Hi folks,
I would like your comments on the rust on the axles of my van.
It was delivered to me (new) in June 2010. (now 9 months old)
Purchased from Noels Island Star in Adelaide.
Built by Spaceland in Melbourne.
Rust started to appear on gas bottles and chassi after 3 months. 
I approached Noels about the rust and their response was "this is normal wear and tear from parking the van on damp grass".
Or stone damage (note - the rust is on the rear of axles).
Needless to say we are in delicate negotiations at this time.
I am not very hopefull of a resolution though because of the following :-
We live in our van full time and when I had approached Noels in the past to address a long list of problems, they said I had to return the van to Adelaide.
When I explained that I would have nowhere to live while repairs were done, their response was "we can not help you as we do not cater for people who live in their vans" and hung up the phone.
I was aghast !!

Consequently I have repaired all faults to date, myself at my expense !!!
Cheers
Very disolutioned Doug
P.S.
I can provide a list of faults to anyone who is interested.

I would think the problem isnt rust apearing but paint blistering and disapearing after painting a rusty piece of steel to make an axle, My thoughts are that the axle is solid steel and not RHS in duragal. So the problem to me is poor prep before paint. If it is RHS I would question the integrety of the steel, how rusty was the inside before becoming an axle. A possible solution would be to go to aderlaide and find a CP that will let you sit the van on blocks, get a mobile mechanic to come and drop the axles out and then take them to the manufacter for replacement. cheers blaze

Wish there was something positive I could say Dkay.....Is'nt  there any sort of Warranty....This surely could be deemed dangerous

Not a happy camper - and I cant blame you - good luck

What you've experienceing is quite common, or even the rule.
The axle on the Island Star are to the best of my knowledge Alko, but could be from batches manufacturered and supplied to them by Melbourne Caravan & Trailer Suppies.
All these axles are made from square 'Black Billet.
These billets have a outer skin of mill scale which rusts quite quickly.
The rusts generally only penetrates to a depth where it comes into contact with the raw steel underneith the scale and stops there.
After the stub axles have been machined on the ends of the billet (Or welded on in the case of an overlay axle) the spring location plates positioned and welded and the the axle bent for camber, they are lightly sprayed with 'Cold Gal' (Zinc) paint to prevent rust showing during transport and installation. i'e purley cosmetic value.
It's only surface rust and will not be the cause of any axle failure.
If you want to keep it looking nice then hit the axles, fish plates, brake drums etc periodically with a spray of Cold Gal (Killrust etc).
Whatever you do will soon be removed by stones and gravel strikes as you tour.
Cheers, ozjohn.

HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY SPACELAND AT THE SAME AGE & GOT THE SAME ANSWERS AS YOU, I JUST PULLED THE AXLES OUT, SANDED THEM BACK TO BARE METAL AND REPAINTED, NOT WORTH THE HASSLE AND TIME TAKING IT BACK TO SPACELAND

I have to say that I sympathise with you on the problems you have with a basically new van. What we have found is that once the caravan dealer has your money, and you have driven the van out of their yard - they do not want to know you, and you really are a pain in the preverbial if you keep going back with queries and problems. The fact that you have to basically sort out the situation yourselves is fundamentally not right, but the arrogance (?) of some - not all - caravan dealers leaves a lot to be desired.

What is it with these caravan builders and dealers? I've heard and seen so many of these stories, it's getting to the point where the caravanners will have to take action. We pay good money for these palaces on wheels, only to find it's just an aluminium or fibreglass box with staples and pop rivets. I'm convinced the people who build and sell them never use them. If they do I bet it's a custom built beauty which meets their personal, high standards. When we buy and use them and find these problems we're just a bunch of suckers. The users of this industry, that's you and me, need to get on the backs of these blokes and not rest until something is done. We have to make them accountable! These boxes are a major investment in our safety and lifestyle, and in many cases, it's all we have. There are ways of getting the right deal. Prices and consumers is one way. The national organisation of this industry is another. While it's very talented of you to be able to fix the problem yourself, not everyone can do that. Will you be so kind as to do the rounds and fix all the vans with this problem? Of course not. And why should you. I bought my van privately, and I have not serious issues. I've had a few repairs done, and I'm much wiser now. When you buy from a dealer, that dealer is accountable, and is obligate to sell a high quality, SAFE caravan. If you've kept the receipts for all the costs incurred in doing the repairs to your van yourself, I'd say you'd have a good case to claim. What I heard and saw at the recent Adelaide Caravan and Outdoor Show around the vans caused my eyebrows to fly clear over my forehead. What a bunch of smooth talking idiots. The more I heard, the more I was convinced they don't really care. They just want your dough. Good luck.

Just poor prep before painting combined with a little stone and grit damage, scrape it back and repaint will silver kill rust . Most of the silver bits on a van are merely coated with cheap wheel silver or silver frost and will peel off over time . As said not worth the hassle looking at warranty claims . give those springs a re-coating while at it .

Have you been in touch with the ACCC and Trading Standards. They told me to write to the company stating that the goods that I had been sold were not of merchantable quality and to claim a full refund or replacement goods, give them 7 days to respond, otherwise you will take the matter to court. It worked for me and against a very large international company. Worth a try

Hi Folks,
Thank you all for you sympathy and understanding.
I do agree that when a 'van dealer has your money in their hot little hand - you, the buyer are simply ancient history, to be treated with contempt.
I have asked the dealer to tell me the composition of the steel used (email - no reply yet) in the axels so it may be a simple job of treating with rust converter and a paint job.
I have done my homework and sent emails to the 'van associations that Noels Island Star belong to. I have received some very sympathetic replies from them.
I'll be keeping all this under my hat until I have the inevetable confrontation with  
Noels Island Star.
I'll keep you all posted 
Cheers Doug (the mug)

Most of the chips and rust on the axles in question are BEHIND where the stones may hit. The van tyres wouldn't kick up the stones to hit there anyway. Poor workmanship is no excuse.