Small caravan - Making the right choice

We purchased a new Lunar caravan 5 years ago and every year there has been a problem with it, it was only 3 years old when all the floor had to be replaced, not too mention a problem with damp! Do Not Buy A Lunar....

Whereas I have the same reservations about Swift and would hesitate to suggest that any maker is reliably good.

Our present Lunar is 5 years and 8 months old from new. We have been away in it about 720 nights visiting over 120 sites and the problems have been minimal and not related to construction. 

We pick up a new model of current caravan in about 2 weeks

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Where have the leaks been David?

(Where hasn't it leaked is not an answer) 

 

Alan

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Hah, I see you've already posted your questions about Solo Caravanning in some other sections.  See my advice in response to your original post from 31/10/2017 in the Solos section.

That seems very poor David. We have had the same use only probably towed 20k miles though but that includes some pretty crap UK roads, which seem to get worse and especially in Scotland  (not much motorway stuff)

No idea what tyres on our 2012 clubman but they are fine and original. Only 'structural' problems, if they can be called that, was a top locker door hinge fixing on the first site. (I wonder if wrong sized screws fitted? No idea.) Also tall door under kitchen top where screws loosened. I blame OH! She had stored a small 'ironing board' in there, it slipped in travelling and got behind a timber baton carrying the door and acted like a jemmy levering away during some rough roads. To fix it properly I had to take off and refit batten, All other problems were related to components such as fridge element, toilet flush pump, and burner coming loose on grill. 

I paid for the replacement flush pump and the fridge element replacement. To repair the door under the sink cost me £66 to replace my original warn out electric screwdriver with a fancy Bosche one with right angle and offset drive heads.

My horror caravan was the previous Swift. Water ingress at year 2, year 4 and 90% damp across the back at PX in year 7. I spoke to our central heating man yesterday. His swift has had two leaking windows, shower leaking as not properly sealed, sink waste fell apart leading to knife draw full of water. He said he had a list more than enough to fill an A4 sheet of faults needing rectification on a caravan under 1 year old.

I don't believe that there is any one UK caravan that I would have confidence in. I bought the Lunar because of layout and comfort and it is being replaced for the same. OH was saying that the few equipment failures were a poor show ...... until I reminded her of the Swift. No equipment failures there but seating no where near as good and showing wear to seat cushions and backs by end of year 3 and probably only 160 nights usage whilst the seats in the Clubman look fine after nearly 4 times that usage. Truly David I believe that it is a total lottery and that, for when things go wrong a good dealership and workshop staff is critical.

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Actually Alan it sounds as though you have had more niggles than me,

I soon discounted the initial overhead locker door hinge fitting on first site as a one off. The damage to the other door fitting was really our stupidity albeit also a bad design. A bit like the design that allowed me to trap an oil feed pipe on a two stroke motorbike when refitting a two stroke oil cover. 

I am able to console myself that the other faults have been down to appliances used in many caravans and presume that we all have such faults from time to time - first for me though.

Non of the problems have been a cause of disruption to holidays though. With the grill I could manage without. With the fridge I used gas, with the flush pump a bottle of water and site facilities of a morning.