AL KO axle issues
Comments
-
Viatoerm - way back in 2001 we had exactly the same problem with our Swift Alko axle. We noticed a 'lean' and OH measured it (I can't remember now what the difference in gap was but it was very significant). We had only had the van for one trip - and rang the supplying dealer (Barrons at Coppull). They were not a bit interested and suggested we towed it back for them (about sixty miles away) to have a look at - but wouldn't actually confirm that it was safe to do so! So we rang our local Caravan workshop (DIckinsons of Bradford) and they suggested we took it in to them - (about five miles away).
Chris at Dickinsons was great. Chris and his team looked at the van and diagnosed a faulty axle. They were Alko dealers and the axle was removed under warranty and a replacement ordered. When the replacement came it was fitted and they were dumbfounded to see that the leaning problem hadn't been corrected. Chris and the team were all very puzzled and thought the only problem could be the axle but they couldn't understand why the replacement hadn't solved the problem. Even though they weren't Swift dealers at the time they managed to get the technical director of Swift to come out to have a look, as well as the technical guy from Alko. They agreed that the second (replacement) axle was also faulty. We were told it was a problem with the rubber suspension bushes being compressed unevenly and were also told that a whole batch of axles were faulty.After Swift and Alko agreed about the fault (no question of overloading, pothole damage, or other fault) the caravan was put on a low loader and taken down to Alko in the midlands, where the axle was replaced for a second time. This time all measurements showed that the lean had been corrected. We have had no subsequent problems from the axle, but our long-ago experience shows that this has been a problem for many years.
Chris at Dickinsons will still remember the 'leaning Speedbird' as it got talked about a lot at the time, and now we are still asked 'Have you still got the Speedbird' when we go in there! We have!!!
1 -
agree that alko axles are a problem, but also the alko chassis I think are not strong enough. IMO if the chassis was strong enough to take the body panels and the riggers of rough roads then you would eliminate the cracked panel and seal breakdown causing water ingress. when you build a house the most important thing is a good foundation as if not then cracks and subsidence will follow so problems for the future. if the chassis was more substantial then less movement in the body and less problems.
0 -
I recently contacted the club Technical department as I felt the club should help with the ALKO axle issue, this is my email and the clubs reply;
Dear Richard,
Thank you for your email.
The Club is very concerned about the Al-Ko axle failures.
We are currently compiling a list of Member complaints with this issue, with a view to approaching Manufacturers / Al-Ko once a sufficient volume is reached.
We aren't able to take second hand reports from various social media, we need Club Members to contact us directly - technical@camc.com with their Membership Numbers, Make, Model and Year of van so that we can keep track of the complaints.
Hope this helps.
Kind regards,
Giles Starling.
Technical Support Team.
Caravan and Motorhome Club.
East Grinstead House, East Grinstead, RH19 1UA.
T +44 (0)1342 318813
W www.camc.com
Original Message:
From: linda@quorls.co.uk
Sent: 14 November 2018 20:46:04
To: technical@camc.com
Subject: ALKO axle failuresAre you not interested to assist members who have had to pay for axle replacements for which is a design fault, do you not read the posts in the caravan discussions, lots of members are disappointed that nobody is interested in assisting members with this problem, what is the clubs position on assisting members who have a technical issue that is still ignored by the industry but is still a big financial and disappointment issue for owners that are your members.
There are many other quality issues with all makes but this one is safety related, I find it very disappointing that no one in the club comments on any of these issues.
You could compile all these reports and feed back to members the response from manufactures, if you don’t long term you will lose members.
Richard Elliott
1 -
I then submitted a reply;
Giles
Thank you for your reply, my membership no is 19613544 and profile id ric95
You can also contact me by email on; Richard@saabtec.co.uk
We have a swift challenger 514 chassis no SGDST3ESWD0887049 (2013) which we purchased used in 2015 from Glossop Caravans.
In 2016 it had a service and it was reported the axle had failed on the offside of the van and would not be covered under warranty although they did not appear to charge any labour on the invoice which totalled £720, we paid £921.38 including the annual service.
You say you are compiling a list of member complaints, how are you actually doing this ? ,there are at least 240 discussions about this subject on Club Together .
There are strong grounds to believe that this is a major design fault which everyone in the industry is not accepting or admitting any liability, blame is attributed in most cases to the customers overloading the van.
Without some help in compiling some evidence there is little chance of a customer winning a claim and I think you could do something positive to help members.
Unfortunately whilst we like this vans improved features and convenience we have spent more in repairs than all the other 3 vans we have owned since 1993 put together, all of which have been Swift Group products.
The above van has just had a damp repair carried out by Glossop Caravans (£600) and again it was not covered by warranty as we are the second owners, do customers realise that a new van has a more extensive warranty when they buy it than a used van ?
I regret to say the Dealers are not helpful to customer concerns and Swift are not at all interested in customer satisfaction and repeat business, I would also say that I don’t think Swift are any worse than the other manufactures, there does not appear to be any that stand out in terms build quality and customer service based on the discussions on Club Together.
In closing I would like to thank you all who assist running CAMC for members, the sites are great and facilities well maintained, we have been members for 7 years, also members of the CCC for 27 years but prefer using your sites partly because of the ease of booking on line.
We have also enjoyed many continental holidays with a touring caravan, keep up the good work and if there is anything you can do to improve the industry as a whole please do as I think they are decades behind the motor industry and I think long term its potentially detrimental to the club and industry as a whole.
Regards
Richard Elliott
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Richard,
Thank you for your email & for the greater level of detail than your previous correspondence.
I’ve had a look through the reports we’ve had from other Members, and you are only the 2nd Member to report a problem with the axles on Swift Caravans.
There are more reports from other Manufacturers, but there doesn’t seem to be a standard response from dealers or Al-Ko themselves so far.
Some Members / Customers are being advised by their dealers / Al-Ko that the van was overloaded whilst in transit, which explains the axle failure on their particular van.
Whilst this is foreseeable given the poultry user payloads on most of the modern vans.
For example, the user payload on your van is 150kgs, which seems quite alot on the face of it, but when you consider that the motormover (40kgs), the battery (15kgs) and 1 gas bottle (15kgs) is coming out of that, leaves you with just 80kgs for the awning (poles & canvas), the water carriers, security devices etc.
Then you also need to add in all your personal items – clothing, bedding, pots & pans, crockery & cutlery, chairs, bbqs, chairs, windbreaks etc.
I’m sorry to hear that you feel that the dealer network / Al-Ko are unapproachable / unresponsive to customer / Members complaints, we are always striving to hold them to account wherever possible, which is why we need individual Members to report their own caravan issues individually, rather than on social media collectively.
The trouble with social media (Club Together, Facebook, Twitter etc), is that you normally get the same few people getting involved in a discussion & commenting time & time again, so it is impossible to build up an accurate reflection of the extent of the problem.
I hope that I’ve gone some way to answer all your questions & to provide you with an insight into the process ahead.
Kind regards,
Giles Starling
Technical Services
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The ball appears to be in our court, lets give some accurate feed back about this issue !
1 -
If the Club is serious about this, they could run an article asking for members problems via a prominent feature within the monthly magazine, but I doubt it will ever happen.
The 'Club' is now a limited company and has vested interest in promoting caravan industry products, above that of looking after the interests of members.
0 -
ric95. I have to disagree with your comment ---"The above van has just had a damp repair carried out by Glossop Caravans (£600) and again it was not covered by warranty as we are the second owners, do customers realise that a new van has a more extensive warranty when they buy it than a used van ?"
My caravan was bought second hand and the warranty was transfered by the manufacturer after paying a small fee and new floor replaced last year and now water ingress in bedroom ceiling and all covered by the warranty.
0 -
We have had exactly the same happen to our bailey unicorn 3 had new axle fitted last year after 2nd service picked up the problem now just been in for 3rd service and needs complete new brakes drums pads and disks brakes squeeled since new axle was fitted so obviously done some damage totally fed up with it all just lucky Alko have footed the bill
1 -
Sorry to hear that, I know how disappointing it is. Please report your experience to the club technical department, they are compiling members complaints. You could also copy DVSA stressing the safety aspects if you feel inclined. It might push manufacturers in the right direction for the future.
0 -
Very interesting, is the Caravan Club now investigating and supporting members who have had issues?
Our Bailey S4’s axle failed after just 9 months and unfortunately we were over weight and had to pay for replacement. I’ve always been suspicious that the axle was faulty as we’d used the caravan only twice and the remaining time it had been in storage with the legs down.
There’s other issues that make me feel that there’s a more fundamental issue with our caravan, there were significant gaps in the front panel when delivered and I reported, they were filled with filler. Now the rear panel has a significant gap which the dealer is yet again suggesting adhesive and filler.
Not at all impressed with our S4 Valencia.
0 -
Hi DPH. "Our Bailey S4’s axle failed after just 9 months and unfortunately we were over weight and had to pay for replacement".
We were fortunate. At the end of the summer last year I emptied the van completely - because of a planned knee replacement I wasn't expecting to use it in the autumn so I emptied it for security of the contents (our van is in storage). I've suspected the axle for quite a time and after reading various comments decided to get it checked out. This was done in January, and, as suspected, it needed doing. As the van was empty, the only thing they could say was they suspected the van may have been overloaded at some point. However, because they hs no proof - the van was empty - they replaced it as a measure of goodwill.
The user payload of all these Van's are not suitable for the majority of people. Manufacturers need to take this on board, IMHO, even if it means heavier Van's, ultimately. Just my opinion.
David
0 -
Can I ask a question in relation to these axle failure.Say you axle has a MTPLM of 1510kg. When on a service, they say you caravan is overweight by 11kg i.e. weighing 1521kg. So you are not covered (or cannot prove otherwise) that your van is overweight for any potential axle failure..But if you go just for a chassis upgrade and paying the extra fee in this instance to 1550kg you would be covered for any axle failure.Just by sticking another plate over the other one.How could anyone explain that easily.However the axle has a rating of only 1550kg on the axle plate.
With this, no wonder the caravan industry gets itself in the mess,and people are constantly trying to contact the manufacturer,when all else fails with the dealer.
0
