Hi
Just bought a caravan! I’m new to this website and new to caravanning and am already feeling a bit overwhelmed.
I thought I should get something that me and the family could ‘practice on’. Consequently we did not spend too much money and bought an 18 year old Swift Challenger.
On the upside the major items (water, gas, electrics) all seem to be functioning okay. The downside is that there are a few things that need attention. I was hoping the more experienced of you out there could help me with some advice on the following:
1. Where can you get Swift spare parts? I’ve had a quick trawl of the Internet but have not turned up much. Specifically I’m after draw handles, the latches for the wardrobe doors, window extenders, and window latches.
2. On of the window frames is damp and rotting. I knew this before I bought it. I’ve taken off the window seal to expose what’s left of the wood. Before I go any further and attempt a repair I was hoping someone could advise me on how the walls of this model are put together. In particular how is the aluminium skin is attached?
3. Does anyone know of a good supplier of general caravan bits and pieces in the Edinburgh and Lothian area?
4. When I jacked up the caravan to get the wheel off I put the front jacks down and then jacked the rear ones until the wheel cleared the ground. I noticed that the front jacking key which is accessible through a hole in the wall trim had risen up beyond the hole by about 1cm indicating relative movement between the floor and wall. Should I be concerned about this? On refitting the wheel and taking the strain off the front jack the key dropped back to line up with the access hole.
I’m sure this will only the first of many posts. If anyone has any advice or tips on Swift Challengers or caravanning in general they will be gratefully received.
Many thanks.