Knaus Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Hi Has anyone got a T line Roller Team motorhome. Would like to know the quality etc of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgnbuk Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 We have a T-Line 670, the 2 berth twin settee verison (not the Family with half dinette & drop down bed). We bought it new* 1st March last year & had around 50 nights away in it last year and on track for between 50 & 60 nights this year. Our previous (and first) van was a 2003 CI Carioca & we were initially attracted to the CI/Roller Team vans because of the great bathrooms - a good size seperate shower (not wet room) is a must for me particularly and the CI/Roller Team vans were amongst the best useable layouts we came across in our price range. But about the T-Line in particular - likes : The light and airy "ambience". With not having the drop down bed there is a large Panoramic panel over the lounge area, as well as the opening clear panel in the overcab and 400mm square clear vents over the kitchen & French bed. The gloss white/satin white, chrome trimmed high level locker doors & fridge/freezer front contrast nicely with the dark wood panelling. The cream/beige upholstry & light beige carpet also help to give a very light interior. There is more than adequate storage space in the high level lockers, under settee locker (intside access only) , large under bed locker (inside & outside access) and bathroom cabinets (one high level & one under the sink. There is also a lot of space in the overcab area & along the rear wall above the bed that is not fully enclosed. We have had no problems accomodating all we require for up to 2 1/2 weeks away (with enough clothes to not require a laundry session while away). Great payload. No point having a lot of space if you can't use it ! We weighed the van shortly after collection & after filling the fuel tank (90 litres) at the West Yorkshire Trading Standards drive-through weighbridge at Birstall on the way home. With the two of us, full fuel, about 20 litres water & nothing else we had nearly 600kg free. A similar check fully loaded for a continental tour (including 2 adult bicycles) showed 250kg free. Big water tanks. Around 110 litres inboard fresh water - not sure of the total waste water as it has two tanks (one rear for bathroom, smaller one mid-van for the kitchen sink), but at least as much as the fresh tank. We have easily managed 4 nights "off grid" with this - the loo capacity has been the limit so far. Great insulation. So much better than the Carioca. Our first outing was Easter last year, with -6 C overnight and not above freezing during the day. Lovely and warm, and the heating wasn't working overtime to keep it that way either. Comfy French bed, with supportive matress. Great bathroom, with a separate shower with bi-fold door & just enough room to accomplish all tasks required in a minimum of space. There is a multi-postion opening rooflight above the shower cubicle, with a drop-down towel hanging rail & efficient heating. Very well specified. Ours has the "Lux Pack", with 100w solar panel, 85Ah battery, Fiamma 2 bike carrier, reversing camera, full LED lighting (including "disco lights" & low level blue lights for nocturnal ramblings) and carpets (hab & cab). It also has Remis cab blinds. The kitchen has a 3 burner hob, Thetford oven/grill and a great Dometic fridge/freezer. All I have fitted is an 11kg Gaslow cylinder with external filler, a CSB2 (?) battery to battery charger to keep the cab battery topped up from the solar panel & had a Fiamma fan fitted in place of the kitchen roof light. The "disco lights" are a multi-coloured Led light arrangement that sits behind some fristed perspex panels above the lounge high level lockers in the roof "bulge". I guess they would be more accurately described as "mood lighting". Apart from demonstrating the function to friends & family, they have not been used. Gripes ? The plastic trims around the overcab are a bit squeaky on the move, as are the Remis side window blinds. While I had misgivings about the light upholstry, this has stood up very well so far. Which is more than can be said for the collapsing settee seat cushions. The gas locker is far bigger than required for the "single 15kg bottle" the sticker recommends. Two 11kg would fit without problems here, but a locker sized to suit a single 11 kg bottle would have allowed a deeper kitchen cupboard (the gas locker is under the kitchen island unit). The split waste water tanks are a Grade A PITA, particularly the kitchen tank which is mid mounted and impossible to get a container under to empty if the site does not have a drive-over dump point. The rear tank is not quite as inacessible, but the low level Camper chassis sits the tank outlet so close to the ground that I can't get a container under the drain point unless the rear of the van is on ramps. The Combi 4 is gas only. A minor gripe given it's miserly gas consumption & we also carry a 750/1500W fan heater for use on hook-up. Back-up from Roller Team. I had a lot of problems with the supplying dealer getting a couple of warranty parts. The dealers have to order parts direct from the factory using special software (T Box, I think it was called). My shower kept ordering the wrong bits, which took an age to arrive. After a whinge to the rep on the Roller Team stand at last year's NEC Show, I got a contact at RT GB, who sorted the right part & had it delivered to me and I fitted it myself. The dealer was suppsoed to be ordering replacement settee cushions as well, but closed down before sorting this out. RT GB then didn't want to get involved & suggested I tried to get another RT dealer to take over the warranty. My wife called in to Davan near Doncaster ( a RT GB recommendation) and was subjected to what can best be described as rant by the person on site - she was told in no uncertain terms that they would not do RT warranty work period. I have made no further enquiries since & am resigned to being on my own now. RT GB Ok'ed using Lowdhams Huddersfield for the habitation checks to maintain the water ingress warranty, but while Lowdhams were happy to do the hab check they made it clear that they would not do any warranty work either. Not a great situation, but this appears to be the norm in the motorhome industry. General observations : Low profile Fiat Camper chassis handles very well - I get told off for being too enthusistic around the bends. Only slightly negative point is a slight instabilty on worn surfaces (tramlines), where the wider track rear wheels seem to oscillate between the grooves. A bit disconcerting the first time it happened, but it doesn't get out of hand and happens infrequently. The 130 engine is very willing & reasonably frugal - I get 29 - 31mpg at round 60mph. The 90 litre tank gives a range of over 500 miles ( I drove from Huddersfield to Dover, then on to Luxemburg on one tankful). The Fiat fit cruise control is a bit lacksadaisical when it comes to actually maintaining a set speed, being slow to respond to changes in gradient. There is also no dash indication that the cruise control is set. The OE stereo only works with the ignition on & radio reception from the windscreen mount ariel is poor. Build quality of the habitation area seems very good. The underside of the floor appears to be fibreglass coated & there is substantial sealing between the floor and side skirts - this must have been machine applied from a bulk dispenser, as the sealant bead is broad and uninterrupted. The basic construction is apparently wood free and all outer surfaces are GRP. I polished the van with Autoglym when I got it, which has retained it's effectiveness & makes washing easier. Thought seems to have been given to preventing condensation and cold spots inside the van - there is a permenant hot air bleed pipe that feeds warm air around the back of the shower cubicle, loo cassette area & fresh water tank.. The high level lockers have vents that allow air to circulate behind the lockers. Lowdhams commented on the "very dry" readings on the damp test at it's first hab check - typically single figures, with a high of 12% near the water tank under a settee. Overall we are very pleased with our van. It is comfortable to drive & easy to live in - we both look forward to going away in it. When we initially thought about buying it, it was with a view to keeping it 10 years or so until retirement - 18 months in that is still the plan. Our Carioca 22 was nearly 10 years old when we P/xed it and that had stood up well (indeed, if we had not been offered the deal we were on the T-Line we would have been happy to have kept the CI longer) and the T-Line seems to be a much better van than the CI. The only feature I miss is cab aircon - not fitted originally & at over £3k to have retrofitted not an option now. But that's it really. HTH. If you want to know anything more specific, just ask. Nigel B. * New. As in first registered 1.3.2013, but chassis built July 2011, conversion done November 2011 & it didn't arrive in the UK until December 2012. It appears to have stood at the factory for a year ! The dealer issue is an industry problem, I think, rather than being specific to Roller Team. I might feel differently had I had many habitaion issues but, so far, the issues have been minor (the warranty issues were damaged door catches & the panorama sklight surround - these were noted at the time of purchase but still too nearly a year to sort out). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 What a Great Response. I'm not looking for a motorhome but still found it an interesting read. Many Thanks mgnbuk / Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Agree, it is a great review and read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knaus Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 Hello Thank you for your very interesting description. Given me food for thought. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgnbuk Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Hi, Glad my ramblings were of interest. As I said. if there are any other points I can be of assistance with, just ask. Re-reading my post, I have not made it clear that the van is plated at 3650kg as standard. I had it registered as PLG (3500kg max.) - my quoted available payloads refer to a GVW of 3500 kg - had I gone PHG, the available payloads would be 150 kg higher than quoted. As we have been to/through Austria on 3 out of our 5 continental motorhome jaunts, I would rather be 3500kg and paying €8.50 for a 10 day vignette than getting stung for a GoBox. The extra payload may be of more use in the 4 berth drop-down bed Family version of the T-Line 670 than it is to us. Which T-Line model are (were?) you interested in ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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