owners manual for new caravan and caravanners

robails1 · Member

owners manual for new caravan and caravanners

pajdid · Member

Good luck with getting a reply to your email.

Bruce and Bev · Guru

Hi Rob

Welcome to the world of Australian made caravans:) What youre going through is pretty well the norm unfortunately. The manufacturers (including Jayco who make about 50% of the RVs here) will tell you they don't make enough of exactly the same RV to justify the cost and effort to use a word processor to produce a cheap but useful manual, let alone a DVD

I understand that, but there is absolutely no reason they cant produce a generic manual or DVD covering the common items in all their RVS - like awning, TV, using your solar, 12v water pump - the switches for all this gear and all the rest.

What they do give you is a bloody great heandful of booklets and manuals from the manufacturers of all the parts that they bought to make your RV. Often these are installation manuals and totally useless for the user of the gear (or how to clean/maintain) it all.

Instead they expect that in 30-80 minutes of handover time when you pick up your vehicle, that you will remember it all - yeah......right......

RV manufacturers are lazy and slack !!

elliemike · Guru

There is no Excuse for some of the problems associated with the shakedown period of owning a new caravan or similar vehicle. You could understand it with a "Custom Built" one off job. But these things are made on production line basis.

One wonders if the big manufactures have ever heard of Quality Control Management.

You quite often hear of people having to rewire the 12v system in places just to get wire sizes to Standard size for the things they are powering (Fridges spring to mind). Plumbing systems seemingly installed by amateurs.

Human error by the inexperience of the new owner is a variable out of the manufacturers control. I have seen a few vans with damage done on the first day out by New Owners (new to caravaning as well) Doors, Security Screen, Awning, all not secured and damagerd on the road. Reversing parking damage etc.

-- Edited by elliemike on Friday 20th of February 2015 12:45:14 PM

Phillipn · Guru

We had a 20 ft Winjana caravan built 5 years ago, and their was a manual with the van. They told us that if their was any faults they would fix them. Had a couple of small things that needed correcting, the faults were fixed .

I was very happy with their service.

Winjana only build 5th wheelers these days.

D and D · Guru

While somewhat relevant, given the price of caravans and mobile homes the types of problems encountered by many, many consumers indicates that there are serious problems in the Australian RV industry. Quality control is a joke. I don't think it's a term understood in the industry and the chances of getting a reasonable user manual ... well I'd better book a trip to Mars with Richard Branson.

We have a Humpback and yes, we have not experienced problems getting them to address warranty issues, but these issues should not have arisen in the first place. The number of people we've met who've experienced severe mechanical failures in relatively new, high priced vans is staggering and is only indicator that exceeds these faults is the refusal of manufacturers to accept responsibility for the problem.

We wish you well but don't give you much chance of success.

Regards

Dave

New Wanderers · Veteran Member

Rob,

We have a Newlands caravan which is made by Concept Caravan, we took delivery of our new caravan last year, which we are happy with. Like you we were given a run though of the workings of the caravan before we towed it away, we were also given a bundle of user manuals. I have suggested that they compile a DVD from the manufacturers of their user manuals rather than a draw full of paper manuals, no response received. It would also be great to have a generic DVD on the operation of items installed in caravans. I consider this to be part of a service to customers.

dorian · Guru

Go to Holden's web site and try to find a user manual for any one of their motor cars. You'd do better finding a manual for a $10 toaster.

PeterD · Guru

If your van was built by a member of RVM Australia it should have come with this handbook. The propriety items (microwave ovens, fridges etc) installed in your van should have their handbooks.

Bruce and Bev · Guru

Hi Peter. Thanks for that downloadable handbook, which I now have to refer to in future.

It would be interesting to see just how many manufacturers belong to the RVM - I know that Jayco don't give out this handbook (as at 4 months ago anyway) and neither do Supreme.

The handbooks for the things like air con and the like are often just for installing the items and are not like the user manuals you would get when buying a TV, for example. I have an Ibis air con - probably one of the better know units and the handbooks (2 of them) are both installer related and not for the user (me).

When I bought my Supreme van about 6 months ago, I got about 3" of manufacturers hand books - most of which are useless to me, but I still keep