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Quote: Originally posted by mathewellis on 04/2/2006

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We had the same thoughts when we bought our 1st new van last year, we spent ages looking at British vans

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The decision is made now.  We're definitely buying a Burstner 500TS.  The only decision left is which upholstery option we want.  I have my own opinion on that but, in the end, I think I'd better concede to those for whom such things are maybe more important. 

We looked at all the foreign competition before we bought our Sterling and came to the conclusion that the bathroom facilities are very poor. I don't agree that they are better made as I know people who have had just as many problems with them as the Uk built ones. Whilst they are heavier, they do not have the refinements that many of the more expensive home built ones do. Some have no ovens and if you add too much then they become too heavy to tow!

There is one thing that made us buy British. We stand a reasonable chance of hanging on to it as it has less chance of being stolen. There are certain members of the community that take a shine to foreign caravans, particularly twin axles. We checked on the insurance on some of them and one or two companies did not want to know.

But then again, each to his own.

Quote: Originally posted by 2kias on 04/2/2006

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We looked at all the foreign competition before we bought our Sterling and came to the conclusion that the bathroom facilities are very poor.

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The deed is now done.  We take delivery of a new Burstner 500TS on 15 Feb 2006, just in time to get away for half term - assuming we can find a decent site that's open then.

In the end, although we looked at loads of vans and many more brochures the shortlist was the Burstner 500TS, Hymer 570, Bailey Pageant Vendee and Bailey Senator Wyoming, all of which we've wandered around several times.

The Hymer 570 and Bailey Pageant Vendee were dismissed mainly because they are very cramped along the middle of the van.  You can just about fit a playing card between a fully opened fridge door and the centre dinnette in the Hymer or between the fridge door and washroom in the Bailey Vendee.

The Bailey Senator Wyoming has a similar layout to the Burstner - but with an end washroom bolted on the back, which is why it becomes a twin-axle with an internal length nearly 4ft longer.  After quite a lot of heart searching, we decided that we didn't really want to pay the extra for the Wyoming, despite its flashier washroom.

The Burstner has a fixed end bed, a pretty full feature list, a washroom that is decidedly better than we're used to in the Lunar (but not up to the standard of the Bailey's or the Hymer) and dreadnought bodyshell and running gear construction.  It's a fair weight - 1500kg MTPLM, but then again that is less than 75% of the kerb weight of our "tug", so I'm not overly concerned about that.

I must admit that the potential for bodyshell problems - damp penetration and floor delamination (we had quite enough of that with our Lunar Saturn) played a big part in deciding which manufacturer's vans to shortlist.  A glance at the results of the Caravan Club's 2005 satisfaction survey has got to make you worry about British caravans.  It made us worry, anyway. 

2005 Caravan Club Quality and Reliability study

Overall Satisfaction ratings

Manufacturer	2005 Rating (%)	Overall Ranking
Vanmaster	97.8	1
Hymer	95.9	2
Burstner	95.8	3
Eriba	95.5	4
Other (imported)	94.2	5
Hobby	94.0	6
Coachman	91.0	7
Bailey	86.3	8
Sterling	84.9	9
Swift	84.6	10
Buccaneer	84.0	11
Abbey	83.0	12
Ace	82.6	13
lunar	82.3	14
Elddis	81.4	15
Avondale	81.4	16
Bessacarr	81.2	17
Compass	78.9	18
Fleetwood	78.4	19

Some British manufacturers now offer extended warranties (5 or 6 years) for body-shell integrity, which is why we included Bailey in the shortlist.  Maybe there were others that we could have included too but our tolerance for tramping around dealers in the cold is not without limit. 

Cheers
Andrew

Congratulations Andrew,

I'm intrigued that you can order a new Burstner  van last week and be given a delivery date in less than a fortnight. I ordered a Burstner S500Ts on 5 November 2005 and was told it was not scheduled to be manufactured until February 2006 and not delivered to my supplying dealer until March!!!! My anticipated collection date is March 2006.

Are you sure you have a 2006 model, I know my supplying dealer had some 2005 models left but I preferred the changes made this year and the Safari Upholstery. I also wanted fitting as factory options a front chest of drawers for the lounge, a coupling lock AKS 3004, an extractor fan and an additional external 240 volt socket.

Quote: Originally posted by carpyone on 07/2/2006

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I'm intrigued that you can order a new Burstner  van last week and be given a delivery date in less than a fortnight.

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I  bought it from MG Caravans in Todmorden.  I think they order several at a time and call them off as they sell them.  The van I bought was actually in stock in Todmorden (it arrived only a few days ago, I think).  It has "Colmar" upholstery and is *definitely* a 2006 van ("parquet" style vinyl floor). 

They also have a new 2005 500TS in for sale at £12999, which we almost bought - but "the boss" wasn't that keen on the Safari upholstery.

I'm collecting the van on the 15th Feb 06 - but I could have had it by now, if I had wanted that. 

I s'pose you've discovered just how expensive it's going to be for you to insure it?  I've just had a quote from C&CC for £218.93 from now until the renewal date in June - and £609.50 for a full year (ouch!!!). 

If you haven't found the Burstner UK owners club yet, it might be worth a look.  It seems they have discovered a *very* cheap source for the mini-spotlight bulbs in the Burstner .......... 

Cheers
Andrew

Quote: Originally posted by needhairdryer on 03/2/2006

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Dont Knaus have that ugly bubblewrap?

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Thanks for the shock Andrew, I have not yet got a quote from the CC who insured my last van!

I looked at Burstner vans at MG Caravans in 2002 whilst staying with my niece who lived in Halifax at that time. I wish I had bought one then instead of the Avondale, but I was put off by the 'horrible blue upholstery.

I will follow your links, thanks for them and good luck with the new van.

Another thing you need to think about is that Burstner are not a member of NCC, so the van does not come CRiS registered.   If you want to get it CRiS registered (probably a good idea), it costs £37.50 for the registration document, security chip and window etching kit (less a fiver if you're a member of CC or C&CC). 

The CRiS  enquiry number is 01722 411 430. 

I towed it back from MG Caravans on Tuesday.  It tows fine behind the Trooper (what doesn't?) - and we can't wait for the first time we go away, probably next week as its half-term. 

Cheers
Andrew

Thanks for that Andrew, again something to follow-up.

I look forward to hearing how your first trip goes and if you have any niggles that will help me when I go and inspect my van before collection in March.

Quote: Originally posted by carpyone on 16/2/2006

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I look forward to hearing how your first trip goes and if you have any niggles that will help me when I go and inspect my van before collection in March.

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One niggle - and this is a design issue that probably affects most caravans - is that there is a significant standing load, about 150mA  on the caravan battery when everything is switched off.  ( I measured it yesterday)

This is due to current drawn by a relay coil in the 12v power supply (I think) and also by the aerial amplifier (which cannot readily be isolated).  The effect will be to flatten a 110A-h battery completely in about 3 weeks if the battery remains connected whilst the van is in storage.  This makes it practically impossible to fit a 12v alarm or a tracker without making some modification.

There are a number of possible solutions:

* You can physically disconnect the battery each time you put the caravan into storage, either by disconnecting it in the battery box or using the large connector under the front seat. This doesn't help if you have an alarm or a tracker.

* You could conceivably buy a solar panel to trickle charge the battery.  For a panel to supply an *average* of 150mA over a long period of time when mounted inside a caravan, it would have to be quite large and expensive.

* The solution that I am going to adopt is to fit a battery isolator switch where the battery cables come into the caravan, under the front off-side seat (you can buy them on Ebay for less than a tenner).  I'm also considering buying a much smaller solar panel and connecting it via a fuse to the incoming side of the battery isolator, so that it is permanently connected to the battery - but can be sized just for trickle charging and maybe to power an alarm (if I should decide to get one).   It'll be rated at about 5 watts or maybe less and cost maybe £50 or so.

Another little niggle I've discovered (at least, compared to the Lunar Saturn I had) is that the battery box is really quite small.  The 110A-h battery that I have only just fits - less than half an inch around it.

We're planning on going away at half- term (next week), but haven't decided where yet. I'll give you an update when we get back.

Cheers
Andrew

 

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Thanks for your notes Andrew,

I phoned my supplying dealer, they register all new vans with CRiS, who will then send me the required equipment(?) to etched my windows with the Vin No.. They will also fit an isolation switch in the circuit to the TV booster to avoid battery drain when in storage. I also found out that my van has now been manufactured and is awaiting delivery from Germany.

I also found out that Chelston, my supplying dealer also includes a new battery in the deal, though I have requested a 110 amp battery rather than their standard 85 amp because of the remote mover I am having transferred from my old van.

Roll on March.

Quote: Originally posted by carpyone on 16/2/2006

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They will also fit an isolation switch in the circuit to the TV booster to avoid battery drain when in storage.

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I hope that the isolator for the aerial amplifier does the trick for you, but I'm not convinced that the booster is responsible for much of the standing current drain on the battery.

The current drawn from the battery on my 500TS with everything switched off is around 150mA (measured using a pretty accurate digital multimeter).  This is MUCH higher than the current consumption of a 12v aerial booster - but is pretty typical of the coil current of relays used in automotive applications (the boosters I've found details of on the internet mostly use less than 25mA and some less than 10mA).  

I think I need to get to the bottom of this.  I'll keep you posted.

Cheers
Andrew

 

Thanks Andrew,

I must confess I don't understand the technical details but I do know a flat battery when I've had one!

carpyone,

We went away to North Wales in the new Burstner S500TS for four days last week - so now can report back. 

* The Burstner tows just fine behind the Trooper.  Although it's about 50% heavier than the Lunar Saturn I had, it tows just as well.  Not a single shimmy when buzzed by HGVs - solid as a rock.  Diesel consumption towing at and close to the legal limit was around 22mpg.

* Everything in the caravan (that I have checked) works fine "straight out of the box".  No "new caravan" bugs to fix so far, though I have yet to check the fridge or water heating on gas.

* Make sure you check the drain valves for the hot water system (under the fixed bed).  They should be set in the horizontal position - else you'll drain a 40l Aquaroll in a twinkling.  I emptied two Aqualrolls onto the pitch under the van before I realised.  Dumb or what?

* The gas warm-air heating is superb!!!  It was around freezing outside for most of the time - no problem at all.  We did, though, manage to use a full 6kg propane cylinder in exactly 3 days even though we used electric heating only during the night  (so mentally add £4.50 per day onto site fees in the depths of winter).

*  The shower works brilliantly well.  No need to use the site facilities at all for showering.  For me, this is a novelty after trying to use the virtually useless shower in the Lunar Saturn.

* The TV aerial is just about as useless as the ubiquitous Status in British vans.  I couldn't get any signal at all.  :-(    Mind you, we were on a site about 3 miles further along the A5 from Capel Curig and no one gets a TV signal there anyway.  It might work in a better location, but there's no reason to suppose that it's any better than the truly awful Status aerials.  Maybe its time I thought about satellite ........

All in all, it's everything I hoped.  I think you'll be well satisfied when yours is delivered.

Cheers
Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Glad you enjoyed your first trip and all went well.

I have experienced 'drain valve' problems before in my Avondale when like you I had failed to check it was closed.

I note you used the gas for heating in the day, was this because the electric heating was not able to keep you warm?

What aerial have you fitted? I have ordered a Status 530/10 aerial, as i was told this was better than the traditional 'flying saucer' aerial. Apparantly the 530/10 can be raised higher manually and turned in the horizontal plain to obtain the best signal.

Like you I had given up using the Avondale shower, in fact I had removed the fittings from the area as they were positioned in a silly position. I hope the Burstner will be better as I have a disabled wife and not all sites supply disabled facilities.

My Avondale weighed in at 1500kg the same as the Burstner, so I don't anticipate any problems towing with my Volvo V70Tdi, but time will tell.

Thanks for the feed back, still waiting for the phone call from the dealer.

Cheers

Robert