Malibu Spares delivery period

i realise that waiting for spares, from whoever, is one of the joys of the caravan/motorhome trade.

however, while the BBQ point is in the wrong place for a UK 'summer' (sounds like this might well be normal for a continental summer BBQ) im sure this wont be too inconvenient.....for me, if it was so cold i had to close the door, i wouldn't be BBQing....

again, the flyscreen would annoy, but the van is perfectly usable (for the most part, without it.

the BBQ point being sited wrongly is probably a 'communication' problem with the order...the flyscreen might be faulty on any van, just a minor annoyance until replaced.

im not trying to belittle your issues (for any owner, a less than perfect van will grate) but (apart from the long delivery delay) i know what a great PVC this van is (we looked very hard at a Malibu before ending ip with our similar sized Compactline) and you will have years of great use from it.

compared to some other products, you have a (virtually) 'failt free' van.

who was your supplying dealer?

go on, love it....

Posts like this are heresy in some quarters on here 

no, its a real world account of the poor delivery supply chain that blights the whole industry.

however, if the only two issues were the BBP point fitted where the factory would (in lieu of a customer request) and a problem with a fly screen, the van will be in miles better condition than many 'featured' on most forums....

would i put my faith (and cash) in a Carthago PVC (or an Adria, or Hymer, or Knaus etc) over a Swift or Autotrail.....you bet ya.....

 predictable

Did I read this correctly? They fitted a BBQ point inside the van? I appreciate that it is next to the sliding door but it doesn't seem very well thought out. To me an external point is exactly that. If that is the only way a BBQ point can be fitted I would have thought it sensible that the dealer explained that before fitting?

David

Although not ideal, I can actually see the logic of where the BBQ point was sited as it saves another hole through the bodywork.

On lead times, it's hard to believe that it was caused by Fiat rather than Carthago's poor procurement process. If it was Fiat, other converters would have had the same problem.

double post

just responding to your equally predictable (and wholly non constructive as usual) posting...

no manufacturers should be quoting lead times as long as the OP suggests, but these issues (resiting the bbq point and a new flyscreen) shouldnt prevent the customer from using the van, unlike 'features' like damp would...is it the Fiat parts delivery that is the problem?...and we dont know if the van is being used or not....just awaiting a mod?

the BBQ point on the rear panel of the kitchen (which gets exposed when the door is slid open) makes perfect sense on many accounts..

it prevents more bodywork cutting (as above), the pipework for the outlet is 'local' to existing gas supply being 'in' the kitchen, logic suggests that, for the target market (the continent), the sliding door will (for the most part) be open to allow kitchen based food/cutlery/crockery etc to service the BBQ table...

do folk in the UK really stand outside a van, with all the doors closed, keeping a BBQ company?

That was my thought as well about the BBQ point. It never makes sense to cut a hole in the metal bodywork of a PVC unless absolutely necessary.