Hi Everyone,

I have recently just taken ownership of a 2015 Troll 550 which I bought in Germany, I have been a long time admirer so decided to take advantage of the weak Euro and took the plunge on a very good deal. After picking up the caravan I spent 5 nights in it while enjoying the climbing in the Pfaltz area of Germany, it lived up to all my expectations and I left for home extremely happy with my purchase. I arrived back in Scotland after a few days travelling and was in the middle of showing it off to my neighbour when I opened the washroom door and saw that 3 of the 4 hinges were broken! What seems to have happened is that one of the screws holding the securing pin in place had fallen out allowing the door to bounce on the hinges.. On further inspection I have also found that the screws holding the blind and fly screen frame in place have also worked their way loose on a few of the windows.
I have to say I am very disappointed with this, despite the good deal it was still an expensive purchase and I have always read of the superior build quality of these caravans.

Has anyone had a similar experience with the newer vans? Where could I source replacement hinges for my door?

Many Thanks

Dez

I'm afraid this is a fairly common problem with Eribas...we've increased the number of hinges on both the wardrobe door and the toilet door and have not had any further problems. The screws used seem really small and unsuitable for their tasks. We just replace them when they work loose....we've had a problem with one of the front blinds. I believe the 'quality' refers to the Eriba build rather than the quality of the inside furniture....despite this I suspect you will enjoy your Eriba...faults and all

Even though you bought it in 2015 is it a 2014 build? The 2015 toilet door model folds back on its self 180 degrees where as the 2014 will still have the old hinges that go 90 degrees. The 2013/2014 models have a known issue that the composite wood was not dense enough to hold the screws and required warranty work to correct them, The usual culprit was the over head lockers wood splitting where the screws go into the hinges. Jandi caravans will be your best contact for the hinges
http://www.eribacaravans.co.uk/

While I'm sure Sandy / Jean at Jandi will help they have no obligation to assist with warranty on non-UK vans and therefore any fix will be most certainly at your cost.

The washroom hinge problem is caused by the forward part of the bathroom framework flexing in transit. This allows the door to open and swing back breaking the 90° hinges. Alternatively if the door pin is located then the flexing can pull the closed door forward thus damaging the hinges.

Hi,

Thank you everyone for the replies!

The hinges do open to 180deg, it was first registered in March of this year so I'm guessing that is a 2015 model.

It was the screw holding the locating pin backing out that caused the damage for sure, I will contact Jandi about replacements and extra hinges. Carrying out the repair will be no problem. I will also just keep an eye on all the other screws for tightness.

Despite this little hiccup I am delighted with my purchase! I go away on extended climbing trips every year so this little beauty will allow my wife and young daughter to come along in comfort.

Cheers