kelly58 Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 As our Autosleeper is now 2 years old we are looking for a change and looking forward to a gander at the NEC next month.We quite fancy a change to an end lounge layout having had two EK's and one fixed bed and because we were badly let down by FIAT Camper "we do not" Care the last thing I want is a FIAT based motorhome which narrows the field somewhat . Thats where the Bailey comes in End Lounge Peugeot based and the right size for us , so my question is has any forum members or friends of forum members had any expierence of the Bailey brand and can offer any comments good or bad. Many thanks in antisipation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 In view of what you've currently got, I'm guessing it's the Bailey Approach SE 625 you'd be interested in. It's stating the obvious perhaps, but this model is a good deal longer than your Nuevo and, perhaps more importantly, significantly wider. Well priced given that it's on an Al-Ko chassis and has a good standard specification. Personally, I don't like the bodywork colour, nor the boxy look that hints more than a little that Bailey's main business has been making caravans. (You'll be aware of the Alu-Tech body construction method, of course.) I believe water-filling is via a Whale "Watermaster" arrangement that's not everybody's cup of tea. Two Bailey test-reports in Reviews section, though not of an SE 625. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallynnette Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Hi, yes we traded our Autotrail Apache for an Approach 745 se three months ago. Luckily our build was just 5 days before the cut off date for the free full 10 year warranty, its brilliant to drive, the bed is really comfy . All in all we can't fault it, other than a couple of really stupid niggles, barrel lock on underbed storage keeps slipping out, the waste drain tap has badly designed bracket that 'suspends' the tap rather than 'supports' it so we find it drops out/down, I'll get round to changing it but at the moment its cable tied. Shower had a crap sealing job so another little job to do. If your short (wife is 5' 2" and can't reach the cupboards to left of cooker or sockets at back) you might find it a problem, we don't cos there's me. Oh! and whoever put the canopy on at Lowdhams needs to understand that sealant is not an instant adhesive, it needs support/weight to keep in place until it goes off, so yet another little job for me to do. After shelling out our hard earned I didn't expect these rather silly probs, other than that its brilliant :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallynnette Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 As far as the whale water filling arrangement we found it very usefull, no hose to keep popping out when filling and the external pump came into its own on holiday on a site in Canterbury when some clown decided to fill up, then comletely wash his motorhome before cleaning his bikes. Totally blocking the service point to other users, but atleast we could fill our tank using a couple of water containers, plug it in and let it pump straight to tank, Brilliant, no fuss no mess no hassle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowtelse2do Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Anthony, why are you doing them jobs, what's your warranty for? Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallynnette Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Yeah I know, a question i keep asking myself but to be fair Lowdhams did say they would come and pick it up and sort it. Thats a 130 mile trip just for the sake of an hours work and less than £10 in materials its just not economicaly worth it. Its just the lock I'm concerned about and as there are two caravan dealers within 3 miles of home I'm going to ask them if i can take to one of those. Afterall its a storage locker lock which is on every caravan and not unique to Bailey. If it was something other than trivial it would be goin back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 Wallynnette - 2012-09-27 7:24 PM Oh! and whoever put the canopy on at Lowdhams needs to understand that sealant is not an instant adhesive, it needs support/weight to keep in place until it goes off, so yet another little job for me to do. Not sure I understand the comment about the canopy (awning) - it should be firmly attached using fixing bolts through to the inside of the motorhome and therefore should NOT be able to move at all - the sealant would just to be ensure no water got into the fixing points and possibly to prevent water going down the back of the casing and down the outer wall .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallynnette Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Its fitted ok, its the flap that runs along the length and is secured to the roof to stop the rain goin down the back. When on hols we noticed that when it rained certain sections cascaded with water. At home got the steps out and saw the prob straight away, the flap had peeled back off the roof and looks awfull, basically the flap aint doing what its supposed to. If they'd used something to keep it down til it had cured it would have been fine. This is a Fiamma 45 by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Wallynnette - 2012-09-27 7:24 PM ...If your short (wife is 5' 2" and can't reach the cupboards to left of cooker or sockets at back) you might find it a problem, we don't cos there's me... Something I forgot to mention about the Approach SE 625 (though it's obvious from the 360-degree tour of the model on Bailey's website) is the 'eye level' 700W microwave oven, perfectly positioned for basketball players. This has a open shelf above it, handy (as shown in Baileys photo) for spice jars and the like - and below it is the glass cover of the hob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 Something I forgot to mention about the Approach SE 625 (though it's obvious from the 360-degree tour of the model on Bailey's website) is the 'eye level' 700W microwave oven, perfectly positioned for basketball players. This has a open shelf above it, handy (as shown in Baileys photo) for spice jars and the like - and below it is the glass cover of the hob.We have just had both the glass hob cover and the grill door shatter without being touched and as the motorhome is over 1 year old Thetford did not want to know even after lots of badgering by both myself and Marquis , but to their credit Marquis agreed to replace both pieces at cost + vat which came to an eye watering £159.46 !!As for the Whale filling system although its a pain in the proverbial I can live with it , as I have for the past 2 years at least the Bailey is not on a FIAT which I would not live with . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wills Wagon Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 I thought that Fiat and Peugeot were made on the same factory production line and just have a few cosmetic changes. If customer service was a problem with faults in the vehicle you will still have the same base vehicle as before. If you want a change you need to get a Ford or Mercedes vehicle, go foreign or opt for apanel van conversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 Been and had a good fettle round the Bailey we were interested in and am very dissapointed with the lack of storage space , now its a no no , but whilst we were just browsing we both took a fancy to a Chausson Flash 4 on a Transit . I know I mentioned wanting an end lounge , but I like the layout especially the large garage the kitchen area is a bit sparse but workable diesel heating will be different one small gas bottle can be remedied with a 6kg refillable bottle and overall it will be a completeley different motorhome to the last three we have owned. Now looking forward to the NEC show to see what takes our fancy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Kelvyn, if you do go for a Gaslow bottle, get the larger one as it should fit and it doesn't cost that much more for the bigger size but you nearly double your gas capacity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly58 Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 Mel B - 2012-09-28 8:47 PMKelvyn, if you do go for a Gaslow bottle, get the larger one as it should fit and it doesn't cost that much more for the bigger size but you nearly double your gas capacity.Thanks Mel thats the main thing I will need to consider and hopefully be able to fit the larger one all in kit from Gasit about £200.a lot cheaper than Gaslow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Kelvyn, just a suggestion, as you've never had a fixed bed van before, think very carefully about HOW you use your current motorhome and make sure that you would still be able to do what you want in a fixed bed one (and for those of you with smutty minds ... stop it! :D ). Before we changed to our 'first' fixed bed motorhome, we basically jotted down a diary of what we did each day when we were in our then current van (a traditional full dinette and side settee type with end kitchen and washroom, similar to yours). We were then able to use this to ensure that we could still do what we needed/wanted to in the different type of motorhome layout and only then did we look for something suitable. We really, really like having the 2 'lounging/relaxing' areas (2 rooms in effect), quite apart from having the benefit of all of the storage space and not having to make the bed up all the time. Plus of course the dogs appreciate having a very large 'dog bed' in the rear to have a snooze on after they've had their tea whilst we have ours in peace up front! :-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Wills Wagon - 2012-09-28 12:58 PM I thought that Fiat and Peugeot were made on the same factory production line and just have a few cosmetic changes. If customer service was a problem with faults in the vehicle you will still have the same base vehicle as before. If you want a change you need to get a Ford or Mercedes vehicle, go foreign or opt for apanel van conversion. Although Citroen Relay, Fiat Ducato and Peugeot Boxer vehicles are all manufactured in the same Italian factory, the differences between the Ducato and Relay/Boxer models can be much more than cosmetic. For example, the Bailey Approach SE 625 kelly58 was interested in is constructed on a Peugeot Boxer base and its 130bhp motor has a 2.2litre capacity. This motor is not found in the Fiat Ducato, where the equivalent powerplant would be a totally different 2.3litre unit. In a nutshell, differences between Relays and Boxers will be cosmetic, but differences between Relays/Boxers and Ducatos can be more far-reaching. Where base-vehicle under-warranty work is concerned, a Ducato-based motorhome would need to be dealt with by a Fiat agent, a Boxer-based motorhome by a Peugeot agent and a Relay-based motorhome by a Citroen agent. If one has had bad experiences with Fiat agents (or with the Fiat company itself) opting for a Peugeot-based motorhome seems understandable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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