I set out with my old 1990 Eriba Troll 540 (Poptop) to take her to Vintage Caravan Restorations Workshop just outside Bognor Regis to get a quote for rain damage. On the way way back on the the A27 I began to notice the car was having problems towing so I pulled into a BP service station and to my horror discovered my wheel bearings had completely sheared and the wheel was about to drop off.

The staff at the BP garage were brilliant, never had such a service for a long time, they found me a recovery company and gave me a free cup of coffee. The bad news, I am now £216 lighter in the pocket.

The recovery driver said that he picks up many caravans with this problem of broken wheel bearings so maybe it might be a good idea to get yours checked.

My van is old and showing it's age and I have decided to replace the axle completely as I now do not trust it any more.

Does anyone know where I could get this done locally to Eastleigh, Hampshire. A mobile mechanic would be best as the van cannot be moved other than on a trailer. Failing that, a local garage that could replace it if I can find a replacement axle. I also need to find a replacement axle.

I will also post this on the Facebook Page.

Thanks Randa, I will have to weigh up if it is worth repairing now as the costs are mounting up. It also requires welding to the front, a new front window seal and water is getting in elsewhere. I will be contacting Automotive Leisure to get some quotes but I fear that PopTop's days may be numbered.

I've no experience of replacing ALKO axles on Eriba Touring but a lot of people are having axles replaced on Baileys due to clearance issues. Apparently ALKO list it as a 4 hour job, though some dealers say they get it done in 2 hours. The average cost is about £1200.

Advert in this months C&CC Mag for Fraser Brown engineering who refurbish AlKo axles.
As is at the bottom of page 100.
check out www.fraserbrowneng.co.uk

The Fraser Brown Engineering people look really great. Who says we don't make anything in the UK any more!