Teething Issues and Niggles

We’ve now been out for a couple of trips in our new van, a 2002 Fleetwood Colchester 500EB, which has given us enough experience to discover its faults and niggles so far.

Such matters are to be expected with any new used vehicle whether it be a car or a van, particularly as we ground the dealer into the earth price-wise when we purchased it a few weeks ago.

However there’s nothing major – here’s what we’ve found so far – all can be rectified (or already have been):

• The trim around the door-frame into the rear bathroom came off as every time one brushed past it. Easily rectified with some glue.
• One of the doors of the over-head cupboards, a composite made from pieces of wood, was just about to fall apart. A design fault issue I reckon, but easily rectified with some strong wood glue.
• The rubber seal around the lip of the front locker came off every-time the locker door was opened, thus preventing its closure. Again, glue saved the day.
• Not a fault but a niggle. The fridge is half the size of our previous van – an Elddis Gulfstream Ex 2000, which had a full height fridge and spacious freezer compartment despite it being only a two berth. This new van, being a four berth, has in our eyes, an undersized fridge. However we have since learnt that this is not uncommon in most vans and that we were spoilt by our large fridge in the Elddis. So it looks, like many Tuggers, we’ll have to purchase one of those portable 12/240v fridge boxes to keep our grub and more importantly; wine & beer cold.
• By design, the skylight only partially opens – perhaps elevating to only 4-6 inches unlike our last van’s which opened to a full 90 degrees. Added to this, at some point the previous owners have either set-off towing with it open or a strong wind has caught it whilst pitched; either way – both hinge fixings are buggered and are literally held together with Duct tape. As such – at some point very soon; the whole skylight unit will need replacing. I’ll ask our local dealers to do this, but as Fleetwood Caravans are now defunct as a company, it remains to be seen how easy it will be to source a unit. Anyway, for now the bodged repair works and the unit works as it should.
• This caravan, unlike our last one which had an Alko Stabiliser, makes use of a Bulldog Stabiliser bar when towing to prevent snaking. In theory not a problem, but in practice, one needs to be ultra aware of how one drives, including speed on motorways in order to prevent snaking. Towing with an Alko is fine and dandy, no probs – but as we discovered on the A1 during our first trip out – a spot of sharp(ish) lane changing after overtaking resulted in a period of snaking at 56 miles an hour which frightened the shit out of us both. We’ve been wary ever since. This would not have happened and in fact never did, with our previous van’s Alko-hitch-stabiliser. Still, as funds allow – we’ll change it.
• The grill in the oven is next to useless. Again, having only our last van as comparison – which would cremate toast under its grill in 5 mins. This one takes at least 20 mins. Having said that, on the positive said – the main oven itself is top-notch with, like the hob burners, their own piezoelectric lighters. No more matches. Hooray!

Tags: Accessories, Bulldog Stabilisers, Caravan Reviews, Caravan Stabilisers, Fleetwood Colchester Caravans