Dealers and Damp - why don't they check caravans
Damp & rot seem to still be the biggest problem on caravans so why have manufacturers & dealers still not sorted this yet ?
I bought a s/hand caravan from Stowford South Wales last July. They assured me it would be damp checked & was damp free (and all did seem fine) and would be fully serviced before delivery.
After a 2 week wait we collected it - only to find 1 external light not working which they had to fix before we left.
A month later we went to check on it on the storage site only to find extensive damp on the nearside - my damp meter readings 30 - 38 ! so phoned them and they said would have it back in 2-3 weeks to sort it out. They stripped the awning rail & window seal
out & resealed + stripped off the inner wall , dried it out and replaced damaged board and timber with new and assured me all sorted now.
When we finally got it back we were unable to use it for a while due to health problems - went to check a month later ready to go away and found the damp was back almost as bad - so they had to have it back again.
They have been been polite & helpful throughout & do seem to have finally cured the problems now (fingers crossed) but why don't dealers check caravans more thoroughly before selling them ?
And why do caravan designs / construction still lead to so many damp issues. In this day & age why are so many caravans (old & new) still suffering these problems - and why haven't dealers & manufacturers managed to eradicate the problems ?
Surely it's vastly better to cure problems before a customer has to find them and then take a van back to have it rectified ?
This is NOT a complaint about Stowford - ( they have worked hard to resolve the problem) - it's a moan about the Industry in general.
Comments
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Talk about can of worms being opened..... This thread will be an interesting read as it develops! It is a topic that is discussed very frequently on here and as yet no one has the answer, nor is there a single cause of damp ingress that van be resolved with
a single definitive cure-all solution, (or at least not one the industry is responding to!)0 -
Rather than a dealer issue (they're just middlemen) maybe it would be better if the manufacturers themselves solved the issue. None of us would accept it in our home, and on a boat its pretty much a pre-requisite !
So why are caravans any different ?
From everything I hear on the sites I've been to since joining last year, the only certainty I have is ...... thank God I bought a German one
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If you have a joint on the roof it will leak at somtime, the roof should overlap the sides so joint is on the verticle, it is not rocket science, a one piece roof with no joints would be a good start point, next put the joints on the verticle sides away
from the corners about 200mm should do it, then make sure all the rain water off the roof is removed no where near the verticle joints,
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All second hand caravans should be checked by the dealer and damp and other faults rectified. Reputable dealers should do this.
You seem to be the victim of some shoddy service but I cannot say if this one slipped through at an otherwise good dealer or not.
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On the problem off damp in caravans .Its about time the manufacters were made to produce caravans of better quality.The reason caravans leak is because dealers make loads of money repairing them.The caravan clubs should lobby them on behalf off its members.they are quick enough to fill the magazines with glossy new models.We as members pay for the clubs not caravan manufactures.
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In my own view. If dealers did check all caravans for damp, new as well as old,they would not have any for sale.
Agree, I suspect they say they do a "thorough check and damp test" to give buyers confidence but I doubt if much (anything?) is done pre-purchase.
I would take my own damp meter for any van I was strongly considering buying, If any objections then walk away.
Plus make sure a long manufacturer warranty or (at the worst) insurance backed dealer warranty was available although that is a poor substitute.
Agree that higher quality initial production of the bodyshell rather than a focus on "this seasons upholstery colour" would be much better.
The new construction systems introduced over the last few years have had their problems and are not yet fully proven but may be in the future.
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