Complaints about caravan manufacturers
all you ever see on here is people running caravan manufactures down elliddis baileys swift need I go on and saying the Germans are great I've had them all and there are all the same all got problems why run the British vans down the German and American vans are no better in fact some of there designs are terrible just look at some of hymer vans which where designed in the dark brilliant you can have a shower and go to the toilet at the same time who needs a bidet
Comments
-
Every manufacturer says there caravans are the best British German Dutch etc there all have there good and bad points me myself I've had problems with all of them and now only have buccaneers just hope hymer don't design them like there vans in the future
0 -
Ah Banff.....your post has the hallmarks of heated debate bait.......
I note your comments about the various countries caravans and I'm sure there is a little truth in some of them.
For what it's worth my 35 years of caravan owning experience can be measured thus..worst van I ever owned Bailey Series 1 Alutech....absolutely dire in every respect. Full refund obtained after 6 months of ownership. Best van by a country mile was a Burstner S class. Each manufacturer seems to have acquired reputations for poor quality in differing areas. Nuff said about Baileys...very poor build quality still continues to dog them. Swifts seem to have upped their game and are let down by dealers of varying quality. Interestingly Buccaneers and anything Eldiss derived all sadly appear to have flimsy rear walls and roof structures despite the Solid method . I'm sure it stands for something but it isn't anything durable. Like some towcar owners there is no substitute for bhp when towing I believe there is no substitute for mass and durable materials to produce a caravan that is durable and for that reason Lunar are a no-no for me. The ONLY British manufacturer who even approaches the quality of the Burstner is Coachman. There popularity is plain to see. Not many years ago Baileys and Swifts the most numerous vans on site, not any more Coachman are everywhere.
Of course there are going to be other opinions of the above quite rightly so. This is mine. I have no time for people who buy the likes of Baileys and suchlike then moan about them after purchasing them that they wish they hadn't. The horror stories are all over here.
In summary whatever make you choose it's the dealer who ultimately makes the difference to our caravan owning experience.
Tj
1 -
"...the Solid method . I'm sure it stands for something but it isn't anything durable"
SOLID - Soggy or lets in damp ?
4 -
The ONLY British manufacturer who even approaches the quality of the Burstner is Coachman.
While on the whole Coachman produce a quality caravan Their after sales is far from good. My Vip has had a few problems Problem 1 was the day after I took the van home the front locker locks would not unlock, I phoned marquis Preston from where I purchased the caravan they said bring it back now and we will look at it. Luckily I only live 10 mins walk away so took it. They managed to free the locks and ordered 2 new locks, This was 5 april the locks came in July. Problem 2 my upholstery is flattening out, this problem was pointed out to marquis the day I went to get my locks done in July, They took pictures and sent to Coachman and still waiting for a reply. Problem 3 same day again the Key for the locks has come adrift from its housing due to forcing the locks again picture taken and sent to coachman stil waitng for a reply.
0 -
And thats where we as users of the end product,are not helping by expecting a leisure vehicle that has the same build quality of the heavy and expensive of some continental vans ,but with all the latest equipment going but light enough to tow with a ford focus ,and capable of carrying a 2+2 family and all the modern kit that is a must have for going away
0 -
I see the charm school didn't pay off, then.
4 -
'You can take a horse to water' Tinny
1 -
You obviously missed the question mark. I have a vested interest as there is a badge that says "Solid" on the side of my MH.
1 -
I am a little confused, Is this thread about design quality OR build quality or both? If it is about design then any buyer has only themselves to blame if they don’t like the layout. If it is about build quality and/or dealer service that is a different matter however one still has the choice to take ones future business elsewhere.
0 -
l have got 2014 VIP, after 26 months the master control panel LED failed, the dealer ordered one and was fitted 2 months later, When we went for the fitting we told them the 3 front blinds were rather tight, they looked at them and said we will order 3 new ones but stated it would be 6 to 8 weeks. Six weeks later blinds arrived they give a date for fitting which was within a week of the blinds arriving. All fitted and both done under warranty. Can't praise the dealer enough, like someone said their good and bad dealers, ours is good one well done Cheshire Spinney. l thought the time it took was well acceptable. l have no problems with the dealer or Coachman. Won't go their on the other makes l have had or the dealers l used,read into that what you will
0 -
Sometimes you don't find a fault with a layout until its used.
I once bought a caravan with the fold down sink, and the toilet in the washroom, I wouldn't and haven't bought one with that layout since.
After many year caravanning I now know exactly what suits us.
0 -
As has been said many times, people only report bad news. Bailey are the largest UK manufacturers so logic would say that they have the higher number of reported faults (but maybe not the same percentage faults?). Not many people own Hymers so how many faults would you expect to see reported?
In the absence of proper quality surveys it is impossible to draw any conclusions. Forums are not a good way of judging.
Having said that, it seems a pity that generally speaking you have to go to Germany to buy decent domestic appliances and Japan for cars. We have Miele appliances that will go on forever and a Toyota RAV that has NEVER had a mechanical problem in 12 years of ownership. There seem to be far fewer British companies focussing on quality as opposed to features and sexy decals. I suspect some German makes are better constructed but at the cost of extra weight, plus they don’t come cheap. Just speculating.
0 -
Design is a matter of personal choice, therefore it is very much subjective. Build Quality is quantifiable and is therefore objective.
In general, build quality is less of an issue in expensive foreign caravans.------ Those built to a price ( mainly British built vans with all the bells and whistles ) can exhibit many different build quality issues. It's to be expected for the price.
K
0 -
Having owned 6 Hymer brand caravans we ( swmbo) in 2016 decided on a Coachman VIP
Kept it 3mths and accepted a " bidet" model Hymer just to get rid of. In July this year we purchased a new Hymer 580gl. The dealer also sold top of the range Buccaneers for the same price. No brainer !!
0
