2 Aussies buying a motorhome to travel Europe

[CathyMac]

This will be the 4th time we will have done The Nullabor, 2 motorhome, 1 car, 1 train.

You must notice if any trees have died each time you go across . For those that don't know Nullarbor means no trees. Mind you we didn't think the Nullarbor really started until we were close to the South Australian border.

 

[CathyMac]

Hi,

I presume as you have picked france to be the base for journey and buying a Campervan (camping car), you are familiar with the system in france. But in case not.

Normally the vehicle you buy has to have had its CT (french mot) within the last 6 months, this is a requirement for registration of the vehicle in your name. It is often a practice of the seller stating that they will put a new CT on the vehicle when they have agreed a sale, to stop having to do it twice if it takes longer than 6 months to sell.

In the case of a vehicle bought in the Canary Islands, it may still have a current CT, but unlikely to be less than 6 months old, so you would have to get it done after you get the vehicle back to france.

Although I don't think a spanish CT equivalent would be an acceptable alternative, it is probably worth having one done just to verify there are no major issues. You will have to check with one of our Spanish members to see if this is allowed, certainly french CT centers will test non french vehicles.

Thanks again Widge. We

If you buy a vehicle in the Canaries and sell it in Spain, there's tax to pay. Perhaps.

I know if we bring a vehicle from Spain, we have to pay tax.

It can be a minefield.

Thanks Yorick. We are still to find out all about the history of the motorhome.

As it is registered in France we are hoping that it was brought over to Gran Canaria for a while and the owners decided to sell it to avoid freight back etc.

Our plan was to get it freighted back to France which should not be a problem as it has French registration but of course what appears simple can often be a minefield as you say.

 

[CathyMac]

Agree, I would also ask if you can get it inspected (at your cost) at a garage/dealer of your choice, any complete scammers will bulk at that immediately.

I would also suspect that there are quite a lot of cargo ships doing that route, but how complicated it would be to ship i dont know.

Widge as you live in France we thought you may be able to answer this question without us going through the French translation searches etc (and we appreciate you speak English!).

Do you know if there is anything we must do to import a French registered vehicle from Gran Canaria to say, Marseille? )For example, when we imported the motorhome from the UK we had to have it fumigated at quite an expense). We were thinking probably not as it is part of the EU and many vehicles cross EU borders without requiring any special treatment etc.

If you don't know Widge would you be able to advise where we should go to find out?

Thanks Widge,

Cathy & Iain

 

[bobnick]

You must notice if any trees have died each time you go across . For those that don't know Nullarbor means no trees. Mind you we didn't think the Nullarbor really started until we were close to the South Australian border.

So many start finishes of The Nullabor. The most popular i found was Ceduna to Esperance, 1,400Ks. When we did it in the MH we did it in 2 day's stopping overnight in Cocklebiddy.
As you know there are large section with no trees but there are trees on quite a bit of it.
Also the longest straight road section in Assie, 90 miles.

 

[sueandjohn]

My only advise would be do NOT send any money as deposit or otherwise until you are 100% the MH is gen.

OBTW, we will be in Perth 4th Jan arriving from Sydney on the Indian Pacific train.

Hi bobnick were still in Perth then . Flying back from Brisbane on 3rd . Always fancied the Indian pacific railway . Happy Ozzie holibobs

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[fishplug]

So....

All the information you need is here I think.

You just need to learn French

First bit essentially relates to any vehicles imported into the country and it says that you have to declare it to customs and you may have duty and TVA (VAT) to pay as a result.

However, the interesting bit is:

• véhicule d'origine communautaire exporté puis réintroduit dans l'Union européenne. Ces véhicules perdent leur statut communautaire lors de leur exportation et sont considérés comme des marchandises non communautaires lors de leur retour dans l'Union européenne 2.

That says that a vehicle that was originally French and was exported and then reimported into the EU lose their "French" status and are considered to be foreign imports.... However, note 2 says:

2 Toutefois, le régime des marchandises dites en retour peut leur être applicable selon le cas (exonération des droits de douane ou de la TVA). Vous devez vous renseigner auprès d'un bureau de douane.

Which says that there are instances where customs and VAT costs might be waived such as for the return of goods.

Perhaps the most relevant bit is

Attention : les véhicules importés, précédemment immatriculés dans une série normale française, hors du cadre d'un transfert de résidence normale, peuvent également être admis en exonération des droits et taxes, notamment au titre des marchandises en retour.

Vehicles imported into France which had been previously registered with a French number plate (outside of a change of address) are also eligible for consideration for exoneration of taxes.

This is where it starts to get complicated. If you're planning to pick it up in Spain then I think you're effectively importing it into Spain rather than Spain being a country you transit through on the way to France. That might not be a good move.

In your position, I would be looking at speaking to a specialist vehicle delivery company who can drop it off at your door in France.

I've known Motofreight for more years than I care to admit and would definitely speak to them about the logistics / costs of doing what you're trying to do.

There are obviously other companies that do this sort of thing who you might want to contact for comparison but I don't have any personal experience with them.

Don't know if any of that was helpful - but I hope so!

 

[Widge]

Widge as you live in France we thought you may be able to answer this question without us going through the French translation searches etc (and we appreciate you speak English!).

Do you know if there is anything we must do to import a French registered vehicle from Gran Canaria to say, Marseille? )For example, when we imported the motorhome from the UK we had to have it fumigated at quite an expense). We were thinking probably not as it is part of the EU and many vehicles cross EU borders without requiring any special treatment etc.


If you don't know Widge would you be able to advise where we should go to find out?

Thanks Widge,

Cathy & Iain

Hi Cathy and Ian,

I am not sure how much I can help, Although I live in france I am british and my french is fairly mediocre.

I know several people (and I think there are a number on this group) who have traveled to N Africa, Morocco etc, and I have never heard of any requirements to treat the vehicle in any way, and the Canarys are so close to N Africa that I cannot imagine what they might have in the Canarys that dosen't already exist on the mainland, I do know Australia are particularly hot, and even the movement of fruit and veg between states/territorys is very regulated, hence your experience.

I would also be suprised if there is an easy shipping route directly to france. As the Canarys are spanish that would be the logical and probably the cheapest way to get it back to the mainland. And I would think that one of the members living in Spain/Canarys would probably be more knowledgeable.

Some people have mentioned about the posibility of and inport/export tax being applied, but I would imagine that if it still french registered, it has never been officially imported, so shouldn't be applied, but somebody might correct me on that.
Onece back in france you will need to get a current CT and get it registered, the CT is about 80 euros, the registration charge is based on the HP of the vehicle and the age, but I would imagine you are talking about 300-500 euros,

When you buy a french vehicle there are forms to fill in to transfer ownership, this is now normally done online at https://ants.gouv.fr/ but there is a manual form, which you can download here https://www.portail-cartegrise.fr/certificat-cession/ so have this available for the seller to fill in, i would also try to get some proof of who the seller is, if not a garage.

As far as the actual registration plenty of garages in france provide a service for completing the registration on line for you, last time I paid about 40 euros, it saves you having to open your own account on the ants site.

Sorry I cant be more help at the moment and good luck with your adventure.
Dave

 

[Widge]

Hi Cathy and Ian,

I am not sure how much I can help, Although I live in france I am british and my french is fairly mediocre.

I know several people (and I think there are a number on this group) who have traveled to N Africa, Morocco etc, and I have never heard of any requirements to treat the vehicle in any way, and the Canarys are so close to N Africa that I cannot imagine what they might have in the Canarys that dosen't already exist on the mainland, I do know Australia are particularly hot, and even the movement of fruit and veg between states/territorys is very regulated, hence your experience.

I would also be suprised if there is an easy shipping route directly to france. As the Canarys are spanish that would be the logical and probably the cheapest way to get it back to the mainland. And I would think that one of the members living in Spain/Canarys would probably be more knowledgeable.

Some people have mentioned about the posibility of and inport/export tax being applied, but I would imagine that if it still french registered, it has never been officially imported, so shouldn't be applied, but somebody might correct me on that.
Onece back in france you will need to get a current CT and get it registered, the CT is about 80 euros, the registration charge is based on the HP of the vehicle and the age, but I would imagine you are talking about 300-500 euros,

When you buy a french vehicle there are forms to fill in to transfer ownership, this is now normally done online at https://ants.gouv.fr/ but there is a manual form, which you can download here https://www.portail-cartegrise.fr/certificat-cession/ so have this available for the seller to fill in, i would also try to get some proof of who the seller is, if not a garage.

As far as the actual registration plenty of garages in france provide a service for completing the registration on line for you, last time I paid about 40 euros, it saves you having to open your own account on the ants site.

Sorry I cant be more help at the moment and good luck with your adventure.
Dave

Looks like someone beat me to it

 

[CathyMac]

So many start finishes of The Nullabor. The most popular i found was Ceduna to Esperance, 1,400Ks. When we did it in the MH we did it in 2 day's stopping overnight in Cocklebiddy.
As you know there are large section with no trees but there are trees on quite a bit of it.
Also the longest straight road section in Assie, 90 miles.

Hi Cathy and Ian,

I am not sure how much I can help, Although I live in france I am british and my french is fairly mediocre.

I know several people (and I think there are a number on this group) who have traveled to N Africa, Morocco etc, and I have never heard of any requirements to treat the vehicle in any way, and the Canarys are so close to N Africa that I cannot imagine what they might have in the Canarys that dosen't already exist on the mainland, I do know Australia are particularly hot, and even the movement of fruit and veg between states/territorys is very regulated, hence your experience.

I would also be suprised if there is an easy shipping route directly to france. As the Canarys are spanish that would be the logical and probably the cheapest way to get it back to the mainland. And I would think that one of the members living in Spain/Canarys would probably be more knowledgeable.

Some people have mentioned about the posibility of and inport/export tax being applied, but I would imagine that if it still french registered, it has never been officially imported, so shouldn't be applied, but somebody might correct me on that.
Onece back in france you will need to get a current CT and get it registered, the CT is about 80 euros, the registration charge is based on the HP of the vehicle and the age, but I would imagine you are talking about 300-500 euros,

When you buy a french vehicle there are forms to fill in to transfer ownership, this is now normally done online at https://ants.gouv.fr/ but there is a manual form, which you can download here https://www.portail-cartegrise.fr/certificat-cession/ so have this available for the seller to fill in, i would also try to get some proof of who the seller is, if not a garage.

As far as the actual registration plenty of garages in france provide a service for completing the registration on line for you, last time I paid about 40 euros, it saves you having to open your own account on the ants site.

Sorry I cant be more help at the moment and good luck with your adventure.
Dave

Thanks Dave that is very helpful. We have an agent lined up who can complete the transfer of registration in France. Also the company selling the said MH says they will deliver to any address in France (850 Euro total). As I have said we will have to check the legitimacy of all this but it's helpful to get as much information before hand. Thanks again Dave.....Merry Christmas!

 

[Widge]

It might be worth asking the original owners if they could return it at least to the spanish mainland, that might save a lot of hastle regarding the owners name etc on the registration documents. (For a fee of course).

They obviously got it there, so they ought to know how to get it back.

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[CathyMac]

We will be asking the company to scan and email all documents (ie registration papers and last Controle Tecniq etc) which should contain name and address of current owner. Then hopefully we can contact the owne see what actually preceded offering the MH for sale. Thank goodness for internet!

 

[CathyMac]

So....

All the information you need is here I think.

You just need to learn French

First bit essentially relates to any vehicles imported into the country and it says that you have to declare it to customs and you may have duty and TVA (VAT) to pay as a result.

However, the interesting bit is:

• véhicule d'origine communautaire exporté puis réintroduit dans l'Union européenne. Ces véhicules perdent leur statut communautaire lors de leur exportation et sont considérés comme des marchandises non communautaires lors de leur retour dans l'Union européenne 2.

That says that a vehicle that was originally French and was exported and then reimported into the EU lose their "French" status and are considered to be foreign imports.... However, note 2 says:

2 Toutefois, le régime des marchandises dites en retour peut leur être applicable selon le cas (exonération des droits de douane ou de la TVA). Vous devez vous renseigner auprès d'un bureau de douane.

Which says that there are instances where customs and VAT costs might be waived such as for the return of goods.

Perhaps the most relevant bit is

Attention : les véhicules importés, précédemment immatriculés dans une série normale française, hors du cadre d'un transfert de résidence normale, peuvent également être admis en exonération des droits et taxes, notamment au titre des marchandises en retour.

Vehicles imported into France which had been previously registered with a French number plate (outside of a change of address) are also eligible for consideration for exoneration of taxes.

This is where it starts to get complicated. If you're planning to pick it up in Spain then I think you're effectively importing it into Spain rather than Spain being a country you transit through on the way to France. That might not be a good move.

In your position, I would be looking at speaking to a specialist vehicle delivery company who can drop it off at your door in France.

I've known Motofreight for more years than I care to admit and would definitely speak to them about the logistics / costs of doing what you're trying to do.

There are obviously other companies that do this sort of thing who you might want to contact for comparison but I don't have any personal experience with them.

Don't know if any of that was helpful - but I hope so!

Thanks Fishplug. Any information is helpful. Re the learning French....yes you are correct. Have been trying to learn conversational but they speak so fast! Speaking the basics will be an achievement but reading it is another matter (thank goodness for google translation).

Thanks for the Motofreight recommendation, will certainly look to them for a quote if the purchase proceeds.

Thanks again.

 

[fishplug]

€850 for delivery to France seems hard to beat. I'd check if that would include any customs declaration / taxes etc.

Once you've got a French registered vehicle on French soil then it's a pretty simple process.

As for learning the language, well, there's no better way than to throw yourself in at the deep end and immerse yourself in the culture!

I still remember the first time I understood every word of a radio program - there are no visual clues and they speak super fast so it was a real milestone for me, as was the first time I dreamt in French!

There's no substitute for living there - you'll pick it up faster than you think!

 

[Palough]

The reason they are cheaper than in Australia is that European motorhomes do not have to be extensively altered to comply with the Australian requirement of having any waste water drain down the plughole to go in a clockwise direction ...

Welcome to the Fun House

Actually, the reason Aussie MH's are so expensive is because most are imported, partly or fully, rebadged and have to undergo ridiculous modifications to comply with Aussie standards.

Especially, electrical which does not comply with Aussie standards, crazy but true.

If it's safe for hundresds of millions in Europe, how come it's not safe for 26 Million people in Oz

Having lived outside of Oz since 1988 working as an Engineer all over the world and been motorhoming almost continuously since retirement more than 10 years ago, when I travel back to Oz I'm appalled at the prices of MH's in Australia, and they seem to only import the worst of the internal living configurations

As I'm planning on returning to Oz permanently in 2027, I dread having to outlay such a big amount on an Aussie van.

Seriously considering shipping something back which, after customs costs and all the other government B.S., should give a better MH at comparable, or cheaper cost.

 

[Norrimac]

Hi everyone!
Well we imported a motorhome to Australia back in 2020 an now live in it full time, following the weather and travelling our vast country.
A short time ago we realised that being 70ish we realistically (if health holds out) have 10 years for overseas travel.
We decided the motorhome lifestyle is definitely for us. We love having our home travel with us. No more booking into accom by a certain time and transferring clothes etc in then decamping in the morning.
So, this led us to look at buying a LHD motorhome in France. We are in the process of setting up a company (Societe Civile) which will purchase the motorhome. We will be the only shareholders of the company. We can get insurance and the accountant completing the procedure will provide his address as the company address any mail can be sent to them.
The next step is to purchase a French registered vehicle so save a lot of mucking around. This led us to a very nice vehicle in Las Palmas. We are seriously looking at visiting Las Palmas after Christmas when our Societe Civile has been established.
We have a quote to transport the vehicle back to Spain on the continent.
We intend posting this following question when our subcription to Motorhome Fun has been processed.
The motorhomes located in Las Palmas are ridiculously inexpensive compared to UK and the continent.
Does anyone know why this is the case?
Cathy & Iain

Hi CathyMac,

We've lived in Spain for 36 years. (I'm not bragging. There's a reason to state this as you'll see.)

First, I'd estimate 50-60% of the ads you'll see online in Spain are fake or 'clickbait' to get you into a conversation with scammers.

The most common one is the tale that the vehicle is in another country. (eg France -- which is used a lot.)

After hooking you in, they explain that all you have to do is pay for the shipping to your address.

Typically 1,000-2,000€. This payment is 'legit', online, to a registered shipping company.

On delivery, you can inspect the vehicle and decide to buy it or not.

Where they get clever is when you background check the shipping company, it IS all 'legit'.

But it ain't.
Your money will go to a country like Nigeria.

(Where they seem to offer Univerity Degees in online scamming.) You'll never see it again -- and the vehicle does not exist.

I followed the process, even tho' I knew it was a scam. The Canary Islands seem to offer WAY more of these scams than other parts of Spain.

Dunno why.

That asides...

The EU brags that once you're in an EU country, you're in one nation.

Total bullshit.

If you buy a van registered in any other country other than France, where your private company is based...

You'll have expenses, headaches and bureaucratic mountains to climb to get it onto French plates. (Which -- and I'm guessing -- you will have to do.)

Do yourself a favour and get an already-registered, French plated-vehicle.

Have fun!

Norm.

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[Norrimac]

€850 for delivery to France seems hard to beat. I'd check if that would include any customs declaration / taxes etc.

Once you've got a French registered vehicle on French soil then it's a pretty simple process.

As for learning the language, well, there's no better way than to throw yourself in at the deep end and immerse yourself in the culture!

I still remember the first time I understood every word of a radio program - there are no visual clues and they speak super fast so it was a real milestone for me, as was the first time I dreamt in French!

There's no substitute for living there - you'll pick it up faster than you think!

€850 for delivery to France seems hard to beat.
Scam
Scam
Scam
Scam
Scam

I recently brought a CAR from Tenerife to Valencia.

Just under 1,000€.

A MH is nearly double that.

Just sayin'.

Norm.

 

[bobnick]

Actually, the reason Aussie MH's are so expensive is because most are imported, partly or fully, rebadged and have to undergo ridiculous modifications to comply with Aussie standards.

Especially, electrical which does not comply with Aussie standards, crazy but true.

If it's safe for hundresds of millions in Europe, how come it's not safe for 26 Million people in Oz

Having lived outside of Oz since 1988 working as an Engineer all over the world and been motorhoming almost continuously since retirement more than 10 years ago, when I travel back to Oz I'm appalled at the prices of MH's in Australia, and they seem to only import the worst of the internal living configurations

As I'm planning on returning to Oz permanently in 2027, I dread having to outlay such a big amount on an Aussie van.

Seriously considering shipping something back which, after customs costs and all the other government B.S., should give a better MH at comparable, or cheaper cost.

Jayco built in Victoria have a massive market in Aussie. Both MHs and caravans.

 

[CathyMac]

Hi CathyMac,

We've lived in Spain for 36 years. (I'm not bragging. There's a reason to state this as you'll see.)

First, I'd estimate 50-60% of the ads you'll see online in Spain are fake or 'clickbait' to get you into a conversation with scammers.

The most common one is the tale that the vehicle is in another country. (eg France -- which is used a lot.)

After hooking you in, they explain that all you have to do is pay for the shipping to your address.

Typically 1,000-2,000€. This payment is 'legit', online, to a registered shipping company.

On delivery, you can inspect the vehicle and decide to buy it or not.

Where they get clever is when you background check the shipping company, it IS all 'legit'.

But it ain't.
Your money will go to a country like Nigeria.

(Where they seem to offer Univerity Degees in online scamming.) You'll never see it again -- and the vehicle does not exist.

I followed the process, even tho' I knew it was a scam. The Canary Islands seem to offer WAY more of these scams than other parts of Spain.

Dunno why.

That asides...

The EU brags that once you're in an EU country, you're in one nation.

Total bullshit.

If you buy a van registered in any other country other than France, where your private company is based...

You'll have expenses, headaches and bureaucratic mountains to climb to get it onto French plates. (Which -- and I'm guessing -- you will have to do.)

Do yourself a favour and get an already-registered, French plated-vehicle.

Have fun!

Norm.

Thanks Norm. I have to admit what you say about the 'scam' scenario is certainly on our radar.

 

[CathyMac]

Jayco built in Victoria have a massive market in Aussie. Both MHs and caravans.

Bobnick I would certainly advise you to research import.

We imported an older Autotrail into Brisbane from UK back in 2019. The cost of buying the motorhome plus RORO freight, and modifications compared favorably with prices here (if you could find one like it here). We had used it in the UK for 8 months so knew it was a good vehicle, plus we liked the setup. I can't say the processes in place back then are the same now, but back then, had we lived in the UK (ie could prove residency for a year) and owned the motorhome for a year, then it would have been a simpler process and the costs less (eg no GST payable).

You're right about Jayco - a huge market here but as usual there are the devotees and the haters.

 

[bobnick]

Bobnick I would certainly advise you to research import.

We imported an older Autotrail into Brisbane from UK back in 2019. The cost of buying the motorhome plus RORO freight, and modifications compared favorably with prices here (if you could find one like it here). We had used it in the UK for 8 months so knew it was a good vehicle, plus we liked the setup. I can't say the processes in place back then are the same now, but back then, had we lived in the UK (ie could prove residency for a year) and owned the motorhome for a year, then it would have been a simpler process and the costs less (eg no GST payable).

You're right about Jayco - a huge market here but as usual there are the devotees and the haters.

Only stating that Jayco have a massive market there and they are made there.
I have had lots of Jayco's on rental and yes most of them imo are rubbish made.

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[fishplug]

€850 for delivery to France seems hard to beat.
Scam
Scam
Scam
Scam
Scam

I recently brought a CAR from Tenerife to Valencia.

Just under 1,000€.

A MH is nearly double that.

Just sayin'.

Norm.

I would also be treading carefully, but it's not impossible that they know they're not going to shift the MH without heavily subsidising the export back to the EU given that it's on foreign plates.

It would definitely be a concern in my head.

Again, a comparitive quote followed by a 'how come you're so much cheaper' might not be a bad thing.

 

[MisterB]

Thanks Fishplug. Any information is helpful. Re the learning French....yes you are correct. Have been trying to learn conversational but they speak so fast! Speaking the basics will be an achievement but reading it is another matter (thank goodness for google translation)

The Michel Thomas CD's are brilliant for a quick understanding of French and how the language 'works' ....

 

[Widge]

The Michel Thomas CD's are brilliant for a quick understanding of French and how the language 'works' ....

Michael thomas cd's content is very good, unfortunatly I realy took a dislike to his voice and attitude, which for me didn't encourage me to continue. But it was a long time ago, so maybe i ought to review them again.

But for a free online app duo lingo isn't bad.

 

[Widge]

Just a suggestion, do you know anyone you trust in the UK, preferably with a bit of mechanical knowledge that would like a few days away in Las Palmas, ryanair flights are cheap enough, if nothing else a total scammer might bulk at actually having to meet someone in person, if you at least suggested that is what you are thinking of doing.

 

[CathyMac]

Thanks Widge. We have told them we have decided to come to Gran Canaria (when our Societe Civile has been established in France) to inspect the vehicle and they have replied 'OK'. I can not fault their replies to numerous emails but of course that is how a scammer hooks you and reels you in.

Barrie on this forum lives on Gran Canaria and he is kindly doing some sleuthing for us. Firstly we just want to be sure the company actually exists physically. If that turns out OK we can move to the next step.

I have checked their address on 'Google Earth' and there appears to be a company with a similar name in that location so I have used their 'contact us' email from their website to see if they sell vehicles as it only mentions they are a mechanical workshop. Will be interesting to see what comes back if anything. Sophisticated scammers could create a website using information provided by a legitimate setup to suit their scam.

It's an interesting journey!

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[CathyMac]

The Michel Thomas CD's are brilliant for a quick understanding of French and how the language 'works' ....

Thanks for that

The Michel Thomas CD's are brilliant for a quick understanding of French and how the language 'works' ....

Thanks for that info Mister B.

 

[Palough]

Jayco built in Victoria have a massive market in Aussie. Both MHs and caravans.

Jayco is an American motorhome company.

My brother has a very large Jayco in Brisbane with washing machine, dishwasher, Aircon, slide-in, slide-out, and the works.

He has had a number of problems with it.

As I pulled the guts out of the motorhome to fix what I could in the short time I had, I was surprised to find a great deal of American equipment stashed away.

I think you'll find that, they are assembled in Melbourne, not actually built from the ground up, don't get sucked in by the spin merchants.

A prime example is the Surflow pump, a California company that's now global.

But what struck me was the shoddy workmanship!

They had an air leak in the water system that the dealer had "fixed" a couple of times, even replacing the water pump to no avail!

After crawling underneath the MH, it very soon became obvious where the air leak was coming from.

See the attached photos.

Water lines and electrical cables were fed through holes in the chassis completely unprotected.

A certain source of some serious electyissues further down the years.

And, instead of running a single water hose from the fresh water tank to the pump, the water line was made up of off-cuts of hose (probably scraped together from left overs to save money) held together with garden variety screw clamps

Being on holidays, I wasn't about to tear out all the water hose piping and electrical cables getting chaffed by the sharp holes in the chassis.

So, I sleeved the hoses and cables for protection where they passed through the chassis, see photos.

In short, the overall construction was little short of appalling measured by any standards, especially for a top of the line MH.

And this is only the water hose line and electrical cabling under the MH.

The mounting and piping of the water pump was a plumbers nightmare!

Not a MH brand I'll be considering, when I return to Oz in a few years!

 

[Palough]

Jayco is an American motorhome company.

My brother has a very large Jayco in Brisbane with washing machine, dishwasher, Aircon, slide-in, slide-out, and the works.

He has had a number of problems with it.

As I pulled the guts out of the motorhome to fix what I could in the short time I had, I was surprised to find a great deal of American equipment stashed away.

I think you'll find that, they are assembled in Melbourne, not actually built from the ground up, don't get sucked in by the spin merchants.

A prime example is the Surflow pump, a California company that's now global.

But what struck me was the shoddy workmanship!

They had an air leak in the water system that the dealer had "fixed" a couple of times, even replacing the water pump to no avail!

After crawling underneath the MH, it very soon became obvious where the air leak was coming from.

See the attached photos.

Water lines and electrical cables were fed through holes in the chassis completely unprotected.

A certain source of some serious electyissues further down the years.

And, instead of running a single water hose from the fresh water tank to the pump, the water line was made up of off-cuts of hose (probably scraped together from left overs to save money) held together with garden variety screw clamps

Being on holidays, I wasn't about to tear out all the water hose piping and electrical cables getting chaffed by the sharp holes in the chassis.

So, I sleeved the hoses and cables for protection where they passed through the chassis, see photos.

In short, the overall construction was little short of appalling measured by any standards, especially for a top of the line MH.

And this is only the water hose line and electrical cabling under the MH.

The mounting and piping of the water pump was a plumbers nightmare!

Not a MH brand I'll be considering, when I return to Oz in a few years!

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I should add that Jayco are are Australian family business making campers and trailers since I wore nappies, so I can only assume they are franchised or there would probably be a trademark dispute.

Nevertheless, they do have a good standing in Oz, but clearly this MH was a Friday afternoon job when everyone had their mind on Saturdays AFL footy grand final match

 

[rambo]

lol look at those pics....looks like the boys from swift and autofail have been on a bus mans holiday

 

[bobnick]

Australia has been very americanised for a long time in lots of areas.
I have rented only a good few times and can agree and have said they are rubbish made.
My nephew who lives in Perth has a offroad twin axle caravan, basically a very well designed van spoilt by build quality.
I mentioned they were built in Victoria, Melbourne is in Victoria.
From Wiki

​

Gerard Thomas Ryan[1] 1949 or 1950 (age 74–75)[2] Bendigo, Victoria

Australian

Owner, Jayco Australia Chairman, Global Creatures Part-owner, Mitchelton–Scott

​

Gerard "Gerry" Thomas Ryan OAM (born c. 1949) is an Australian businessman, investor, racehorse owner and sports enthusiast. Ryan is the owner and founder of Jayco Australia, as well as owning wineries, resorts, the theatrical company Global Creatures, the Southside Flyers in the Women's National Basketball League, and is part-owner of online retailer BikeExchange[7] and My Local Group.[8][9][10] In 2011, with his son Andrew, he acquired Mitchelton Wines from Lion Nathan.[11]

From Wiki.​

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