Standards of Workmanship in new caravans

G'day Keith Q

I didn't know they had standards. It seems as though anything goes, or more to the point doesn't go.

If the manufacturers also read this they will now know how to build a caravan as it seems they don't know or care too much at present.

With a review, by a reviewer, it can't be negative, everything in today's society has to be positive, so due criticism which used to "pull up socks" can't be entered into anymore.

Most caravans are built by unskilled piece workers who it seems, miss out bits of the pieces.

I do agree, you shouldn't have to disassemble your new van to check if it was made properly and has integrity built in. What is usually unseen should be A1 in quality and construction, purely because you can't see it. Eg the frame and wiring.

Like the innards of a tow vehicle, you would like the engine and all working bits to be at least put together well.

hi
like ross m stated i dont think there is any regulatory body that governs officially the standard build of vans and controlls whats exceptable and whats not
and also for camper trailers except for maybe weights gas and electrical ??
it seems anyone who has a bit of trade skills or has worked in the industry and has a bit of carpentry/cabinet skill and insight can set up a caravan construction business
and employ anyone to put them together
when i go to caravan sales yards and shows i spend a lot of time looking inside the vans internal areas like pulling draws right out and removing the seat cushions and looking under beds and inside there storage areas so i can see how the draw runners are fitted etc and up under the sink cupboards to look at the plumbing etc and wood work fixings there are some terrible low quality attachments
i have slipped underneath several vans and taken a good look at how the wiring/plumbing etc is attached and believe me
i have seen some real shoddy and el-cheapo aplications
i use that term because some of what i have seen could not be classed as workmanship like the op stated and i have seen some very sound and good workmanship
i have been chided by sales staff while doing my inspections they all claim there products are quality built
and my reply to them is
if they are so good why are they annoyed at me having a close up and detailed look
one van i was looking at which had just been sold for 120 grand was one of the worst it was flash and plushing looking on the inside but under and in all the hidden nooks was where the problems showed to an experienced eye
i called the new owner aside away from the sales staff and quietly pointed out several things that i had noticed and advised him not to take delivery of it until they were rectified
he hadnt noticed any of them this was his first van purchase as a new retired traveller
he was gratefull and also disgusted at the same time i gave him a written list so he could follow up on the things i had seen
the generator and storage hatches had sqare openings the doors for them were made with rounded corners that didnt cover they had big thick cushy rubber seals but
i could put my index finger in the holes at each corner you can imagine how much dust was going to pour in there and the generator slide -out track was attached to the van floor with a few lite duty wood screws that would vibrate out with-in the first half hour from start-up letting it crash to the ground these vans have only come on the market in last 18-24 months
the above is a sprinkle of what the unwary finish up shelling out their hard earned dollars for and head off into the sunsets only to find km's away from the dealer that the fittings /fixings are no where near capable of sustaining the vigours of australian rds and tracks that the makers claim
the the quick rd tests that they do in caravan /camper trailer mags are all smoke and glossed over mirrors for sales purposes
only a few will allow vans to be tested for strenght as the results would destroy their sales but that would be a very good safe gard imho for the unsuspecting countless buyers who have found out the hard way cheers
cheers

G'day Keith Q.

You don't mention brand names of the caravan(s), but it sure sounds like my caravan which I purchased brand new, like most caravan buyers time and circumstance don't allow for crawling around under the "new" van, so one only finds these foibles once you live with the new purchace.

Its sad really, simply because most people learn to live with the imperfections.

As I say, you don't mention brand names, but it sounds like my Coromal.

Safe travels.

Have a look at this Caravanersforum.

You will see just how bad the situation is.

Good Luck.

The Cook and I are presently pursuing our van manufacturer/retailer for replacement of a tyre ruined by a faulty shock absorber (we want them replaced as well) allowing the wheel to bounce causing bad scalloping around the outside of the tyre.
They (and the retailer) insist it's wheel alignment but a check with a laser aligner showed nothing wrong there.
Other faults have been fixed but there were so many with this van compared to a wind up camper by the same maker a few years ago, we're very disappointed.
The retailer has mainly been good but are wanting us to deal directly with the maker on the other side of the country although consumer law (WA) says they're the ones who have to fix it.
When we were looking at a new van we inspected several and others are right, they appear to be thrown together and the drawers in one was made of what can only be described as "rough sawn timer"!
I mentioned it to a salesman and he just shrugged. Must be plenty of us mugs about if they can adopt such a couldn't care less attitude.
AlanH.

Like Joe, I have a Coromal off road. I have no problems with the set up under the van. All wires and hoses are well secured and run behind chassis or suspension members for protection or shielded with plastic tube. The inside is well finished visually and apart from faulty curtains that were replaced without problem my main concern is the length of screws that secure the internal fit out. A cupboard door fell off on our first serious outing and I could not believe the small screws used. Some of the seating also moved a bit.
The dealer immediately admitted that the screws used through the entire fit out were too small and replaced a great number of them with longer ones during the initial service. When we head off on out next big trip we will carry a supply of larger screws just in case.
The comment that has not yet been made in this discussion is that you get what you pay for. We all know that certain brands are at the low end of the price market. They are therefore at the low end of the quality market as well. Calls for regulation are understandable but unfortunately regulation always pushes the price up but doesn't always fix the problem.
Cheers,
Kevin

I raised a similar question around standards in thread 92801

Think description and reality are on a different level.

Hi Keith,
I have recently finished fixing some those items you described under my van, namely clipping up wires and hoses. Only because I was down there anyway clipping up hoses and wires for the new diesel heater. Luckily for us Jayco have punched crossmembers so there are service access holes through them.

Those vans without such access holes are in a worse situation as everything has to dive under each cross member where they are prone to gravel abrasion and being snagged on sticks etc. So for us it is not all bad news.

I think I spent about $25 getting clips and screws from the hardware for the job and about an afternoons work.

Jayco builds to a price so it is much worse for some other brandss that cost more than a Jayco but have no better quality.
At least you expect a few cut corners in a Jayco.

Talking to retired bank manager at Dubbo who was out in his new retirement purchase, a Jayco offroader, he said his mates bagged him for buying Jayco.
I said "You will find some silly little problems along the way and when you iron them out you will have a pretty good caravan for the money". I still believe that.

Cheers, Bruce.