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This reminds me of the time when I bought a new car, against my mums wishes, with a vast chunk of my inheritance money after my Dad passed away.  After a few months thing started to go really badly wrong with it, eventually I was so sick and tired of the car and upset that I walked into a dealer and practically paid them to take it off me.  That should have been a dream come true for me, it turn out to be a disaster, it took me a good few years with two hand-me down cars (good ones mind!) from my father in law for which I was grateful, until I got myself back to buying my own.  The experience didn't stop me driving or getting another car though. Stick in Bobsbabes.

Turned out the car was clocked to the tune of at least 50k miles!!! reputable dealer it was too, they had the plug pulled on them by the manufacturer eventually and closed, the irony was I actually used to work for them!! They saw me coming in as a niave 21 year old and dragged out the lemons!! Life is one long lesson. The dream is still out there in front of us all though!

Thank you Bobsbabes for reminding me why we spent so long and so much money searching for and buying our present "watertight" van.

After years of chasing and repairing  damp damage, our latest investment has a body made in double skinned glassfibre, more like a boat hull than anything else. I'm certain that if we slung an outboard motor on the back window, we could sail it across to France.

Okay, it is not everybodies idea of their dream caravan [see our gallery], but it is our perfect van and we will never have any of the damp problems that so blighted our earlier units. It will, infact, see us to the end of our caravan years.

Quote: Originally posted by LobeyDosser on 11/3/2010

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Thank you Bobsbabes for reminding me why we spent so long and so much money searching for and buying our present "watertight" van.

After years of chasing and repairing  damp damage, our latest investment has a body made in double skinned glassfibre, more like a boat hull than anything else. I'm certain that if we slung an outboard motor on the back window, we could sail it across to France.

Okay, it is not everybodies idea of their dream caravan [see our gallery], but it is our perfect van and we will never have any of the damp problems that so blighted our earlier units. It will, infact, see us to the end of our caravan years.

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funny old thing we didnt just go out and buy the first van we saw :o(

at least this post had some use though

Imagine the scenario..Boardroom meeting at the Abbey factory..Chief designer stands up to address the board...Ok Ladies and Gentlemen.I have come up with a brilliant new design for a leakproof caravan.After all,we are now in the 21st Century and the public expects this with the technology we have today so (unveils blueprint) i give you this,the caravan that will never ever suffer damp or leak.(gasps of admiration from the Boardroom)...Everyone will want an abbey now as they last a lifetime and there wont be any need to buy another!! (Boardroom goes silent as MD stands up with a look of thunder in is eyes) What are you thinking of you Imbecile...If nobody buys another Abbey then we will all eventually lose our jobs.NO!!,we must keep making our caravans with ropey materials so they will leak and rot away in a few years and people will have to pay thousand of pounds to buy another.Thats how to run a company!MEETING OVER NOW BACK TO WORK!

There are thousands of owners who are probably happy vanners. We have owned several vans and only a couple had damp.

First was old so hardly unexpected (plus we were a lot younger and did'nt know much!) Others were newer repaired one myself, other was a workshop job.

I do agree that some new vans should be better quality (consistently so!)

Quote: Originally posted by 664DaveS on 11/3/2010

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There are thousands of owners who are probably happy vanners. We have owned several vans and only a couple had damp.

First was old so hardly unexpected (plus we were a lot younger and did'nt know much!) Others were newer repaired one myself, other was a workshop job.

I do agree that some new vans should be better quality (consistently so!)

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If this is so, why are there so many caravanners like the present ones on the topic "was mad..now fuming !!", running at present.

Folks spend a couple of hundred pounds on a tent and it leaks, they send it back, it is easily repaired and back it comes, no problems, all fixed.

Other folks spend many thousands of pounds on a caravan, it leaks, the dealers bend over backwards finding ways to get out of having anything to do with it. The problems rumble on for ages. Folks are tearing their hair out trying to get someone to take responsibility for selling goods that are not fit for purpose and more and more people are begining to realise that far from buying into a dream, a new caravan is a gamble between a timebomb and a nightmare.

It shouldn't be that way but too often it is and I as an ex Abby Owner, had I not found my present van, I too would have returned to something made of canvas.

By the by, my Abby went to the scrapyard as I did not have the gall to sell it on as a usable caravan.

actually my dealer is being very helpful and they are going to sort waiting for swift to ok the parts although even they dont I have it in writing that the dealer will honour the warranty.

I am just gutted that it is still damp after the repairs in sept last time they didnt need parts but this time they do so am assuming they are doing a more throuogh job of it this time replacing more seals etc

the advantage to me is had i bought this van private it would have cost me a fortune getting repaired so glad we went through the dealer !!! and at least if we do sell then we will be able to sell as sound as it will have been fixed

Quote: Originally posted by bobsbabes on 11/3/2010

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actually my dealer is being very helpful and they are going to sort waiting for swift to ok the parts although even they dont I have it in writing that the dealer will honour the warranty.

I am just gutted that it is still damp after the repairs in sept last time they didnt need parts but this time they do so am assuming they are doing a more throuogh job of it this time replacing more seals etc

the advantage to me is had i bought this van private it would have cost me a fortune getting repaired so glad we went through the dealer !!! and at least if we do sell then we will be able to sell as sound as it will have been fixed

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Ditto bobsbabes, our sentiments exactly. Though I don't think we could consider giving up and going back to canvas. Hope you get things sorted and don't chuck it in. keep posting on progress.

i think as soon as it has been repaired i would change it because it might come back. unless they can find what is the cause.

you cant take a chance of it returning and having to pay the repairs your self. it is such a worry, we all understand. my OH says he would love to go back to a tent . but we are too old now. and i couldnt cope with the cold. as much as i loved it. it was so much less worry and cost so much less.

i hope you can solve the problem soon

Quote: Originally posted by nora on 11/3/2010

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i think as soon as it has been repaired i would change it because it might come back. unless they can find what is the cause.

you cant take a chance of it returning and having to pay the repairs your self. it is such a worry, we all understand. my OH says he would love to go back to a tent . but we are too old now. and i couldnt cope with the cold. as much as i loved it. it was so much less worry and cost so much less.

i hope you can solve the problem soon

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I agree, I'd get it repaired and traded in for another, the majority of vans aren't damp and never get damp but it seems you were unlucky enough to pick a dodgy one

I'd also make sure you get a damn good deal after all you've been thru.