grand frontier (1 Viewer)

ratty

Free Member
Dec 18, 2009
6
0
cleveland
Funster No
9,690
MH
a class
Exp
5
just thinking about looking at a autotrail grand frontier 06 plate,read all the bad bits but would love to hear about the plus side, we have a 635 cheyenne & it fits the bill
 
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ratty

Free Member
Dec 18, 2009
6
0
cleveland
Funster No
9,690
MH
a class
Exp
5
has any body out there got one & have positive reports.

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zaskar

Free Member
Sep 25, 2007
1,159
371
UK
Funster No
399
MH
5th Wheel
Exp
30+
I wonder why it is that British built A class's have never really caught on?:Sad:
Other than the Grand Frontier (which I thought looked stunning), there was the Bel Aire from Swift and the King / Auto king from Elddis, none of which really amounted to anything.
Wonder why, must be a good reason, especially when you consider how popular the Euro A class rigs are.
 
May 23, 2008
2,480
3,481
Near Durham City
Funster No
2,787
MH
Carthago
Exp
Since 1984
just thinking about looking at a autotrail grand frontier 06 plate,read all the bad bits but would love to hear about the plus side, we have a 635 cheyenne & it fits the bill

Hi, Brave man lusting over a Frontier.
I nearly bought one last year until I talked to a fellow motorhomer who owned one for two and half hours. It was self destructing as he left Brownhills and by the time he travelled 30 miles down the motorway the Police had stopped him for lighting offences. He turned round and gave them it back. After checking EVERYTHING he had over 27 faults. As his determination was so great he camped at Newark for 2 days until they gave him a different van, Hymer.
Problem now they no longer make them as they proved a BIG headache to Autotrail. Wiljoy:thumb:

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potjoe

Free Member
Aug 27, 2007
118
0
Telford
Funster No
177
MH
C class
Exp
two year
Ref A7300 as it was.

Wiljoy it sounds like me you are talkeing about i think! we had a G-Front from Brownhills and we did 20 miles only and had one left light on and one right on plus lots of other things no good,and yes we went back to brownhills and give them the keys and said keep it

In the end we had a Hymer B544 SL plus lots of XXX`s.

Also no some one how had one had to have new front top,door,shower just but few pro`s,when you think that they where about 65-70K new a lot of money and no good,yes the lay out was very good and if only they got it right i think may have been a winner for Auto-Trail but like them all they walk away !

Me think keep money in pocket or look harder.

Merry Xmas to you all.John-Carole

:Smile::Smile::Smile:
 
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m taylor

Free Member
Jan 2, 2010
7
1
lancs
Funster No
9,782
MH
a class
Exp
11 years
grande frontier

hi yes i have had a grande frontier for a year now,yes it had its faults when we bought it but all have been sorted by autotrail,its a fab layout and we love it weve had alsorts ,yanks,brits,germans,the worst being a £90,000 hymer s820.you can only comment as you find but there is good and bad in all makes,the reason they only made about 40 odd i believe was that merc had no more 416 chassis left and the body wouldnt fit the hew chassis hope this helps and maybe you will also be a proud grande frontier owner
 

pappajohn

LIFE MEMBER
Aug 26, 2007
43,207
48,809
Dark side of the moon
Funster No
172
Exp
Since 2005
,the reason they only made about 40 odd i believe was that merc had no more 416 chassis left and the body wouldnt fit the hew chassis

doesnt say a lot for Autotrails purchasing department does it.......buying a chassis thats going out of production in a short time. :Eeek:
if they really meant to keep production going they would have modified the body to suit the new chassis.

i think they knew they were on a loser from the start but all the tooling was in place by then.

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SandJ

Free Member
Sep 14, 2007
1,799
818
North Yorks
Funster No
293
MH
A Class
Exp
Too long lol
hi yes i have had a grande frontier for a year now,yes it had its faults when we bought it but all have been sorted by autotrail,its a fab layout and we love it weve had alsorts ,yanks,brits,germans,the worst being a £90,000 hymer s820.you can only comment as you find but there is good and bad in all makes,the reason they only made about 40 odd i believe was that merc had no more 416 chassis left and the body wouldnt fit the hew chassis hope this helps and maybe you will also be a proud grande frontier owner

Sorry I seem to be a bit confused by this:

How old is it?
You say Autotrail sorted faults?

.....................................

Who said that was the reason?
You say an s820 is worse than a Frontier :Eeek:
 

m taylor

Free Member
Jan 2, 2010
7
1
lancs
Funster No
9,782
MH
a class
Exp
11 years
grande frontier

its now just 3 years old,and yes the autotrail factory sorted the faults and did work i didn't even ask to have done,they were brilliant !cant remember who told me about the chassis changing.yes the grande frontier had less faults and less serious than the s820.hope this makes my post clearer for you,like i said you can only comment on your own experience:thumb:
 
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ratty

Free Member
Dec 18, 2009
6
0
cleveland
Funster No
9,690
MH
a class
Exp
5
re grande frontier

just picked up late 56 plate grande frontier, fan flipping tastic , ticks every box & more, read the report from practical motorhome its spot on.:winky:

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dellwood33

Free Member
Apr 25, 2009
0
877
Newcastle
Funster No
6,426
MH
italian crap
Exp
too long
Just read that report - pretty fair write up I thought :Smile:
You enjoy the motorhome & ignore what others may say:winky:
 
Jan 18, 2010
538
138
Airdrie Scotland
Funster No
9,996
Exp
6 years and 20 years as a tugger
Just read that report - pretty fair write up I thought :Smile:
You enjoy the motorhome & ignore what others may say:winky:

Totaly agree the majorityof comments come from people who havent owned that part model and have comented on rumours (you know what its like it starts of with 2 faults by the time it does the rounds you have 30/40 faults)i remember when i had a c/van and used a Vaux Frontera to pull, this model was slated by everyone yet it was one of the best cars i ever had


Bill
 

Techno

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Deceased RIP
Jul 28, 2010
15,475
20,752
Leeds the one up North
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12,905
MH
Rapido 7090F 3 litre 160
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May 2010
Mike who owns this one was undaunted by the negative reports and is to my knowledge very happy with theirs so that makes at least two satisfied owners.
Link Removed

Found this too......unrelated to the one above. Good coverage of this nice A class
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGTFTmxFeY0&feature=related[/ame]

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DESCO

Free Member
Mar 11, 2009
2,646
266
London
Funster No
5,894
MH
low profile
Exp
18 years +12 years tugging
I wonder why it is that British built A class's have never really caught on?:Sad:
Other than the Grand Frontier (which I thought looked stunning), there was the Bel Aire from Swift and the King / Auto king from Elddis, none of which really amounted to anything.
Wonder why, must be a good reason, especially when you consider how popular the Euro A class rigs are.

I think the reason the Bel Aire from the ones I have seen never caught on was it was an A class in name only, nice front but mated to a Kon-tiki rear cab. Think Swift got cold feet and never developed completely.
 
Nov 6, 2008
3,943
40,800
Ramsey, Isle of Man.
Funster No
4,847
MH
Coachmen Concord 300TS
Exp
8 years with an RV
just picked up late 56 plate grande frontier, fan flipping tastic , ticks every box & more, read the report from practical motorhome its spot on.:winky:

Good for you! We are not all the same, and if you like it, and you can afford it, WHY NOT! I will admit it does look real nice, and the layout is beautiful, the Merc under pinnings must be good, so if the rest is acceptable and in good working order, enjoy!

Craig
 
S

stagman

Deleted User
just thinking about looking at a autotrail grand frontier 06 plate,read all the bad bits but would love to hear about the plus side, we have a 635 cheyenne & it fits the bill

For years my mate was put off from buying one gue to all the negative remarks about them but in the end he did buy one , and loves it wish he had done it earlier , and got to say it is a quality van at a very affordable price at the moment . If you are going to buy one try and think of keeping it for a few years , and you may just find their prices will stabalise in the future to your advantage , another thing is a lot of the niggly faults will now have been sorted :thumb:

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mikkidee

Free Member
Aug 1, 2010
212
224
Malton,North Yorks
Funster No
12,960
MH
A class
Exp
Since June 08
Yeah we are still happy with ours, over the moon in fact. Everytime we get in it it puts a smile on our faces and it is fantastic to drive. And the layout is beautiful, it,s an A Class and it,s British. We are now looking forward to our week away in the lakes Xmas Day to New Years Day can't wait.::bigsmile:
 
Jan 11, 2010
2,743
9,476
Chester
Funster No
9,901
MH
Auto-trail
Exp
Well that`s our 13th year & still loving it.
yahooooo

Well done you both, we looked long and hard for a Grand Frontier even after reading all the bad press and hearing about the one at the show that was [FONT=&quot]literally[/FONT] falling to bits inside at the end of the first days showing.

We figured we could use that bad reputation to get one cheaper and then go about rebuilding it inside to our own high standards.

As it was whilst at the Newark Show earlier this year I found my lovely wife inside an Autotrail Arapaho and the rest as they say is history....
 
Jul 24, 2010
535
4,142
Planet Earth (I think)
Funster No
12,812
MH
A Class
Exp
not long enough
I just have to respond to this thread. I love my Grande Frontier!
The layout is perfect. More storage and cupboards than even I can fill. The drop down bed is big and very comfy and, because it drops so low, easily accessible. Fabulous kitchen area. Washroom big enough to be a dressing room, with a large wardrobe and dressing table too. Sofas long enough to lay out on when watching TV or reading. Seven plug sockets, great lighting, and, lights everywhere they could possibly be needed, and she is cozy warm in the winter. They are all things that mattered to me. She was the right price, had lots of extras added by the previous owner and I love her.

We only managed twelve weeks away this year but hopefully double that in 2012. She is used all through the year. Next trip January 25th and I can't wait!

The problems have been... small garage. Still manage to get the safari room, BBQ, sun chairs and table in there though!.
Sprint shift semi auto gearbox deciding to go into 'limp home mode' when in France. That cost about £45 to put right at a Mercedes garage.
The bed dropping down onto the safety strap when driving over bumps. That was sorted with a short piece of plastic pipe.
One of the roof light leaked. A tube of sealant and my man sorted that.
The habitation door locking its self when shut from the outside (an issue with the Mercedes base) I remember to carry a key around my neck now.
The hinges on the cupboard doors have needed adjusting too.

I haven't seen a van I have wanted more...except for the Concorde Charisma, and the top of the range Burstner appeals too...but they are on my dream list!::bigsmile:

I have read negative things so maybe I, and the other happy owners, have been lucky. All I can say is that, for me, she is perfect, and she is not for sale!

If you have a specific question then just PM me and I will be happy to help if I can.

Merry Christmas ::bigsmile:

Best wishes

Lorraine x

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mikkidee

Free Member
Aug 1, 2010
212
224
Malton,North Yorks
Funster No
12,960
MH
A class
Exp
Since June 08
.
The habitation door locking its self when shut from the outside (an issue with the Mercedes base) I remember to carry a key around my neck now.

The central locking doesn't work on ours,does anyone know what the problem could be. We use the blipper to set the alarm but it won't lock the doors

We have to manually lock/open the doors with the key!!!
Mike
 

Jaws

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Sep 26, 2008
23,821
71,977
Thetford Norfolk
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4,189
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C class, Chieftain
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since 2006 ( I think ! )
First step, check the battery in the key fob
next, the central locking is fused.. have a look at the fuse panel and you will see what fuse it is.. Check that :)
 

mikkidee

Free Member
Aug 1, 2010
212
224
Malton,North Yorks
Funster No
12,960
MH
A class
Exp
Since June 08
First step, check the battery in the key fob
next, the central locking is fused.. have a look at the fuse panel and you will see what fuse it is.. Check that :)

Thanks for the reply Jaws, will check tomorrow.
Mike

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A7300

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Feb 20, 2016
5
4
Newport South WALES
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41,719
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AUTOTRAIL A7300
Exp
20 YEARS
Hi
The actual number made is 85 , the front. end of this van is also the front of an Italian van Arca 720 but they used the 316 chassis, Autotrail the 416 still one of only a few with the door for driver and passengers. faults on mine gas regulator and punctuated rear inner tyre weak window motor
 
Feb 16, 2013
19,505
51,186
uttoxeter
Funster No
24,713
MH
ambulance conversion
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50 years
Another resurrected thread, where are they all coming from, but reading through this one , most of the posters are no longer members, where did they go, did they buy one or something else(n)
 

Julie And Rod

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Oct 19, 2014
37
34
Lichfield
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33,876
MH
Coach built
Exp
I'm a Newbie
May be a bit late, but we are the very proud owners of a Grande Frontier. We bought it with some trepidation after reading negative reviews, but after having it thoroughly checked over, thought sod it, we love it, we're having it! From what we gathered, there were a lot of issues when new, which were soon sorted. Our own experience has been all positive. A lovely spacious MH with lots of cupboard space, comfortable sofas and bed, fantastic kitchen, and a wonderful bathroom/dressing room. If anything our slight disappointment is in the lack of bits and bobs available to buy for it. We would like to buy the small round table, which I believe was an optional extra when new, and the dimmer switch doesn't work, which we have been unable to source. Apart from that I would say to anyone considering buying one of these, go for it!!

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Sep 27, 2007
837
289
Shropshire based
Funster No
453
MH
Globecar
Exp
started in 2001
May be a bit late, but we are the very proud owners of a Grande Frontier. We bought it with some trepidation after reading negative reviews, but after having it thoroughly checked over, thought sod it, we love it, we're having it! From what we gathered, there were a lot of issues when new, which were soon sorted. Our own experience has been all positive. A lovely spacious MH with lots of cupboard space, comfortable sofas and bed, fantastic kitchen, and a wonderful bathroom/dressing room. If anything our slight disappointment is in the lack of bits and bobs available to buy for it. We would like to buy the small round table, which I believe was an optional extra when new, and the dimmer switch doesn't work, which we have been unable to source. Apart from that I would say to anyone considering buying one of these, go for it!!


Have a look at www.davenewell.co.uk and then give them a call, Lichfield isnt far away from Telford. If anyone can sort that problem, this small business can.
 

Tanya_and_Mick

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Feb 12, 2015
1,517
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Quesada, Spain
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MH
Globecar 640DK
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2015
We're on our second Autotrail and we have bought from Brownhills - IMO great van and dealer service.....no complaints!!!
 

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