Battery beware, its probably not what you think.
Battery beware!!
With the current round of caravan shows coming up and many new purchases expected we just thought it would be worth making everyone aware or BEWARE!.
Having been caravanning with single and twin axle vans for the last 20 years we have learnt like everyone else, the many quirks and helpful information about the industry over the years. Firstly we had a second hand van and then were lucky enough to have had 4 new vans.
After a problem with our current battery we were amazed to find out that when you buy a NEW caravan the dealer can fit any age battery into it, so if you buy the cheapest new caravan or the top of the range new van the battery is very likely to have come of another second hand van, we have been informed by our dealer that this is normal practice across the board, not something we were happy to find out.
So if you are planning a new purchase remember to factor into your price a deal on a new battery so you aren’t let down by an unknown age old battery.
Happy caravanning.
Moderator Comment - I think this will be more useful in the discussion area
Comments
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Pretty shocking if that’s commonplace. New is new, you wouldn’t expect to find part-worn tyres. All 12v batteries are date stamped so you can at least check and reject. I guess some of them may have been sitting around for a while unused, but I’d still reject it.
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My last 2 new caravans was supplied without a 12 v battery , used the one from my old van . Was suprised first time as nothing was said and expected it to come with a Battery , but then again didnt come with agas bottle supplied ..
Is this common practise , or is it if you dont ask you dont get !!
Dave
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Afternoon
The fitting of "not new" batteries is nothing new I'm afraid, it's been common practice for a good number of years. Actually as someone has said, some vans are sold without a leisure battery or a gas bottle. The only requirement for any dealer selling a leisure vehicle is to supply an electric hook up lead (any length).
JK
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I cannot see this is industry standard practice. When you order an Eriba/Hymer you have to pay for the battery as it is an extra. You typically order at a cost around £500:-
"Autonomy pack (95 Ah AGM habitation battery, charger with integrated booster)"
Colin
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As it seems the majority of new caravans sold in this country very rarely have a leisure battery fitted as normal I would think if a battery is what the buyer has asked for as part of the deal, I would not be surprised if a used batt is fitted unless you have a piece of paper saying it is new and has a warranty with it
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Presumably they take the battery from vans coming into stock and sell them (good or bad - who knows) to the next or other buyers? Is it just a caravan thing? Leisure battery was included in my used and new MHs and never occurred to me to expect otherwise.
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Agree with Bill, certainly not 'common practice' with the four MH Ive purchased.
in fact, speccing up the 'autonomy' of the van (number/type of batteries, solar system, refillable gas, inverters....next one will no doubt included talks re: lithium, B2B chargers etc) has been part and parcel of the 'deal', alongside which extras will be included (free), which extras will be moved from one van to another (free) and how much will I get off the whole deal...
ok, a caravan might be only a quarter of the price of many a MH these days, but there's no way would I imagine my dealer trying to fob me off with someone else's past it battery....
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I think if I was buying a new caravan and a new battery wasn’t included in the deal I’d tell them where to stick it! Maybe they might be generous and throw in a box of candles!
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There are very,very few new caravans that come with a battery as standard.Buccaneer was one a few years ago but I am not up to date anymore.If a "starter pack" was offered on a pre owned caravan it was standard practice to give pre owned equipment and the customer was advised that this would be the case.If a pack was negotiated for a factory fresh caravan it would be somewhere around £500 retail from the accessory shop so new off the shelf.(but the dealer was giving away a lesser amount due to them buying at trade) so the customer would be better off if they took a £500 discount on the van and then shopped around for the pack!
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You would only get four.
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😂😂😂
However I don’t understand why the OP isn’t taking their existing battery out of their old van and putting it in the new van? If you have been caught out once ok, but surely not again? With all the information available on the internet these days I simply don’t understand anyone not researching before buying such an expensive item. Can’t get excited about it. Caveat emptor.
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Have to say that when I bought a 'new' caravan I did not question the age of the battery. Can't say that I unduly suffered, so may have been lucky.
To me 'New Caravan' does mean that everything is new relating to it.
Is there a case for our club to pursue this point - not only with the manufacturers/sales outlets - but via legal avenues?
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When I bought my first moho at just over a year old, it came with a battery. However, upon plugging it in at home and checking it after about 24 hours, it was practically red-hot. My new acquisition could have gone up in flames. I replaced the battery locally and the dealer reimbursed me without any quibble.
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another common practise is to swap tyres around, take things out the the previous owner left in
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