Seems like a lot of folk who buy a used caravan in the price range that I'm looking for suffer from leaking panels. There are some worrying stories of woe on this and other sites and it's making me wonder if the whole exercise is worth it. Maybe a trailer tent is a better option..... Please tell me there have been plenty of used vans bought which have not developed hidden problems - to be honest the leaks seem to be fairly easily solved but it's the attitude of some dealers that's worrying, Can anyone recommend a good dealer in the North Yorkshire area for used caravans? Also wondering whether or not to stick to private sales although a friend of mine has just got himself a 'bargain' Swift Corniche which looks immaculate inside - he paid £300 for it 'cos the seller was expecting a delivery of a new van and needed the room. Yesterday I saw my friend and he tells me that the rear wall in the shower compartment was all fusty and damp smelling - he puts this down to over use of the shower room amd has cleaned the wall covering and painted the whole rear wall area. Having read some of the reports available I'm now wondering if he's got a bigger problem than he thinks - I reckon the whole of the inner section of that rear wall could be leaking water in from the outside. If damp patches can be seen anywhere inside the van I would have thought that the water was obviously coming in from the outside - but could a shower compartment suffer due to the amount of water being sprayed inside? Anyway like lots of other 'new' caravanners I would also like to say how impressed I am with the help available on this site - thank you all for your comments and advise given.
Don’t give up your search just yet, a couple of years ago we went around most of the local dealers but couldn't find anything in our price range, we very nearly got ripped off good & proper by one of them. I saw a caravan for sale at £1500, the dealer said that we could have it for £1000, I asked him if there was anything wrong with it as I was new at caravanning & didn't know a lot about them, I also asked if it had damp, he said no. I had a good look around it & by chance pressed on the wall inside a cupboard under the sink, my hand nearly went straight through it it was so rotten! Needless to say I won't be visiting him again. Eventually I was searching e bay (I know) one night & I dropped on a good condition 18 year old ABI Diplomat for £750on a private sale, we have owned her (she's a girl! ) for just over two years now & she's as dry as a bone, no damp anywhere the service engineer has confirmed this, I have done a few repairs to her including fixing a delaminated floor & re sealing the front window which was dripping in around the rubber but apart from that we are really pleased with our little van. So yes you can get a good van for little money, you just have to keep looking until you find the right one. About your friends shower, it sounds like damp to me but it is not the end of the world, I am helping a friend repair damp in his van at the moment & it can be done, have a look here this guy is brill! http://www.1carpc.co.uk/wcdr/
Thank Steve - Good link to that 1carps section - just shows what can be done but I thought dealers were able to do a damp test on these vans - this has really got me thinking hard about whether or not to stick to my original idea of a trailer tent - at least I'd be able to see if the canvas was OK ..... oh well, I'll just continue with my research.
Hi
Yes dealers can do damp checks, i think the one we went to knew about the damp & wanted to get rid of that van, he thought we were a bit green & he could prob off load it to us. He has shot himself in the foot though because when it is time for us to look for a better van i wont be giving him my custom!
You can buy your own damp meter off ebay for a few pounds, well worth it.
I think as I start searching around I'll take my multi meter with me - if anywhere looks suspicious I'll check with the meter probes for resistance. I think that must be how a damp meter works, but anyway on 2000k setting a multi meter will show if there's a current path (water or damp) and would be easy to check under lockers and the like inside the van. Thanks for all your info Steve.
Drifter, buy yourself a proper damp tester, you need to push the prongs through the wallboarding to get a true reading. Test it somewhere unobtrusive like behind trims, inside cupboards etc. Places to check are inside the van along the line of the awning rails any any other external mouldings. You can pick up a tester from Ebay for less than a tenner, mine came from Hong Kong and cost about eight quid.
If you are after an older caravan try to find any sort of German make, they dont tend to leak. There are plenty in the country, they often come up on ebay.
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Topic: Leakies
) for just over two years now & she's as dry as a bone, no damp anywhere the service engineer has confirmed this, I have done a few repairs to her including fixing a delaminated floor & re sealing the front window which was dripping in around the rubber but apart from that we are really pleased with our little van. So yes you can get a good van for little money, you just have to keep looking until you find the right one. About your friends shower, it sounds like damp to me but it is not the end of the world, I am helping a friend repair damp in his van at the moment & it can be done, have a look here this guy is brill! http://www.1carpc.co.uk/wcdr/
