How to avoid a lemon

Make sure your new caravan buying experience is sweet and not sour

Buying a new caravan should be a sweet experience but for some it turns sour very quickly, as they discover their new van is either not legal or has been put together badly.

There are around 115 caravan brands marketed in Australia. and given that the industry is self-certifying, there’s ample opportunity for vans to slip past quality control…

Superlative or shoddy?

It’s worth remembering that caravans are essentially hand-made, and for some that conjures the image of craftsmen whittling away to build a magnificent bespoke caravan; the RV version of a Rolls-Royce.

Unfortunately, the reality is most people wouldn’t pay what it would cost to build such a van by such highly-skilled workers, and the industry doesn’t exactly have a long line of unemployed, highly qualified and experienced carpenters and cabinet makers to choose from.

The car industry discovered very quickly that mass production and robots made much, much better quality cars. However, caravan production isn’t yet at a high enough volume to justify it.

That doesn’t mean all caravans are duds and there’s nothing you can do to make sure you get a good van.

For starters, like anything you need to do your research when buying a new caravan – arguably, a lot more research than for other big-ticket purchases.

It will take time and the biggest enemy you face is that wad of cash burning in your pocket – buying a new van is an exciting prospect but it pays to keep a cool head. The old saying, ‘act in haste, repent at leisure’ applies to buying a caravan more than most product purchases…

Trawl the information superhighway

Start with a web search: type in ‘(brand) problems’ and see what comes up. If you see more than a few solid hits, then you know there might be better vans to buy.

Yet it also doesn’t hurt to do some forensic analysis of ‘problem’ van comments. It’s not hard to see when people are being unreasonably fussy about their purchase or really have a big problem with a van that isn’t going away, despite their best efforts.

Assuming you already have a van or are out and about camping at caravan parks, you are in a really good position to do some field research. Ask owners of the brands of caravans you’re interested in what they think of their purchase, and what problems they’ve had.

It’s show time

Caravan shows are an ideal place to see the vans you’re interested in buying all in the one spot. Whether at a show or at a dealer’s yard, pay close attention to things like chassis construction and body fit and finish.

If you see things like lots of weld spatter on the chassis, large amounts of silicone in or around the body structure or cabinets not lining up properly, you might want to think more carefully about that particular brand. Have a look at more than one example of that brand; if they all exhibit similar problems, you may want to walk away.

Dealers or manufacturers often run special deals at caravan shows, and while they often represent excellent savings, try to avoid jumping on a deal without having done your research first. Remember that ‘repent at leisure’ bit…

Check weights

Make sure that your tow vehicle can legally tow the van you’re looking at. The van’s ATM mass should not exceed your tow vehicle’s maximum towing capacity; while you might not load up the van to its ATM, you want to be confident that you can without falling foul of the law.

Most caravan compliance plates now include the towball download (TBM) at Tare (unloaded) – while it’s difficult to estimate how much that mass will increase when the van is loaded, if it’s already close to the tow vehicle’s maximum permitted TBM, you have a problem.

Pay close attention to how much payload the van offers too. If the van has two 90 litre water tanks and two gas bottles, when they’re filled that’s nearly 200kg of your payload gone right there. If the van’s payload (ATM minus Tare) is just 300kg in this example (unlikely, but you have to check), you’re not going to be able to carry much gear in your van at all.

Be clear about what is a standard item and what is optional on your van, and at what stage the Tare weight is taken. For example, while fittings like annexes and equipment like air conditioners are more often standard equipment these days, if the dealer fits them or any other accessories to your van, they could become part of your payload.

If you ask for an extra gas bottle, a 60 litre grey water tank and an extra off-road spare tyre to be fitted after the van is built, that equates to up to 140kg that could be added to your payload before you even load up the van.

Because incorrect caravan weight is a real problem with some manufacturers, get the dealer to get a weighbridge certificate for your van – with water tanks and gas bottles empty – a day or two before handing over the money (Tare weight is calculated with empty tanks and bottles).

Get it in writing that if the van is more than, say, 50kg heavier than the compliance plate Tare weight, then you won’t accept the van and your deposit is to be refunded. Even offer to pay for the certificate yourself, if that helps (a weigh bridge certificate is only around $30).

Understand the fineprint

When you’ve narrowed down your choice to a couple of brands, ask to see the full warranty document (that is, not just the highlights). Check for not only what the warranty covers, but also what it doesn’t.

For example, if you’re buying what appears to be an off-road van, check what the warranty says about off-road use. If the cabinetry starts to fall apart inside after driving on corrugated roads, for example, you may find that the warranty doesn’t cover its repair because it excludes off-road use.

While appliances and accessories are often covered by their own manufacturer warranty, see if the caravan manufacturer covers them under its warranty. It makes life much easier if you have to make a warranty claim, because if the van manufacturer or dealer covers the appliances/accessories (which they are actually required to by law) that should also mean that they will remove and refit the item to the van as well.

When you’ve got to the point where you’re about to put money down on a van, read the contract carefully. Make sure you understand and agree with it all, or amend/delete any clauses that you think are unreasonable.

Know your rights

If you strike problems with your van, and the dealer or manufacturer can’t or won’t fix it, then your consumer rights come into play – Section 260 of the Australian Consumer Law gives you some legal recourse for a problem van.

This law covers you when there’s a major failure with your van, enough to justify you being given a refund or replacement.

Section 260 describes a major failure as: the product has a problem that would have stopped someone from buying it if they’d known about it; it is unsafe; it is significantly different from the sample or description; it doesn’t do what the business said it would, or what you asked for and can’t easily be fixed.

These consumer protections don’t end with the warranty, either. However, if the dealer or manufacturer wants to be difficult, it can be expensive mounting a legal case against them, even with the protection of ACL behind you.

Asking your state’s Department of Fair Trading to intervene is another option when you’re up against a brick wall dealing with the van dealer or manufacturer.

With our tips on how to avoid buying a poorly-built caravan, we hope the only time you’ll ever associate a lemon with your caravan is when you’ve got a slice of it in your tea during a cuppa stop on tour.

How to avoid a lemon

Tags