WARNING: E&P Levellers fitted by Solar Solutions

[stewartwebr]

I will eat “ humble pie “ regarding my long comments regarding the Solar solution faulty installation of the E & P levellers.
Although as I said previously they had fitted many parts and uprated 12v systems over many years to a very acceptable result, but, I did call into see Wes back in October 20 to have a chat about something and was told he was busy, bear in mind I have been a friend of Wes and his mother and father for many, many years.That may explain why I felt I should stand up for the company.
They have had a new guy that fronts you when you go to their reception that appears to me that he does not communicate very well, for many years they had an employee called Simon who had been very good at his work and brilliant at explaining what had been done. Unfortunately Simon left the company, no explanation was forthcoming from Wes but I felt he was a great loss to them.

After reading about the lack of good workmanship and the poor response from Solar Solutions I tried to call and speak to Wes about my solar, B2B, lithium upgrade and to advise him what was currently being discussed on here but was told somewhat “ grumpily “ he is busy ! One day he may wake up and realise that old customers WERE worth speaking to.

Having done business with Mick for many years and having been there last week I can advise that Mick has neither the lack of professionalism nor need to drum up business by beefing up a bad job by others. You only need to try and book an install to find how busy he is. He is in the process of expanding his premises, business is that good. He will be doing the repair because he cares not because he needs the business.

 

[TizzyOnTour]

Having done business with Mick for many years and having been there last week I can advise that Mick has neither the lack of professionalism nor need to drum up business by beefing up a bad job by others. You only need to try and book an install to find how busy he is. He is in the process of expanding his premises, business is that good. He will be doing the repair because he cares not because he needs the business.

I agree. Mick is a first class engineer who takes care and pride in the service they deliver. This leadership is evident whoever you deal with in the company. For example Rick on front line and sales delivers the same caring approach. I’d be reluctant to go elsewhere.

 

[68c]

Not sure, we got to Felixstowe and got onto the club site with our nerves in tatters, I raised the rams to absolute maximum, then retracted fully and sat for hrs waiting for the ram to drop, nothing, so tried with engine running, still nothing.
Spoke with SAP and they stated it shouldn’t happen as they have a fail safe system when handbrake off all rams retracted, in principle yes, but 3 times it did happen, once lifting the front offside wheel enough to make the steering so light we thought we were gonnas.

Anyhow we drove back to west Cumbria sweating like good uns and stopping at every services for the first 1hr checking the ram, never did it again, or on the way back to RS, I let them know the issue, I couldn’t get the batteries out due to their location in the van we ended up selling as we had lost all confidence and wouldn’t be using it due to moving into rented accommodation and C19 happening.

Are you saying the ram dropped while you were moving? If it dropped enough to actually lift the road wheel it must have made a terrible noise and have severely scuffed the foot. Considering the side loads it must have taken I would want to replace that ram and inspect the mounting structure to ensure there was no chassis damage.

 

[Rudski01]

Are you saying the ram dropped while you were moving? If it dropped enough to actually lift the road wheel it must have made a terrible noise and have severely scuffed the foot. Considering the side loads it must have taken I would want to replace that ram and inspect the mounting structure to ensure there was no chassis damage.

Yes, three times, the foot had significant skid marks across its base, not as many as in my kegs though
The chassis was fine though luckily it was on nice smooth roads, if had hit pothole then I suspect it would have been a whole different story.

 

[icantremember]

Yes, three times, the foot had significant skid marks across its base, not as many as in my kegs though
The chassis was fine though luckily it was on nice smooth roads, if had hit pothole then I suspect it would have been a whole different story.

Did this affect all the rams or just one?

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[Rudski01]

No just the front offside.

 

[Mickey1]

I’m going to SAP , Doncaster tomorrow for levelling to be fitted monday, unfortunately I only just remembered to call and confirm I’ll be there on a Sunday, the offices are closed and no answer to the phone call, would anyone know of a mobile number?.

Mickey.

 

[Two on Tour]

I’m going to SAP , Doncaster tomorrow for levelling to be fitted monday, unfortunately I only just remembered to call and confirm I’ll be there on a Sunday, the offices are closed and no answer to the phone call, would anyone know of a mobile number?.

Mickey.

If you let it ring it will divert through to Mick.

 

[maz]

I’m going to SAP , Doncaster tomorrow for levelling to be fitted monday, unfortunately I only just remembered to call and confirm I’ll be there on a Sunday, the offices are closed and no answer to the phone call, would anyone know of a mobile number?.

Mickey.

Don’t worry. We will send you a PM with Mick’s mobile number.

 

[Mickey1]

If you let it ring it will divert through to Mick.

Went to voicemail which was full, , thanks anyway.

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[Two on Tour]

There's plenty of space just outside the gates to pitch up for the night at a push.

 

[Wingman123]

Yes, three times, the foot had significant skid marks across its base, not as many as in my kegs though
The chassis was fine though luckily it was on nice smooth roads, if had hit pothole then I suspect it would have been a whole different story.

Surely this was totally unsafe to drive and if you had been involved in an accident would have been a very serious offence! I don't understand why you didn't call the breakdown truck immediately.

 

[MichaelT]

Update on our issue. Took van to Full Circle today after being in touch with E&P last week to conform they will cover costs and will not have to pay for warranty work up front. SAP were on the case also insisting E&P support me. I thought the ram would just be replaced but Full Circle said they have to take come videos and photos and speak with E&P so after an hour they came out and said E&P had agreed for them to replace the ram and it would be an hours work. Not sure why they had to go through all this palaver but anyway an hour later new ram fitted and we were on our way.

I suspect Full Circle were not interested as they did not fit the system, I did get a quote from them but they were more expensive than SAP and with all the good reviews we decided to go with SAP but they do seem a professional company but not for the warranty process.

 

[MichaelT]

I’d love to fit levellers, but this thread certainly gives me reason to think…

One thing that not many people mention is not only the levelness of van but in high winds and when moving about inside the best thing is the van is stable and does not rock about. So from my perspective I am not sure they are worth what they cost but would not be without them now having used them 5 or 6 times, even just to stop for lunch on a slope yesterday it was great.

 

[Sunlovers]

One thing that not many people mention is not only the levelness of van but in high winds and when moving about inside the best thing is the van is stable and does not rock about. So from my perspective I am not sure they are worth what they cost but would not be without them now having used them 5 or 6 times, even just to stop for lunch on a slope yesterday it was great.

Can I ask, do you always religiously exit the van to allow it to self-level, or do you ever just sit stock still and wait till it's done its thing? Asking for a friend

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[MichaelT]

Can I ask, do you always religiously exit the van to allow it to self-level, or do you ever just sit stock still and wait till it's done its thing? Asking for a friend

Just park up, pull on handbrake then select AUTO mode, that's how it was demonstrated to me

 

[Two on Tour]

Just park up, pull on handbrake then select AUTO mode, that's how it was demonstrated to me

Same here.

 

[Fulham Dave]

We were at SAP last week for installation of full air, levellers and a tow bar.

I found Rick, Mick and the team an absolute pleasure to deal with from start to finish. We arrived on Sunday and Mick came and opened the compound up so we could park / use their facilities overnight. Next morning they offered to take us to the station so we could get to our destination for the 3 days the van was with them.

When the van was up on the ramp the team even noticed an issue which they rectified for us quickly and efficiently.

I have nothing but high praise for them and would recommend them to anyone. There is a reason they have the contract to upgrade ambulances, their professionalism and quality of work.

 

[Mr David]

I think you should bring this matter to the attention of E&P in the UK.

I have received a reply from E&P:

We haven’t had any other complaints regarding Solar Solutions installations however we will monitor the situation and take further action if deemed necessary.

The thing is until a joint actually fails E&P are unlikely to become aware of issues with Solar Solutions workmanship. An independent inspection is the only way to identify faulty joints before they fail. The onus should really be on Solar Solutions to recall all of the vans to which they have fitted E&P levellers. How likely is it that they will actually do this unless pushed?

Later on, when I get the time, I will post photos of defective joints by Solar Solutions and good joints by SAP. Hopefully this will enable people to inspect their own vans for joint integrity.

 

[Mr David]

The first photo is an example of a correctly crimped hydraulic hose connection as done by SAP. Note that the hose is fully on the end fitting and crimped hard up to green ring.

The second photo, one of Solar Solutions joints, shows the hose not fully push home on the end fitting before being crimped. It needs to be push fully up to the green ring otherwise the crimp doesn't lock onto the end fitting correctly and will eventually slide off under the hydraulic pressure generated by the system.

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[JockandRita]

Just park up, pull on handbrake then select AUTO mode, that's how it was demonstrated to me

Same here.

And here.

Jock.

 

[stevewagner]

I have MAVE self levelling fitted and it has been great (and has a 3 year Euro warranty). I believe with the MAVE system the hoses are provided made up so all the crimping is done in the factory.

 

[Rudski01]

Surely this was totally unsafe to drive and if you had been involved in an accident would have been a very serious offence! I don't understand why you didn't call the breakdown truck immediately.

Because when I pressed the reset button the ram returned to its normal position, and that’s exactly what the breakdown company would have done, to which they would have disappeared into the distance thinking job done.

 

[WESTY66]

It’ll be a while before I can get mine done, BUT I’m thinking I should go with Goldschmitt
But I would probably do suspension first

 

[maz]

I think the E&P levelling system is a good one, and wouldn’t want to put people off getting it installed. It had already been fitted (by SAP) on a Burstner that I bought and worked faultlessly. As E&P are fully aware of the issue with the batch of defective rams, new installations should not face this problem.

However IMO the main point of this thread is to highlight the problems that will occur when an E&P system is fitted incorrectly. How many customers would have thought to check the crimp joints, or even have known what they should look like? I certainly wouldn’t have before seeing the photos in post #80.

Slightly off topic now but it further illustrates that not all installers of E&P systems are equal. When I first saw Mr David van I asked him why he had the pump housing box taking up room in the garage, instead of being fitted under the van as it was on my Burstner. Solar Solutions had told him that there was not enough ground clearance to do this. Really?! Not enough clearance on an N+B that was noticeably higher off the ground than my rather low slung Burstner? It turns out that Mick at SAP has himself designed an underslung box which only he supplies and installs.

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[peterc10]

Slightly off topic now but it further illustrates that not all installers of E&P systems are equal. When I first saw Mr David van I asked him why he had the pump housing box taking up room in the garage, instead of being fitted under the van as it was on my Burstner. Solar Solutions had told him that there was not enough ground clearance to do this. Really?! Not enough clearance on an N+B that was noticeably higher off the ground than my rather low slung Burstner? It turns out that Mick at SAP has himself designed an underslung box which only he supplies and installs.

When I was researching for my jacks I found out that HPC have an external box that can be bought as an extra, but E&P do not have one. That is why Mick designed one and got it made himself. We used it when SAP fixed our E&P jacks. The box was fitted about half way between the front and rear axles and is no deeper than the Alko chassis member, so the risk of grounding is very low.

 

[jezport]

I think the E&P levelling system is a good one, and wouldn’t want to put people off getting it installed. It had already been fitted (by SAP) on a Burstner that I bought and worked faultlessly. As E&P are fully aware of the issue with the batch of defective rams, new installations should not face this problem.

However IMO the main point of this thread is to highlight the problems that will occur when an E&P system is fitted incorrectly. How many customers would have thought to check the crimp joints, or even have known what they should look like? I certainly wouldn’t have before seeing the photos in post #80.

Slightly off topic now but it further illustrates that not all installers of E&P systems are equal. When I first saw Mr David van I asked him why he had the pump housing box taking up room in the garage, instead of being fitted under the van as it was on my Burstner. Solar Solutions had told him that there was not enough ground clearance to do this. Really?! Not enough clearance on an N+B that was noticeably higher off the ground than my rather low slung Burstner? It turns out that Mick at SAP has himself designed an underslung box which only he supplies and installs.

I have my pump under A PVC with no clearance issues

 

[GWAYGWAY]

Surely this was totally unsafe to drive and if you had been involved in an accident would have been a very serious offence! I don't understand why you didn't call the breakdown truck immediately.

What would be wrong using a ratchet strap to hold it up once retracted. It would hold it against gravity

 

[82125]

why do these systems seem to sometimes just say "computer says no"? I looked at 2 different vans with them fitted including the one i just got. The first one parked on a barely noticeable camber (to the eye) just said no, and was unable to level (i assumed it was a fault with that van), but i just parked the one i bought in the same spot and it also just said "no!"? And refused to even attempt to level (even though i saw it auto level elsewhere the same day and know it works).
How do i trick it in to doing what its told to? Didnt even attempt to try, at least if it did i could put blocks under to assist it.

 

[Two on Tour]

why do these systems seem to sometimes just say "computer says no"? I looked at 2 different vans with them fitted including the one i just got. The first one parked on a barely noticeable camber (to the eye) just said no, and was unable to level (i assumed it was a fault with that van), but i just parked the one i bought in the same spot and it also just said "no!"? And refused to even attempt to level (even though i saw it auto level elsewhere the same day and know it works).
How do i trick it in to doing what its told to? Didnt even attempt to try, at least if it did i could put blocks under to assist it.

There may possibly be a fault, but unlikely, as the problems are usually down to owner/operator error or the owner/operator not understanding or having knowledge
of what their system can and can't do and how to operate all aspects of their levelling system.

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