Sterling or Coachman
Same old questions on which to buy regarding build quality. We're off to the NEC show next month and are looking at the Sterling Continental and Coachman VIP, (with the new Adria Alpina as a left field option). We've had a 2012 Bailey Valencia and won't
being buying another Bailey due to shoddy finish, water ingress and most of all very poor customer service, (email only). In spending a bucket full of our hard earned we'd like something that's bolted together well and won't fall apart after 5 minutes, (and
play at being a seive). We'd appreciate any of your honest critique on who's getting it right in 2016 and who's not. TIA
Comments
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Well known fact. Hymer's are no good,
Door on the wrong side and only a single window at the front. But take a look at the NEC to see how badly made they are.
Write your comments here...Really????? Door is irelevant what side its on as if yo go abroad it will be N/S UK its O/S but on a pitch it can be anyside... and what difference does 1 or 3 windows make?
Would also lok at Knaus, especially silver edition. http://www.knaus-uk.co.uk/index.html
Main differnece yo will find is build quality Oh and it probably wont leak and fall apart when you use it.
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Our Coachman has been fantastic, getting another excellent damp report during the service this year. It`s a 2007 van and everything is still working and fresh.The only thing that has been replaced is the door catch mechanism on the bathroom door and a tap
seal.I don`t know what Coachman`s customer service is like as I`ve not had any reason to contact them.
There`s also a van show at Romsey this weekend bobrave if you`d like to view some vans prior to the NEC....
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Sorry my tongue was firmly in my cheek. As we are on our third Hymer caravan A 2015 590 GL which comes with the faults I mentioned. Look at one lift the seats to take a look at wiring and piping. You won't see any because it is all run in conduit it is
a tidy well thought out van in our opinion.Others may hate it but the build quality stands comparison with any other van we have looked at. It will go for its first service in a months time and there a couple of niggles that will need sorting, but nothing that has stopped us using it for 70+ nights
in the first year.0 -
you need a big car to tow though they are not light!!
There is no denying this. You will find we more or less every part if there is a standard version and a heavy duty one. It's the heavy duty one that is selected.
Atn Bobrave, if you want to know the good the bad and the ugly about Hymers let me know I will try to be as honest as possible I will set up a disposable email as PM are beond this sites capabilities
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Personally I think getting a good caravan is down to pot luck.
Shouldn't be like this but it seems all manufacturers turn out a percentage of rubbish.
Shame the club appears uninterested.
Bailey get the most stick because they produce more caravans than anyone else.
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Personally I think getting a good caravan is down to pot luck.
Shouldn't be like this but it seems all manufacturers turn out a percentage of rubbish.
Shame the club appears uninterested.
Bailey get the most stick because they produce more caravans than anyone else.
I agree with you upto a point, but I am not sure all manufacturers produce the same precentage of rubbish.
British caravan manufactures suffer from a number of problems
1 Customer perception, there is a push to update models every year so there is not real bed down time. I have just thrown away a
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Sorry I posted prematurely
Personally I think getting a good caravan is down to pot luck.
Shouldn't be like this but it seems all manufacturers turn out a percentage of rubbish.
Shame the club appears uninterested.
Bailey get the most stick because they produce more caravans than anyone else.
I agree with you upto a point, but I am not sure all manufacturers produce the same precentage of rubbish.
British caravan manufactures suffer from a number of problems
Customer perception, there is a push to update models every year so there is not real bed down time. I have just thrown away a load of 2016 brouchures all extolling there perfect 2016 model ranges presumably the 2017 models are even perfecter. I know Bailey
do have longer production runs but trivial changes seemed to be made for the sake of fashion and marketing.Customers also have low expectations so accept shoddy work so there is no incentive for manufacturers to improve.
But the main reason for poor quality is both simple and sad. It is this, on the whole the manufactures are just too small. Let me give a couple of examples Bailey who claim to make the most caravans have a turnover or arround £100million and Coachman £30million.
Obviously it would in the long term be more profitable for a manufacturer to make a van right first time so it doesn't have to go back to the factory or they have pay a dealer for warranty remedial work.
So why don't they do this? The answer is because they can't they are on a treadmill continously producing vans with the same old faults because to get things right would mean stopping or slowing production to get it correct. This long term would improve
profitability but short term would hit cash flow and they are not financially sound enough to cover that gap. People assume that companies go bust because they don't make a profit, what almost invariably sends them over the edge is cash flow the inability
to pay. Wages suppliers etc. So they will continually churnout vans as quickly as they can and the customer and ultimately the manufacturers that suffer.0 -
You might be interested in a new initiative by Bailey. I think it's called Project Aurora. I don't think they are producing caravans yet under this new project but the first motor home has been produced.
It's intended to be a fundamental change to the way they produce caravans/MH's. More of a system change than anything.
I am going to keep an eye on this because at the very least it indicates that Bailey have realised someting is currently wrong and that's a geat start to sorting a problem.
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All makes from wherever they a made will have a few "rogue " ones that slip through,we and others we know have had Bailey's with out the perceived "problems" of some,our latest is built useing their new "Aurora"quality control system,but that cannot pick up "problems with "outside" suppliers mostly now from other than the Uk ,another couple changed to a Coachman last year and now regret it with the problems and unstable tow ,the only upside they say is that the faults (except stability )have been so far ,dealt with quicker than with a large maker, but they think they will not have another, the couple who were pitched across from us have a new Luner that half the heating system still to be sorted as it was "missing " from their van, and as I have mentioned before a German family with a Hymer were taking it back yet again as it had damp ,and bits not fitted correctly
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The main problem IMO is Alaska of QC in the factory and the continual annual push to be different or change. The other issue is dealers failing to carry out the PDI. My van turned up with the wrong window catches, consequently every time we move the catches
came open. After just over a year the floor has delaminated and will have to be changed. Stuff like this must be costing the manufacturers a fortune. The caravan industry is still in the 1970's and it's our fault as we keep buying this garbage0 -
The big issue I had with Bailey wasn't just the poor build quality but the customer service. Our Alu-Tech van suffered minor storm damage. This resulted in it having to go to the factory for a new side panel. The turn around time was about 6 months and we
had to drive to Bristol to collect it, (very inconvenient). Worst of all is that you can't talk to anyone at Bailey. Everything is done by email and replies can take a week. This is not a cottage business way of dealing with issues. It's a faceless company
that put's it's internal systems ahead of it's primary customers needs. For that reason alone I won't buy amother of their caravans.0 -
The big issue I had with Bailey wasn't just the poor build quality but the customer service. Our Alu-Tech van suffered minor storm damage. This resulted in it having to go to the factory for a new side panel. The turn around time was about 6 months and we had to drive to Bristol to collect it, (very inconvenient). Worst of all is that you can't talk to anyone at Bailey. Everything is done by email and replies can take a week. This is not a cottage business way of dealing with issues. It's a faceless company that put's it's internal systems ahead of it's primary customers needs. For that reason alone I won't buy amother of their caravans.
Write your comments here...As your contract for storm damage was with the insurance company? why was it down to you to fetch the van? Who took it to Bailey in first instance?
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The big issue I had with Bailey wasn't just the poor build quality but the customer service. Our Alu-Tech van suffered minor storm damage. This resulted in it having to go to the factory for a new side panel. The turn around time was about 6 months and we
had to drive to Bristol to collect it, (very inconvenient). Worst of all is that you can't talk to anyone at Bailey. Everything is done by email and replies can take a week. This is not a cottage business way of dealing with issues. It's a faceless company
that put's it's internal systems ahead of it's primary customers needs. For that reason alone I won't buy amother of their caravans.Write your comments here...As your contract for storm damage was with the insurance company? why was it down to you to fetch the van? Who took it to Bailey in first instance?
It was paid by the insurance company who wanted to get it repaired locally but all Bailey agents said that it had to go back to the factory for a new side. We had to empty the caravan of everything! and deliver it to our local dealer. The reason that you
can't have it delivered back to the dealer is due to Bailey insisiting on the customer signing the satisfaction note on site. Try and talk to Bailey to discuss/debate any of the points is impossible. You have to communicate by email. Even a call to their receptionist
begging to speak to anyone, the MD, the floor sweeper, anyone, is met with a sympathetic "email only I'm afraid". This is not acceptable in this day and age...under any circumstances.0 -
The big issue I had with Bailey wasn't just the poor build quality but the customer service. Our Alu-Tech van suffered minor storm damage. This resulted in it having to go to the factory for a new side panel. The turn around time was about 6 months and we
had to drive to Bristol to collect it, (very inconvenient). Worst of all is that you can't talk to anyone at Bailey. Everything is done by email and replies can take a week. This is not a cottage business way of dealing with issues. It's a faceless company
that put's it's internal systems ahead of it's primary customers needs. For that reason alone I won't buy amother of their caravans.Write your comments here...As your contract for storm damage was with the insurance company? why was it down to you to fetch the van? Who took it to Bailey in first instance?
It was paid by the insurance company who wanted to get it repaired locally but all Bailey agents said that it had to go back to the factory for a new side. We had to empty the caravan of everything! and deliver it to our local dealer. The reason that you
can't have it delivered back to the dealer is due to Bailey insisiting on the customer signing the satisfaction note on site. Try and talk to Bailey to discuss/debate any of the points is impossible. You have to communicate by email. Even a call to their receptionist
begging to speak to anyone, the MD, the floor sweeper, anyone, is met with a sympathetic "email only I'm afraid". This is not acceptable in this day and age...under any circumstances...I understand now, that is our one gripe about Bailey that they rely on their dealer network to "deal"with things first and even when explained via their "system" will not comunicate any other way , It is something that will be mentioned to them at the
show in October0 -
Back to the original question (sort of) Friends of ours got rid of their coachman for a Bailey Unicorn, because of the problems they had with coachman, I think that this was arround the Truma heating system mainly. With regards to the Sterling, the selling
point is that is a wood free construction. My opinion is it looks like it's made out of cheap plastic, personal opinion and taste. One other observation, if you were considering the transverse bed option I think that the van is too narrow for this to be
practical, again just my impression not neccessarily correct.0 -
Back to the original question (sort of) Friends of ours got rid of their coachman for a Bailey Unicorn, because of the problems they had with coachman, I think that this was arround the Truma heating system mainly. With regards to the Sterling, the selling
point is that is a wood free construction. My opinion is it looks like it's made out of cheap plastic, personal opinion and taste. One other observation, if you were considering the transverse bed option I think that the van is too narrow for this to be
practical, again just my impression not neccessarily correct.Not sure what the problem with the Truma was but you will find it in the Bailey as well. My feeling is many of the failures to sort out problems are due more to dealers who don't want to know or cannot be bothered rather than the manufacturer.
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Several of the vans we have "proded"on dealers forcourts with the transverse bed look fine untill in the night mode when they are extended and there is no room to pass the end of the bed
Our Hymer is 2.4 m wide and in night mode it is a squeeze past the end of the bed In fact the one accessory I would like to see is a heated window blind so I don't get a cold bum squeezing past. The sterling/swift claims to be 2.26m wide or 6" narrower so either the bed's shorter or the gap is smaller I would certainly check if a transverse sterling was on the list To make sure it is practicable for you.
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Several of the vans we have "proded"on dealers forcourts with the transverse bed look fine untill in the night mode when they are extended and there is no room to pass the end of the bed
Our Hymer is 2.4 m wide and in night mode it is a squeeze past the end of the bed In fact the one accessory I would like to see is a heated window blind so I don't get a cold bum squeezing past. The sterling/swift claims to be 2.26m wide or 6" narrower
so either the bed's shorter or the gap is smaller I would certainly check if a transverse sterling was on the list To make sure it is practicable for you.Write your comments here...the trick is to go past with you bump to the bed not winow.
Another thing you will find on foreign vans is bed sizes, they tend to be bigger, but that reflects the size of the van and weight.
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What I've never been able to get my head round is the apparent willingness to spend £15-20K on something and then chop it in after two or three years when the reality is that it will probably have been occupied for less than a year and only have covered
a few thousand miles at most. Must have money to burn. No wonder that manufacturers provide a 'use once and throw away' product.0 -
What I've never been able to get my head round is the apparent willingness to spend £15-20K on something and then chop it in after two or three years when the reality is that it will probably have been occupied for less than a year and only have covered
a few thousand miles at most. Must have money to burn. No wonder that manufacturers provide a 'use once and throw away' product.Write your comments here...I have never understood someone owning the same van for 30 years, each to their own CY.
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What I've never been able to get my head round is the apparent willingness to spend £15-20K on something and then chop it in after two or three years when the reality is that it will probably have been occupied for less than a year and only have covered
a few thousand miles at most. Must have money to burn. No wonder that manufacturers provide a 'use once and throw away' product.I agree I know people who seem to change their vans and cars more often than I change my socks.
What I think is that they never actually own anything its all done on the never never. So when a manufacturer makes that also important change to the colour of the curtains or whatever it costs only a few pounds more on their monthly repayments. Of course
they never stop making those monthly repayments. But as everyone says each to their own.0
