My rich brother has just bought a Retreat "Fraser", 20ft Van. Simplicity independent suspension, single beds, (so he can take me fishing, I wish!!), 2 x 150 watt solar panels, 2 x 120 amp hr batteries plus sh*t load of other stuff.
Has any body out there had any issues with this brand, his fridge is not sealed properly, fumes blow into van. Fridge doors are curved, useless waste of space, plus other little issues that will be fixed on return to dealer.
I have the baby of the range, the Keppel. For the most part I have been very happy with it...No major issues to date.
One minor issue I found, and will be following up with the dealer, is the plumbing. I find that if I empty the kitchen sink without easing it out carefully it back flows up the shower drain. I have also found that the taps on the water tanks are not the best. They do not seal as well as they should and I have had to clear them and even place a peice of duct tape in one to act as a a washer to stop it from dripping... Again, I will be following up on this with the dealer.
all, in all, though I love the van and am very happy with our purchase.
Hey Martin. Remember what most of us say about Aussie made caravans (including Jayco who has 50% of the market) - expect problems when your buy them new!!
That's why the pommie built imports are making inroads to the market - the only problem is these are only suitable for sealed roads and C/Parks.
If your brother is lucky, the problems wont be too numerous or serious, but EVERYONE I have spoken to on our last 3 mnths of travel with new rigs have had problems (including us). If the Dealer wont co-operate your brother needs to communicate with them by email only and threaten them with a complaint to the ACCC. Theres a story doing the rounds at the moment that the ACCC have had so many complaints, they are considering having a good look at the industry - true or false - who knows..........
Maybe if you assist your brother, he may take you fishing lol
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Cheers Bruce
The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
Go to www.productreview.com.au and then search under caravans, you will be a surprised how many comments on all brands, no one escapes without problems....the quicker the ACCCinvestigates the caravan indrustry the better.
We had to bring in the NSW DFT to get our problems fixed.
Hi Hendo, we have a Retreat Brampton, heavily modified with a split system air con fitted on the rear bumper, roof full with 1,200w, big battery system etc. We have had a couple of small problems all caused by the modfications, but the dealers LRV Croydon have been only to happy to help.
We love our Retreat, and could not recommend them and the dealer highly enough.
I think he will find his Fraser (same as we have) is actually 21'6".
When we bought ours new in November last year it also had nil sealing around the fridge. Insulation around the fridge cavity was non existent, his dealer needs to address this issue. If he doesn't contact the factory, they will stand by their product.
I hope he has a suitable tow vehicle as the Fraser with simplicity suspension would have an ATM of at least 3000kg I would think. Ours with standard suspension is 2660kg which I have upgraded to 2900kg.
I am more than happy with my van, have had a couple teething issues which have been rectified without problem.
Cheers Neil
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Neil & Lynne
Pinjarra
Western Australia
MY23.5 Ford Wildtrak V6 Dual Cab / 21' Silverline 21-65.3
Has any body out there had any issues with this brand, his fridge is not sealed properly, fumes blow into van. Fridge doors are curved, useless waste of space, plus other little issues that will be fixed on return to dealer.
Merry Xmas to all
Hendo
Lots of unhappy folk out there with this fridge, particularly in new Jaycos. Read the Jayco owners forum for more info.
