Are CI Motorhomes really that bad??

[Ralph-n-Bev]

Still love ours a year later after posting earlier on in the thread. Bought 2 nd hand , from dealer. 2006 model.
No problems at all ( touch wood ) just replaced the tyres again , and sump pump and brakes. Had cam belt done a couple of years ago. Runs perfectly, no damp, economical with fuel. Great build quality.

 

[Kizmax]

Cipro garage

We have a 2006 cipro garage mercedes based and its our 5th MH and I have to say we love it we have covered 3k in the lAst month and the only problem we have is the internal flyscreens door is missing but it was when we purchased itoh:

 

[Phill D]

We have a 2006 cipro garage mercedes based and its our 5th MH and I have to say we love it we have covered 3k in the lAst month and [HI]the only problem we have is the internal flyscreens door is missing[/HI] but it was when we purchased itoh:

thats probably deliberate as our 2008 CI ( now moved it on ) hab door would not seal with the fly screen frame in place, even after a new door and frame were fitted.

 

[Peppadog]

So the answer is simple. If buying a second hand van. Have it checked thoroughly. If buying a new one, have it checked thoroughly, and reject it if its damp.

For info. We bought one of the first Italian CI’s. A 1994 Meridian 114. 5 berth, on a LHD Transit chassis. The only importing dealer then was Maddisons in Preston. They were also the exclusive Hymer dealer back then. It was under £20,000. It was well built with good internal materials. We kept it for 8 years then part ex’d it in for a new VW camper. It was not damp and had no faults in those years despite long trips to France and Spain etc. I think we did about 80k kms in it. It was about half the price of a Hymer. But much better than half as good.

Buy what takes your liking. Forget brands. Buy only on suitability and verified, tested condition

 

[scotzsue]

the CI range has been dropped and it is my belief that that is the case because of the poor reputation. habitation spares come from Italy and can take a lifetime.

We hd a CI for almost 5 years, had a problem with water ingress, but that was because, possibly previous owner, had fitted a c/d rail under the exixting fiamma, straight into the side with screws no sealant, got in there, it was fixed by the dealer we bought it from, not quibble, the interior sheet took couple of months to come from italy. Our Escape part which we needed took longer to come 3 miles and that was only expediated by a converation on golf course

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[G14HOM]

The vast majority of motorhomes suffer from damp ..I had a damp issue and had a quote for £2,000 for the repair I striped the offending pannel out and resealed and replaced the 6mm plywood board ..I covered the board in white formica...the total cost came to less that £100 ...I was so pleased with the Finnish of the white shiney formica that I have now done the whole van in formica..which according to my friends looks better that the manufacturers wallpaper...as it always comes up after a polish with pledge spray polish the total cost came to £250 shame on the dealer that quoted £2,000 for a simple repair that only cost me less that £100 and approximately 6hrs to do covering the rest of the van came to £250

 

[Northernraider]

It should be noted that there is a difference between having a leak and having damp


ALL motorhomes have the potential to leak as all have windows ,skylights etc fitted regardless of how the body is constructed. The sealant has a life expectancy.

The difference is that many models do not have wood in the main construction and its the wood that holds water/moisture and if not caught early causes the damp .

Nearly all my motorhomes have had leaks in the past ....most have been skylights or the join on the roof where the sealant has failed. But none have had damp as they have been German vans with no wood used in the frame and the leaks were caught and fixed quickly .

My parents had several motorhomes of British brands , swift, auto trail, travel homes, Ci, autosleeper and eldiss , all had leaked at somepoint and all bar 1 had damp issues. Granted they were pre 2000 models as my dad passed away january 2000.

I had several British caravans swift, Bailey, coachman and eldiss which all had issues which put me off ever having a British brand motorhome . My sister has a 2011 autocruise and it leaked last year but fortunately caught quick enough not to leave any lasting damage.


My hymer had a historic leak from the rear high brake light but no damp . Also had a leaking skylight which simply required removing and resealing . The euramobil has had a leak in the past from the roof join but again its been caught early and no wood in the frame so bar a small patch of discoloured roof lining you wouldn't know.



If its got to the stage that there's visible damp patches and a wet frame it can be an expensive fix

 

[Terry]

CI are not made in UK but are Italian
This thread is from 2013

 

[Northernraider]

CI are not made in UK but are Italian
This thread is from 2013

I'm aware it's from 2013

The fact that damp and leaks is two separate things applied as much in 2013 as it does today . So I posted because there are too many people confusing the two issues.

To many comments like "all motorhomes suffer from damp"

They don't and they won't

But they may all leak which is a very different thing.


P.s the Ci travel homes my parents owned were on mk2 and mk3 transit chassis . I'm pretty certain they were built in Britain.

Later models may well be Italian

But they ain't the best at building them either.

 

[Terry]

CI stands for caravans international To the best of my knowledge always built in italy

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[Northernraider]

CI stands for caravans international To the best of my knowledge always built in italy

For 37 years apparently.

But ci travelhomes were older than 37 years and as far as I'm aware they were British my parents had a 79 , an 81 and an 84 model all Ford transit based.

 

[dulvil]

This was ours , late 2005 .
Had it for 3 years and condensation on wall by the bunks was the only thing
Loved the van

 

[Terry]

Everyday is a school day

Trigano Group Company Caravans International​

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Motorhome Storage Tips

So, good motorhome storage tips will not go a miss. Especially, if it is your 1st visit to the motorhome storage place. In fact, before you know it, we are close to going into that motorhome storage for the winter. Thus, it will then soon be Spring and time to get it out again. (the

www.motorhomescampervans.net

 

[Hobby-Andy]

We had a CI motorhome, no damp or major problems up until I rear ended a Toyota Corolla, who decided it was a good idea to stop on the motorway to let cars join from the junction.

 

[poppycamper]

We had plenty of resurrected threads lately but could this be the first double resurrection 2013 then 2022 and now.

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[Terry]

We had plenty of resurrected threads lately but could this be the first double resurrection 2014 then 2022 and now.

2013 ....2014....2020 and now 2222

 

[Peppadog]

Everyday is a school day

Trigano Group Company Caravans International​

Sharehttps://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Ci Motorhomes Group Trigano Group Company Caravans International&url=https://www.motorhomescampervans.net/ci-motorhomes-group-trigano-group-company-caravans-international/&via=motorhomescamp

Motorhome Storage Tips

So, good motorhome storage tips will not go a miss. Especially, if it is your 1st visit to the motorhome storage place. In fact, before you know it, we are close to going into that motorhome storage for the winter. Thus, it will then soon be Spring and time to get it out again. (the

www.motorhomescampervans.net

I can't read the twitter link unfortunately, as I don't have an account, so can't see if you are confirming the UK company pre-dates the Italian one or not.

I can confirm CI was a British manufacturer and that it was a major player in both caravans (anyone remember the CI Sprite caravan?) and motorhomes in the 60's?, 70's and 80's. Possibly longer. It ended up being called CI Autohomes. Once closed down, most spares were available from a company down in Poole.

If I recall correctly, the Italian factory was linked to the UK company. I don't recall if it was initially a subsidiary or a partner or what. But it definitely survived the UK companies demise and continued with brands of CI and Riviera until bought by Trigano group. As I said in an old post in this thread, we bought one of the - then - newly imported CI Meridian's in 1994. It was better fitted out than the Riviera, also available at the same time.

Appologies if I have just repeated the info in your link Terry.

 

[Terry]

Yes it confirms that the uk pre dates the Italian one