Clubman Se Owners.

[burnsguitarman]

We are currently in the market for a new van, After having 2 berths with a large bathroom and plenty workspace, we have now decided (well almost) to try a Fixed bed model.

 

After waiting to see the new Unicorn Valencia, and being disappointed, we started to look at other marques, and are currently looking at the Clubman SE.

 

We saw it in the Saros edition, but it is no longer available, then we saw the 2015, and notice that many Saros features have been incorporated.

 

Now, I wonder if current owners can give me their views, I have read the sunroof is not as good as an Heki, but ok once you get used to it.

 

Can you tell me if the bathroom gets warm enough (as warm as the rest of the van)? On our current mk1 Unicorn Seville, I had to change the fitted towel rail, for a proper chrome radiator, to get it up to a comfortable temp.

 

Is there any thing else I should be looking out for?

 

I notice there is no wet tray under the fixed bed, is this a problem?

 

Are the wheels balanced?

 

I understand the weight can be upgraded, but what to?

 

I would really welcome other peoples views.

 

Many Thanks

 

PS I realise that any info and views will be about either the Saros, or the 2014 versions.

Edited September 2, 2014 by burnsguitarman

[miJ]

We have a 2013 Clubman SE, so not quite as up to date. .... Re your questions:

• Wheels didn't come balanced & made worse by us having Tyron bands fitted. Having them balances stopped cupboard doors opening in transit
• Our end bathroom has a radiator connected to the Alde heating system & gets warm enough for us.
• We don't see not having a wet tray under the fixed bed a particular issue. Disn't realise other caravans had this.
• No option of a sunroof on ours

A few things we are less than keen on or would like to change or have changed:

• Dometic toilet is too high - feels more like sitting on an orthopedic toilet
• Dometic toilet waste flush tank filler is very recessed - difficult to pour pink fluid directly into it & need a watering can with a very long spout to fill without getting water everywhere
• Waste tank for Dometic toilet - the cap on the spout does not have measuring marks for blue fluid like the Thetford one has - have to either guess or use something else to get correct quantity.
• Nose weight is quite heavy. We have to have to load heavier stuff than we would like quite far back to get it down to the 85kg limit on our tug.
• The Thetford cooker & grill use a fan to dissipate excess heat when in operation. This surprised us. ...
• We found that the tracker/alarm could flatten the leisure battery in less than 4 weeks whilst in storage in the winter.
• We camp a lot off EHU - with the Alde heating using 12V for the pump, the fans for the oven & grill & regular use of lights & water pump etc, we decided to fit a solar panel to the roof. Without this we had to carry a spare leisure battery for a 4 day weekend.
• We would have expected that in a caravan such as this that an on-board water pump would have been fitted as standard. We were surprised that it was not.

 

Don't get me wrong, we really like the caravan & enjoy being away in it. We use it for over 60 nights a year between Easter & the end of September, & I'm working on persuading SWMBO that we should be using it more over the winter months too.

 

Cheers,

Jim

[chrisy]

Agree with all of the above. A radiator is much better having had both types in Clubmans. Noseweight is heavy seems worse in our 2013 model. Requires careful loading. Tracker runs battery down, ours was in storage so regular trips to change battery over the winter. The answer is a fitted solar panel. We had Tyrons but wheels were balanced. Never heard of a wet tray under a bed had 3 Clubmans and certainly no need for them. Beds have always been very comfortable. Height seems a problem with most new Dometic toilet installations. Overall a good van with few problems, must be, as we have had several. LEDs do help to keep electricity consumption down. Never had an onboard pump so can't comment except the ultraflow has always worked well. Always carried a spare just in case when abroad.

[burnsguitarman]

Thanks for these comments, Under the fixed beds in Baileys there is a tray, with a lipped edge, just inside the outside locker entry. I sort of just presumed this was standard.

 

We use the van year round so the bathroom heating is a concern, although it can be rectified.

 

We have also, got the hang of adjusting the loading due to high noseweights with the Unicorn.

 

Regarding the toilet. ....considering we are both rather short! maybe we should invest in toddler step

We have a removable on board tank at the moment, but to be honest it wouldn't be missed, along with the onboard pump.

 

We store our caravan at home, so the battery running down wouldn't pose a problem, so as it stands it seems like the reviews are positive.

 

Keep them coming.

[simon100]

I have a 2012 SB with an Alde radiator in the bathroom.

It heats the room very efficiently but I have supplemented it with a low wattage (60?) electric towel radiator that is on all the time. This helps heat the room in winter and warms the towels in the summer when the heating is not on.

[burnsguitarman]

Can anyone tell if and what weight upgrade is available please. I can find no reference any where.

 

Thanks

I have a 2012 SB with an Alde radiator in the bathroom.
It heats the room very efficiently but I have supplemented it with a low wattage (60?) electric towel radiator that is on all the time. This helps heat the room in winter and warms the towels in the summer when the heating is not on.

Thanks. On our current van, the totally inadequate towel warmer that was fitted was replaced with a domestic chrome radiator, with the addition of an electric element for the summer months when you don't want to heat the whole van.

I could always do the same again if need be.

[jwa]

Can anyone tell if and what weight upgrade is available please. I can find no reference any where.

 

Thanks

Thanks. On our current van, the totally inadequate towel warmer that was fitted was replaced with a domestic chrome radiator, with the addition of an electric element for the summer months when you don't want to heat the whole van.

I could always do the same again if need be.

When we purchased our new Saros SI we asked about a weight upgrade but Lunar said this was not possible

 

John.

[burnsguitarman]

That's a shame, The dealer we spoke to said he thought it could be upgraded, but didn't know by how much, and how much it would cost.

Another case of Salesmen not knowing their business.

[Black Grouse]

The 1500kg Alko chassis is used for the bigger single axle Lunars - so if the MTPLM is under that it can be upgraded FOC as far as Lunar are concerned (dealers may charge) but if it's already at 1500, or 1495, then no upgrade is possible.