Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

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Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

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Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 10:25 am
by natnjohnlee (deleted)

Hi I'm hoping to learn the easy way from every ones experience!

We have fallen in love with Eribas and their neatness and retro looks and are past the camping age with bad backs really now, and want to be able to get away for short weekends with our 2 doglets to enjoy things outdoors all year round.

We are looking at buying a used triton 430 from the main dealer with some awnings included is there anything I should be aware of to check when I go back and look before committing?
I like the sprung seats but are their any cons would you say they make a more comfortable bed really compared to the foam ones?
Also any tips on bargaining for instance is it better to ask for extras thrown in? or is bargaining a no no with used?
Any advise gratefully received

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RE: Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 10:46 am
by hob (deleted)

I guess "main dealer" would mean AL at Poole, they are the sort of place where prices are fixed, however bargaining will do no harm but I doubt it will get you anywhere.
I have sprung seats and use a foam topper to sleep on as I find them a little on the firm side as a bed. However still more comfortable than sleeping in a tent.
I have a 430 Triton myself and really enjoy the layout leaving the rear bed made up and sitting at the front during the day.

Al are not the cheapest of dealers but are most likely the nearest ones to you.

Have a good look at all the stock they have when you go you may see something you like better.

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Vauxhall Insignia Sri towing 2006 Triton 430 import

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RE: Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 10:59 am
by natnjohnlee (deleted)

Thanks Hob, yes AL is where I'm off to look at something on Friday, we had the tour last weekend, I'm a bit nervous about private sales and they offer a large choice, do you know if they expensive to service there?
I find the sprung seats more comfy for sitting than the foam, but am aware many folk add a topper to the bed to cushion and even things out so prob will do that as well!
I'll try the well if you throw in a ... you've got a deal tack!

RE: Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 10:59 am
by hampshireman (deleted)

Good to have you here and we from Winchester
Ours boought 2nd hand from AL and annually serviced there. I am sure you will get advice on your aim in here.

Puck 225L pushing CMax 1.9TDI Ghia
Pepe's Walk

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Last edited Sat Nov 07, 2015 11:02 am | Scroll up

RE: Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 11:05 am
by natnjohnlee (deleted)

Hello Hampshireman!
Your just up the road, love Winchester!
How much is the servicing at AL? have you tried elsewhere at all?

RE: Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 11:19 am
by hampshireman (deleted)

No, we rely on them to get it right and last time it was £215 + VAT. They also fitted a mover and side light cover but they were extras (no small amount of course for the mover)

Puck 225L pushing CMax 1.9TDI Ghia
Pepe's Walk

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RE: Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 11:40 am
by natnjohnlee (deleted)

Thanks Hampshireman that's annual presumably?
I think we will need a mover but may have to wait a while for that!
have you managed without a mover for a while?

RE: Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 2:06 pm
by Aaron Calder •

| 3.834 Posts

As you are buying second-hand, why not look for a caravan that already has a mover fitted?

Ours came from AL with mover and awning included and although we never even considered a mover when we were looking for a van, we wouldn't be without one now.

Having one retro-fitted is an expensive way to do it.

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2003 Triton 420 and Audi A4 2.0Tfsi S-line SE Cabriolet

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RE: Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 2:59 pm
by Pepé Le Pew •

| 2.752 Posts

Quote: natnjohnlee wrote in post #7
Thanks Hampshireman that's annual presumably?

There are plenty of options when it comes to servicing, and the questions of how much it costs, how frequently it should be done and what should be done whenever it is done are of the how long is a piece of string variety.

Assuming for the sake of argument that you buy a second-hand van out of both its manufacturers and water ingress warranty - i.e. over six years old, then to a very large degree the cost of servicing depends on how much of it you can do yourself. These vans are not complicated, and in comparison to a car have a tiny number of moving parts, all of which are pretty rudimentary. Not only are they simple things, they are also no more complicated than any other caravan in terms of their maintenance requirements so (in my view) don't require Eriba 'specialists' to look after them.

Have a look through the servicing list in Roger's post here. Fundamentally the more of this you can do yourself the less it will cost to have someone else do it.

Work out how much you are confident in tackling, and ring a mobile engineer to get a quote for what you aren't. Try one of the blokes from MCEA for a start.

Even if you don't want to do any of it yourself and are happier to chuck someone else the keys (metaphorically speaking), I would still get full service quotes from the mobile engineers you can find with a bit of judicious Googling before rocking up at Automotive Leisure. A mobile engineer's overheads are way lower than a dealer's, and this will account for most of the difference in cost.

If you're okay with tootling over to Poole and paying £250 for a service, then what I've written doesn't really apply.

All I'm saying is that in my humble opinion (and set in the context of an Eriba being essentially a two-wheeled tin box containing some lightweight furniture, a tiny fridge, a glorified camping stove and a few lights) £250 is an awful lot of money, and you can get it done just as well by someone else and for a lot less.

When it comes to how often it should be serviced - and assuming once again that you're out of warranty - it depends on how often you use it and how well you look after it in the interim.

I would argue that having it serviced every year if you only tow it a couple of thousand miles annually is completely unnecessary, especially if you are able to keep an eye on the basic - non-specialist - stuff from the service list mentioned above.

Anyone who can check tyre pressures can grease the towbar damper occasionally, lubricate the corner steadies, roof scissors and door hinges and make sure that all the lights work.

You have to make sure that the outside lights work before you go away on holiday, after all...

.

sf-T 33/7r

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Last edited Sat Nov 07, 2015 5:24 pm | Scroll up

#10

RE: Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 3:16 pm
by natnjohnlee (deleted)

thanks that's v helpful! Pepe

#11

RE: Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 5:36 pm
by Deeps (deleted)

Welcome to the forum natnjohnlee. Nothing to add really to the very good advice that has already been given. I will, however, add a slightly different viewpoint to the question of servicing and that essentially revolves around the fact that a mobile engineer calling at your house is unlikely to crawl around under the van very much - and I doubt you will either as, in your own words, you are 'past the camping age'.

The dealers workshop - assuming they execute their job with due diligence of course - will have the van up on a ramp and be able to take a real good look see what's going on underneath. For example, and I only discovered this as a result of the technician accidentally leaving a can of aerosol spray inside the van when it had rolled under the table and out of sight, but they had resprayed the underneath with that black underfloor protection spray that Hymer use. I don't even think it's available to the general public as it's stamped trade-only and in event I've never come across any of the stuff on the dealers shelves.

Now that of course is not saying that you should dismiss employing a mobile technician any more than I'm implying that every workshop is good. I'm simply saying that this is an area that you should give careful thought too as damage/natural wear and tear that happens underneath and often out of mind can be very expensive to repair if not discovered and treated promptly.

Oh, and by the way, way back in time I was trained/stationed at that place on the hill called HMS Mercury (Leydene Nr Clanfield) along with HMS Dolphin (Gosport) so your neck of the woods was my playground so to say. And what a playground it was.

2013 Triton 430, Mazda CX-5 D-150, AWD AT, Walker Touring Plus awning, Isabella Shadow sun shade.

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Last edited Sat Nov 07, 2015 5:36 pm | Scroll up

#12

RE: Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 5:51 pm
by Pepé Le Pew •

| 2.752 Posts

Quote: Deeps wrote in post #11
I will, however, add a slightly different viewpoint to the question of servicing and that essentially revolves around the fact that a mobile engineer calling at your house is unlikely to crawl around under the van very much...

Not so. A lot of the work required to do a running-gear (chassis) service means he will have to do exactly that, and not least because it's part of his job.

It's not as if he'll be shuffling around with his nose, belly and toes rammed against the underfloor either, because it'll be up on axle stands and he may well be using a creeper.

The MCEA geezer who did my running-gear service spent quite a lot of time underneath ours - on a creeper - and unless he had learned to whistle in his sleep he wasn't having a sneaky kip.

For what it's worth I opted to get him to do it rather than me do it myself because we don't do intergalactic mileage and it made more sense to pay him than me buy the decent quality torque wrench needed for the one-shot axle nuts.

.

sf-T 33/7r

Last edited Sat Nov 07, 2015 5:56 pm | Scroll up

#13

RE: Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 6:06 pm
by Wordspace (deleted)

Quote: Deeps wrote in post #11
The dealers workshop - assuming they execute their job with due diligence of course - will have the van up on a ramp and be able to take a real good look see what's going on underneath.

Theres much to be said for both routes. But the problem with Deeps's is the difficulty of getting a single-axle caravan like an Eriba on a ramp and then supporting it. I've never seen a hydraulic inspection ramp with a centre track for the jockey wheel.

Oliver's Twists at http://martynoliver.wordpress.com/

#14

RE: Hello from v excited newbie Waterlooville Hampshire

in Hi. Please take a couple of minutes to say hello here Sat Nov 07, 2015 6:12 pm
by Deeps (deleted)

Quote: Wordspace wrote in post #13
I've never seen a hydraulic inspection ramp with a centre track for the jockey wheel.

It's not essential to have one really. My Hymer dealer places a joining plate/ramp across the middle which from an appearance point of view, closely resembles one of those ramps that are used to wheel things i.e. motorbikes etc up onto the back of a trailer.

2013 Triton 430, Mazda CX-5 D-150, AWD AT, Walker Touring Plus awning, Isabella Shadow sun shade.

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