Caravan quality issues still a problem

The Caravan Council of Australia's Colin Young says complaints about dodgy caravan builds continue to taint the local RV manufacturing industry, as a record number of Australians buy caravans.

"It is most disappointing to continually hear of the same type of design and quality problems still being detected by 'van owners," said Young, who has been an outspoken critic of manufacturers that cut corners when building their caravans since forming the independent consumer body in 2013. 

Young also said he has doubts that the new Road Vehicle Standards Act will fix all non-compliance issues as the new rules won't apply to some of the smaller manufacturers.

"It can only be hoped that the new requirements as legislated in the Road Vehicle Standards Act will help to prevent these defects from continuing," he said.

"It seems incredible that all caravan manufacturers are not required to abide by the same stringent obligations, as mandated for motor vehicle manufacturers." 

Young hopes that "business auditors and vehicle inspectors will concentrate on quickly and properly ensuring that the reasons for the defects occurring in the first place, will be acted on, and that production inspection check-lists will double-check to ensure that the issues have indeed been resolved".

He said incorrect or misleadingly labelled Tare weights and other masses, remains among the most serious and annoying defects currently experienced by caravan owners.

Another serious problem is electrical and gas system installations that suffer from "questionable compliance" or "poor workmanship".

He said some caravans are also sold with incorrectly wired tail lights and poor manufacturer tyre selection and tyre pressure recommendations, while others suffer from poor workmanship including uneven gaps around panels and appliances, fasteners not properly tightened, latches and hinges inaccurately positioned and water leaks from hose fittings.

"We can only hope that the horrible coronavirus pandemic and resulting lock-downs will not hamper the manufacturers' efforts to improve the quality of their 'vans, while having to cope with critical production issues such as severe shortages of necessary components and trained assembly personnel," Young said.

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