Lunar Ultima So Far.

[stevew1]

Well here we are into our 4th week in Spain & hardly a problem in sight. The Ultima is performing (almost) faultlessly. The only problem encountered so far is with the bathroom pull switch which seems to have disintegrated. I am aiming to dismantle it tomorrow to see if it is repairable,but if not i'll get it changed when I return in late June.

The caravan is attracting a lot of favourable interest with many admirers of the new front design.

After our travels last year with our 2 berth Coachman Pastiche we are very impressed with the double bed in the Lunar,its very comfortable & surprisingly easy to make.

The van tows very well & so far after about 900 miles we are averaging 30. 6 mpg,thats mainly towing,with perhaps 50 or so solo miles. I set my trip to zero on a full tank when leaving home & will keep an eye on the average & let you all know the final figure when I return.

 

cheers Steve

[stevew1]

I think we are now into our 6th week & the main door flyscreen has started to disintegrate. It began last week when one of the elasticated horizontal bands snapped. Today Friday,two more have gone & the flyscreen wont slide any more,there are bits of black cotton like material flapping about top & bottom & if you try & move the screen it just comes out of the runners. Not very impressed with the quality,we have lived in it constantly since April 17th but thats not even a normal years wear & tear. I met a guy last week with a Clubman SE & he had two of the bands gone on his screen ( a Feb 2013 model) mine is Dec 2012. It will be late June when we get back to England so I am not too pleased about having to sit inside at dusk with the door closed. Sorry to rub it in,but it is warm here in Oliva.

[stevew1]

after arriving home in late June the average mpg for the whole trip (2700 miles) came out at 30. 7, pretty reasonable i'd say.

As for the van, hmmh,

 

We spent 67 nights in it in total & in the main found it a comfortable, relaxing place to be, there were however some problems which The dealer has arranged to sort out.

As mentioned above, the light switch in the bathroom failed & I wasn't best pleased when I dismantled the switch & one of the live wires popped out having been held in place by tension only & not screwed tight.

The door blind failed completely & became unuseable after 3 of the horizontal cords snapped.

The nearside front window blind damper became detached & wrapped itself around the insect mesh,i'll let the dealer sort that out in case the mesh tears.

The flush on the electric toilet has decided to 'dribble' leading to a half full bowl on lifting the lid.

Bit of rust on the shower pole.

Front gas locker door not centred properly, necessitating a shove to the right when closing.

Gaps appearing between the chrome trims & the white base on all 4 grab handles which are now a worry after reading about Bailey owners having damp problems due to water ingress down the LED wires, my van has LED's on all 4 handles which look nice but not if they let in water.

I am still waiting for my dealer to contact me about the problems (it's been nearly 4 weeks so far) & will post to let you know the outcome.

 

Steve.

[stevew1]

Very pleased to get a call from my dealer yesterday to arrange for my van to be brought in for a new door flyscreen to be fitted. They will also attend to any other problems whilst it is in.

This is less than 3 weeks after ringing with the problems.

After all the bad press some dealers get it is nice to be able to report a positive outcome (so far).I will post in a couple of weeks any outcome.

Also nice to see on the posting about blown & warped windows that Lunar are taking an interest on this site,hats off to them for that.

Why is the topic now closed though,I would have liked to have expressed my thanks to them on that posting ?.

[TimDev]

Very pleased to get a call from my dealer yesterday to arrange for my van to be brought in for a new door flyscreen to be fitted. They will also attend to any other problems whilst it is in.

This is less than 3 weeks after ringing with the problems.

After all the bad press some dealers get it is nice to be able to report a positive outcome (so far).I will post in a couple of weeks any outcome.

Also nice to see on the posting about blown & warped windows that Lunar are taking an interest on this site,hats off to them for that.

Why is the topic now closed though,I would have liked to have expressed my thanks to them on that posting ?.

 

We closed it to ensure that the thread wasn't diverted, though I have passed on your gratitude from the Lunar Caravans thread

[stevew1]

 

We closed it to ensure that the thread wasn't diverted, though I have passed on your gratitude from the Lunar Caravans thread

 

 

Thanks Ben .

[stevew1]

Delivered my van to the dealer this morning & added my concerns about the front windows deforming on Lunars. My windows are visually bending & the lady on reception knew all about the problem, she is going to raise the issue with Lunar & hopefully organise some warranty replacements.

Will keep you posted, picking the van up next Wednesday.

 

Steve.

[pagan]

Delivered my van to the dealer this morning & added my concerns about the front windows deforming on Lunars. My windows are visually bending & the lady on reception knew all about the problem, she is going to raise the issue with Lunar & hopefully organise some warranty replacements.

Will keep you posted, picking the van up next Wednesday.

 

Steve.

My Ultima has done the same and there is a warranty claim gone in through Robinsons. They did say they had another 1 as well so it could be you.

[stevew1]

My Ultima has done the same and there is a warranty claim gone in through Robinsons. They did say they had another 1 as well so it could be you.

 

Mine went in at 11:30.

 

Have you had any problems with your door flyscreen ?.Mine lasted about a month, admittedly using it every day but I had my previous Coachman for 7 years with no problems at all.

As I have mentioned earlier on this thread, I met someone on holiday with a Feb 2013 Clubman & his flyscreen was also starting to give problems, just wondered if it was a manufacturing problem or a one/two off. cheers.

[pagan]

 

Mine went in at 11:30.

 

Have you had any problems with your door flyscreen ?.Mine lasted about a month, admittedly using it every day but I had my previous Coachman for 7 years with no problems at all.

As I have mentioned earlier on this thread, I met someone on holiday with a Feb 2013 Clubman & his flyscreen was also starting to give problems, just wondered if it was a manufacturing problem or a one/two off. cheers.

No, up to now it seems ok. .

[stevew1]

Picked up the van in pouring rain this afternoon & most problems have been solved.

There is a new door flyscreen fitted & working ok, the blind is fixed & all the other blinds have been adjusted,the bathroom pull switch has been changed,the rusty shower riser rail has been marked for replacement & a new one ordered, 4 new grab handles have been ordered,3 new front windows have been ordered & a new front gas locker door has been ordered. The electric toilet flush has been frigged with & I will try that out in the near future, it will be changed if the problem persists.

 

I am absolutely delighted with my dealers response to my problems & full marks must also go to Lunar for honouring the dealers requests for parts without question. It might be said that the problems shouldn't have arisen in the 1st place but it would be churlish to deny them a round of applause for their commitment to customer satisfaction.

The only negative was that the original problem of a scratch on the fridge door is still there as the replacement door (which has been with the dealer since April) is for a Thetford fridge & mine is a Dometic. A new part has been ordered & I have agreed to have it changed at the 1st service in November, along with all the other bits.

 

I am just looking forward now to trying out the van in the next few days, to be quite honest all the bits wating to be changed don't spoil the enjoyment of being in the van & as long as it doesn't leak I am happy.

[chrisy]

Encouraging you are getting your defects sorted out without too much hassle which says good things about your dealer and also Lunar. Concerned about the grab handles, must inspect ours on our Clubman more closely. To me they are a bit gimmicky and although thay do provide good light they are not necessary especially at the cost of making the rear vulnerable to water ingress. The first van we ever had nearly 20 years ago let water in via cable entries and we had the whole back replaced under warranty.

 

Generally we remain very pleased with our van and have yet to experience the problems others have suffered. I do keep all fingers crossed however especially re the door blind as I feel it's only a question of time. Surely it would be more cost effective for Lunar to get these things right in the first place. A lack of testing and quality control perhaps in the never ending rush to get out a new 'improved' model every year?

[stevew1]

Off to Teversal CCC site on Sunday for 3 nights to give the van an airing

[chrisy]

Up to storage this morning to check all's well and sort things out before going on holiday on Sunday. Pleased to see the windows all still OK. About six spaces away a new Lunar Clubman SB I think one of the earlier 2013 models as they have had theirs several months longer than ours. Kept looking at it as didn't look right and went over to inspect. Front centre window ballooning and bottom edge corrugated with corners sticking out. Wonder if the owner even knows as didn't notice anything amiss a couple of weeks ago.

 

Hoping the door blind lasts for the holiday before the cords start breaking as I'm sure they soon will!

[stevew1]

^{Might be worth mentioning to your neighbour that Lunar know about the window problem.}

^{Just got back from babysitting duties on Merseyside & am running Milton through water pipes this afternoon & cleaning out Aquaroll.}

 

^{Hope your door blind lasts the holiday, I did ask the guy who changed mine & he assumed it was a sharp bit of metal inside the cover, but no definite reason.}

 

^Steve.

Edited August 9, 2013 by stevew1

[David in Cheshire]

I have a 2012 Clubman and touch wood !! have had no problems (apart from the TV booster not working and we dont use it anyway) in 198 nights aboard. You seem to have had your share of problems hope they are sorted now.

[chrisy]

Saw storage neighbour this morning and he knew about window and has been quoted six to eight weeks for delivery. Possibly a relatively early 2013 model as he took delivery in March. Surprised to see he has a tiny vent behind his microwave on a Clubman SB. Our SE has a fridge vent behind microwave to prevent overheating which as we all know was a fault on earlier models. Like me he is concerned about battery voltage falling while in storage says he now removes fridge fuse which he thinks has helped. Tested our fridge circuit this morning with power off and could find no current drain. Does the radio have a fuse somewhere as none in fuse box except for aerial.

[stevew1]

Does the radio have a fuse somewhere as none in fuse box except for aerial.

 

 

I assume its an inline fuse like on a car radio. ....no doubt someone on this site will know for definite. .

[stevew1]

Just had a look in my Radiomobile fitting guide & the fuse is shown in the back panel of the radio, it is 10A.

[chrisy]

Thanks for the answer to the fuse question.

[stevew1]

Called in at my dealer on the way back from Teversal (brilliant site by the way) ,he has had another go at the electric toilet flush & ordered a new one anyway. He also put me an awning entry slot into the awning rail as Lunar don't seem to bother, cant fault the dealer at all & the caravan is still a lovely place to relax in & tow back & forth.

[stevew1]

Off to Delamere Forest C&CC site on Thursday for 10 days with son & daughter in law plus 2 grandsons (3 & 18 months).The boys will be in the van with us & son & d in l in an inner tent in the awning.

That should sort the van out, us as well probably,

[stevew1]

Well we're back from Delamere & the trip was mostly brilliant, the grandkids were marvellous, slept all night & well behaved, the weather, after the 1st night was lovely, T shirt & shorts all the time. The only downsides, a badly bruised coccyx sustained in Go Ape, my fault jumping from a platform on a zip wire & going straight down instead of forwards, should know better 4 weeks off my 65th.

The Lunar lived up to its usual standard of unreliability, the electric hob seems to have gone short circuit & it tripped the main bollard & the caravan isolator, not impressed 2 days into a 12 day stay. Luckily we had bought a freestanding electric hob for use in the awning or outside for frying & that saved the day. A quick phone call to my dealer means a new one is on order & will be fitted along with the electric toilet flush which coincidentally arrived that morning.

At this rate I will be the owner of a new caravan by the time all the new bits have been fitted.

The van itself is great, comfortable, roomy, great bed, excellent tow but in my case it is let down by reliability & poor ancillary fitments. Am I unlucky or do other owners have as many problems as me .

 

As an aside there was a brand new Eterniti on site looking very nice, I had a word with the very pleasant owners & they were a bit bemused with the lack of info with their new van as well as some pipework that was missing underneath which necessitated a visit from the factory with the parts,

[Lozsing]

^{Stevew1 wonder if you can help me, I have ordered a ultima 540, I am planning on using 2 calorlite bottles, Wondered if you used similar and what size pig tails you have to the bottles .}

[stevew1]

^{Stevew1 wonder if you can help me, I have ordered a ultima 540, I am planning on using 2 calorlite bottles, Wondered if you used similar and what size pig tails you have to the bottles .}

 

 

 

Hi, yes I have one ordinary Calor & one Calorlite, the Calorlite has a 750 mm pigtail bought from Amazon, although the other pigtail is shorter it would still fit the Calorlite.

 

Here is a shortcut to the one I bought .

 

http://www. amazon. co. uk/gp/product/B005NY5ODQ/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Hope you have good luck with your van & enjoy using it.

 

Cheers Steve.

Edited September 11, 2013 by stevew1