Protec towing jacket

Amberandnectar replied on 15/10/2020 17:03

Posted on 15/10/2020 17:03

Hi, has anyone had any problems with Protec's towing jacket, I purchased one, just after lockdown as my old protec towing cover has seen better days, so I thought I would splash out and buy a new bespoke fitted towing jacket for my caravan.

I have a Bailey Unicorn Valencia, 2013, series 2 I believe. 

Fitting for the first time, reading the instructions, and watching the video's, all went well, looks good......until 30 mins later on the motorway the zip gave out, and opened up to the top. Not much fun trying to remove said cover on the motorway, as the zip had broken. Spoke to protec, who took it back and repaired it. Great...... Second time of using said Jacket about an hour into the journey, we heard a flapping, only to find the bottom of the jacket near the A frame was flapping, after stopping at services, found that the zip had broken again, and flapped so hard that it has worn through the material, and now flapping on the front of my caravan. Sent back yet again, and returned promptly. found all they had done it repaired the zip and put a patch underneath to stop it damaging my caravan. Just been down to fit and no difference. just got email from them, and apparently no more can be done!!!!

Has any one else had problems??

Essgeebee replied on 24/10/2020 12:35

Posted on 24/10/2020 12:35

Very disappointing to read your post as I have just bought a motorhome and am looking to buy a cover for over winter. The Protec website advertises the products as top quality - and their prices are hight -  but it seems that quality isn't always there and after-sales service is not at the level expected of a large company.

Think I will have to check out other forms but of course there is no guarantee they will be any better. The caravan and accessories market here in the UK is a real game of chance.

heddlo replied on 24/10/2020 13:22

Posted on 24/10/2020 13:22

Sorry to hear of your problems.  We have a Protec towing jacket, two years old now, that replaced another front cover that we had from them previously.  Our towing jacket has been great and we have had no problems whatsoever.  Since your cover is coming apart at the bottom of the zip, are you using the strap under the A frame, and also the two clips/hooks on each side that latch onto the bottom of the front panel?  (I’m assuming your jacket is the same design as for our Lunar). Ours has quite a bit of tension across the bottom of the zip, thanks to the two elastic/rubber panels, and we normally need three hands to start the zip.  However, we have had no instance of a zip failure like yours.

We also have a Protec fitted full cover for winter, which again is the 2nd one we have purchased (for different caravans).  We have found their product top quality and the after sales service, when our cover accidentally got ripped by our dealer, was exemplary and we would recommend them.  I hope their latest repair will solve your problem.  

Wanderer19TB replied on 03/11/2020 15:27

Posted on 03/11/2020 15:27

Hi not good news about your towing jacket. I have used the same type of jacket this year on several occasions fitting and taking it off on my own. I fits snuggly and much lower to the a frame than yours. As the other person asked do you use the under a frame strap and the two fixing points on each side. I cannot praise this highly enough, lots of people like specialised covers, but their elite is dearer and I wonder if you can fit it yourself.

Chummy replied on 04/11/2020 15:14

Posted on 04/11/2020 15:14

We ordered a Protec cover for our motorhome in November 2019. We took the van to their works in Bradford so they could measure it themselves. The cover was delivered in January 2020 and, on fitting, we found it a terrible fit. Around the front of the van the cover was significantly too big with an excess of fabric, the flap for the electric hook up was in the wrong place (despite this being specifically measured by Protec) and one of the fasteners for the cross straps was missing. Protec, initially, asked that we mark up the errors on the cover and return it to them for alteration. We said no as if it was still wrong it would become our fault and insisted that they come out to our home to mark and measure it themselves. This they did taking the cover back with them for alteration. It was returned a couple of weeks later. The hook up flap had simply been enlarged and the missing cross strap fastener had been added. However, the excess material to the front had been taken up by adding tucks at either side and whilst the fit was better, it certainly wasn't very good and nothing like the sort of fit shown in Protec's advert. By this time we'd grown tired of the whole experience and so gave up vowing never to buy from Protec again and advising any one who were considering buying from them to think very carefully before doing so. The photographs show the cover as originally delivered with the excess material to the front and the hook up flap in the wrong position such that it cannot be closed if the hook up is being used. 

MDD10 replied on 07/11/2020 17:24

Posted on 04/11/2020 15:14 by Chummy

We ordered a Protec cover for our motorhome in November 2019. We took the van to their works in Bradford so they could measure it themselves. The cover was delivered in January 2020 and, on fitting, we found it a terrible fit. Around the front of the van the cover was significantly too big with an excess of fabric, the flap for the electric hook up was in the wrong place (despite this being specifically measured by Protec) and one of the fasteners for the cross straps was missing. Protec, initially, asked that we mark up the errors on the cover and return it to them for alteration. We said no as if it was still wrong it would become our fault and insisted that they come out to our home to mark and measure it themselves. This they did taking the cover back with them for alteration. It was returned a couple of weeks later. The hook up flap had simply been enlarged and the missing cross strap fastener had been added. However, the excess material to the front had been taken up by adding tucks at either side and whilst the fit was better, it certainly wasn't very good and nothing like the sort of fit shown in Protec's advert. By this time we'd grown tired of the whole experience and so gave up vowing never to buy from Protec again and advising any one who were considering buying from them to think very carefully before doing so. The photographs show the cover as originally delivered with the excess material to the front and the hook up flap in the wrong position such that it cannot be closed if the hook up is being used. 

Posted on 07/11/2020 17:24

That is utterly disgraceful...I previously had a generic cover which fitted far better than that

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