Alan Stanley

Stop all this guess work. Switch off everything in the van as you normally leave it. Disconnect the solar. Covering it up is easiest. Using a multi meter set to amps disconnect a battery lead and using the multimeter measure the actual drain on the battery. Now you know what is being drawn out when you leave the van. Only then do you have a base to work from. Some vans control panels tell you the amp drain on the battery but there is no guarantee that everything is going through that circuit. If with everything off off you have an unexplained current draw it may well be the tracker / alarm. Later in the year the solar may well keep up. But a flat to the roof panel is bound to struggle with any load this time of the year and given the weather we have been having if you only have a minimal load then you know the battery is @#£&*&£ed

As above though a powered cut off for the pump is easily possible and someone may have fitted it. More likely it’s a level indicator or especially with underslung tanks some people have a small electric heater to stop freezing. Just a thought.

I believe it is connected to the heating and water heating. It need to be switched on for these to work. It was the same in the Unicorns of that age. No doubt an Olympus owner will reply soon.

Under no circumstances would I recommend you buy from a private or dealer without an independent survey. Damp meters are cheap to buy but need a certain amount of expertise to use. The problem with front front and rear panels splitting is endemic. ABS is IMHO in the gauge used by British manufacturers simply not suitable. It splits and cracks. This is unpredictable and a van can be perfect one week and not the next. Swift for example even had to develop shaped patches to cover up I.e. cheaper repair to many models. Elddis had to modify the framing when repairing and guess what some split again. That is is why the more delux and heavier vans use GRP. Our friend has just had the rear panel on their Swift 6 year old Elegance replaced. ABS and splitting. Like a said 12 months warranty on the panels says it all. Yet people still put up with it. Bailey do not use ABS at all. The elimination of it was one of the driving forces behind Alu-tec. Construction

Simply read the warranty they gave with the van. All plastic components including front and rear were guaranteed for 12 months only. Says it all. Better to take a towing test and choose another make IMHO.

Tow pro I believe maintain a data base where you can contact them and they will tell you what vans a specific cover will fit.

Whoops can’t add up ! according to SWMBO it’s only 100k since we purchased the first Sorento.

Ok. I have no firsthand knowledge of this vehicle for towing but over 150 k towing experience of various other Kia models. Given that you are aware of driving licence restrictions (if any) 1. Your vehicle has an kebside weight of about 1650 kgs. (take it to a weigh bridge and measure it is a good idea. they are usually heavier than they publicize ).and a towing limit of 1500 kgs set by Kia. You need to keep below this for your caravan weight to comply with the warranty. Kia habitually set realistic towing limits ( IMHO ) so 85%, its a good starting point. 2. You will hear all sorts of advice about the 85% rule. It is not a rule its advice, and that from a very old meeting lost in the mists of time. Constructively for someone new to towing then it's a sensible starting point. So about 85 % of your 1650 kgs comes out at approx 1350 kgs. this is the loaded weight of the van. Do not get paranoid about being slightly over this, the 85% its a conservative guideline. Similarly the various tow ratio calculators can be misleading as they stick to the letter of the 85%. Can you tow a van with a higher potential load - certainly - what matters is how much you put in it. e.g. a van with a maximum limit of 1500 kgs loaded to only 1400Kgs is the same as a van with a 1400 kgs limit loaded to that limit, as far as you and your car are concerned. 3. Your engine is a nice unit. power to tow up to the limit should be OK. It will not be a ball of fire but satisfactory. Again Kia are conservative and their vehicles are very well engineered. 4. You have a 80 kgs tow ball limit. Fine for the sort of vans you may be considering. There are any number of nice vans that fit into this criteria. Good luck and enjoy. 5. The towing limit set by your driving licence restrictions if you have them are arbitrary and make no sense but it's the law. Check your licence before setting of to look. Or take a towing test and the world is yours.

Yes never trust a brochure and always try. For example the bailey Valencia series 3 has a bed 6 ft 2 in except it’s not. It’s a good 6ft 4 with a further gap making it nearer 6 ft 8 in. The Swift has a bed 6 ft 2 in as well. And it is, just, with a bulkhead at each end and that includes the padded head board.

What is wrong with testing a Sorento. 7 seats. 200 bhp. And 30 k will get you a nearly new with 5 or 6 years warranty left.

Yes and if they were all like SWMBO’s it got lighter as the body rusted away. 😀. Mechanically ran for ever but died of tin worm.

Simple answer No. From personal experience I have had recently a service report that said damp near the toilet. There wasn’t any I knew because I’d done a test myself and insisted they do another in my presence. No damp, oh we must have measured some condensation then. There are dishonest / incompetent people out there.

The bailey dealers have all the figures. I think it was25 mm when loaded but don’t take my memory for it.

Pay the extra and go to a series 3 if possible would be my advice. However we all have our fiscal limits series 1. We had it 3 years Potential for damp lockers migrating to the floor. Serious rot potential. But there are many which had the handles fixed early on and are fine. The water got in via unsealed handles on the body. It was then trapped under the plastic trays and interior Lino. Easy to spot some dealers ( I use the term loosely). Covered it up with a tar paint. Do not buy without an independent opinion if at all suspicious. Alde heating is good but not the best in the bathroom. Insufficient output from the towel rail means bathroom I’d colder than rest of van by a couple of degrees Simple fix have Alde fit and extra rad. We did and nice and toasty. Soft alloy body so dents easily. Heavier than all since Series 2. Kept less than two years GRP body. = good and lighter Alde improved installation gives quicker warm up and bathroom is warmer The circular shower was a disaster for us. Difficulty to keep clean and IMHO impossible to Seal properly. If you don’t use it and use site facilities then not such an issue. After multiple attempts to sort it we rejected the van and came to a mutually agreeable deal. Series 3. We’ve had it nearly 5 years a future classic Alu-tech now sorted Alde even better installation. A number of vans suffered ‘saggy axles’. A fault from ALKO. ours replaced under warranty. But make sure and check the wheel clearance or warranty record. Otherwise the best van in 50 years. Warm comfortable and ergonomics are very good.

And if you held the horn button in and flicked between town and country. It gave a good impression of a police two tone 😀😀