Bailey Alu Tec Motorhomes

almichie

almichie

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Following on from the last question about alternatives for the Autotrail 700 and viewing 2 that were both wet, we decided to look elsewhere.

We have found a Bailey 79-6 which looks good, and having researched the alu-tec it looks like a good option.

I did find a lot of problems with the alu tec caravans, which is now making me wonder if the Motorhomes suffer the same water ingress and floor saturation that the caravans do? Has anyone on here had issues with their Bailey 79-6? The walls and roof all read 0% as they don’t hold water not being wood. But the floor is wood. Highest reading on the report on the floor is 12/13, which I would say is ok at this time of year.

Any thoughts and feed back appreciated, many thanks
 
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The floor is the only place you're likely to have a problem. Before I sold mine last year I had a damp check done and under the bed behind the wheel arch read about 25 or so over a wet winter '22/'23 but put down to condensation and the weather, the underneath of the mattress was even worse and should have been lifted but . . . The guy also opened the overhead lockers all round the van and pushed the curved back lining in a little to make sure there was no seepage anywhere up top. When it was sold in the February the measurements were all well down including the mattress. Mine was the early 740SE but the build is the same still I imagine.
 
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Even the most advanced construction systems have to be cut and put together properly.
 
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Bought a 10yr old Bailey Autograph 745 in January. Full hab check from the dealer, and I've spent time since then poking, prodding, fixing and fettling a few very minor issues, mostly just so I know how it fits together. It's all fine.

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almichie said:
Following on from the last question about alternatives for the Autotrail 700 and viewing 2 that were both wet, we decided to look elsewhere.

We have found a Bailey 79-6 which looks good, and having researched the alu-tec it looks like a good option.

I did find a lot of problems with the alu tec caravans, which is now making me wonder if the Motorhomes suffer the same water ingress and floor saturation that the caravans do? Has anyone on here had issues with their Bailey 79-6? The walls and roof all read 0% as they don’t hold water not being wood. But the floor is wood. Highest reading on the report on the floor is 12/13, which I would say is ok at this time of year.

Any thoughts and feed back appreciated, many thanks
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Pretty sure its loose fill insulation, nowhere near as good as the bonded aluminium and rigid styrofoam construction of the more durable makes. Depends on what you re looking for and what you intend to do.
 
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One thing to bear in mind is the width of some MHs, I think Baileys are one of the chubby ones at 2.35m which is very big and can make driving less pleasurable. We have had various ones, the fattest being 2.30m and that restricted where we could go.
 
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Minxy said:
One thing to bear in mind is the width of some MHs, I think Baileys are one of the chubby ones at 2.35m which is very big and can make driving less pleasurable. We have had various ones, the fattest being 2.30m and that restricted where we could go.
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I think it depends on the specific model but I would say 2.35m was actually quite slim for a Bailey.
 
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jongood said:
Pretty sure its loose fill insulation, nowhere near as good as the bonded aluminium and rigid styrofoam construction of the more durable makes. Depends on what you re looking for and what you intend to do.
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The roof is certainly solid styrofoam as I discovered when feeding a cable to an extra light fitting I added, I can't speak for the walls but I can't imagine they're anything different.
 
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It would be more than the possibility of damp that would put me off buying a Bailey motorhome:imoutahere:

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As all motorhomes you can get good ones and bad ones. Autotrail does havea bit of a reputation, as do some of the earlier Bailey models where the place to check was by the wheel arches apaprently.

We have a Bailey and have no damp however (0 reading), well beyond an area showing minor readings where we know why, the water tank weeps a bit if overfilled and I have a habit of not noticing it when filling (we have solved this with resealing the water tank cover cap, as it was the lid of the water tank causing the leak) -> get an independant survey done as part of your purchase..

They are wide boys though, with most being 2.5m, but I've not found driving it any more difficult than anything smaller. Worth nothing the wide bodies do allow a transverse bed for a 6"2 person, wehere you struggle on that with some PVC/A classes.
 
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Bailey58 said:
To help the OP perhaps you should elaborate?
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I just dont like the look of them inside and out and when we were looking at a new motorhome 4 years ago I thought the quality of the fit and finish was poor. The layouts were also very strange and focused on the more mature British style.nothkng suited us. We prefer the continental style.

I have to admit the new stuff looks much better and would suit us. I still wouldn't buy one though. Sadly I just dont trust any British motorhome manufacturers.

Once bitten twice shy as they say.

Might be a polarises view i admit and we all have different views.
 
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almichie said:
Following on from the last question about alternatives for the Autotrail 700 and viewing 2 that were both wet, we decided to look elsewhere.

We have found a Bailey 79-6 which looks good, and having researched the alu-tec it looks like a good option.

I did find a lot of problems with the alu tec caravans, which is now making me wonder if the Motorhomes suffer the same water ingress and floor saturation that the caravans do? Has anyone on here had issues with their Bailey 79-6? The walls and roof all read 0% as they don’t hold water not being wood. But the floor is wood. Highest reading on the report on the floor is 12/13, which I would say is ok at this time of year.

Any thoughts and feed back appreciated, many thanks
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Personally, I would not touch a Bailey with a barge pole.

Just look at the exterior finish, the side panels have terrible ripples in them from new, if they cannot get that bit right what else is wrong?

I know a lot of people will say that does not matter but it gives an indication of their overall approach to manufacturing.
 
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gpat said:
I just dont like the look of them inside and out and when we were looking at a new motorhome 4 years ago I thought the quality of the fit and finish was poor. The layouts were also very strange and focused on the more mature British style.nothkng suited us. We prefer the continental style.

I have to admit the new stuff looks much better and would suit us. I still wouldn't buy one though. Sadly I just dont trust any British motorhome manufacturers.

Once bitten twice shy as they say.

Might be a polarises view i admit and we all have different views.
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I agree, once you form an opinion of something it's difficult to change but, like a few others, the layout was perfect for us with sofas to lounge on and no bed to make up.

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Bailey58 said:
I agree, once you form an opinion of something it's difficult to change but, like a few others, the layout was perfect for us with sofas to lounge on and no bed to make up.
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Thats why we ended up with a Bailey, the only equivalent layout we liked was from Elddis and we didn't find taht as well made. People diss Bailey a lot, but it was a lot better made and more solid than the Elddis we looked at.
 
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Had our 2012 Bailey 745 a year now after loosing C1 no problems so far and love the layout. Had 3 European vans and 1 British before New Euramobil water ingress from window rotted wall in garage repaired under warranty. new Burstner leak in roof joint repaired under warranty and new roof lining. 6 year old Bessacarr rotten floor after a lot of hassle although out of warranty Becks paid £2000 towards and Swift paid the rest, repair carried out by Swift and what a bodge job. Then bought the Burstner shown on avatar again roof seam leak within 2 weeks of owning again repaired under warranty. So who says German vans don,t leak. So I hope 5th time lucky.
 
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Happy 79-6 owner here almichie . No damp to be found since bought new in 2017.
Only trouble we have had regarding ingress is when the overcab skylight leaked due to a poorly fitted seal. Sorted under warranty in our first couple of months ownership
Otherwise relatively problem free. Only real gripe is the ladder to the drop down bed pops off with our weight.
 
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Thanks for all the reply’s so far, I have had an against opinion about Baileys for a while, the older vans to me have been dated and not well assembled and I really, really wanted an Autotrail. But having seen two vans damp, out of two viewings I can’t commit knowingly that they will be a problem.

The wife is the one that persuaded me to look at this Bailey, actually she wanted to look at a 765 which sold, and then found this van - which looks a lot more modern, and has almost everything we were looking for.

We had a swift Bolero previously, and we did anything that was needed quickly because of the general swift reviews of damp ingress, and the van sold with readings 10% and under.

Seems those that own these vans love them, and I can’t find any bad press outside of subjective feedback ( plus a few teething issues, which is normal of new vans) which is actually great.

We are viewing today, and the floor will be gone over with a damp meter very thoroughly. The larger width doesn’t bother me, the Bolero was almost the same size, and the living space is a huge tick so that over rules that. I have a plug in diagnostic for the engine, and I will be thorough with an objective view on condition, and the wife will certainly give her opinion! I.e. if she doesn’t approve we move on, although I don’t think that will happen unless I find something out of place.

Will see later on and report back

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MR BLO said:
Happy 79-6 owner here almichie . No damp to be found since bought new in 2017.
Only trouble we have had regarding ingress is when the overcab skylight leaked due to a poorly fitted seal. Sorted under warranty in our first couple of months ownership
Otherwise relatively problem free. Only real gripe is the ladder to the drop down bed pops off with our weight.
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Thank you, it’s a 2017 van, so that’s good to hear.
 
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starquake said:
Thats why we ended up with a Bailey, the only equivalent layout we liked was from Elddis and we didn't find taht as well made. People diss Bailey a lot, but it was a lot better made and more solid than the Elddis we looked at.
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Yes, we like the British layouts too, we came from a caravan years ago and I suppose this stick, and we want to the feeling of space.
 
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gpat said:
I just dont like the look of them inside and out and when we were looking at a new motorhome 4 years ago I thought the quality of the fit and finish was poor. The layouts were also very strange and focused on the more mature British style.nothkng suited us. We prefer the continental style.

I have to admit the new stuff looks much better and would suit us. I still wouldn't buy one though. Sadly I just dont trust any British motorhome manufacturers.

Once bitten twice shy as they say.

Might be a polarises view i admit and we all have different views.
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Thanks for feedback, good to have some one against. but as you have said it’s a personal one, with no real ownership experience.

I agree, the earlier vans didn’t look great.
 
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Bailey58 said:
The roof is certainly solid styrofoam as I discovered when feeding a cable to an extra light fitting I added, I can't speak for the walls but I can't imagine they're anything different.
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This still seems to be the current method; Polystyrene sections inside a sectional frame thats glued to the skins. Its a lot better than some makes but not the best method IMO because the frame pieces are not fixed to each other it will allow it to flex more than a fully bonded and pressed method, as it flexes water can get in and then has voids to sit in. bailey must think its an issue or why do they replace the wooden bits with plastic bits.

 
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gpat said:
I just dont like the look of them inside and out and when we were looking at a new motorhome 4 years ago I thought the quality of the fit and finish was poor. The layouts were also very strange and focused on the more mature British style.nothkng suited us. We prefer the continental style.

I have to admit the new stuff looks much better and would suit us. I still wouldn't buy one though. Sadly I just dont trust any British motorhome manufacturers.

Once bitten twice shy as they say.

Might be a polarises view i admit and we all have different views.
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Baileys are just caravans stuck on the back of a truck and aimed at caravanners not motorhomers. Got a mate with one and he still carries an aquaroll.

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MichaelT said:
Baileys are just caravans stuck on the back of a truck and aimed at caravanners not motorhomers. Got a mate with one and he still carries an aquaroll.
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Doesn't that basically describe all coachbuilt and even A class vans, aquarolls are a great way of carrying water BTW.
 
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funflair said:
Doesn't that basically describe all coachbuilt and even A class vans, aquarolls are a great way of carrying water BTW.
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No they just use same designs but their market is caravanners, they didn't sort of design a motorhome. My 10l watering can is also great, weighs a tenth of an aquaroll third of the size and I can lift it to put the water in the filler😀
 
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A friend had a Bailey. Had a few minor issues. I don't know what year it was as he only kept them a couple of years. But one problem he found was the ground clearance was poor on his model. Bottomed out a couple of times. Took off the water drain tap.
 
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almichie said:
Yes, we like the British layouts too, we came from a caravan years ago and I suppose this stick, and we want to the feeling of space.
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I think it's telling when we go to sites with friends that our van always gets used as the communal eating/socialising space precisely because of feeling of space.

In our van we have succesfully had 8 of us around the table for dinner when it's been wet. There is a table extension precisely to cater for 6/8 seats for that reason.
 
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