Great video! Very important with our investments is a dealer network, parts, service and most importantly resale. Gal dipped chassis as standard and a long standing company name. I've researched some of the expensive over the top brands and models, many ride on a " Dura Gal" painted chassis' and are mostly hype and marketing. Jayco is the wise choice and your candid review reiterates this. Well Done! and safe travels for both of you.👍👍
Great video, a couple of fixes. Re saving cold water from califont check out Enviro Water Saver valve. Redirects cold back to tank until water is up to temperature. Re fridge door spring best fix is to make own spring and will last longer - use 4.5mm drill and use a paper clip wrap around a couple of times trim and fit. Take the freezer door one out and use as a tem plate.
Thanks for the tips! The paperclip hack is really interesting, I gotta try that! I will also have a look at the Water Saver valve. That seems to be the way to go forward.
We have a new Jayco Journey touring 16.67, and it's been brilliant. Incredibly, not one leak and we've done roughly 10k. A couple of very minor issues which I sorted. I know, like every brand has problems doesn't matter what price point but so far our Jayco has worked perfect. Great look at your setup it's always helpful hints to pick up.
Fantastic, just gotta keep an eye out for those potential hidden leaks. I have the feeling it really depends on who is working on the vans when they are made. They must have a huge range of workers. If you're lucky it was someone responsible who was doing the critical jobs and everything is sealed properly. Good luck and gad to hear that the video was helpful.
Some suggestions for fixes: the basin tap probably has a standard ceramic mixer cartridge. If you remove the handle and see a large nut then the solution is to undo, check the seal under the cartridge, and retighten, It needs to be quite tight to not leak A piece of foam under the fridge handle works ok as a spring. The oven was probably installed before the walls and may be difficult to get to the pipe connection. Mine was really difficult! My water tanks fill easily but I did re route the vent pipes as they lots of low points and trap water. My front screen cracked so I glued short strips of aluminum bar across the stress cracks ( I used sikaflex 11fc) and that seems to have slowed the damage. The wheel arch covers hide a horrible design and it is better to remove them to fix the leaks. I cut strips of cloth tape, plastered them with silicon and placed them across the transition from wall to wheel arch, and then replaced the covers before it set. Good luck
Fantastic suggestions, thanks so much. Love the foam trick for the fridge door! I think I will have to do the same with the wheel arches, that's probably the best way to do it once and for all.
water and caravans aye mate, no good. Our caravan is like a swimming pool when it rains on the roof, the flashing create a lip which stops the water running off, luckily we have not had any issues really which has been good. like you say, all brands have problems aye, good review video.
Thanks mate. Yeah the roof design with the flashing on the Aussie vans is a little bit questionable, eh. They should have slightly angled the roof so the water can run off over the front. I think leisure line does that.
Thanks for the great informative review. Fully agree you need to keep on top of all maintenance issues no matter what brand/make of caravan you have. Sealer moves, and the UV rays break it down and need to be checked or replaced regularly. Also, check screws as they rust.
Yeah definitely, good point, the UV rays are brutal. Jayco has quite a few factory faults but I think lots of caravans have quality issues, even the European ones. Best to start with maintenance from day 1.
Get a red valve. They redirect the cold water back into your tank until the hot water reaches your shower then open to let the hot water through. Here in Australia they are sold in some plumbing shops. Should be readily available on line.
Good tip! Thanks for sharing! I was looking for something like this. Is the product called red valve? I guess it's just a temperature controlled valve, eh?
@@Fishingreminder actually called red water diverter. I have never used one. They get mixed reviews. If you Google red water diverter their website should come up. I intend at some point in my travels to fit one… could be in another 6 months time, can’t rush these things😎
Primo, insight, especially as we are looking to purchase a new Caravan in the new year. Do you regret changeing from a house bus. We've also been looking at vans and Coaster busses. Cheers mate very timely, and lots of food for thought.
Thanks Chris, glad the video was helpful. We don't regret changing to a caravan in general but we did love our Toyota coaster :) Our travel style has just changed over the years and a caravan is more suitable now. Also the 6 monthly COF inspection you need for buses and bigger motorhomes is really nerve-wrecking and expensive.
I was wondering after the last video with all the problems you have had whether you would choose jayco again! I guess it gets more than its fair share of wear because you spend a lot of time travelling in it, it’s not just for holidays. Do you prefer a caravan to a motorhome when travelling full time, if so why?
Yeah we're definitely putting it through it's paces :) Motorhome vs caravan heavily depend on travel preferences. With a motorhome you're more agile and it's more suitable for freedom camping and shorter stays in one location. A caravan is more suitable for longer stays and then you have the tow vehicle for day trips. We loved our bus a lot but after a while of traveling we found our travel style changed and is now more suitable for a caravan. Hope that makes sense :)
yeah 12 volt to 240 volt. The inverter is next to the batteries and need big short 200 amp rated cables running from the battery to the inverter. I haven't seen any motorhomes or caravans running on 24v or higher. It's hard to get caravan appliances for that voltage, much easier with 12 volt.
We bought a new silverline outback from Auckland about July last year and we have a roof leak, the partical board in the roof has expanded in places and created bubbles on the roof lining, going up to Auckland in a couple of weeks to get it repaired and god knows how they will sort that out, we might just push for our money back I think, It’s stored in our pack house when not used and we have probably had it out for a maximum of only 6 weeks, not super happy.
Sorry to hear about the issues - that's a pretty disappointing experience, especially considering it's so new. Once the water gets in somewhere and goes unnoticed for a while it creates huge damage. I wish they wouldn't use plywood for the walls. Hope you get it sorted or the money back.
@@gdog1443 yeah they don't seem to seal them up properly in the factory. Need to go over each seam with a magnifying glass and add missing sealant, even when they are brand new. Disappointing quality control. At least you got the warranty if you bought it new. But it's still a big hassle and waste of time to deal with this.
@@Fishingreminder blame my wife, I read the reviews before we bought but it fell on deaf ears, I just don’t know how the hell they are going to take the roof out to get the water damaged partical board out, maybe if they don’t give us our money back they might have to give us another one? I’ll keep you posted on this. I see you got your one sorted.
After all that do you regret selling the bus? Also is towing a caravan better than driving a bus? I guess it's great still having mobility when your caravan is parked up, would be interested to hear your thoughts on the pros and cons of bus vs caravan. Cheers.
Not really regret but sometimes miss the bus :) It had more character for sure. But I hated the COF every 6 months and also it required a lot more maintenance. It also had a low ceiling and I could not fully stand up inside, except under the hatch :) Also loved the 360 degree view from all the windows. But the caravan is more comfortable, better insulated and cheaper to maintain. Also good to have the Ranger for day trips and to reach remote spots. So yeah hard to say. It depends on the travel style. When moving around a lot, for short stays and freedom camping a motorhome or bus is good but when staying longer in certain places then a caravan is a good option.
@@Fishingreminder OK, thanks for your perspective. We are looking at a Jayco motor home but noted a Jayco caravan is half the price. A motor home seems like less hassle when travelling large distances around NZ. The interior on both seems to be pretty much the same from what I've seen. Suppose it comes down to your preferred style of camping at the end of the day. Cheers.
@@nitrosavy yeah absolutely, a motorhome is more suitable for exploring and frequent location changes, a caravan is better for longer stays in one location.
Thanks for the info. We have the exact same van in MY18. The only issues we have had are the leaky rear trim and the leaky sink. There were plumbing issues that were easy to fix. Fear you might have a COVID van 😢
yeah absolutely, and another plus is that you don't need to worry about the expensive warranty services. You can just fix things yourself when buying a used one. Saves tons of money.
Hi Jim, there is some contraption on the bottom but noting to lock it. Maybe that part went missing with the previous owner. Looks like as if there used to be a little locking arm or something.
Jayco must make thousands of caravans each year, and they’ve been doing it for decades yet they still can’t make a good watertight van. They really are hopeless and I would never buy one!
It's true, but if you look into other caravan manufactures, you'll find that they all have quality and design issues, even the European made caravans. If you want an Australian off-road type caravan then at least with Jayco you have a larger support network. If you end up buying a small unknown brand hoping for better quality, then you might run into bigger problems when something goes wrong. We looked at so many different Australian brands before we bought our Jayco. Some of them were totally overpriced, others were shockingly bad and quite a few I never heard of or seen before or after.
Just so you know what you have done with your inverter is dangerous. You will be creating a dangerous loop back to your batteries. And your power inlet ouside would be live . I also noticed where are your fuses between the batteries. They should have 40 amp fuses between each battery. There is so much more i could go threw but I dont want to sound like a no at all . I work on caravans every day and your set up is very dangerous. I dont think insurance would cover that set up when somthing goes wrong. Sorry.
thanks for the heads up. I didn't think there's a need for a fuse on each battery as they are internally fused and protected by the LifePo BMS. But I'll look into it. There isn't any loop back to the batteries as there is no battery charger connected to the 220 volt circuit. The only issue would be plugging the caravan into another power source without disconnecting the inverter first. I have considered that but since we never plug into shore power this isn't an issue.
@@BattleScar09 not too bad. I try to avoid super long dusty gravel roads because I hate cleaning afterwards but the dust doesn't seem to get inside much.
Great video! Very important with our investments is a dealer network, parts, service and most importantly resale. Gal dipped chassis as standard and a long standing company name. I've researched some of the expensive over the top brands and models, many ride on a " Dura Gal" painted chassis' and are mostly hype and marketing. Jayco is the wise choice and your candid review reiterates this. Well Done! and safe travels for both of you.👍👍
Great video, a couple of fixes. Re saving cold water from califont check out Enviro Water Saver valve. Redirects cold back to tank until water is up to temperature. Re fridge door spring best fix is to make own spring and will last longer - use 4.5mm drill and use a paper clip wrap around a couple of times trim and fit. Take the freezer door one out and use as a tem plate.
Thanks for the tips! The paperclip hack is really interesting, I gotta try that! I will also have a look at the Water Saver valve. That seems to be the way to go forward.
Another informative and entertaining video from you. Even better because we are currently camped about 3 caravans along from you.😂
haha what a coincidence. Come and say hello when the rain stops :)
It was nice to meet you! Safe trip and enjoy your time up there😊. Let us know if you catch something by the camp!😉
We have a new Jayco Journey touring 16.67, and it's been brilliant. Incredibly, not one leak and we've done roughly 10k. A couple of very minor issues which I sorted. I know, like every brand has problems doesn't matter what price point but so far our Jayco has worked perfect. Great look at your setup it's always helpful hints to pick up.
Fantastic, just gotta keep an eye out for those potential hidden leaks. I have the feeling it really depends on who is working on the vans when they are made. They must have a huge range of workers. If you're lucky it was someone responsible who was doing the critical jobs and everything is sealed properly. Good luck and gad to hear that the video was helpful.
@Fishingreminder Thanks for your reply, I have also resealed the whole top of my van with a good silicone. Fingers crossed I'll have no issues.
Some suggestions for fixes: the basin tap probably has a standard ceramic mixer cartridge. If you remove the handle and see a large nut then the solution is to undo, check the seal under the cartridge, and retighten, It needs to be quite tight to not leak
A piece of foam under the fridge handle works ok as a spring.
The oven was probably installed before the walls and may be difficult to get to the pipe connection. Mine was really difficult!
My water tanks fill easily but I did re route the vent pipes as they lots of low points and trap water.
My front screen cracked so I glued short strips of aluminum bar across the stress cracks ( I used sikaflex 11fc) and that seems to have slowed the damage.
The wheel arch covers hide a horrible design and it is better to remove them to fix the leaks. I cut strips of cloth tape, plastered them with silicon and placed them across the transition from wall to wheel arch, and then replaced the covers before it set.
Good luck
Fantastic suggestions, thanks so much. Love the foam trick for the fridge door!
I think I will have to do the same with the wheel arches, that's probably the best way to do it once and for all.
Thanks for your great tips ❤😊!
Thanks for the good overview
Cheers, glad it was helpful!
Enjoying your channel, love fishing also, would be good to see more about the starlink, keep up the great work
thanks for the feedback! I'll try to squeeze in a quick vid about the star link
water and caravans aye mate, no good. Our caravan is like a swimming pool when it rains on the roof, the flashing create a lip which stops the water running off, luckily we have not had any issues really which has been good. like you say, all brands have problems aye, good review video.
Thanks mate. Yeah the roof design with the flashing on the Aussie vans is a little bit questionable, eh. They should have slightly angled the roof so the water can run off over the front. I think leisure line does that.
Thanks for the great informative review. Fully agree you need to keep on top of all maintenance issues no matter what brand/make of caravan you have. Sealer moves, and the UV rays break it down and need to be checked or replaced regularly. Also, check screws as they rust.
Yeah definitely, good point, the UV rays are brutal. Jayco has quite a few factory faults but I think lots of caravans have quality issues, even the European ones. Best to start with maintenance from day 1.
Hi Mark, Happy New Year to you both.
That's a shocking review of the caravan especially when you look at how much they cost!
Hi mate, Happy New Year to you too! Yeah sure is, eh. For that price you'd expect top quality.
Happy new year 🥳 Wish you all the best in 2025🎉😊
Get a red valve. They redirect the cold water back into your tank until the hot water reaches your shower then open to let the hot water through. Here in Australia they are sold in some plumbing shops. Should be readily available on line.
Good tip! Thanks for sharing! I was looking for something like this. Is the product called red valve? I guess it's just a temperature controlled valve, eh?
@@Fishingreminder actually called red water diverter. I have never used one. They get mixed reviews. If you Google red water diverter their website should come up. I intend at some point in my travels to fit one… could be in another 6 months time, can’t rush these things😎
could you do a video reviewing your experience full time NZ touring in a bus vs life in a caravan please
good idea, thank you, will make a plan for that :)
This would be really interesting. Cheers!!
Primo, insight, especially as we are looking to purchase a new Caravan in the new year. Do you regret changeing from a house bus. We've also been looking at vans and Coaster busses.
Cheers mate very timely, and lots of food for thought.
Thanks Chris, glad the video was helpful. We don't regret changing to a caravan in general but we did love our Toyota coaster :) Our travel style has just changed over the years and a caravan is more suitable now. Also the 6 monthly COF inspection you need for buses and bigger motorhomes is really nerve-wrecking and expensive.
Cool video man 🤙 see so many jayco vans around in oz
Cheers mate! Yeah they're super popular down here, eh. Biggest manufacturer in Australia.
I was wondering after the last video with all the problems you have had whether you would choose jayco again! I guess it gets more than its fair share of wear because you spend a lot of time travelling in it, it’s not just for holidays. Do you prefer a caravan to a motorhome when travelling full time, if so why?
Yeah we're definitely putting it through it's paces :) Motorhome vs caravan heavily depend on travel preferences. With a motorhome you're more agile and it's more suitable for freedom camping and shorter stays in one location. A caravan is more suitable for longer stays and then you have the tow vehicle for day trips. We loved our bus a lot but after a while of traveling we found our travel style changed and is now more suitable for a caravan. Hope that makes sense :)
do you invert 12v Dc into up to 2kw AC? Big cables involved? do you come across many caravaners or motorhomers that are running 24v or 48v Dc?
yeah 12 volt to 240 volt. The inverter is next to the batteries and need big short 200 amp rated cables running from the battery to the inverter. I haven't seen any motorhomes or caravans running on 24v or higher. It's hard to get caravan appliances for that voltage, much easier with 12 volt.
We bought a new silverline outback from Auckland about July last year and we have a roof leak, the partical board in the roof has expanded in places and created bubbles on the roof lining, going up to Auckland in a couple of weeks to get it repaired and god knows how they will sort that out, we might just push for our money back I think,
It’s stored in our pack house when not used and we have probably had it out for a maximum of only 6 weeks, not super happy.
Sorry to hear about the issues - that's a pretty disappointing experience, especially considering it's so new. Once the water gets in somewhere and goes unnoticed for a while it creates huge damage. I wish they wouldn't use plywood for the walls. Hope you get it sorted or the money back.
@ thanks, we are pretty pissed off, I heard there’s a few others up in Auckland with water damage at the yard too, poor quality control probably.
@@gdog1443 yeah they don't seem to seal them up properly in the factory. Need to go over each seam with a magnifying glass and add missing sealant, even when they are brand new. Disappointing quality control. At least you got the warranty if you bought it new. But it's still a big hassle and waste of time to deal with this.
@@Fishingreminder blame my wife, I read the reviews before we bought but it fell on deaf ears, I just don’t know how the hell they are going to take the roof out to get the water damaged partical board out, maybe if they don’t give us our money back they might have to give us another one? I’ll keep you posted on this. I see you got your one sorted.
Cheers mark think I will go with a motorhome when I start my sth island retirement mate , cheers , shaneno, nelson, 😊🍺
Good stuff, motorhomes are great for touring and exploring!
After all that do you regret selling the bus? Also is towing a caravan better than driving a bus? I guess it's great still having mobility when your caravan is parked up, would be interested to hear your thoughts on the pros and cons of bus vs caravan. Cheers.
Not really regret but sometimes miss the bus :) It had more character for sure. But I hated the COF every 6 months and also it required a lot more maintenance. It also had a low ceiling and I could not fully stand up inside, except under the hatch :) Also loved the 360 degree view from all the windows. But the caravan is more comfortable, better insulated and cheaper to maintain. Also good to have the Ranger for day trips and to reach remote spots. So yeah hard to say. It depends on the travel style. When moving around a lot, for short stays and freedom camping a motorhome or bus is good but when staying longer in certain places then a caravan is a good option.
@@Fishingreminder OK, thanks for your perspective. We are looking at a Jayco motor home but noted a Jayco caravan is half the price. A motor home seems like less hassle when travelling large distances around NZ. The interior on both seems to be pretty much the same from what I've seen. Suppose it comes down to your preferred style of camping at the end of the day. Cheers.
@@nitrosavy yeah absolutely, a motorhome is more suitable for exploring and frequent location changes, a caravan is better for longer stays in one location.
Thanks for the info. We have the exact same van in MY18. The only issues we have had are the leaky rear trim and the leaky sink. There were plumbing issues that were easy to fix. Fear you might have a COVID van 😢
Friend bought new campervan and is spending lot doing mods that would've been done by previous owner if it was used. There are pluses to buying used.
yeah absolutely, and another plus is that you don't need to worry about the expensive warranty services. You can just fix things yourself when buying a used one. Saves tons of money.
Check your roof brake light for your roof leak…
thanks, I think the issue was a crack in the plastic cover. Since I fixed the crack we didn't have any more leaking from the roof.
Jayco Christchurch sell the BBQ hose/connector
Hi Guys you should have a fridge travel lock, on the bottom of the door ? Cheers Jim 🍻
Hi Jim, there is some contraption on the bottom but noting to lock it. Maybe that part went missing with the previous owner. Looks like as if there used to be a little locking arm or something.
cool
Jayco must make thousands of caravans each year, and they’ve been doing it for decades yet they still can’t make a good watertight van. They really are hopeless and I would never buy one!
It's true, but if you look into other caravan manufactures, you'll find that they all have quality and design issues, even the European made caravans. If you want an Australian off-road type caravan then at least with Jayco you have a larger support network. If you end up buying a small unknown brand hoping for better quality, then you might run into bigger problems when something goes wrong. We looked at so many different Australian brands before we bought our Jayco. Some of them were totally overpriced, others were shockingly bad and quite a few I never heard of or seen before or after.
Just so you know what you have done with your inverter is dangerous. You will be creating a dangerous loop back to your batteries. And your power inlet ouside would be live . I also noticed where are your fuses between the batteries. They should have 40 amp fuses between each battery. There is so much more i could go threw but I dont want to sound like a no at all . I work on caravans every day and your set up is very dangerous. I dont think insurance would cover that set up when somthing goes wrong. Sorry.
thanks for the heads up. I didn't think there's a need for a fuse on each battery as they are internally fused and protected by the LifePo BMS. But I'll look into it. There isn't any loop back to the batteries as there is no battery charger connected to the 220 volt circuit. The only issue would be plugging the caravan into another power source without disconnecting the inverter first. I have considered that but since we never plug into shore power this isn't an issue.
Question mate, how does the van handle dust?
@@BattleScar09 not too bad. I try to avoid super long dusty gravel roads because I hate cleaning afterwards but the dust doesn't seem to get inside much.
@ thanks it’s one thing that can destroy a weekend away if everything in the van is covered in red dust!