_jax]

David,

Almost - it was the Eriba that was designed in the 50's by an aircraft designer (Eric Bachem) - and after seeing a part built Eriba in the factory - Junkers or Dornier come to mind.

Eric really did use 1940's aircraft construction techniques - but with several sensible cost reductions - such as using steel tubing for the cage like framework that supports the aluminium panels.

Robert

 

[Val & Frank]

That we don't get for another week or so

Va& Frank