Caravan Satisfaction Survey

Thanks Wildwood. Must remember to keep a look out for the issue.

Each year after it's annual service I post about our flagship (Sterling Continental 570 with the fandango super brilliant materials) heap of crap consisting of common poor quality parts thrown together at the circus at Cottingham.

This years service, it's 4th, saw a cracked rear panel repaired under warranty. A failed pump in the loo was replaced (a common poor quality part from Thetford). Damp was found that requires a warranty replacement of a new battery box and a 3rd battery box door in it's lifetime.

That's over 50 faults requiring replacement of common poor quality parts, refitting of thrown together bits and pieces that have fallen off or failed in service.

The fandango interior doesn't absorb water, thankfully, as we found earlier in the year when the thrown together plumbing in the bathroom dislodged the water pipe connections leading to a flooded bathroom and necessitated disassembly of the washroom cabinetry and panels to get access to put the connections back together and fix the errant bodge undertaken by the clowns at the circus in Cottingham. Not something I expect to have to do on holiday in a flagship caravan to be frank.

Fortunately we have a great dealer who understand my sense of humour when I book 'our heap of crap' in for warranty and service work all too frequently.

In discussion with other owners at BW, who had alerted us to the water pouring from the caravan, we established the 10 year warranty is to give the cowboys at Swift the chance to provide a fit for purpose fault free caravan over the 10 years as clearly they can't or won't bother doing it right first time at the circus.

Despite written assurances from Swift DMD that things would improve, they clearly haven't. A caravan and constructing one is not complicated in the 21st century, there appears not a will to do so on the part of Swift.

Whilst some will doubtless say there are non faulty caravans, the fact is in our experience we have a heap of crap that cost good money and no amount of appeasement will change that fact. It's a lottery. We have the right to express the facts. We accept that we have a heap of crap that will continue to give us issues, its the reality of having foolishly bought a flagship caravan from a cowboy manufacturer, just as people buy a house from cowboy builders. We will continue to use the heap of crap until it is out of warranty as it gives us holidays in place we might not otherwise go to. We won't pass it on to some poor unsuspecting buyer. We won't be pouring good money after bad in buying another caravan after this experience. 

and we are still 

The range of views expressed about caravan reliability clearly demonstrates huge variation in design and manufacture of caravans. Variation is the key characteristic in producing poor quality. 

To those that believe that additional weight of equipment etc is responsible for lighter materials and hence poor quality, you perhaps need to think again.

Good design is inextricably linked with good material choice. Sorry, but I don't feel inclined to let our manufacturers off the hook and agree it's all too difficult. If you can't make what we want, don't promise it! Although, strangely some manufactures can - maybe not near enough to where we live. 

Which of our caravan manufacturers have a nationally recognised quality certification? Car manufacturers use TS 16949, many other industries use ISO 9000 or a version thereof.

The industry will not change overnight if it does not have to. Keep paying them for their output, however good or bad and they will keep doing the same thing. 

So back to the original poster, yes, it is absolutely vital that we as buyers have good information about the good the bad and the ugly. We need fact based information collated objectively so that we as buyers can make an informed purchasing decisions to encourage those manufacturers that have delighted us and those that have not to up their game. Ultimately, money talks!

I have been personally disappointed about the lack of objectivity and detail in some 'surveys'. Maybe we need to devise and publish our own.

You have the more patience than me Keefysher, after 4 years of purgatory we bit the bullet and got rid of our shambles of a Lunar and have now got everything crossed that our Coachman will last us.

Our caravan (not naming the make) is now into its 8th year.  When we first bought it (new) it quickly developed numerous faults, and having to go back to repair water ingress at the front.  Other problems i have rectified myself.  I would not buy another van of the same make and, rather than buy new, I would look for a well serviced and cared for used van where faults had been professionally rectified, or had not developed in the first place.   This would also allow taking advantage of the hefty reduction in value that happens in the first couple of years of depreciation.

I have noticed a lot less complaining from buyers of used vans than from those who bought from new.  There has to be a moral there somewhere.

What’s the point in not naming the make? 🤔

So that I don't get my post removed - have seen it happen before!

I believe you to be mistaken, LT.

Have you not read the many posts slating Swift, Coachman, Lunar, Elddis et al?

Agree with TW, there are any number of complaints regarding different named makes of caravans & M/Hs.

We had four caravans over a period of about 20 years. Three had damp. The first, an Abbey, eventually had to be written off for scrap. A compass had a small area of damp which was repaired. The Bailey Unicorn I have written about frequently so I won’t repeat but was twice back to the factory for damp and after we got rid of it had a further £5000 of damp repairs.

Yes, it should be possible to design a “dry” caravan, however, I am not sure it is that simple. People will know that boat equipment is very expensive due to the harsh environment. Well, caravans are subject to a difficult environment. EXAMPLE:

Our motorhome has a Daewoo microwave, approximate cost £50. It’s packed up. Is that surprising? Well, it’s been shaken, and bumped for 10,000 miles and it’s not designed for that. If it was even possible to buy a microwave that would be guaranteed to survive that treatment for 15 years (say) what would it cost? £500? Now apply a factor of 5 - 10 to every item of equipment and accessory in the motorhome. Cost of vehicle £150,000 perhaps?

We all want light weight, luxurious interiors at affordable prices. Something has to give!