Chausson drop down bed

[ChrisH]

I have a Chausson 610 which will be two years old next week. Last weekend when trying to lower the bed at bedtime it moved just a small distance and the lights on the bed control panel started to flash.

I tried pressing the down button a few more times but it wasn't going anywhere.

I have asked my local Chausson dealer if they can fix it but they have said they cannot book it in for at least three weeks and in their opinion it will be out of warranty. I am currently waiting for a reply from Chausson about the warranty issue but in the meantime can anyone tell me how to reset the panel?

Thanks

Chris

[Derek Uzzell]

If you browse through the entries here

 

https://tinyurl.com/y8nlwmhs

 

that might help. There seems to be a ‘reset button’ that needs a pen (or something pointy) to operate.

[tazdog6007]

We had the same problem with our 610 bed.Would not lower ,but by pressing the down button quickly on and off it inched it's way down till about half way then went smoothly to the lowest level where it seemed to reset and all was o.k. The hand winder was in the most awkward place up against the window so impossible to use.Got a 630 now (two single drop downs) with the upgrade controls and the hand winder in a sensible position.hope never to need it. there was a readers fix in the mmm where he turned the button controller to a three position toggle switch.which i kept in case of need. *-) your dealer can reset this in five minutes, insist on a quick look!

[ron.]

ChrisH - 2018-03-30 11:28 PM

 

I have a Chausson 610 which will be two years old next week. Last weekend when trying to lower the bed at bedtime it moved just a small distance and the lights on the bed control panel started to flash.

I tried pressing the down button a few more times but it wasn't going anywhere.

I have asked my local Chausson dealer if they can fix it but they have said they cannot book it in for at least three weeks and in their opinion it will be out of warranty. I am currently waiting for a reply from Chausson about the warranty issue but in the meantime can anyone tell me how to reset the panel?

Thanks

Chris

 

Put your problem in writing/email to your dealer so that you have proof that the fault occurred whilst in warranty. It’s not your fault that it can’t be investigated within the warranty period.

[tazdog6007]

I agree with last post.It seems that dealer is taking the p... name and shame >:-(

[monique.hubrechtsgm]

It is not a Chausson but Probed 2000 from italy.Market leader in this and electric steps, the last one very good.. They have now a auto reset, instead of the pencil. But the manual overide is a nightmare. Still gaining popularity to get to get the beds into the roof, and out of walking space like a pop up roof van. The critical point of these beds is to reach the end electric limiit contact in the above position because of of bed layers. And their brackets in metal which are flying against the side walls. In M4 Size. Take a good look at it how it really works. Depending on the year a new diagnostic can be retrofitted. You are in a hell of problem if the bed stays down. Have allen key ready all the time. I sold my chausson because of this.

[ChrisH]

I have tried some of the fixes that have been suggested but without much success. This evening I wound the bed half way down by hand, pressed the reset with pen and was then able to get it to go to the top under it's own steam. This might be a slight improvement but not the whole story.

I have written to Chausson but they have not replied. This evening I wrote to Project 2000 and hope to get an answer form them tomorrow but in the meantime does anyone have a copy of the maintenance manual for these beds that I could have a copy of?

Chris

[monique.hubrechtsgm]

Chris try to find the upper- limit contact on the top, which in my case looks like a small angle bracket. about two inches wiith two wood screws on one side of the wall. In my case on the right facing forward. On your lift bed their is a rubber spring contact who should make contact in upper limit position, check this. The rest is electric.software. The lowest position i never find out how it works and their intermidiates. Find out what it can do and not. The key is fragile dont touch it whit your shoulder when stepping out of your home.

[Den]

We purchased the 610.

The bed stuck up. In the middle and then it wouldn’t go down.

It was. Rubbish.

Then the noise from the panoramic sunroof over the drivers area.

The wind noise over 45mph was uncomfortable.

Certain things were good.

1 the garage.

2 the slide out BBQ

That’s about it. If you own one. Oh dear.

If you don’t. Lucky you.

[mgnbuk]

Den - 2018-04-04 6:58 PM

 

We purchased the 610.

The bed stuck up. In the middle and then it wouldn’t go down.

It was. Rubbish.

Then the noise from the panoramic sunroof over the drivers area.

The wind noise over 45mph was uncomfortable.

Certain things were good.

1 the garage.

2 the slide out BBQ

That’s about it. If you own one. Oh dear.

If you don’t. Lucky you.

 

Strange how different things annoy / appeal to different users.

We are on our second Welcome 610 - bought the first one on the "wrong" chassis (the abominable Euro 6 Ford Transit) but the "home" part worked really well for us and, after a lot of looking, we decided that a Fiat version of the 610 was our best option within the allowable budget.

 

Noisy front sunroof - had that on the first van & found out it was due to me not latching the sunroof properly - easy to get the middle catches in the "night vent" position if you are not methodical when securing it. This results in an increase in wind noise, but no rattles, as the clear panel is still under tension.

 

Didn't order the £600+ slide-out griddle - 20 od kg & a locker lost, so a waste of space / payload / money for us.

 

Garage is good, as long as you remember not to try to fill the space. Payload & rear axle limit very much dictate what you can do with the space.

 

Drop down bed - there are at least 3 different installations here that I have seen. The earliest 610s had a spiral cable on the UK passenger side providing power to the bed motor & lights. My 2017 version had a sprung rotating cable drum on the drivers side. Both these installations have the bed motor mounted inside the bed frame & the fiddly keyswitch & button arrangement on the side of the bed frame. We had no issues with the cable drum type bed (over 54 nights usage), though conversations with the dealer suggested that the earlier spiral cable type needs care & attention to ensure that the cable doesn't get snagged & cause problems.

 

Our latest 2018 610 has a completely different bed - the motor is mounted on the bulkhead above the UK passenger side (along with the enable keyswitch, which can be left enabled) & the operating switch is mounted under the kitchen worktop alongside the 240v socket. There are no cables moving with the bed frame, with the supply to the under bed (ceiling when stowed) lights coming from an adjustable end stop switch / 2 pole contact block near the support rail on the passenger side bulkhead - the lights only come on when the bed is fully stowed. This bed is also a slightly different shape, being more cut away near to door so that access to the door is unobstructed. I think that this bed moves faster than the earlier one and, being devoid of the motor & associated gubbins, is noticably lighter.

 

Mention of the MMM switch "bodge" was made above, but not of the follow-up comments from Project 2000 printed the following month about the inadvisability of doing this & the risks posed by bypassing the overload & protection circuits.

 

From our perspective, owing a Fiat based Welcome 610 is very much "lucky us" !

 

Nigel B

[Den]

I’m pleased you have found one that you can enjoy.

Ours was the type with the coil by the passenger side.

The bed was truly terrible.

The front sun roof was properly latched and found out after we sold it that one purchased around the same time as us had there’s replaced.

We had the Fiat base with the 150 engine and that part was ok.

But the rattles were terrible and when I mentioned it to the supplier they said it was quieter than most !!!

I’m surprised you didn’t like the ford.

I have a small fleet of ford 16 seaters and ford Custom Torneos.

The only problem we have is with rear axle seals leaking.

Den

[monique.hubrechtsgm]

On a Chausson everything rattles and makes noise. But they have nice floor plans.

 

[ColinM50]

We had a problem with the lekky bed on our Elddis 186. Just stopped working. Called the dealer and they said bring it in and we'll look at it but since there was all black muck in the cupboard under the motor I insisted they get a new motor in stock before I drove the 150 miles to their workshop. In the meantime I located the Italian manufacturer to see if I could buy a more powerful motor since I feel it struggles but they wouldn't deal with the public put me on to their UK agent. Can't remember offhand their name but they're in Watford. Anyway, they were a bit unhelpful, didn't want to sell me a motor, said it had to be ordered by Eldiss or the dealer. They did agree that my motor is the smallest/cheapest that Eldiss specify but said the new one would have a two year warranty so I let the dealer just change it. No issues from the dealer at all, he was happy to fit the new one.

 

As a back stop, I've bought a long socket that fits the motor and will go on my electric drill should the bed break again in the future 'cos winding it down by hand is a right PITA

 

Have a look on your motor, it'll tell you the manufacturer and then Google is your friend

[andy mccord]

Hi Chris

 

Have you had any feedback from Project 2000, my bed is also playing up, its moves up 2" then stops and I have to turn they key on and off for it to move the next 2", oddly it works fine going down. :-S

[Derek Uzzell]

ChrisH’s most recent forum logon was on April 3.

 

There’s an e-mail address on his forum Profile should you wish to try contacting him that way.

[andy mccord]

Thanks Derek, I have emailed him

 

Andy

[Viv.Watts]

I have just bought a Chausson Flash 616 2015 plate and am surfing the Internet to try and find out how far down the electric drop down bed will go!!! Haven't found the answer, but reading about problems with these beds is causing me some concern! The motorhome is on a Ford Transit base and the comments about Fiat cab being better is also a cause for concern. Comments gratefully received plus an answer to how low the bed goes would be great - ie will I always need to climb a ladder to access the bed??? Thanks in anticipation.

[Den]

Having had the 640 on a Fiat and having many problems with the bed I sold it !!! 
but shortly after a re wire came available. 
not sure now how to do it. 
mall I know is it works well after changing the wiring   
with regard to Ford or Fiat. 
ours was on the Fiat. 
but if I purchased one now I would certainly go for the Ford. 
I prefer the seats and the driving position in the Ford. 
we have 16 seater minibuses. 
the one I drove until recently has covered 350,00 km’s 

it still drives brilliantly, passes its 6 week checks ever time and it’s MOT. 
the only big bill being a rear axle rebuild. 
I purchased our Chauson from Hayes leisure and they sorted the bed on a couple of occasions. 
we found the MH brilliant with its rear bathroom, large garage and the slide out BBQ. 
the bed from memory dropped down to the seats in the lounge after taking off the rear cushions. 

[ColinM50]

Our bed in our Eldiss 196 comes down as far as the seat backrests and can't go any lower since it auto stops at that height. We had the motor pack up once soon after we got it new and I traced the motor manufacturer in Italy and tried to buy an uprated motor from them but they refused. Said they'd only sell me the same OEM motor so I let Eldiss provide the same underpowered motor. It's getting ropier each time I use it recently so when it does give up the ghost I'll get a better more powerful one, but from where?

[Derek Uzzell]

10 hours ago, Viv.Watts said:

I have just bought a Chausson Flash 616 2015 plate and am surfing the Internet to try and find out how far down the electric drop down bed will go!!! Haven't found the answer, but reading about problems with these beds is causing me some concern! The motorhome is on a Ford Transit base and the comments about Fiat cab being better is also a cause for concern. Comments gratefully received plus an answer to how low the bed goes would be great - ie will I always need to climb a ladder to access the bed??? Thanks in anticipation.

On-line photos of a 2015 Ford-based Flash 616 (and owner comments) indicate that the electrically-operated drop-down bed does not descend that far.

These two images show the bed in its dropped-down position. 

 

The 1st image shows that one of the lockers that are fixed to the bed's underside is just above the top of the settee's rear cushion. The 2nd image shows the bed's 'security curtains'  attached to their ceiling-mounted straps and, when those straps are in place, it's plain that the bed will not be able to descend any further. Access to this bed will require use of the ladder and it will be seen that there are fixings on the bed's front for the ladder to hook on to.

(As you are probably aware, this type of electrically-operated bed has a chequered reliability history and motor-related problems are well known. But if the bed on your motorhome is functioning OK now, all you can do is hope it will continue to do so.)

Regarding the cab, although Fiat revised the Ducato in 2014, this was a mild facelift and the cab environment continued to be very much an 8-years-old ergonomically poor design. Conversely, when the Ford Transit Mk 7 was introduced in 2014, the cab environment was an extensive 'rethink' over the outgoing Mk 6 and much more car-like. I don't know where you've come across comments about the Fiat cab being 'better' than the Ford, but the opposite will be true when comparing 2015 Ducatos with Transits.

[Derek Uzzell]

This forum discussion related to ColinM50's drop-down bed and the advice provided is likely to be relevant to all similar beds.

https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/topic/44581-drop-down-bed-motor/#comment-565187

[Hans]

It is not a Chausson Bed. But Probed from Italy. Still market leader 

[Derek Uzzell]

Hans

The electrically-operated bed system fitted to a 2015 Chausson Flash 616 will be branded "Project 2000".

https://www.aboutcampbtob.eu/project-2000/

A 2018 Project 2000 catalogue can be viewed here

https://www.aboutcampbtob.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Catalogo-2017_LR.pdf

(I notice that there is a "Probed 2000" product, but that's quite different 😀)

https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/1st-time-using-probed-2000.6995759/

[Viv.Watts]

Thanks for your comments. Pleased to hear the Ford Cab is OK, l certainly liked it. I had a feeling the bed would require a ladder to access because I noted the hard fixtures in the habitation area. I didn't notice the attachments for the hammocks around the bed and will be sure to look for them. I also note that much of the discussion around bed failures is related to Eldiss, so hope my Chausson 616 will be OK.  The technical stuff in the article about Motor failure suggests running the vehicle engine to ensure adequate power in the leisure battery......is this something that others have found useful???

[Derek Uzzell]

10 hours ago, Viv.Watts said:

...I also note that much of the discussion around bed failures is related to Eldiss, so hope my Chausson 616 will be OK.  The technical stuff in the article about Motor failure suggests running the vehicle engine to ensure adequate power in the leisure battery......is this something that others have found useful???

Elddis is a major UK brand. There will be many UK buyers of Elddis motorhomes, but far fewer UK buyers of Chausson motorhomes. When there are complaints about electric-bed problems in Elddis motorhomes, those complaints will be on UK forums and in English.

Chausson is a major French brand and there will be many Continental European buyers of Chausson motorhomes (but no buyers of new Elddis motorhomes).  When there are complaints about electric-bed problems in Chausson motorhomes, it's to be expected that the majority of those complaints will be on Continental European forums (and not in English) and that's indeed the case.

A brief glance at French motorhome forums reveals similar Chausson bed-related complaints to those involving Elddis models. These complaints generally involve problems raising the bed with the advice being to have as little weight as practicable on the bed's mattress before the bed is raised. But bed-motor failure seems no less common for Chaussons than for other motorhome makes that have Project 2000 beds, and there are plenty of observations about the 'gauge' of the electrical wiring to the bed being under-sized.

Having the leisure-battery on charge (either from the engine's alternator or with the motorhome connected to a 230V mains power-supply) makes good sense. It might also be worthwhile gently 'helping' the bed move upwards to reduce the strain on the bed's motor.