Crannoghome Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 Our Lunar Solaris 462 is now one year old so I thought I’d share my ownership experience. After picking up the van, we spent the first night just parked in our garden checking everything worked and making a list of jobs that needed doing. I spent a couple of days completing this remedial work which included: - Hanger on sliding door to bathroom incorrectly screwed together – refitted correctly - Warm air heating duct to side window incorrectly fitted with a 1 inch gap between duct and fitting – relocated pie and fitting. - Front window catch needed additional spacer block - Lack of sealing compound at tops of all windows, rooflights and cross-roof straps – added additional sealant fillets using Sikaflex 512. - Awning rail white plastic beading strip screwed to wood floor instead of to plastic moulding underneath caravan – screwed strip in correct position - Plastic moulding underneath front panel poorly fitted – sealed gaps with Sikaflex 512. - Cannot open door to small wardrobe in bathroom with carpet fitted – bottom of door too close to floor – door rehung higher. - 2 runway lights on centre skylight incorrectly fitted – removed, repaired and refitted. - Shower door catching on frame – adjusted frame and refitted screws - Bathroom sink leaking at joint to waste pipe – removed and reassembled joint correctily. - Bathroom sink fitted skew and silicone cup washer not seated correctly – removed and refitted correctly. - Rear road light lenses not fitted correctly and damaged screwheads - removed and refitted correctly, damaged screws replaced. - Radio speakers produced ‘fuzzy’ sound – removed speakers, cleaned of build debris and refitted. To be fair, all the problems were minor and none needed a return to the dealer. It’s just annoying that all were due to careless assembly, a lack of QA and a poor PDI. The one remaining problem (just an annoyance, really) was the brakes which squealed from day one and which was sorted during the first service by a strip and thorough clean. The only failure during the year has been a kitchen cupboard door coming loose due to slack screws and over-strong sprung hinges, easily cured by filling the holes with matchstick plugs and screwing the door back on to its hinges. I’ve also had the wheels balanced (40g and 60g required) and carried out a few mods : - Rehanging the bathroom waste pipe on stand-offs to make it a flat run. - Adding guide tubes to the rear steadies - Fitting an additional 230v socket - Fitting the fridge condensate drain pipe modification - Insulated the wheel arches The first service was carried out by our brilliant local mobile engineer (Happy Caravan Company) who found only one problem, a faulty RCD. They arranged for and fitted a replacement from Sergant under warranty. After 100 nights away we still think the van is a lovely place to be and we continue to be very pleased with her. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlieboy2608 Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 We too had a faulty RCD discovered during the 1st service-replaced under warranty. Our agent suggested-as does the instruction book-they should be exercised on every trip as they tend to just sieze in position. Our only other minor issue is the plastic door buffers which fall off in the heat or during towing-an easy fix. .they have all been superglued! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelwyn Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 (edited) After two years our Lunar Quasar 525 developed damp under where there was poor quality sealing on the roof. Waste pipe under the bathroom became disconnected - I think because not fitted properly. Microwave failed - when removed it was found that the blue plastic covering had not been removed despite a large warning sticker. This meant that it didn't vent properly causing condensation to build up inside. All minor niggles but build up to a general feeling of dissatisfaction, all due to shoddy workmanship. Our next van won't be a Lunar. Edit - Just remembered that the large wall mirror had fallen off and smashed as it was only held on by two small screws - there could have been some double sided adhesive pads too - at a cost of pence. Edited June 16, 2018 by Nigelwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durbanite Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 On 14/06/2018 at 16:11, Crannoghome said: Our Lunar Solaris 462 is now one year old so I thought I’d share my ownership experience. After picking up the van, we spent the first night just parked in our garden checking everything worked and making a list of jobs that needed doing. I spent a couple of days completing this remedial work which included: - Hanger on sliding door to bathroom incorrectly screwed together – refitted correctly - Warm air heating duct to side window incorrectly fitted with a 1 inch gap between duct and fitting – relocated pie and fitting. - Front window catch needed additional spacer block - Lack of sealing compound at tops of all windows, rooflights and cross-roof straps – added additional sealant fillets using Sikaflex 512. - Awning rail white plastic beading strip screwed to wood floor instead of to plastic moulding underneath caravan – screwed strip in correct position - Plastic moulding underneath front panel poorly fitted – sealed gaps with Sikaflex 512. - Cannot open door to small wardrobe in bathroom with carpet fitted – bottom of door too close to floor – door rehung higher. - 2 runway lights on centre skylight incorrectly fitted – removed, repaired and refitted. - Shower door catching on frame – adjusted frame and refitted screws - Bathroom sink leaking at joint to waste pipe – removed and reassembled joint correctily. - Bathroom sink fitted skew and silicone cup washer not seated correctly – removed and refitted correctly. - Rear road light lenses not fitted correctly and damaged screwheads - removed and refitted correctly, damaged screws replaced. - Radio speakers produced ‘fuzzy’ sound – removed speakers, cleaned of build debris and refitted. To be fair, all the problems were minor and none needed a return to the dealer. It’s just annoying that all were due to careless assembly, a lack of QA and a poor PDI. The one remaining problem (just an annoyance, really) was the brakes which squealed from day one and which was sorted during the first service by a strip and thorough clean. The only failure during the year has been a kitchen cupboard door coming loose due to slack screws and over-strong sprung hinges, easily cured by filling the holes with matchstick plugs and screwing the door back on to its hinges. I’ve also had the wheels balanced (40g and 60g required) and carried out a few mods : - Rehanging the bathroom waste pipe on stand-offs to make it a flat run. - Adding guide tubes to the rear steadies - Fitting an additional 230v socket - Fitting the fridge condensate drain pipe modification - Insulated the wheel arches The first service was carried out by our brilliant local mobile engineer (Happy Caravan Company) who found only one problem, a faulty RCD. They arranged for and fitted a replacement from Sergant under warranty. After 100 nights away we still think the van is a lovely place to be and we continue to be very pleased with her. While I admire your skill for being able to rectify the faults yourself unfortunately the knock on effect is that neither the dealer or the manufacturer are aware of the faults and the manufacturer will continue to produce poor quality caravans and the dealer will continue with poor quality PDIs. Just my thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubble2015 Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Still delighted with our 2016 Delta TI. About 12 months away and about 15,000 miles travelled. 2nd service a few months ago with no problems. Only warranty work worth mentioning was replacement of stiff window blinds. Excellent service from Truma after mover problem. Excellent service from Sargent with a couple of electrical problems. Brilliant caravan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbowsend Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 8 hours ago, Nigelwyn said: After two years our Lunar Quasar 525 developed damp under where there was poor quality sealing on the roof. Waste pipe under the bathroom became disconnected - I think because not fitted properly. Microwave failed - when removed it was found that the blue plastic covering had not been removed despite a large warning sticker. This meant that it didn't vent properly causing condensation to build up inside. All minor niggles but build up to a general feeling of dissatisfaction, all due to shoddy workmanship. Our next van won't be a Lunar. Edit - Just remembered that the large wall mirror had fallen off and smashed as it was only held on by two small screws - there could have been some double sided adhesive pads too - at a cost of pence. The large wall mirror in our Quasar 525, again held on with 2 screws but the sticky fixers were in place but the backing not removed, so doing nothing. Lots of other issues - front windows warped, part of the water pumping system failed on first outing, front locker barrel failed, leader board to pull out bed slats broke, damp in front corner. Been waiting since October for a new lock barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crannoghome Posted June 16, 2018 Author Share Posted June 16, 2018 9 hours ago, Durbanite said: While I admire your skill for being able to rectify the faults yourself unfortunately the knock on effect is that neither the dealer or the manufacturer are aware of the faults and the manufacturer will continue to produce poor quality caravans and the dealer will continue with poor quality PDIs. Just my thoughts. Manufacturers and dealers are well aware of the variable standards of manufacture, but don't seem to beparticularly bothered. Many of the problems I've seen have been due to carelessness on the production line. Building caravans from a kit of parts is not rocket science, but doing it consistently to an acceptable standard seems to be beyond them. Caravans are, of course, built to a price, but it does make you wonder why no production manager has had the courage to suggest to the bean counters that if they were to encourage the production teams to work to a consistently good standard, maybe by slowing the line down a bit, throwing more resources at critical areas or even introduce an incentivised bonus scheme , their warranty costs would fall and their brand reputation rise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maninvan Posted June 16, 2018 Share Posted June 16, 2018 Slightly off topic but we purchased a brand new Bailey in September 2017, quality control had never seen this caravan from the minute it became a chassis and was subsequently rejected for a lot of reasons more than what has been previously mentioned. We then purchased a Lunar Ultima 410 from another dealer which was 3 years albeit but the caravan has been obviously been somebody's pride and joy and the van has only one little niggle and that is a small crack maybe a 1" long in the toilet cassette which could of been done by the previous owner, and under warranty. Anything else and it is not worth the effort to type . My point though is to add that the build quality of this caravan to the previous manufacturer is 110 % better and we couldn't be more over the moon with this Lunar caravan up till now, just hope this don't bite me now ! Excellent caravan long may it continue !! Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuningdrew Posted June 17, 2018 Share Posted June 17, 2018 Similar story to our Swift, no major problems, just a bit of fettling to get things how I like them. We did have the panoramic roof replaced under warranty, not leaking, just distorted. Replacement not perfect but good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian16527 Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 Some caravan manufacturers still operate on a piece work basis, so the workers are not incentivised to produce quality, just quantity. With the introduction of CNC routers etc, the part quality has no doubt improved, but its still a hand built product and therefore affected by human inadequacies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaydug Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 22 minutes ago, ian16527 said: Some caravan manufacturers still operate on a piece work basis, And some (so I am told) use agency workers as and when they are needed. Citroen C5-X7 Tourer+Avondale Rialto 480/2 https://jondogoescaravanning.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coriolis Posted June 19, 2018 Share Posted June 19, 2018 Slightly off-topic, but (in response to Jaydug’s comment about agency workers)... I have no knowledge of workers building caravans, but know that many aircraft operators (including large household names) have no qualms about using contract labour to maintain their fleets. Indeed, regulations limit the number of contractors to a maximum of 50% of the workforce. .. tells you something perhaps. Skilled labour is often hard to retain and provided everyone works to the same procedures and all are properly supervised/managed it shouldn’t cause a problem, regardless of the industry. Question remains. ... how good are the procedures, supervision and management? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newowner Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Just bought a 2017 Luna Clubman SR which we love even though the drawers etc are a bit on the flimsy side compared to our old Bailey. However the Dometic Fridge is falling to bits, the door shelves are all cracked and broken (propped into position when we bought it so we didn't realise) and after 1 short trip the freezer door has fallen off. Been looking for replacements and although they are very poor quality and cheaply made they are megga expensive to replace. Hopefully the guarantee will cover, will give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crannoghome Posted July 14, 2018 Author Share Posted July 14, 2018 Is yours the new slim-line fridge? Ours is the standard 8551 and after 115 nights away, it's looking as good as new. Did you buy it from a dealer? If so, as they were existing faults they should be covered by their warranty, otherwise the Dometic warranty is 3 years. Either way, you should be able to get it fixed at no cost to yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durbanite Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 16 hours ago, newowner said: Just bought a 2017 Luna Clubman SR which we love even though the drawers etc are a bit on the flimsy side compared to our old Bailey. However the Dometic Fridge is falling to bits, the door shelves are all cracked and broken (propped into position when we bought it so we didn't realise) and after 1 short trip the freezer door has fallen off. Been looking for replacements and although they are very poor quality and cheaply made they are megga expensive to replace. Hopefully the guarantee will cover, will give it a try. If you bought from a dealer it is their responsibility to replace the faulty shelves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlieboy2608 Posted July 17, 2018 Share Posted July 17, 2018 (edited) Lunar Quasar 674 Ultima (Robinsons dealer special) 16-months from new: 1st service completed-required new MCB ordered and fitted. Only other issue,the cupboard rubber 'pips/buttons' kept falling off in the heatwave. ...superglued back on. Edited July 17, 2018 by charlieboy2608 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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