Hi,
I've bought a 2001 Pennine Fiesta. The unit cost me 1100 quid, and although cheap I'm trying to find ways to ensure its longevity (2 Summer week long camps and I feel it will have paid for itself!).
What I've done so far:
-Checked for damp and can find no damp spots; I'm sure there's bound to be some but cant see or locate any with my damp meter.
-Checked the Canvas which looks good and 24 years on doesn't look faded
-Checked the mechanics of the trailer. Suspension looks and feels good. Brakes look good. Bearings look and feel good
Maintenance to do and questions
-Does the base need painting? It looks clean and dry. Is it worth giving it a coat of fence paint?
-Ive bought some Sikaflex 522 and plan to reseal the complete outside. Corner joints, door joints, Mudguards etc
Are there any other areas that require any preventative maintenance?
If canvasin good condition and doesn’t leak leave well alone, unless it leaks you shouldn’t need to clean or reproof, once you start re proofing it becomes an ongoing ritual and you may struggle to sell should you want to,mainly because people would be sceptical as to why you did it in the first place and probably wouldn’t take you word for why, we had a 1997 Pennine fiesta for 3 years, changed it for a 2001 Pennine Pullman for 5 years and not once did I feel the need to clean or reproof as it was watertight, use a hose pipe and wet it and see if there are any leaks if not leave well alone
Thanks both for the replies :) The guy I bought it off said don't reproof as he never has needed to so guess that's a good sign.
Quite enjoy a project so been pottering about sorting little issues out...... Tried to find problems but besides some swelling of the kitchen units I can't find ought wrong with it lol Guess time will tell!
We have a 2006 Sterling, bought in 2008. Still going strong with a 2-week summer holiday and 1 week late spring stay every year since (plus occasional weekends when kids were small). We had a trailer man come out and do a service on the chassis to check all ok about 5 years ago, which included a new tyre.
Bit of lithium grease on the trailer legs to keep moving smoothly and regular checkover/squirt of WD40 on the electrical contacts at the end of and before each stay.
Apart from that, we have replaced the bungee cord on the cover and bed ends when that lost elasticity (buy by the roll on Amazon) and replaced the breakaway cable as it was rusting.
We also had to buy replacement bed interior for one end due to mouse damage a few years ago but not had trouble since (use deterrent mint bags)
Greased everything, cleaned everything and resealed everything.
Some of the elastic to hold the canvas to the underside of the bed pods has deteriorated (Still works but lost its bungee) so have that to replace.
Have found some damp though on the rear panel :( Looks like waters got in around the rear trailer light. Not a massive problem as I'm quite handy. Plan to cut the rotten wood out from inside and replace with fresh Marine ply (Which is bloody expensive!)
Other than that I'm excited to get some use out of it!
I have a 2003 Fiesta bought 2004. Still water tight. Don't reproof! Only one major problem developed - the lightweight plywood tailboard went rotten. As recommended, stored outside, it was tilted tail down. This led to two problems. 1. Slight leakage through the holes for the locating pins of the front hatch 2. And this was the biggy.... Water ingressed into the tail lights, filled them up, which then wetted through the tail light mounting screw holes into the plywood.
Made I think of poplar for lighter weight, this sponges up the water. First I knew was a mushroom growing inside the the drawer unit. Major work needed!
At the time, 2015ish, Pennine would sell me a replacement tail board but it was £750. Instead, I removed the rotten board, peeled off the aluminium skin, used it as a template to cut a new board from marine ply (rather heavy, but rot resistant). Then I glued the aluminium skin back on, found a roll of matching fablon for the inside, and now you'd never know there had ever been a problem. For additional prevention, I drilled a few drainage holes in the underside of the tail lights and covered the tail light joints with black insulation tape.... And now I always store tow bar end down too! I lot of work caused by a rather simple design error: water into the lights.
Quote: Originally posted by J Hodgson on 31/7/2025
I have a 2003 Fiesta bought 2004. Still water tight. Don't reproof! Only one major problem developed - the lightweight plywood tailboard went rotten. As recommended, stored outside, it was tilted tail down. This led to two problems. 1. Slight leakage through the holes for the locating pins of the front hatch 2. And this was the biggy.... Water ingressed into the tail lights, filled them up, which then wetted through the tail light mounting screw holes into the plywood.
Made I think of poplar for lighter weight, this sponges up the water. First I knew was a mushroom growing inside the the drawer unit. Major work needed!
At the time, 2015ish, Pennine would sell me a replacement tail board but it was £750. Instead, I removed the rotten board, peeled off the aluminium skin, used it as a template to cut a new board from marine ply (rather heavy, but rot resistant). Then I glued the aluminium skin back on, found a roll of matching fablon for the inside, and now you'd never know there had ever been a problem. For additional prevention, I drilled a few drainage holes in the underside of the tail lights and covered the tail light joints with black insulation tape.... And now I always store tow bar end down too! I lot of work caused by a rather simple design error: water into the lights.
Thank you for the reply :) This is my plan for next year; I want a season out of it first tho!
Water appears to have got in through the light cluster and run through the wiring hole. The panel behind has swollen but is dry (other side was just starting to show signs but appears solid) I've recently resealed the whole trailer body which I'm hoping will ensure it's longevity. Canvas will remain un-proofed :)
Plan is to remove the cupboard and cut the wood out from the inside and replace with marine ply.
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Topic: Folding Camper Maintenance
via mobile 18/6/2025 at 8:21pm
