Coachman build quality
My 4th Coachman (2015 565 VIP) has been by far and away the worst caravan I have ever owned. The Aldi heating system had many faults initially, the front blind fell off, the bedroom concertina door fell out of its runners, the TV aerial has never worked
(it's an Avtex whip aerial), and now I have water ingress! If it hadn't have been for Kimberley Caravans in Nottingham this caravan would be long gone with Coachman struck off as a possible replacement. Has anyone else noticed a dramatic drop in Coachman build
quality?
Comments
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Oxymoron?
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Problem is they try to make vans lighter and cheaper to match the market and unforunately a lot of time lighter means thinner... Coachman were amongst teh heaviest vans with least kit so I guess they ahve to compete with SWIFT etc. and in doing so they
are compromising on quality of both materials and build quality process.We had an Avondale that went the same way, loads of stuff falling off etc. soon after they went bust, have had similar isues with SWIFT...
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I believe all the major volume manufacturers are the same. You might get a good one or it might be bad irrespective of who built it. The very name Coachman implies quality but they're no better or worse than Swift, Elddis, Lunar and Bailey.
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We have a Coachman on order from a dealer who sells only Coachman and Swift. in his opinion Coachman have overtaken Swift on quality and they seem to be selling less Swift now. I hope ours is O. K. The last van, a Venus, was awful and the previous Xplore
not much better and we had damp with it.0 -
I believe all the major volume manufacturers are the same. You might get a good one or it might be bad irrespective of who built it. The very name Coachman implies quality but they're no better or worse than Swift, Elddis, Lunar and Bailey.
The caravan industry is a cottage industry made up of assemblers of poor quality common parts. The volumes are very low for a manufacturer, the 2014 figures were less than 10k units thrown out between the top 5 assemblers. A manufacturer would not throw out such inconsistent quality unless it had a commercial death wish.
It can't be time pressures put upon the assemblers as it takes as long to assemble parts correctly as it does to assemble them badly. It's called TaktTime, a simple metric to measure even by accountants
Until purchasers reject poor quality instead of being fobbed off by those awfully nice assemblers dealers they've been buying from time after time over decades of repeat purchases, there is little incentive to improve.
The post above is a perfect illustration, multiple purchases and hope it improves, madness
Must be too much fat in the prices.
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Last year we looked to buy our 3rd Coachman but found the quality not there anymore. Decided on the Buccaneer Cutter. 1st service some minor problems but time will tell. Hope we've made the right choice. Enjoyed our Coachmans though.
9-5
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Well my 2014 Coachman 565 Pastiche was one of the last of that model year and as such one of the last of the heavyweight Pastiches. From a build quality and dealer PDI perspective it has been very good indeed. Yes the Avtex "Stick" aerial did give me problems
until I paid £9.95 at B&Q and bought a 4G sheild to plug into the back of the TV between the TV itself and the main incoming aerial lead. - Result perfect picture!Yes I did have a problem with the bedroom concertina door but it was rapidly fixed. My main beef (I think put right on the 2015 year) is the fact that the concealed ceiling mood lighting is split between left and right hand sides rather than front & rear.
That means that if the DCOS has gone to bed and I am staying up for a while she ticks like a plastic clock because she has no control over the bedroom lights.Other than that faultless!
TF
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We bought a Coachman Wanderer (dealer special) in 2014 to replace our Elddis which was the worst caravan we had ever owned with many defects. The Elddis was bought from Discover who by the time we got to 1st service when extensive damp found had gone bust.
By the time it was traded in for the Coachman it had been 90% resealed. By contrast the Coachman has now been serviced twice with no damp found and only minor problems with combi boiler and fridge both fixed with only the need for advice from dealer and Truma.
We have had 13 caravans from 7 manufacturers over 40 years some long since defunct and this is probably the best.0 -
Problem is they try to make vans lighter and cheaper to match the market and unforunately a lot of time lighter means thinner... Coachman were amongst teh heaviest vans with least kit so I guess they ahve to compete with SWIFT etc. and in doing so they
are compromising on quality of both materials and build quality process.We had an Avondale that went the same way, loads of stuff falling off etc. soon after they went bust, have had similar isues with SWIFT...
one way of making vans lighter, without compromising on quality, is to make them a little slimmer and/or a little shorter.
this is being done by some manufacturers (mainly MHs) reducing width to 2.12m rather than the 'norm' of 2.35m, roughly 10% smaller...
some are even going the other way and building wider vans at 2.45m....so, something has to give?
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Last year we looked to buy our 3rd Coachman but found the quality not there anymore. Decided on the Buccaneer Cutter. 1st service some minor problems but time will tell. Hope we've made the right choice. Enjoyed our Coachmans though.
9-5
Last year we looked to buy our 3rd Coachman but found the quality not there anymore. Decided on the Buccaneer Cutter. 1st service some minor problems but time will tell. Hope we've made the right choice. Enjoyed our Coachmans though.
9-5
I hope all goes well but if you read PC customer surveys it is possibly not the best choice. Buccaneer came a clear bottom for customer satisfaction just lower than Eldiss and way below Coachman. Eldiss were the only firm below 20% for fault free caravans
again a clear bottom. Having said that if the figures are correct then you are still in with a 75% chance of satisfaction.0 -
Problem is they try to make vans lighter and cheaper to match the market and unforunately a lot of time lighter means thinner... Coachman were amongst teh heaviest vans with least kit so I guess they ahve to compete with SWIFT etc. and in doing so they
are compromising on quality of both materials and build quality process.We had an Avondale that went the same way, loads of stuff falling off etc. soon after they went bust, have had similar isues with SWIFT...
one way of making vans lighter, without compromising on quality, is to make them a little slimmer and/or a little shorter.
this is being done by some manufacturers (mainly MHs) reducing width to 2.12m rather than the 'norm' of 2.35m, roughly 10% smaller...
some are even going the other way and building wider vans at 2.45m....so, something has to give?
Write your comments here...swift did that. Avondale were like coachman more traditional but heavy but they had to move with the market to lighten things up . seems with the new construction swift are now getting heavier again but with engines getting smaller
and cars lighter something will have to give.0 -
Our first ever caravan is a swift challenger sport and we have had numerous problems including three issues of water ingress. Our daughter had similar issues and has now sold the van back to the dealer at quite a large drop in value and given up caravanning. We have considered changing ours having found what we like and don't like about layouts and spec etc. However it seems that all the manufacturers have the same level of quality, so we have decided to stick with the one we have hoping the issues have all surfaced and been resolved. I doubt that we are alone in this, which means the manufacturers are alienating their customers. Not really the aim for long term sales growth of new vans.
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Bluemalaga's post illustrates the belief that all the manufacturers are the same so the purchaser is stuck. If all the manufacturers stick together then they will be fine.
The other point please don't use the phrase water ingress. There are two perfectly acceptable words to describe the problem.
Leak this is when you can see the water coming through a hole
or
Damp this is when the water coming through the hole mentioned above soaks in to the van and is not evidenced by a puddle.
Neither of these is acceptable unlike water ingress Which sounds positively desirable. For example " my caravan has been fitted with water ingress from new. This allows the humidity to maintained at a comfortably high level" Water ingress has been invented by the industry to minimise the problem
Rant over
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Bluemalaga's post illustrates the belief that all the manufacturers are the same so the purchaser is stuck. If all the manufacturers stick together then they will be fine.
The other point please don't use the phrase water ingress. There are two perfectly acceptable words to describe the problem.
Leak this is when you can see the water coming through a hole
or
Damp this is when the water coming through the hole mentioned above soaks in to the van and is not evidenced by a puddle.
Neither of these is acceptable unlike water ingress Which sounds positively desirable. For example " my caravan has been fitted with water ingress from new. This allows the humidity to maintained at a comfortably high level"
Water ingress has been invented by the industry to minimise the problemRant over
Write your comments here...Thanks for the rant Boff, but the oxford dictionary states the following definition for water ingress
NOUN
1[mass noun] The action or fact of going in or entering; the capacity or right of entrance.
Example sentencesSynonyms- 1.1 A place or means of access; an entrance.Example sentencesSynonyms
- 1.2[mass noun] The unwanted introduction of water, foreign bodies, contaminants, etc.
As my van needed the front end rebuilt and all front soft furnishings replaced, I can assure you it definately was unwanted.I would be interested to know what you had fitted, as I have not heard this before.- 1.1 A place or means of access; an entrance.
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Hi all,
We for 16 yrs have enjoyed without problem 7 new German caravans, all from the same dealer. Since returning from France ( 7 yrs ) we decided to exchange our trusted Hymer for a Coachman V.I.P 560/4, compared it tows like I've never experienced ( not good
at all ) it costs 6 mpg more over my Hymer. Today whilst having a 70 ltr tank fitted I've asked my dealer to keep his eye out for a Hymer for me !!0 -
Hi all,
We for 16 yrs have enjoyed without problem 7 new German caravans, all from the same dealer. Since returning from France ( 7 yrs ) we decided to exchange our trusted Hymer for a Coachman V.I.P 560/4, compared it tows like I've never experienced ( not good
at all ) it costs 6 mpg more over my Hymer. Today whilst having a 70 ltr tank fitted I've asked my dealer to keep his eye out for a Hymer for me !!Write your comments here...I have read so many positive comments about German built vans that I have searched the market myself. The problem for us is that only one German manufacturer makes a model with our preferred layout, i.e. 2 berth with end bathroom.
The van in question is a Knaus Starclass 480. However, it is too heavy for us, too long and far too expensive. So now we are back to Coachman. There seems to be a considerable gulf in the design preferences between us Brits and our friends in Holland,
Germany and France. I have just remembered that Adria do in fact make a two berth with end bathroom but they have omitted the front chest in favour of wrap around seating. That is a deal breaker for us, we could not do without the front chest.0 -
My tenpennuth is having had German vans teutonic and brick like build quality when we had a family to consider...now just two of us....took us several years to find a 2 berth replacement ...we managed and settled on a Coachman. It was the ONLY brit van that came close in terms of solidity and build. Every Bailey was like balsa wood and tissue paper....Swift were way too flowery for our taste....Eldiss...well what can you say...awful quality leak like seives and it seems still do. Coachman occasionally have a bummer.....but unless I was able to afford an Airstream it will always be a Coachman at the top of my list. Rarely bettered even by Van masters which are just overpriced .
Tj
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My tenpennuth is having had German vans teutonic and brick like build quality when we had a family to consider...now just two of us....took us several years to find a 2 berth replacement ...we managed and settled on a Coachman. It was the ONLY brit van that
came close in terms of solidity and build. Every Bailey was like balsa wood and tissue paper....Swift were way too flowery for our taste....Eldiss...well what can you say...awful quality leak like seives and it seems still do. Coachman occasionally have a
bummer.....but unless I was able to afford an Airstream it will always be a Coachman at the top of my list. Rarely bettered even by Van masters which are just overpriced .Tj
Write your comments here...Thanks Tj, that is really encouraging for us as we paid the deposit on our Coachman Vision 450 a couple of months ago. Previous vans have been awful. Bailey Orion: poor build. Eldiss Xplore: pooling damp at 12 months old and
very poor build. How Eldiss can say that SOLID construction is so good is beyond us. Our best van so far was a Swift Silhouette, a 1991 model which we loved but basic by the norms of today. Vanmaster just looks like a load of money and weight for no advantage
and their web site gives no indication of the build method. Oneupmanship possibly but based on nothing more than the size of your cheque book.0 -
My tenpennuth is having had German vans teutonic and brick like build quality when we had a family to consider...now just two of us....took us several years to find a 2 berth replacement ...we managed and settled on a Coachman. It was the ONLY brit van that
came close in terms of solidity and build. Every Bailey was like balsa wood and tissue paper....Swift were way too flowery for our taste....Eldiss...well what can you say...awful quality leak like seives and it seems still do. Coachman occasionally have a
bummer.....but unless I was able to afford an Airstream it will always be a Coachman at the top of my list. Rarely bettered even by Van masters which are just overpriced .Tj
Write your comments here...Thanks Tj, that is really encouraging for us as we paid the deposit on our Coachman Vision 450 a couple of months ago. Previous vans have been awful. Bailey Orion: poor build. Eldiss Xplore: pooling damp at 12 months old and
very poor build. How Eldiss can say that SOLID construction is so good is beyond us. Our best van so far was a Swift Silhouette, a 1991 model which we loved but basic by the norms of today. Vanmaster just looks like a load of money and weight for no advantage
and their web site gives no indication of the build method. Oneupmanship possibly but based on nothing more than the size of your cheque book.Oneupmanship is often a sign of a small apendage than a cheque book
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My tenpennuth is having had German vans teutonic and brick like build quality when we had a family to consider...now just two of us....took us several years to find a 2 berth replacement ...we managed and settled on a Coachman. It was the ONLY brit van that came close in terms of solidity and build. Every Bailey was like balsa wood and tissue paper....Swift were way too flowery for our taste....Eldiss...well what can you say...awful quality leak like seives and it seems still do. Coachman occasionally have a bummer.....but unless I was able to afford an Airstream it will always be a Coachman at the top of my list. Rarely bettered even by Van masters which are just overpriced .
Tj
Write your comments here...Thanks Tj, that is really encouraging for us as we paid the deposit on our Coachman Vision 450 a couple of months ago. Previous vans have been awful. Bailey Orion: poor build. Eldiss Xplore: pooling damp at 12 months old and very poor build. How Eldiss can say that SOLID construction is so good is beyond us. Our best van so far was a Swift Silhouette, a 1991 model which we loved but basic by the norms of today. Vanmaster just looks like a load of money and weight for no advantage and their web site gives no indication of the build method. Oneupmanship possibly but based on nothing more than the size of your cheque book.
Write your comments here...So far, I have only seen one Vanmaster on site, and only three airstreams that were travelling together.
The Vanmaster seems so very out of date, but what of the build, are they sny better?
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There was a tiny airstream towed by a Range Rover Sport at Bladon Chains in May when we were there. Seemed awfully cramped for such a pricey caravan.
Have seen airstreams as cafes in lay bys.
Are VanMasters the preserve of travellers rather than tourers, they appear that style.
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Qashqai66
I hope your Coachman Vision 450 is just as good as our Coachman Wanderer 15/2. Same van but a dealer special bought to replace a leaky Elddis in 2014. (See earlier post)
Write your comments here...Sounds good. Looking forward to the Coachman but we have to wait until April/May. We were only just in time when we ordered in October but it was just after the NEC which was on when we were in France. As soon as we came home
with our disastrous Venus we went straight to our nearest Coachman dealer - fifty miles but so far it looks like a good dealership.0
