We have just had our caravan serviced, it is it's second service. I have just had the invoice emailed to to include £100 for the 'five year pink glycol' antifreeze replacement for the Alde heating. This came a a bit of a shock, is this the norm when servicing a 'van with alde heating? Has anyone else been charged this amount?
We had no idea they were going to do this, I have priced it up and it's £13 a litre! Something hubby could easily have done himself.
Also they were due to service it on the 20th Feb but have done it in the last few days. Do you think we should have the service dated on as it wasn't due for another 5-6 weeks?
Quote: Originally posted by Rizzo on 13/1/2015
We had no idea they were going to do this, I have priced it up and it's £13 a litre! Something hubby could easily have done himself.
Also they were due to service it on the 20th Feb but have done it in the last few days. Do you think we should have the service dated on as it wasn't due for another 5-6 weeks?
At a guess it would cost you about £70 just for the fluid.
Very nice! That cost is kept quiet when the caravan brochures brag about their vans having Alde heating.
Rizzo's post is a bit puzzling - "5-year glycol replacement carried out on its second service"? Is this when buying the van from new?
Whilst many may be able to do this service themselves, how would this DIY work affect the warranty if not carried out as part of the annual service regime?
In reality, £100 would only be £20 per year over a 5-year period, but how many owners religiously save the £100 over that time to defray feeling the cost?
Bertie.
I have stuck with the conventional Truma system with blown air (her indoors fancies the Alde system but I have resisted this), as I think it adequately heats an area the size of a caravan.
I also would be concerned about a possible leak and what damage it might cause, considering the vibration a van suffers during towing. Shouldn't happen, but stranger things have been told about caravan build quality.
Bertie.
A quick update, the dealership emailed me in error, it wasn't our van that was serviced but my husband's brother's. My SIL is (also) fuming this charge has been added to their service with no warning bringing the total cost of the service to £336.
I will be trying to source this fluid myself so hubby can do it himself (he is a heating engineer), I believe four litres will be enough at £10 a litre, a big saving.
And yes 2 Tops, it does concern servicing from new, the caravan is now two years old. We are impressed with the heating and surprised how effective it is.
When Swift fill the system once built, they use a 2 year antifreeze, so changing now to a 5 year will save in the long run.
It does mention the need to change the fluid in the handbook.
There can be compatibility issues between the 2 and the 5, so you need to be sure that all the old stuff is flushed out thoroughly, or make sure you buy a compatible glycol.
It is not necessarily going to be an easy job to get all the old stuff out, or to refill without getting air left in the system, so research the best method first. It could take you a few hours to do the job.
Check also how much your system holds so you get enough glycol to get a 50/50 or 60/40 mix. You may need more than you think.
Quote: Originally posted by The 2 Tops on 14/1/2015Very nice! That cost is kept quiet when the caravan brochures brag about their vans having Alde heating.Rizzo's post is a bit puzzling - "5-year glycol replacement carried out on its second service"? Is this when buying the van from new?
Whilst many may be able to do this service themselves, how would this DIY work affect the warranty if not carried out as part of the annual service regime?
In reality, £100 would only be £20 per year over a 5-year period, but how many owners religiously save the £100 over that time to defray feeling the cost?
Bertie.
I have stuck with the conventional Truma system with blown air (her indoors fancies the Alde system but I have resisted this), as I think it adequately heats an area the size of a caravan.
I also would be concerned about a possible leak and what damage it might cause, considering the vibration a van suffers during towing. Shouldn't happen, but stranger things have been told about caravan build quality.
Bertie.
If the 2 year glycol is not changed at 2 years and the boiler suffers corrosion, Alde will not consider the warranty conditions to be met, but this would not affect the warranty on the van otherwise.
Nor would a DIY change of fluid. You can even get advice on the Swift forum to help you do it.
We have had our van with Alde system 7 years now, towed it almost 30.000 miles, with no leaks. I don't think leaks are a problem.
Setting aside the dealer should have prewarned you of the additional charge the £100 represents very good value; most will charge half as much again.
As already said it is changed at two years because it was filled at the factory with a two year life product. As most of the cost is in the labour factory filling with two year product appals me and the service people were much better focused on looking after you than your caravan builder did.
I DIYed mine and it is not difficult but is time consuming and a lot easier with the purging pump the dealer would have used. It "can" be a real "B" bleeding all the air out if not done very carefully.
As also said it is not simply a case of dumping one fluid and refilling with another as unless a modern spec product is used there can be issues with incompatibility between many two and 5 year products so requiring a flush as well.
However there is a 5 year product that is tolerant to "most" two and 5 years products, without causing issues. The product needed is one meeting VW's specification G12++ [note very carefully the two plus signs in the spec, it is not G12].
Aldes own product is an example and so is the much more readily available Comma Xstream. You should get 5 litres of concentrate for under £25 at your local autofactor. It is used at between 40% >50% concentration with deionised water.
I feel you have been a lot better looked after by your dealer than many have been.
I have popped into another dealer today on the way home from work. They told me an expensive piece of equipment is required to pump out the blue (as the two can't be mixed, I told HIM that, lol). Is there no drain down plug?
The cost of fluid alone is £12 a litre, £48 in total, so with all that in mind I now realise that £100 isn't so bad, though I do feel that the dealer should have warned us (even though I have found out)
There is a drain down plug, but and it is a big "but", the pipes run all round the van undulating a little however being overall horizontal. So not all the fluid can drain out, some will be left in the dips.
Hence needing to flush, or purge round the system with a high flow rate pump, Alde's purging kit.
If your dealer has not invested in that pump then treat with caution.
Yes the "purge" pump sends the fluid whipping round the system bowling any air along with the flow, so greatly minimising the chance of an air lock; not eliminating the possibility of it but very nearly.
DIY most of us only have the gravity of a raised header tank to push air out of bleeders; it does that well but only if the air lock is actually where a bleeder is located. The built in pump only gently circulates the fluid [otherwise it would be unbearably noisy], its flow rate cant push reticent bubbles down the gradients and to freedom in the headed tank. Can be done but needs great care, probably tilting the van and being systematic, not an attribute too available at a dealers, or one customers want to pay for the inevitable amount of time required.
Quote: Originally posted by GCMS2012 on 14/1/2015
Wonder what the dealer will do with the stuff they take out??
Sell it to a certain dog food manufacturer.......?
Paid 'twice' then....
I can't see something as poisonous as a glycol based product being used in dog food production. Like garages they will have to dispose of it as hazardous waste. Domestically, we can for free take it into selected council household waste sites, your council ought to have a list of those able to receive it, Hampshire has.
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Topic: Pink Five Year Glycol - Service charge
