Caravan Satisfaction Survey

Given the conflict between lighter, eco friendly, cars which people are commonly buying, and our UK caravan manufacturers desire to please and therefore sell to, customers with lighter cars, maybe it’s a case of “you’d better not hope that you get what you wish for”. Of course caravans can be made stronger, if customers are happy with the weight penalty, reduced payload etc. People on this forum complain about poor quality, referring to the good old days when caravans were made from wood and didn’t flex. Well actually they did flex, and laminated composites have enormous strength by comparison. That’s why aeroplanes aren’t built from wood and stringers any more. Far better, I’d say, to concentrate on short lived but internationally sourced components like fridges, windows, taps, heating, toilets, extractor fans etc, Certainly a leaking corner of the caravan shell can be expensive to repair, but how much do readers think a replacement fridge unit costs? Such units are being specified and designed to chill just 20deg below ambient temperature, that’s 12deg in our recent high of 32deg. Did you know that food should be kept at 5 deg to remain safe? These are foreign made components in widespread use across the EU. You want light and cheap, so that’s what the manufacturers provide. Are you really prepared to pay Airstream prices for Airstream quality? Have you any idea what weight of car is needed to tow an Airstream? At the end of the day we’ve got what we paid and asked for - faults and all.

Our heap of crap is the heaviest single axle available in the range, towed initially by a heavy saloon car and now a heavier SUV. The newer version of the saloon car is too light for the caravan, hence a heavier tow car. At no point in the process to buy was lightness or cheapness a factor or specified, it wasn't cheap as the flagship. It was sold as a flagship product with superior materials. It was thrown together same as a cheaper and more expensive, lighter and heavier version down the same circus line. Weight and price have no bearing, inconsistent quality is the issue.

There are no UK manufacturers of caravans. There are UK based assemblers of poor quality common parts masquerading as caravans.

Having seen recent Airstreams since Swift's involvement, I certainly wouldn't call them quality with common poor quality parts as other ranges in the caravan industry. Purchase price is not a measure of quality in the caravan game. 

Poor quality parts can be made anywhere, just as good quality parts can be made consistently, anywhere.

Replacement components from an OEM are priced for sale at a premium, always have been, always will be.  A purely commercial decision. A replacement fridge as your example costs the same or less to produce as the same fridge going straight to the circus line. What it is sold to the end customer for is something different.

Not interested, nor are Swift evidently, in what the repair to the cracked rear panel cost, its under warranty for 10 years. Swift may have built in potential warranty costs over the 10 years, although I seriously doubt it. I suggest they play the odds on people not owning caravans for the full warranty period and limit their exposure in the main to reduced warranty on resales.

After all those awfully nice dealers will do a deal on the next caravan as they always have done in the decades people been buying the latest version in time for the holiday they booked and they'll fix the problems in the time they own it, and the next caravan will have the same problems as they always have as thats wot caravans are like, and people keep buying them and accepting poor quality. Not us, this was the first and last time we bought a heap of crap built by a bunch of cowboys.

My cooked food is served hot, not at 5 degC as you suggest. My ready to eat foodstuffs on the shelf are served at ambient temperature. My ready to eat foodstuffs out of the fridge are served at wotever the temp of the fridge is. Always been safe, unless it honks , walks or is mouldy in which case it goes in the bin, not me 

Didn't ask, or pay for a heap of crap, but thats wot we got.

At the end of the day, it's night 

i see the latest 'innovation' is to produce 8' wide caravans...yes, more living space, even more weight and (I guess) a pain to drive: the report I read suggested a LR Discovery was the minimum 'type of vehicle' required to tow it.

with the need to produce lighter (less powerful?) cars aren't the two things heading in the wrong (opposite) directions?

is a near two tonne caravan where we're heading?

oh, payload a paltry 160kg

I think the 8' wide caravans are out there already, not just the weight factor think of the chaos on the roads of Devon & Cornwall. Personally i dont see what is to be gained from an 8', obviously fittings are going to be heavier, you need a wider table for starters unless you eat off your lap, bigger seat cushions etc, and a tank to tow it

I think it’s a great shame that the market is driven by larger and larger vans with more and more features. Every year we travel to the continent and see many people with 20 year old vans, many with Eribas etc. just enjoying being away, living outdoors and visiting new areas. Yes, there are a few new, large, luxurious outfits but these are in the minority. I think these types of outfits are mainly to be found on Club sites so maybe it’s a bit of a UK thing rather than a general trend.

It was not that many years ago that UK manufacturers were constrained by the width they could build to. As harmonisation with EU rules trickled through they started to build wider caravans. Initially it was to 7.6 wide and now to 8 foot wide. The increase in interior space is significant and also offers the possibility of different layouts. I wonder, if with a lot of people, they go for how the caravan looks and feels first and probably towing comes second. It does seem a bit counter intuitive at the very point in our history that the days of bigger diesel cars seem to be numbered that manufacturers are making bigger vans. Perhaps they are thinking that as towing becomes a bit more difficult in terms of suitable towcars that more people will use seasonal pitches. In that case the extra width will be very welcome?

David 

After 30 years of British built caravans, our last Elddis was the final nail in the coffin. Inside was very comfortable and the layout for us could not  have been better,  but because Elddis had stopped putting timber frames in the roof of the SOLID build,  the van had more twisting in the body shell when on the move, which made every skylight in the van leak. We now have a German built Knaus starclass that we brought new 18 months ago, which has not been fault free,  but the van itself is very well built and solid,  so I may be able to tell you more in a couple of years time.

When Eldiss caravans weigh less than Lunars you do wonder what they have cut out. I do agree they look great when new but given the fact they are consistently bottom of the PC surveys I would be reluctant to buy one although they are still there, unlike Lunar, if you need the guarantee.

The strange thing is that our new Knaus Starclass - at 8' wide, actually has a MIRO 10kg lighter than our previous U3 Barcelona and contrary to BB's assertion above, it has a payload of, not 160kg, but 360kg. I'm still slightly baffled as to how they have done it because the construction - particularly the inside woodwork, looks very solid and not at all like the flimsy UK vans we looked at.

I agree that one has to be careful where it is towed and perhaps the country lanes of Devon and Cornwall aren't ideal - but we can live with that. There are plenty of places to visit with good access and with a bit of good route planning, it so far hasn't been a problem.

And, yes, David - the prospect of using it on a seasonal pitch when we get too old to tow regularly, was at the back of our minds when we bought it.

Hi Hitchglitch.  I especially agree with your last sentence.  Personally, I'd go for a heavier caravan with a decent user payload, that is well built - and built to last.  Perhaps I'm being synical, but I guess it'#s not within a manufacturers interest to make a caravan to last!!  The longer they last the less often we will replace them......  

David