Buyer Beware! Don't part with your cash before checking this.

[@chrishealey3410]

Great video as usual, I would say Stuart Longton are partly responsible, they have sold it on, likely at some profit, which has allowed it back into the market for unsuspecting buyers to purchase.

[@TheCaravanNut]

Making profit is the name of the game. We just cut our loses and moved on. When I told the salesman that I had seen the van for sale he was quite shocked and said surely it must have been repaired!

[@chrisbroadley1928]

You raise some very valid points here, not all dealers are good ones and honest. When We bought our 2007 Bailey senator we didn’t realise until 9 months later when we had it serviced that the whole back end ( island bed layout) was full of damp. I went around with a damp meter my Stanley 2 prong one so not a cheep one and it was showing what I’d expect for what was back in 2019 a 12 yr old van but in the back it wasn’t showing any worse than anywhere else, in fact, better overall. We discovered why at the service the following feb (2020) as it turned out they’d double boarded over the damp and so when we checked the previous May the wood board was pretty dry but over winter it had started coming through. Cost us a packet to get it all ripped out and re done. The dealer claimed he knew nothing about it but the repairer and my service guy said it was impossible for them not to know. We’ve since sold that privately and bought a motorhome, A 2015 Rollerteam so Italian made budget van but the build quality does seem better than caravans now a days. Thanks again for your vids. Keep em coming.

[@TheCaravanNut]

Sounds a very familiar story. 🤔🙂

[@francesstoryteller]

I have that damp meter also watched Atlantic caravans. When I got my new to me van I had checked it first. Great advice.

[@barbsdee3831]

I watched Atlantic Caravans where he recommends a pinless metre too and tells you how to use it avoiding the aluminium strips behind the interior walls 👍🏼

[@TheCaravanNut]

It’s a great damp meter and definitely needs using regularly. Cheers

[@conrad8906]

Hi Martin Great advice as usual, enjoying your vlogs, hopefully the bailey got sorted before it sold, if its on Ebay, probably not. Good luck with new van, looks fantastic, hope Angela is well. Conrad.

[@TheCaravanNut]

Hi Conrad, I doubt it was sorted before being sold! Angela is much better, thanks 🙂

[@colinrimmer789]

Great advice Martin.

[@TheCaravanNut]

Cheers Colin 🙂

[@paulpringle8263]

Hi Martin. Good sound advice. Will have a look at the damp meater looks a good bit of kit. Enjoy the holiday

[@TheCaravanNut]

Hi Paul, worth checking the van every now and then. Thanks for watching

[@paulpringle8263]

​@@TheCaravanNutgot one comeing tomorrow going to do the caravan house shed green house wife grand kids no stopping me now 😂😂

[@TheCaravanNut]

@@paulpringle8263 ha ha, I might of walked aimlessly around the house putting it on surfaces just checking! 🤣🤣

[@paulandsarahcaravanlife]

Hi Martin. Sound advice, mate. We keep ontop of our Swift Challenger 580 did a video on drop floor and also just done all the seals on the outside as well. Its a shame about your old van and how people can be so ruthless and sell something that needs work. 😢 Great video cheers Paul and Sarah

[@TheCaravanNut]

Hi Paul & Sarah, I watched your vlogs on the issues you had. The key is acting fast before it gets too bad. Will be keeping a check on our regularly. Cheers

[@marianeal2883]

Good advice

[@TheCaravanNut]

Thanks Maria, hope you are all well. 🙂

[@HowardB54]

Thanks for getting back to me Martin It’s the usual back panel that wraps over onto roof and I couldn’t see any evidence of break in seal . Maybe I need to run a bead silicon over it nonetheless H

[@TheCaravanNut]

Won’t do it any harm, 👍🙂

[@CarlAdamson2563]

Hi Martin, great video and watch Atlantic caravans too 👍 not got that meter yet but does look a good one to be fair. I googled your old caravan from your video with the caravan addys. I see it’s sold now or they taken it off eBay. Take care young man 👍

[@TheCaravanNut]

Hi Carl, yep I think it been sold or removed. We will checking this new van regularly with the meter. Thanks for the support 🙂

[@dafarmer21]

Good video and hope your old caravan has been repaired satisfactory otherwise some poor person will have issues. Regarding your damp meter please be aware that the pinless type that you have and recommending are not fully accurate. You must use the ones with tiny pins for accuracy. We have a 2022 Buccanner and we use a fully NCC approved mobile caravan service engineer. This years service showed 50% damp along awning rail inside both sides of the caravan with this type of meter but nothing with pinless. So to double check as obviously I was initially worried by this we took the caravan back to main dealers. They explained that in parts of the wall structures are aluminium strips for strength and securing fittings to and this will play havoc with this type of meter giving false readings. Hence all the van was checked with pin type and recorded around 5% which is acceptable. So I would definitely buy a pin type which I have now purchased just to keep eye on things.

[@TheCaravanNut]

Thanks for the advice, I am aware of it picking up aluminium strips and other things that might change the reading. Will be checking regularly. Cheers

[@briancalvert1599]

Great video, nice one to have watched, just taken your advice and got the damp tester from Amazon, used your link to purchase it. Cheers

[@TheCaravanNut]

I think checking every few months is best and if you find anything act straight away. I should have listened to my own advice! 🤣 Cheers

[@montyspearo]

Best test for damp after bit of rain. Long dry periods and even leaky caravans can pass damp test. One I looked at was similar bailey to yours, rear floor had visible water damage all around edges. Still passed damp test because it was late summer in a drought.

[@TheCaravanNut]

We get plenty of rain in the Northwest so always good to test 🤣 Cheers

[@mitsi_overland_adventures2691]

Spot on video and advice pal.

[@TheCaravanNut]

Cheers, thanks for watching 🙂

[@ToothyGrinder]

Hiya. If it's the one that's being sold from Chester they have mentioned the damp.

[@TheCaravanNut]

No it’s not there.

[@juliegough350]

Hi martin saw your van on ebay before you did this vlog, its ended so dont know if they have removed it or someone has bought it.Enjoy your new van, saw Deb and tony this weekend i reckon you,ll be seasonal on there next😜 hope angelas ok x

[@TheCaravanNut]

Hope it’s been fixed before selling but I doubt it. We are loving the new van and Angela is getting there thanks. Won’t be going seasonal, like visiting different places. Might do a winter seasonal one day. Thanks for watching

[@stevezodiac491]

We have just had our sterling repaired for damp( now Swift ). Evidently the sealant under and hidden by the awning rails ages and shrivels with age. So the moral is get it changed after 10 years old, as a matter of course because you can't check it visually.

[@TheCaravanNut]

I’ve read and seen vlogs about the sealant eventually failing. Good advice about getting it redone. Cheers

[@David-ws6zr]

I bought the same Damp meter its brilliant easy to use,wouldnt be without it,your old van if someone is sellling this without fixing it,could you report them,i would have contacted the seller and asked them,as you went to the trouble of not selling the problem on privately?

[@TheCaravanNut]

It will be just passed on to the next unlucky person. Difficult to track where it is.

[@David-ws6zr]

@TheCaravanNut unfortunately this was once us years ago,it's a shame

[@paulhilling6208]

Just bought a new van from Stewart Longton yesterday. Didn't get as much for my Sprite as I wanted but the new van was heavily discounted.

[@TheCaravanNut]

There are some bargains out there, and you have to be cheeky and ask for more off! 🤔🤣 Cheers

[@paulhilling6208]

@@TheCaravanNut free 1st service !

[@TheCaravanNut]

Nice one 👍

[@bernardlison2311]

We traded in our 2011 Bailey Unicorn Valencia in June 2023 and found ourselves to be in exactly the same position as you with regards damp in all 4 corners of the floor. We were offered an extremely low part ex price but decided to cut our losses and let it go. We purchased a brand new Bailey Pegasus grande se Brindisi 8ft wide. Its just had its 1st service and showed negligible readings on the damp meter. Tows great with our 2018 kuga st line x edition automatic . Take care Bernard and Elaine

[@TheCaravanNut]

Hi Bernard & Elaine, I think the early AluTec vans were a work in progress and the testing for the construction. In my opinion it failed. Hope all continues to go well with your current van, 8ft wide vans seem huge inside. Thanks for comments and watching

[@Roadwarrior92]

They still leak ​@@TheCaravanNut

[@colinstorey4991]

Hi I had similar experience from a 2009 bailey pageant limousin to a 2013 elddis affinity. The sale was agreed and the change over was about to happen. However I got a call from the dealer glossop caravans and they said there was a substantial amount of damp in the bailey, and to go ahead with the deal asked me to pay a further £2500 towards the cost of repair to the bailey, reluctantly I paid because we wanted the elddis. But after a few weeks it played on my mind as to whether it was repaired or not , I called the dealer and they told me they had sent it on to another dealer and that it was sold. The problem is I don't know if it was repaired, if it wasn't but sold on anyway then I feel I'd been charged £2500 for nothing. Something I'll never know

[@TheCaravanNut]

I don’t think any dealer would repair a part ex van to sell, would be far easier to just sell it to trade. At least you got your new van, like you we just wanted a fresh start with a new van. Cheers

[@roysimpson5898]

Hi Martin, what setting did you use on your moisture detector, for inside the caravan.

[@TheCaravanNut]

I put it on softwood, that’s what Darren did from Atlantic Caravans. Cheers

[@roysimpson5898]

Thanks martin.

[@taylorguy9877]

Hi Martin, justordered that..one question is what setting did you use? ie wall. softwood.hardwood etc Thanks

[@TheCaravanNut]

I put it on softwood. Thats what Atlantic Caravans used so did the same. Cheers

[@taylorguy9877]

Thanks for reply Martin!

[@HowardB54]

Hi Martin Good vlog and information but it’s made me have a think about our van. We have a 2011 Sterling Celebration ( Swift) and had it 7 years and serviced every year. Bought a damp meter a while ago and checking all over it’s fine except the wall board behind bathroom sink shows 30+ reading . The wall feels a bit spongy too . I can’t think where any damp is getting in as it’s a one piece back on van with no window and area above sink towards ceiling is fine as is under the sink. I took off the high brake light thinking water was maybe getting in there and sealed it even though there was no evidence of ingress. Any ideas/ thoughts Cheers Howard

[@TheCaravanNut]

Hi Howard, I would check all the back panel for hairline cracks and where it joins the roof. It could be tracking from an awning rail across and pooling in one place. Is there a strap line across the back of the van? Could be that. That’s the problem with water ingress, sometimes difficult to find the source. Let me know if you find it. Cheers, Martin

[@tackleberryc6472]

Hi, what did you do to try and resolve the damp issues in your Bailey ? I have the same problem.

[@TheCaravanNut]

It was re sealed on all four corners and around the grab handles. The ply in the front lockers was replaced with plastic. I think the AluTec frame was slightly out on one corner which was the catalyst. Think the van was built on a Friday afternoon!

[@tackleberryc6472]

@@TheCaravanNut Did you do the repairs yourself ? I'm going to give it a go. Was thinking of drying out the ply wood with a heat gun , applying wet rot wood hardener then sealing with epoxy resin . And sealing the grab handles also. Wish me luck. 👍

[@TheCaravanNut]

Some of it my self and some by a caravan bodyshop. Just travelled down the van and got too hard to keep under control.

[@tackleberryc6472]

@@TheCaravanNut Yeah , it's a nightmare.

[@paulhines5696]

Great video . Would be great if you could show us doing a damp test on your caravan . Thanks, paul.

[@TheCaravanNut]

Will put that down for a future vlog. Thanks for watching