Hi all

If you have not read the link, I strongly suggest you do regardless of your skills and experiences to this day. This articial is typical of the various end issues in terms of compliance and safety in the use/ownership of a van.

I am not looking for a debate on this matter but to make a comment that the issues could be significantly reduce if we, the caravan end users were educated before we use/purchased our first van. That way we would be fully informed of what compliance and safety requirements are required.

With this knowledge you would be fully informed to accept or reject the use of a van for your use At time of purchase. This rejection by you as the the end user will put pressure on the various manufactures and sales outlets to offer a van that is fit for purpose and safe to use.

How to be informed?

Education in various forms. It does not need to be regulatory such as a licence, I will leave this to your preference, but my thought is through driver training.

Just a thought.

Rob

www.google.com.au/url

Link to Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 before Parliament.

Note section under light trailers which will apply to caravans.

A manufacturer will be required to submit a particular model that he intends to build to the Dept for a type approval. If approved they will then issue a compliance plate for that model only which cannot be changed from the original prototype. Like motor homes minor changes may be possible.

A type approval will be required for each model a manufacturer intends to build.

It will probably spell the end of custom building.

Tones wrote:

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Montie, 

Does the new legislation guarantee that manufacturers will have to issue gas certificates at time of manufacture. Also, will it also mean that 240V wiring will have to be certified by a licensed electrician. And the big one......will it guarantee that manufacturers will have to provide a weightbridge certificate at the time of manufacture or will that be left to dealers to provide once "all" accessories have been fitted (both at time of manufacture and also at time of pre-delivery when other accessories might be fitted). 

Finally, do you see this step as one which will remove the issue of a buyer having to arm-wrestle various suppliers to the manufacturer, e.g. refrigerator manufacturers, a/c manufacturers, stove manufacturers etc when individual appliances fail during warranty periods. I know what the current Federal/State Consumer legislation implies and is intended to ensure BUT do you think that changes will occur for the better with the pending legislation. 

In short, will a new van owner be able to drive away from a dealer's yard with his new van knowing that the van is legal in all aspects and the weights shown on the VIN plate are real and current. If not, who will be the responsible party, the manufacturer or the dealer?

 

Tones

-- Edited by Tones on Sunday 11th of March 2018 11:56:47 AM

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 Tones,

You have covered a lot of points there. The proposed new regulations will only cover compliancing and legal manufacturing requirements.

Nothing to do with warranty.

The draft bill is now before Parliament and is very comprehensive covering light and heavy trailers and of course motor vehicles.

Before the draft legislation was prepared interested parties inc industry bodies provided much feedback and input but we are not yet sure what the final detail will be. So to answer your question re weight, gas and 240v I don't know. Having said that if the new light trailer regulations follow the motorhome model which is currently in place all of the issues you refer to will be included plus more. With motorhomes weight distribution is a big feature.

The wheels of Govt grind slowly, so unfortunately we are still a couple of years away from seeing it actually happen.