Rapido 785 (1 Viewer)

[BriantheSnail]

Hi, All! Just traded in our 1997 AutoRoller for a 2003 Rapido 785, which we haven't yet collected. Anything we need to check out or look for before we hand over our hard-earned cash? It seems fine from our lengthy check, but it's always the little things that get you, isn't it? oh:

 

[nomadic]

If not already checked, check the AGE of the tyres, its recomended they be changed every five years.

Good luck and enjoy.

Nomadic

 

[BriantheSnail]

If not already checked, check the AGE of the tyres, its recomended they be changed every five years.

Good luck and enjoy.

Nomadic

They seemed OK ... no cracking on the walls, but thank you so much for that; we'll take a closer look.
btw ... why is there no waste bin in the MH? Has anyone got any Rapido 785 waste bin suggestions?! How daft is it not to put one in there? :thumbdown:

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[Reallyretired]

My rapido (999M) also has no waste bin, or anywhere obvious to put one. We just hang up a carrier bag and chuck it when its full, however not very elegant.

 

[lunarman]

Make sure it has a full service history and if it is a fiat that the cam belt has been changed

 

[BriantheSnail]

Make sure it has a full service history and if it is a fiat that the cam belt has been changed

A new cam belt is part of the deal, as is a full service and 12 month's MOT. All the paperwork seems to be in order, as well, but thanks for the info; we'll check carefully!

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[BriantheSnail]

My rapido (999M) also has no waste bin, or anywhere obvious to put one. We just hang up a carrier bag and chuck it when its full, however not very elegant.

Weird, isn't it? All that time and effort on the interior, but nowhere to chuck anything!! May I ask where you hang your carrier bag ... ?!

 

[wivvy's dad]

If not already checked, check the AGE of the tyres, its recomended they be changed every five years.

Good luck and enjoy.

Nomadic

There was a question about this in the 'In Gear' section of the Sunday Times today, and the response was that tyres do not need changing every five years. Dates of manufacture can be checked on the tyre sidewall.

Hope this helps.

 

[Loujess]

Re carrier bags. That's our method of waste disposal too and there are a couple of hooks screwed into the board, on the left as you go in, on the side of the sink/drainer. I have thought of buying a MH bin and fitting it there, but fear it will be knocked off as we go in and out.

Ivy

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[Masman]

I have a 2004 785f. .check cab air con is working if yours has it.also check plastick fitting for the dining table is not cracked, nor a expensive part to replace but be carefull if you remove table to make up bed,it easy to break ,the table is very heavy.apart from this no problems so far,build quality exelent,We use ours all year.realy happy with it.Get out ther and enjoy it.:thumb::thumb:

 

[bigfish]

re the waste bin we have 2 x small coat hangers on the sink side as you go in the door, hangers wide enough to hang bags on, we have had a bin in a previous van but only something else to keep clean.:thumb:

Enjoy the new van great quality build we us eours all weathers all year.

 

[BriantheSnail]

I have a 2004 785f. .check cab air con is working if yours has it.also check plastick fitting for the dining table is not cracked, nor a expensive part to replace but be carefull if you remove table to make up bed,it easy to break ,the table is very heavy.apart from this no problems so far,build quality exelent,We use ours all year.realy happy with it.Get out ther and enjoy it.:thumb::thumb:

The dining table is seriously heavy, isn't it? It rattled a lot on our test drive, but stupidly we didn't check underneath or behind it oh: Duhhh. You've answered my next question, as well: is it usable all the year round? Our Autoroller really couldn't cope with anything below freezing, so has spent 3 of the 5 months we've owned it doing nothing (!) Another silly question, along the lines of How Long is a Piece of String is, how long does the leisure battery last? Can't wait to pick it up (the van, not the battery!) ...

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[BriantheSnail]

re the waste bin we have 2 x small coat hangers on the sink side as you go in the door, hangers wide enough to hang bags on, we have had a bin in a previous van but only something else to keep clean.:thumb:

Enjoy the new van great quality build we us eours all weathers all year.

That's a brilliant idea! We had thought of lining the door pocket thing with a plastic bag and using that, but it's not really big enough. I can't believe that no-one thought of incorporating a bin, somewhere.

 

[BriantheSnail]

Something else I wonder about (don't laugh) is ... how safe is the ladder at the rear of the 785? I remember a couple in the port car park in Calais; they'd left their van for all of 2 minutes to walk around and stretch their legs, and in that time one optimistic gentleman had shinned up the ladder and was lying spreadeagled on the roof, while his mate had scrambled underneath and was trying to wedge himself inside the doings under the van. Are there ever any issues with parking up overnight, with the ladder in full view (unless, of course, it's parked the other way round oh and is there any way of making the ladder user-unfriendly? Might seem like a daft question, but we don't leave a ladder propped up on the house wall overnight, so just thought I'd ask (!)

 

[Masman]

I have seen a cover somewhere a motorhome magazine that is suposed to stop you climbing on ladder, we go to france every year, never had a monkey trying to get on top.if you are worried go round a roundabout a few times they wont stay on for long.seriosly i wouldnt worry about it.In winter i leave the wast water tap open and use a bucket or wast water carrier under the van and empty it every day, it dosent take long and it saves trying to thaw out the tank in extreamely cold wheather.ive seen folks with fan heaters under vans trying to thaw out tanks,not a good idea.enjoy your van.I hope you have as great a time as we have in ours.:thumb:.

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[nomadic]

Tyres

Hi Brian,

True, the date of manufacture can be checked on the side wall.....that's one of the checks VOSA cary out when they set up roadside stop and inspection sites, usually when you/we are just of on our trips!!:Sad:

Further information on tyre use and age limit recomendations is available on both the CC and the C&CC w-sites, for downloading, if you are members. The same information is also available from RAC or AA.

Nomadic

 

[BriantheSnail]

Hi Brian,

True, the date of manufacture can be checked on the side wall.....that's one of the checks VOSA cary out when they set up roadside stop and inspection sites, usually when you/we are just of on our trips!!:Sad:

Further information on tyre use and age limit recomendations is available on both the CC and the C&CC w-sites, for downloading, if you are members. The same information is also available from RAC or AA.

Nomadic

Hi, Nomadic (I'm female, btw ... Brian the Snail is our MH!)
Confused, now, over the tyre changing issue. The CC says they should be changed every seven years, but does this apply even if they've got more than enough tread on them? And what are VOSA looking for when they stop you? Do they adhere to the 5 year or 7 year rule?
We're picking up our 785 on Saturday! Exciting!

 

[Masman]

talking to local tyre repair center. He deals with vans & heavy goods tyres, as long as there are no cracks is side walls and tread, he says not to worry,seems sensible.im sure someone on here will probably tell me differently

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[BriantheSnail]

talking to local tyre repair center. He deals with vans & heavy goods tyres, as long as there are no cracks is side walls and tread, he says not to worry,seems sensible.im sure someone on here will probably tell me differently

Surely - or am I just being a girlie here - the tread depth and tyre condition are what matter? Clearly, if a tyre's cracked and crazed it should be replaced, but if it's, say, 10 years old and in roadworthy condition, what's the problem? Kind of bears out what your local repair centre said.

 

[nomadic]

Tyres

Its simply, (as I was advised) the assumption that the vehicle may have been parked up for long periods of time, confirmed by low mileage, (compared to a goods vehicle) and a further assumption that the inner walls may be degrading....the first anyone knows about it is when a blow out brings a halt to a journey!!....and for the cost of a new set of tyres, provided by the supplier, or a contribution towards them, would provide a new set of tyres with a new start.

Enjoy your day


Nomadic

 

[BriantheSnail]

Its simply, (as I was advised) the assumption that the vehicle may have been parked up for long periods of time, confirmed by low mileage, (compared to a goods vehicle) and a further assumption that the inner walls may be degrading....the first anyone knows about it is when a blow out brings a halt to a journey!!....and for the cost of a new set of tyres, provided by the supplier, or a contribution towards them, would provide a new set of tyres with a new start.

Enjoy your day


Nomadic

Thank you all for the info ... what a brilliant forum! We'll check the tyres properly when we get Brian 2 home; they looked fine (inside and out) when OH crawled underneath him, but if there's any doubt we'll just mortgage the children and buy a full set. Only two days to go! Beep if you see us heading up the M6 or (please, no!) stuck on the hard shoulder!!

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[chrisboyo]

When we last had our MH serviced, the service manager told me that the rear tyres were out of date as they were over 5 years old and should be changed. They looked OK to me, no cracks or anything

I found this interesting, as it ment that the tyers would have been out of date when we purchased the MH

After returning home, I wrote to Chelstons MD and they offered to pay half towards a new set. Which we accepted, as by this time we were on our 2nd year with Hengist Hymer and had good use of the tyres that it came with

Had I known about the tyre thingy I would have checked the sidewall dates before accepting the MH with the tyres as fitted

If you go though the downloads on MHFun you will find some excellent info posted by pappajhon that tells you all you need to know about tyres

Happy Daze
Chrisboyo
Enjoy your Rapido :thumb:

 

[BriantheSnail]

Oops!

I have a 2004 785f. .check cab air con is working if yours has it.also check plastick fitting for the dining table is not cracked, nor a expensive part to replace but be carefull if you remove table to make up bed,it easy to break ,the table is very heavy.apart from this no problems so far,build quality exelent,We use ours all year.realy happy with it.Get out ther and enjoy it.:thumb::thumb:

Masman, Hi! As you predicted, we're having issues with the table. The plastic fitting on the table is cracked; someone's tried (unsuccessfully) to glue it back. Question is, where can we find replacement fittings for this, being Rapido virgins? Sorry to be a pain ...

 

[Masman]

got mine from brownhills newark.just ring them 1st, dont always have them in stock. mine cost around 20 quid.:thumb:

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[BriantheSnail]

got mine from brownhills newark.just ring them 1st, dont always have them in stock. mine cost around 20 quid.:thumb:

Fantastic - thank you! First trip out in it this weekend to South Wales, to embarass our student son, who thinks that MHing is just too sad for words!

 

[Masman]

HAVE A GREAT TIME, WILL LOOK OUT FOR YOU ON THE ROAD ,SON WILL PROBABLY CHANGE HIS MIND IN A FEW YEARS,MINE DID.& NOW OWNS A HYMER OF THEIR OWN

 

[BriantheSnail]

Fantastic! - will you be heading south-ish on Saturday? Reckon that with student fees climbing by the day, it could be a whole new market for MHs (!)

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[Masman]

oh:GOT IT WRONG. MY OTHER HALF HAS JUST TOLD ME, WRONG MONTHI AM AT WORK THIS W,END. HAY HO.

 

[BriantheSnail]

Oh no! I was so looking forward to my first wave from another MH-er!!! I'm now gutted, and will probably spend the 4 hours to Wales sobbing in the loo!!

 

[pappajohn]

RE: waste bin.

in our kontiki i fitted a couple of cupboard shelf support brackets to the sink unit end panel and a further two to the magazine rack using silicone, but araldite would be better/tidier, and hook an old paper shredder basket on them.

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