Swift build issues
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We picked up our brand new Swift Vouge 580 Sb from a dealer in Swindon,after being showed how everything worked we towed it home. Our first week away in it we started to discover problems,blind over bed would not close,bathroom door would jam shut,the top fridge grill on the outside fell off,the door would`nt shut properly,the lights flashed when the taps were turned off,some of the cub board doors were loose and not lined up,trim around the table unstuck and worse of all (after a couple of days of using the caravan) water running over the floor by the cooker that turned out to be the waste pipe from the sink was not connected properly and was told by the dealer that the pipe was to short. and the carpets were ruined.
We returned the caravan to the dealer to be fixed and after 2 weeks we went to pick it up and i was not happy with the work that they had done. Under the sink in the cupboard the simply cut the lino out with a Stanley knife to dry the floor and put the bit of lino back and ran some sealant around the outside. The dealer said that that was all they could do. When i got the caravan home i checked under the cupboard in the bedroom with my damp meter and i got a very high reading of damp so i took the caravan back to the dealer again and was told that because my damp meter was not -industry standard the would`nt accept my readings so they checked it with there damp meter and got a reading of 17%,i then asked the dealer to use the prongs on the damp meter as i had done with mine but he said Swift would not accept reading with prongs pressed into the floor because the lino gave a false reading so i pressed the prongs from the dealers damp meter into the floor and got a reading of 29% and the dealer sill said it was within limits. This is still on going and Swift have not committed yet and i have told Swift and the dealer that i want a replacement caravan or a refund because i did`nt buy a brand new caravan so i could have damp in the floor. I would be interested to hear from other people if they have had the same problems and were do i go from here.
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Our Swift challenger 2011 580 had many faults including warped wardrobe doors,2 faulty fridges, damp everywhere it eventually had to be returned to swift to be resealedthis ,after numerous visits to the dealer who sold us the caravan to rectify faults.
We liked the layout of the 2011 580 Challenger ,but after so many problems with the damp we decided to exchange it for a 2017 Conquerer.
While the damp problem seems to have been resolved with this Conquerer model,the bed with the wedge is a nuisance and is difficult to get around at night ,the aquaroll does not fit in the front locker, front cupboards not opening, and faulty cupboard handles, we think our Challenger was a better design.
We thought that the end bathroom would be more roomy than the side bathroom, but it isn't any more user friendly and has a flimsy sliding door.
The alde heating is up for debate, probably a more even heat,but no blow air to dry towels, wet coats etc.
Grey Graceland fabric is easily marked,and needs careful use.
Upright fridge is good, but shelves very flimsy and need care when re moving for cleaning.
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Any reason why you dumped one Swift due to issues and went straight in for another?
i would have thought a wide berth?
the thing is, the latest upholstery can be quite appealing and it's the surface impression that sells a lot of (darn right ropey) vans...
yes, Swift have lots of 'brochure cachet' but underneath it all...?
did you look at other brands...including continental ones?
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We have a Swift Challenger 514 2013 which we bought in 2015, the van in many respects has improved compared with previous van a 2006 ACE Tristar however this later van has suffered a failed ALKO axle which cost nearly £1000 to replace which was not covered by warranty, and the latest problem is damp under OSF window again not covered by warranty despite Swift advertising a 10 year water ingress warranty.
They got out of this because I serviced the van myself and this invalidated the warranty.
This repair cost £600, unfortunately they are not at all interested in customer loyalty and we as consumers just put up with it.
I have just sent this reply to Swift talk;
You obviously did not read my email correctly, a dealer in Essex did a warranty repair on this caravan before I purchased it in 2014, it was then less than 2 years old when we purchased it from Glossop Caravans, you advertise a 10 year warranty on new caravans against water ingress.
Why do you suggest I take it back to a Dealer in Essex who gives a 12 month warranty when the repair was carried out in 2014 ?
Annual servicing has nothing to do with water ingress, its about manufacturing new caravans that are poorly constructed.
Your industry is lacking in good practice, in the motor industry its a restrictive practice to insist that vehicles are serviced by an authorised Dealer and has been for about 15 years.
Its just a way of not honouring warranty commitments, the 10 year water ingress warranty is not worth anything, and then there is the ALKO axle issue which everyone apart from Bailey is ignoring.
The problem here is that a customer who bought the first Swift product in 1993 is treated with contempt, don't worry we wont buy another Swift Group product but the problem is the whole market treats customers all the same.
We have just bought a Willerby static caravan, we were considering a Swift static but the worktop edging was peeling off and other trim pieces were poorly fitted so we went for the Willerby.
I think its totally disappointing that you are not interested in any customer loyalty, we intend to carry on with a touring caravan as well as the static but I wont replace our existing caravan with a Swift Group product because we have been disappointed with your response and persistent quality issues.
Customers wont for ever tolerate poor customer service from Swift or its dealers, they will in some cases either give up with touring caravans or statics altogether or buy another brand, probably made outside the UK.
Its obvious from your response that you are not at all interested in repeat business !
Swift spend lots of money advertising your products but don't recognise existing customers are their best recommendation.Richard & Linda Elliott
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We bought a new Swift Elegance in 2016 and had a total of 19 faults. All were minor but some kept repeating. The most common ones were screws dropping out allowing drawers to collapse even though they were lightly loaded, also the oven came loose. I then started to glue the drawer runners in situ which worked. Then the sliding rack for tins etc came unscrewed, even though it was empty. The screws are concealed by a wood panel that slides with the rack and I expected to be able to unclip the slide runners but found no clips. On checking with the dealer he said the oven would have to come out to reach the rear screws. The problem seems to be that the screws/rawl plugs go into a coated chipboard which appears to be too soft to retain the screws when they are carrying any load. I needed a tool kit and had to fix things just about every trip. We got rid of it and won't but a Swift again. I appreciate that others will be happy with theirs as most brands have good and bad examples.
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Bought our first caravan for 15 years a Lunar Cosmos, too many problems to mention including major problems with water ingress, would never buy another Lunar. Successfully rejected, replaced with a Swift - so far so good. Buying a new caravan is a total lottery
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Ordered a new Sterling 580 from NEC with a dealer not too close from home, big mistake. Week after collecting van in 2017, we noticed the inside roof / ceiling was delaminating. Hole in back panel from a over tightened screw from inside piercing a hole externally. Trying to talk with the supplier was frustrating. Swift wanted the caravan back to solve the problems. They offered to patch the roof, resulting in loosing the strength in that area and filling and painting the hole in the rear panel. I totally refused the caravan back. We finally had a replacement only to find the front skylight window was cracked with some sort of reinforcement tape over to reinforce the area. I insisted this was replaced. Gaps around doors not correct, drawers not level on there runners. Really not happy with the quality and service we have received.
Would I buy another Swift - No
i keep wondering who brought the original Sterling Eccles 580 July 2017 with the repairs on the ceiling and back panel.
regards
Bryan
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I bought my swift brand new in 2010. Yes there have been a few niggling issues, but no more than I would expect towing a tin box along our disgraceful roads.
The most serious fault which was found at the first service was damp in the door of the toilet cassette. This was changed under warranty without quibble.
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Have had our 2018 Challenger 580 for about 4 months, some issues. Non we would change the caravan for but most just shouldn't be there these days.
- Faults and Issues Listed in no particular order
- The day after getting it home we found the front locker misaligned and fowling and chaffing on body and front window when opened or closed. Took it straight back and fixed by dealer.
- Aspire 2 grill very low power plus after being lit it may go out within a minute or so as it is warming up. Waiting for fix for flame going out but low heat is according to Thetford the way it was designed so lump it or wait 20 minutes for your breakfast sausages.
- Dometic fridge door wouldn't open in hot weather, found door dropped stopping latch releasing, fixed myself by inserting split fibre washer spacers at lower hinge to raise door.
- Fridge door ajar warning coming on with door fully shut, self fix by moving latch body out a few millimeters so micro switch triggered correctly
- Use of water pump may cause some lights to flicker on until pump stops.
- Alde gas burner noisy but only when operating heating.Its OK just heating water, not the central heating pump which is very quiet. Awaiting dealer investigation.
- Knob of sliding washroom door fowls and damages trim as it strikes body panel. Fixed by putting self adhesive furniture protectors on both panels affected.
- No privacy lock on washroom door. That's the way it is and that's the way it stays according to Swift.
- Aspire 2 cooker hob pan support comes out of rubber supports when traveling. Awaiting fix by dealer.
- Front window support screws came loose in body and some screws not gripping.
- Dometic fridge doesn't keep cool in weather above 26°
- Control panel gives incorrect information about battery status, shows 250MA current draw as 2.5amp on control panel. Awaiting dealer, probable tweak to settings of control panel.
- If dimable lights under the control of the Swift app switching the awning light on at the control panel sets dimable lights to 50% brightness no matter what they were set to by the app.
- Front locker door latch felt strange locking, another self fix by securing loose handle lock tongue screw with loctite.
NOW why we like the van
General build is pretty good
When it rains hard the GRP roof is much quieter than an alloy roof.
The Alde heating is fast warming up and very quiet on 240 volts, leaves no cold spots in the van.
Although heavier than our Lunar Quasar 544 it is more stable towing plus we are getting a couple more MPG.
Good insulation in windy conditions with no draughts felt.
Very secure looking door lock
Fitted Alarm, Tracker and Solar panel0 -
Well this thread has filled me with confidence
Picked up our first ever 'van a couple of weeks back - 2007 Swift Charisma - and heading off on our first trip later this month. Anticipating the worst.....0 -
Bought my only brand new caravan at the end of 1992, a Coachman 350/2. After just three years the front and back panels had degraded so badly that if you blew on them the bits were falling off. It came from a reputable dealer but even they would only offer me 2/5ths of what I originally paid for it. Do I really want to buy new again? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........
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I have read with interest about the issues with Caravans, I have just cancelled my order for the Buccaneer Cruiser after reading all the horror stories of cheap build and major leaks and that on a £35K caravan? Most of the poor comments came from the Buccaneer owners group....
the fact that you have to take pot luck on a caravan no matter what the make is shocking....
im really at a loss of what to do now, we had our hearts set on the Buccaneer Cruiser but it seems that it’s the worse build quality of all the Caravans particularly with the major leaks they have 😕. I liked the Coachman but it just felt a little too traditional for me...will look at the Swift Elegance 845 Grande...anyone have any issues with them?
as for dealers, I was advised to use a good dealer as I would need him...however they are all good when you are buying....it’s only after you find out what they are really like.
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