Is it considered 'normal' to sell a used caravan WITHOUT a battery?
Have just purchased a 3 year old van fron a very large dealer and when we went to pick it up there was no battery!! (No mention was made during purchase that one would not be supplied)
Isn't that a bit like supplying a car without an engine?
Anyway all was well eventually as by the time we had had the run through with the workshop and hitched up a brand new bateery appeared and was fitted.
Someone asked a similar question on here a few weeks ago asking if a leisure battery came with a caravan. Many dealers won't install one unless you ask and you can guarantee that they will never haggle over it. You need a battery to operate the water pump alone not to mention the lighting and a 12v flush toilet (if you have one) and my answer was identical in saying that you wouldn't ever consider buyin a car without a battery so the same applies to a caravan. Basically it's not fit for purpose without a battery.
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All the caravans/motorhomes I've bought from dealers - the battery has been extra, as has also been the gas bottle and regulator, step, and anything else that isn't screwed and glued on.
Always remember to haggle a bit to get them, and if the dealers don't give in, then annoy them by going elsewhere for the extras instead. Maybe they'll get the message.
------------- Caz
If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, just keep going till you go round the bend.
New folding campers come with no battery. Indeed the "ex-works unladen weight" does not include the battery depite the fact that the toilet, if fitted, the water pump and the lights will not work without one.
I bet the equivalent units sold in other countries all come with batteries and all the other essential "extras".
Ahh, dealers, don't you just love 'em. Our used van came with a free battery - pity they gave us a knackered second hand one that died within 24 hours...
Modern caravans have transformer/chargers so one assumes they would work ok on ehu without a battery, yes? To answer Lobey's question, most continental caravans just have transformers, batteries are an option.
I suppose it depends how caravan is wired, the 240v feeds transformer to step voltage down to 12v then if this feeds battery & 12v equipment is all connected via battery then battery would be required at all times, but if 12v equipment was also connected via transformer then battery would not be required if on ehu.
Battery has always been extra on new or used vans from my dealer!
The battery in my last van was only six months old when we decided on a new van and got the dealer to move the battery over along with our two cylinders of gas!
We never got a battery with either of the two new vans we have bought or a gas pigtail on one of them for that matter We did get a crap plastic step though...
just me if they said no battery fitted to the van i would not buy it.they all try it ,spare wheel / battery / gas bottles ect. all extras.make sure you have the leads well wrapped if you have no battery.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.