We have just bought our first caravan. It is an Ace Award Daystar 2002.
We picked it up from the buyer and had a blow out on one of the tyres, not good for our first experience of caravanning.
We have now lost all faith in the person we bought it from as all was not as it seemed, we were told it had Tyron Safety Bands fitted but that was not true.
I am a bit worried that things may not be safe with it, even though the AA said it looked like it had been very well looked after, but as we have children travelling with us we cant be too careful.
Listen to the AA, maybe book it in for a service, i wouldnt have thought the blow out was the sellers fault but it must have been very distressing for you, we are newbys and have had no problems but not sure how i would have coped with that!
Get it checked out to put your mind at rest and go on to enjoy many holidays with your children :-)
------------- Enjoyed tenting,
Enjoyed trailer-tenting,
Now loving caravanning 😊😊
Did you have it in writing that tyron bands were fitted? If you did then you have been sold something that does not truly represent what you have. You may have redress.
Hmmm I think it's down to the excitement of getting your first van,and ignorance of the checks you need to make ,the van may have been standing for a while and I,ll guarantee you never checked the tyre pressures before towing .,if its generally in good condition just put it down to learning curve
The caravan will be ok. Its a good idea to fit new tyres to any old second hand caravan before use & caravan tyres should be replaced after 5-6yrs regardless of wear. I would book it in for a service at a local caravan service place & then it will be safe to use. You can get a mobile service like e-tyres to come to your home to fit tyres. No need for Tyron bands imho, provided tyres are changed every 5yrs. Ensure new tyres of correct load rating are fitted.
Its possible the seller had been told by previous owner that Tyron bands had been fitted & tbf they won't actually stop a perished tyre failing, just hold it onto rim when it does. Anybody picking up an older caravan they have just bought needs to examine tyres very carefully, check wheelnuts & also take a pump or stop at first garage & check pressures as low pressure can cause tyre failure as well.
This is regardless of whether seller is private or trade because dealers in old caravans often fail to check caravans they are shifting in any way & just lie to buyers.
Tyres blow out all too common on caravans & trailers; the main problem being that they sit, under load, in the same place for extended periods of time.
Simple checks are relatively easy to do;
- Check the date of manufacture stamp on the tyre sidewall; its 4 numbers, a week number then a year. 5 years old is the recommended maximum.
- Check that the maximum load index on the sidewall is at least 200kg (my rule) over half the MTPLM of the caravan. This gives piece of mind, and a factor of safety. I only ever buy 8 ply tyres also; belt and braces approach, and lets face it, van tyres are not expensive for 5 years life. When we bought the caravan, I noticed that the spare was quite a low rating; turns out to be from a Renault Clio sized car, not a caravan tyre at all.
- Before setting out, check the pressure in the tyres. For a single axle Daystar, I would say around 55-60 PSI; although, it will be on the tyre sidewall or in your manual. Fill up as soon as possible if a little low.
- Take it easy over potholes, speed bumps etc. The tyres are under twice the load of car tyres, there being only 2 of them.
- When you pull up somewhere after a long drive, have a quick feel of the sidewall. They should be warm, but not hot, evenly all the way round, with no obvious grow outs (or Egging)
- Keep an eye on the colour & condition of them; aging and cracking will show itself very quickly.
Stick to this simple list, you should be fine.
I would also have a very stern conversation with said seller; if it was a dealer, maybe email Trading Standards if you dont get anywhere.
------------- Regards
Chris
Caravanning for 22 years
1997 Toyota Land Cruiser 3.0TD & 2004 Avondale Mayfair 510-5L
Previous towcars:
2002 Nissan Primera - sold
2002 Ford Galaxy - Died & scrapped. Good riddance.
1998 BMW 525TDS SE - PEx
1998 VW Passat SE - Crashed into & scrapped
1997 Peugeot 406 GLX - PEx
We were told that the tyron safety bands stop any damage being done to the caravan if anything goes wrong with the tyres.
When the AA put the spare tyre on they said they had done it to 34 the same as the other tyre, which from what I have read is far too low .
I do fully intend to get it serviced but would prefer to have it done next year when it has been standing in storage and we will hopefully be using it a lot.
We would like to use it a couple of times before we store it for the winter but think it would be a good idea to get a few things checked out for safety and peace of mind.
Would that be something I could get done.
We did look on the tyre for the numbers to tell us how old they were but couldn't see any.
Have it serviced it won't cost that much .
It will give you confidence. Or it will tell you if there are any other things to worry about.
If your not happy part ex it . Against another van but from a dealer. At least then you have someone to take it back to .
Good luck .
34 sounds really low...ours are at 60...have you got a plate on the van somewhere that tells you the corect pressure
re the tyre dates find a string of numbers & letters close to the tyres bead usually starting with DOT at the end you will find the 3 or 4 numbers relating to your tyres age. If your tyres have just 3 numbers they will have been made pre- 2000
A tyre marked 2501 was manufactured in week 25 of 2001
To be honest im a bit scared to get it serviced as it might come up with something serious and we definitely don't have the funds now for anything expensive. It was also a private sale so I presume there would be no comebacks. It was advertised on ebay and I do still have the description. Apparently it belonged to his wife's parents who were upgrading due to retirement. When we went to pick the caravan up there was another one in his garden. He said that one belonged to his parents. When I looked on e-bay, there it was and guess what, It belonged to his parents who were upgrading due to retirement. Feel a bit stupid now
Second time out with our first van we had a tyre that went bang, we had a spare, it got changed and we carried on with our holiday.
Have your van serviced, if anything is found, you can save to have it repaired, or put time aside over winter to do some DIY, but don't not service your van.
I think an email to ebay is in order re the seller.
Just checked him out again on e-bay, don't know how may sets of parents they have between them but he has sold another caravan belonging to his wifes parents. That's 3 to my knowledge
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Topic: Big Mistake
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