Benimar Motorhomes , thinking of buying a new one (1 Viewer)

[gus-lopez]

Unfortunately the 2016 models do suffer from inadequate insulation above the cab area here are some photos of mine I noticed that there was light shining around the bed straps and removed the over cab lining to investigate.
There was about 4 mm of water in the trough above the windscreen caused by condensation if you remove the vent covers in the front area you should be able to see if the insulation has been installed correctly they are only held in by some weak double sided tape, there was a S marked inside one of mine the mark of Sorrow perhaps

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I'd hit the roof if I found that !

Hi Steve, what does your dealer and particularly Benimar say about this problem, if this has still not been resolved, how can it pass the catagory 3 winter insulation criteria.

I have traded in a two year old Auto-Sleeper for the Mileo 286, I hope this is not a mistake on my part.

Ask them to ensure that the insulation is correct by dismantling. If not do it yourself at the handover.

 

[MR. FUSION]

Unfortunately the 2016 models do suffer from inadequate insulation above the cab area here are some photos of mine I noticed that there was light shining around the bed straps and removed the over cab lining to investigate.
There was about 4 mm of water in the trough above the windscreen caused by condensation if you remove the vent covers in the front area you should be able to see if the insulation has been installed correctly they are only held in by some weak double sided tape, there was a S marked inside one of mine the mark of Sorrow perhaps

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What kind of Muppet does a job like that ??? I thought from the description it was an unknown fault, but it just looks like a bodge job!

 

[DelMar]

Steve, I passed your motorhome faults onto the Benimar owners forum and the moderator Graham, was very interested, especially re the control box situation.
Perhaps he has enough clout to have this bed control box highlighted and changed, as it is dangerous and a very serious fault.
Thanks for posting that info together with the pics.

Regards.

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[sid1959]

Hi does anyone know how to set the stop points for the bed

 

[sid1959]

Just looked at my bed controller no signs of overheating key wires well away from board components

alteration what I have done
removed wheel from wardrobe and blocked back off
new shelving in bottom cupboard for cloths
put strap on bathroom door to stop hitting fridge
put striker plate for bathroom door
taken battery from under passenger seat
and put two battery's underseat compartment (extra power for bed )
installed 140w solar panel
Put stops on draws so does not hit fridge when opening
had a scooter rake installed for Honda 125
adjusted the bed so I can know put the safety seat belt on and bed was also crocked so had to alter the lifting seat belts
Put insulation in above cab
Resealed around bathroom shower tray and above bathroom cubical

 

[Steve N Tracy]

Hi does anyone know how to set the stop points for the bed

Raise the bed to its maximum height to confirm this the up and down arrows will flash if it activates the stop switch.
Press and hold the the hidden button between the up and down buttons and the up switch for about 7 seconds the spanner led will light.
Lower the bed to the first required stop height and press the hidden button and the down button the up and down arrows will flash to confirm.
You can record 2 more heights and then the controller automatically comes out of programming mode.

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[Ale Trailers]

Just looked at my bed controller no signs of overheating key wires well away from board components

alteration what I have done
removed wheel from wardrobe and blocked back off
new shelving in bottom cupboard for cloths
put strap on bathroom door to stop hitting fridge
put striker plate for bathroom door
taken battery from under passenger seat
and put two battery's underseat compartment (extra power for bed )
installed 140w solar panel
Put stops on draws so does not hit fridge when opening
had a scooter rake installed for Honda 125
adjusted the bed so I can know put the safety seat belt on and bed was also crocked so had to alter the lifting seat belts
Put insulation in above cab
Resealed around bathroom shower tray and above bathroom cubical

 

[Ale Trailers]

?? Just seen your thread. Where did you resite the spare wheel

 

[Padraigpost]

I have always been given a p/x price upfront from Marquis Devon before being asked to sign a contract and on one occasion they held that price even though I kept the vehicle for another 5 months until my new one arrived, so no complaints about Marquis from me, I would certainly buy again from Marquis Devon and have had good after sales from them.
Don

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[irnbru]

Looking for opinions on Benimar Motorhomes from some of you knowledgeable Funsters .
Been looking at a new Mileo 264 single bed model and it comes with a good level of equipment
the £51,995 price tag

Did you buy this? Or does anyone else have this model?

 

[Gellyneck]

Did you buy this? Or does anyone else have this model?

From memory Sandra, think Neil ended up getting a Bailey Approach and then moved onto a Pilote earlier this year but I could be wrong (well, you know me!)

 

[Blue Knight]

Did you buy this? Or does anyone else have this model?

It's got a 280kg payload @ 3.5T, on the light chassis, before any EU weight adjustment, and that includes 50-litres of water. If you want to use it as a 2-person tourer then you'll need to push the chassis to 3,850kg as some of the extra bits are not included in the initial weight figures.

.....otherwise it's a fairly useless van at 3.5T unless you just want it as a picnic truck for two people at the weekends.

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[irnbru]

It's got a 280kg payload @ 3.5T, on the light chassis,

Its 320kg online. I can get it uprated to 3650. Whats the normal average and what does it normally include? This is what it includes.

The calculation of the weight includes; 90% of fuel in the tank, 1 gas bottle, 50 litre fresh water, 1 person to drive (75 kg), 10 kg luggage. All masses and weights are subject to a tolerance of +/-5% complying with the European Directive 1230/2012.

 

[thebriars]

Raise the bed to its maximum height to confirm this the up and down arrows will flash if it activates the stop switch.
Press and hold the the hidden button between the up and down buttons and the up switch for about 7 seconds the spanner led will light.
Lower the bed to the first required stop height and press the hidden button and the down button the up and down arrows will flash to confirm.
You can record 2 more heights and then the controller automatically comes out of programming mode.

Newer models do not have this complicated system. There are simply physical stops in the bed tracks which control microswitches.

 

[Blue Knight]

Its 320kg online. I can get it uprated to 3650. Whats the normal average and what does it normally include? This is what it includes.

The calculation of the weight includes; 90% of fuel in the tank, 1 gas bottle, 50 litre fresh water, 1 person to drive (75 kg), 10 kg luggage. All masses and weights are subject to a tolerance of +/-5% complying with the European Directive 1230/2012.

The 264 is advertised via Marquis at 280kg but if you add the 150BHP comformatic option then it should in theory reduce to 247kg before some options are fitted etc.

I've just checked out the 100-page Benimar brochure and the 264 no longer appears in the Mileo section.

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[irnbru]

Thanks Andrew, seems to be a discrepancy. Ive got these figures. Its so confusing. So these figures won't include the 150BHP? Ive no idea what average is.

 

[thebriars]

Its no good looking at the Benimar website. You need to look at the Marquis specification, as there are a number of differences with the UK models. All Marquis models have the 150bhp engine for instance. The payload is 280kg.

Frankly the 463 with a very similar layout is a much better bet. Not only is the payload 330kg, you get the Ford chassis with the 175bhp engine and the 5 year warranty. If you are not towing the torque converter auto box is a dream and worth every penny extra. the Fiat auto box is being replaced next year with a torque converter too. The Ford also has a number of extras such as a motorhome friendly sat nav, heated windscreen, headlights that follow the bend , etc.

 

[irnbru]

Its no good looking at the Benimar website. You need to look at the Marquis specification, as there are a number of differences with the UK models. All Marquis models have the 150bhp engine for instance. The payload is 280kg.

Frankly the 463 with a very similar layout is a much better bet. Not only is the payload 330kg, you get the Ford chassis with the 175bhp engine and the 5 year warranty. If you are not towing the torque converter auto box is a dream and worth every penny extra. the Fiat auto box is being replaced next year with a torque converter too. The Ford also has a number of extras such as a motorhome friendly sat nav, heated windscreen, headlights that follow the bend , etc.

Thanks, but we definitely don't want a ford, and my info has came from the Marquis website.

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[thebriars]

Why not?

It was Blue Knight who was looking at the Benimar website.

 

[irnbru]

Why not?

It was Blue Knight who was looking at the Benimar website.

Its always seems to be the fords that get nicked most often. However im off to google the 463

 

[thebriars]

Thanks Andrew, seems to be a discrepancy. Ive got these figures. Its so confusing. So these figures won't include the 150BHP? Ive no idea what average is.

All UK Benimars Mileos have a 150bhp engine.

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[Blue Knight]

All UK Benimars Mileos have a 150bhp engine.

Does that come off the 280kg or not?

Page-99 of the Benimar tech sheets stipulate the 130bhp manual as the standard spec but like most converters it becomes a bit of a muddle when calculating UK specs.

How does your weighbridge and axle results compare to the actual spec sheet.

 

[thebriars]

Its always seems to be the fords that get nicked most often. However im off to google the 463

Ohhhhhh! I thought this would be your reason. Don't be mislead by out of date rubbish like this.

Firstly there are more Fords on the road therefore more get nicked.
Secondly most of the Fords nicked are older models where security was poor.

The current Ford Tessoro has high security locks (not the Tibbe ones, the subject of so many videos). These days you are equally likely to have a new Ford or a new Fiat nicked, either by getting your keys somehow, or by any of the keyless methods used by knowledgeable thieves today.

At the end of the day, all Benimars are fitted with trackers, and the insurance costs for both Ford and Fiat seem the same. For a bit more reading, see here:

https://www.vandemon.co.uk/blog/article/van-break-ins-how-to-prevent/

https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/news/insurer-warns-over-recent-motorhome-thefts

 

[thebriars]

Does that come off the 280kg or not?

Page-99 of the Benimar tech sheets stipulate the 130bhp manual as the standard spec but like most converters it becomes a bit of a muddle when calculating UK specs.

How does your weighbridge and axle results compare to the actual spec sheet.

As I said above it is no good looking at the Benimar website. Those are for EU models. You need to look at the Marquis specifications.

In the case of my van it was very close to the spec sheet.

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[Blue Knight]

In the case of my van it was very close to the spec sheet.

You've obviously weighed your van so how did the rear axle fare in its standard Marquis-supplied format? There are a good number of motorhomers who add tow bars, bikes, extra hab batteries, sat systems and full water so the 264 seems to me to be quite a restrictive tool for those type of motorhomers.

 

[thebriars]

Pretty well spot on. We are just on the limit of our 486 fully loaded with 2 electric bikes, twin habitation batteries, 2 adults, a full 11kg refillable gas bottle, full fuel and Adblue and 50% water. I'm happy with that, especially considering the 5% overweight allowance. Incidentally the Ford can have a higher rear axle loading than the Fiat at 2250kg. It already comes with a fairly decent sat nav system for motorhomes.

 

[irnbru]

Frankly the 463 with a very similar layout is a much better bet

I must admit it looks good, I like the garage but its almost a 1/2 meter longer so therefore I will pass.

Looks like the payload is something I will have to ask Marquis to confirm by weighing it. 2018 is quoted as 7.0m and 320 payload whereas 2019 is 7.4m with 280kg payload. Not sure if there's an error here or if the 2018 really is shorter and that's why payload is more.

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[irnbru]

Pretty well spot on. We are just on the limit of our 486 fully loaded with 2 electric bikes, twin habitation batteries, 2 adults, a full 11kg refillable gas bottle, full fuel and Adblue and 50% water. I'm happy with that, especially considering the 5% overweight allowance. Incidentally the Ford can have a higher rear axle loading than the Fiat at 2250kg.

What is your payload?

 

[thebriars]

I must admit it looks good, I like the garage but its almost a 1/2 meter longer so therefore I will pass.

Looks like the payload is something I will have to ask Marquis to confirm by weighing it. 2018 is quoted as 7.0m and 320 payload whereas 2019 is 7.4m with 280kg payload. Not sure if there's an error here or if the 2018 really is shorter and that's why payload is more.

As with Blue Knight, I think you are probably confusing the Benimar datasheet with the Marquis one. You need to go with the specifications Marquis provide. Our payload is 390kg.

Er...???? The 264 is 7.35 metres long, the 463 is 7.38 metres long. Surely you are not ruling it out just because it is 3cm longer?

 

[irnbru]

As with Blue Knight, I think you are probably confusing the Benimar datasheet with the Marquis one. You need to go with the specifications Marquis provide. Our payload is 390kg.

Er...???? The 264 is 7.35 metres long, the 463 is 7.38 metres long. Surely you are not ruling it out just because it is 3cm longer?

My info is straight from the Marquis website. It says 7.0m

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