10 replies to this topic

[kezzas]

We have got dreadful Damp In our Bailey Senator Wyoming Series 5.  Last year it began to appear and was booked in for its annual service (which is required for the Bailey Warranty) unfortunately our towing vehicle broke down and was irrepairable, we had to save for a new vehicle and have just taken it for it's service and damp is valued at inexcess of £4,500 to repair.  Have spoke to customer care team at Bailey and they are sticking to their guns and won't repair, even though this seems a common problem with these caravans, please could anyone report if they have had similar problems as i want to get some idea of the scale of the problem to put to Bailey.

The front and the back panel are cracked apparently - due to fault on model.  Wallpaper bubbling terrible in washroom.

We haven't got the money to do the repairs, we can't sell it in the state that it is in, the caravan service people said that it is awful and even if they repair it you will be able to see it's been repaired it really needs to go back to Bailey,

What shall i do, i'm devestated, our van is so clear and we hardly ever use it

HELP

[west-is-best]

Whilst I have every sympathy for you I think that Bailey are correct. They state that annual damp checks must be taken at the correct intervals to preserve your warranty.

Plus by your own admission you have let it fester.

You should have asked the dealer to collect (for a small charge) or even used a mobile NCC appproved fitter. It would have been a lot cheaper than £4,500.00.

[iancjc]

Unfortunately I agree with Kevin - the damage would probably have cost far less if it was corrected last year so I can't see how Bailey should suffer the loss.

I'd get other quotes for the repair though - £4500 is a hell of a lot of money.

Good luck

[chatterdog]

The replies may not be want you want to read but unfortunatley the dealers will stick to their warrenties and if you dont get them done at the correct time and there is a problem you dont have a leg to stand on. No matter what vehicle/caravan you buy you have to adhere to what the manufacturer stipulates during the life of warrenty

Welcome to the forum and I hope you manage to sort something out. The T&T bunch are a friendly lot - honestly.

[wee jock]

I reckon that the only way you will get out of paying the full 4.5k is to smooth talk Bailey into a compromise whereby they pay for the parts and you pay for the labour.

This is obviously not what you want to hear but I reckon that given you have missed an inspection you are now out of warranty so an appeal to Baileys better nature in light of all the problems that others have had with these panels would be the best way forward.

[Kiaman]

Haven't heard of the problem of front and rear panels cracking on Series5 Senators, in fact I dashed outside on first reading this to check my own Series5 for any sign of cracking I might have missed when cleaning it - fortunately can't find any of the signs you are talking about. Our Series 5 was amongst some of the very first of that Series to be manufactured, how old is your one?

Alan

[caravan man]

hello, this is my first response to the forum as i normally just read the topics and stay neutral with my opinions, but on this occassion i am very supprised to hear of the repair costs to this caravan. i own an approved service centre and have never known a repair to cost that much on a newish bailey, all manufacturers are very stringent with there warranties but i am sure there should be some sort of happy medium. do you live in the nw.

[neil & lena]

Kezzas
Have you missed the annual service by many months ? my local Bailey dealer tells me you are allowed 6 weeks max past your service date and after that they are not obliged to honour the warranty should any claim arise .
Its a pity you didn't get the dealer or a third party to collect it would have saved a lot of hassle.
p.s hope you can get it resolved somehow without costing you to much

[coopey1]

Have you actually seen the cracks in the rear panel or taking the word of the service department ?

We have a Series 5 Louisiana and have had no problems with damp at all....When we were on the hunt for a new van the Wyoming was top of our list. That was untill we had a look in the washroom !

The main feature that put us off the Wyoming was that the shower had no plastic enclosure (later models have a plastic lined shower compartment), which meant the water was allowed to contact the interior wall. Athough the wall boards/paper should be waterproof a small nick/crack or bad join will cause havoc and cause damp issues.

If you can prove that the damp is being caused from INSIDE the 'van, i.e. a design fault, then Bailey will be more sympathetic.

Our only issue with our van was the extrior door blind catch snapped at just over 2 years old. We proved that it was a design fault and Bailey agreed to replace the entire door under warranty. Blinds are only guaranteed for 12 months. They have now altered the design of the one piece door so that you can re-adjust the tension of the blind, whereas before it was a complete sealed unit.

[nodrog]

Hi ive got exactly the same problem with a bailey senator wyoming 6 years old out of warrenty and full of damp cracked above rear window to bathroom 70% damp but 50% in the side and the front still waiting to hear from bailey but i owned an eldis wisp 510 for 18 years when i traded it for this van no damp at all irrespective of age when you pay 16000 for a van it should not fail like this sounds like a big problem coming, my dealer let me know bailey have had problems with their bailey vans. My van was recalled with movement problems in the van doors not shutting or staying shut id say their is a stability problem with the wider van wish id stuck with eldis.

[DEANO3528]

Apparently this is a well known problem with Senators, I was told by a friend of my wife's, who now works locally for a Bailey dealer. She reckoned that they are like a sponge and a dry one is the exception rather than the rule. I would stick to my guns and do a little more searching around to get some evidence that there is an inherent problem and then go down the 'unfit for purpose' route wit Trading Standards. Got to be worth a punt.