Swift Motorhome - Never Again

Posted on 03/10/2021 09:36 by SeeFarers

The title is emotive and for good reason.  In late 2018 my wife and I, after 40+ years of camping and caravanning, purchased our first new motorhome, a £65k+ Swift Bessacarr 599.  The design and layout suited our desires and we expected it to see us out in our remaining touring time.

Disappointingly issues began within months.  Firstly, the Dometic fridge door shelves broke and we had several sets replaced under warranty before we realised they are not fit for purpose.  The fridge handbook states “Only store heavy objects such as bottles or cans in the refrigerator door, in the vegetable drawer or on the bottom shelf”.  We did indeed store milk cartons, butter and jam etc  and these shelves repeatedly broke.  We now know other owners have had this issue but it has never been overcome.

The awning and solar panel both had attention from Swift travelling engineers to fit additional security.  I understand an awning nearly came off a van travelling on a motorway, so this was a serious safety concern for Swift and perhaps an indication that build standards were not satisfactory.

The 599 model comes with an external, under floor pannier drawer, which was the next issue that became unusable within 18 months.  There is no protection for the drawer runners against road spray and dirt so these became corroded and jammed.  More shocking on a vehicle of this supposed quality was to find the drawer runners are the same type to be found in office filing cabinets, i.e. made of mild steel and guaranteed to rust in a very short time when placed where they are.  It has taken my dealer nearly a year to get replacement runners from Swift.  As an engineer I took it upon myself to fit baffles and stainless steel runners to alleviate the problem.  So far so good but the original design and materials are not fit for purpose.  This feature I believe, is still available on 2022 Swift Kontiki models, the equivalent of mine.

Our shower wall has developed a crack which is still waiting a replacement from Swift after 6 months!  Whilst we realise we are in difficult times, it is small comfort to know we can buy a new Swift motorhome quicker than get warranty parts for ours.

Recently, cracking in the paintwork was discovered on the front nearside wheel arch.  The cause and responsibility of this is still being debated and of course a warranty claim has been submitted by our dealer.

In all, no communication has been received from Swift to explain the appalling delays or apologies for them.  We are terribly disappointed in our new motorhome when we should be proud and happy.  Never again.