Adria Vision 677 (1 Viewer)

[Kooky]

Hi Camcondor,
Took your advice and moved here, now we are not hijacking someone else's thread.
Ours is the 677, Renault Mastermanual gearbox.
It was love at first sight.....even before we looked inside, it really does tick all our boxes. As I said, we are having a couple of things fitted, an awning and the Camos sat-dome - oh! and another electric point in the kitchen
We did think about a tow bar for Charley - our 2CV - but we tend not to stay in one place too long, and our holidays are spent touring in France.
Where do you go to in yours, and do you manage to get away quite often? We are lucky because we can get away a couple of times a month, usually for 3 or 4 days:thumb:

 

[camcondor]

Hi Kooky

You've made a great choice of van (not that we're biased you understand!!). Ours is the 707si with the slightly different layout (drop down overcab bed instead of the cupboard space of the 677). Ours was also love at first sight - looked at all the German, French and other alternatives on offer including the ill-fated Grande Frontier from Autotrail and nothing came up to the value and spec of the Vision.

We had a Camos dome fitted too plus a tow bar, habitation aircon, and awning, and are adding some extra plug sockets on the near side, plus one at the kitchen - it seemed stupid that a van like this only has two!!

Ours came with a Weberspacher diesel heater as well as the Truma system and it really is great in winter and uses so little diesel. Our base is the auto Renault Master which is great to drive with lots of power.

We tow a toad - a Smartie on an A frame, although we also have a brand new Brian James trailer for her. Just find it really useful when on site as the van is far too big for trips up the road to nearby towns etc. when on tour. We've only travelled locally in the UK due to my workload, but look forward to some euro trips in the future.

Had one warranty issue with the Renault part - the aircon motor packed up, expensive (over £1000) but fully covered under warranty - only issue you need to be aware of is that the Renault does not have a three year warranty like UK vans do as its a Euro sourced base and only carries the 2 year base warranty.

Look forward to hearing from you and sharing Adria Vision experiences!! I have a few pics in the gallery somewhere of our setup on the road in pre-a frame days.

Happy travels!!!!!:thumb:

Laurie

 

[Kooky]

Hi Laurie,

We were going to have a Camos fitted to the bessacarr - but I decided I wanted a new van instead! So now I'm having both
How do you find the Camos? Is it easy to use, and any potential problems or anything else I should look out for.

Like you, we too had looked at some of the Autotrails, and I quite liked the Pilote Aventura, but to my mind the Vision wins hand down:thumb: or should that be "thumbs up"

The 677 does have a drop down bed, but as there are only two of us (plus the dogs!) I really don't see us using it.
Obviously i won't know how good the air con or heating is until we've been away. We have planned to collect it on Friday 28th, come home, pack up and leave early Saturday morning.
Our favourite CL is about an hour and a half drive from here, so we will "test live" it over the week-end.

Just had a look at your gallery - your outfit looks really smart - and isn't Roxie adorable.

I must try and set up some pictures of our two Yorkies, and of course the Vision when we have her

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[camcondor]

Hi Kooky

Bet you're getting excited about collecting the new van now!! Will have to have a look at layout differences between the 677 and 707 as I'm not sure where the difference is now!

Camos.....yes, its simplicity itself to use. However, it needs an unobstructed line-of-sight or it won't lock on so my "Plan B" is to have an aerial for occasional use on sites where trees etc obstruct the satellite. The dome is also pretty secure against wind, so no problem on that score and it is very effective - with a sat signal it locks on in seconds.

The Truma blown air heater is effective, but the front of the van is a bit cold on freezing winter nights if that is the only heating source and the diesel heating fills that void admirably. The boiler dumps the entire contents of the fresh water tank if the temp drops too low, so a good idea to maintain some heating in the van during the winter if possible.

The waste tank is heated - you can switch this on or off via the Schaudt control panel which is a bit esoteric to use at first until you get used to it. It has loads of useful features and info.

The garage is also heated, when the van heating is on, not sure if you knew this - at least the contents don't get all damp and helps keep the van warm as the bed above the garage could otherwise be chilly if this wasn't the case!!

Best thing is a good old shakedown once you've collected her - please post a message or send a PM if I can be of help!!!

Laurie

 

[Kooky]

Cheers Laurie,
Will PM you later this pm

 

[Kon tiki]

We did consider the Vision but in the end bought an Izola (times are getting hard) I am still trying to sort the warranty out. I understand what you are saying & have had discussions via phone & email with Renault UK & Renault MotorHomes. They say the van was bought by Adria in Slovenia & because we bought from an Adria dealer not Renault then it only has a 2 year warranty. The dealer who we bought from insist that it is a UK registered vehicle & as such it should have 3 years :shout: I have read the T&C for the warranty & it only mentions where the vehicle is first registered, I am considering talking to the trading standards about it. I wonder what the case is with other motorhome conversions on Renault vans that are built outside the UK also what about other conversions in General that are built abroad.
When I had a printout of the specs for my van based on the VIN it says 'TECHNICAL LEGISLATIVE COUNTRY GREAT BRITAIN' but when I spoke to Renault they said because it didn't have a DVSC export document then it isn't a UK vehicle oh:

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[camcondor]

The Renault base warranty has been confirmed by Adria as being a 2 year warranty, not 3. I understand that UK motorhome convertors like Swift supply the 3rd year on vans whose base vehicle manufacturers do not do so in the UK. The Renaults used by Adria are european, not UK sourced. Renault itself it hopeless when it comes to warranties on motorhome bases - if it were left to their call centre, you'd have a variable mini or expired warranty by the time you bought the van - I posted quite a lot on this a few months ago when I discovered it in the summer when I needed a warranty repair and was told my 15 month old van had 2 weeks warranty left on the Renault section!!!! Renaults call centre was pathetic and full of rubbish info - saying that their warranty started from the moment Adria bought the base for conversion!!!! It was sorted out by Adria in Long Melford who confirmed the warranty is 2 years on the base, as its a euro van, not a UK one. I don't think there is an automatic right to a 3 year warranty.

Laurie

PS Having said all that, at least the Renault Master has no "reversing judder" problems, nor does it start rusting immediately.......it seems that new Fiats et al need every bit of the 3 years, perhaps the Renaults will be perfectly ok with 2!!! ))

 

[Kon tiki]

The reversing judder was one of decisions not to buy a Fiat. Our Renault has the quickshift6 with the uprated chassis & engine. When I spoke to somebody at Renault he also said that we weren't covered by the Renault assistance & he said they had a memo saying that Adria owners should call Aria Partners?? & he gave me a phone number. I have asked Adria about this & not yet received a reply.
I have to say I am not too impressed with Adria, there was no manual or documentation from Adria. All that was in the pack was handbooks & manuals for the bits supplied such as the fridge, toilet etc. The manuals for the Schaudt Eleckto Block & control panel were too small to read. It looks like they had copied 4 pages onto a A4 page, you need a magnifying glass to read them. I contacted Schaudt & they emailled me the PDF copies of them.

 

[camcondor]

The quickshift6 is a great performer - our Vision is a really punchy drive, no engine complaints, I must say. Any Renault related faults which emerge in the 2 years from purchase are dealt with by any Renault dealer - they can check up the VIN number and I had no hassles with a local Renault dealer who dealt with the aircon motor failure very promptly.

I insure with Safeguard so have AA recovery included, no need to use any other and hopefully you won't need recovery

The manuals for our Vision were also missing when we collected, other than a few manufacturer pamphlets - admin at Adria was truly shocking when we bought our Vision, its had a bit of a shake-up since then, an a new MD (also imported from Slovakia)
I managed to get a full new set of manuals for the Vision as well as the Renault base warranty sorted out over the past few months, which was an improvement on the earlier response! If you need email addresses etc drop me a PM.

Laurie

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[Manofvision]

Vision 677SP

Hi Laurie and Kooky,
Hope you don't mind me joining in, but as you can see I have a 677SP. Are we the only "Adriaticfanatics" on this forum or are there more?
I have the Auto box on mine which is fabulous to use - though it does take a bit of getting used to - especially as you can change from auto to manual use in an instant. I have only the Truma blown air and did notice how cold the front end can get if its the only source of heating in use - but a strategically placed oil radiator works wonders - so too by the way does using front screen outer thermal blinds - no more cold ingress to cab and virtually no more condensation on the windows in the morning!
Have also added extra 240V points and also as the front area lighting is a bit mmmmm I added some low voltage led lights to the underside of the bed - 4 down each side that can be switched in pairs of two to give either forward or back lighting for Tv watching. Also opted for the Cruise control which I must say is very impressive especially as you can set it as a speed limiter - only gripe is that you cant rengage a previous speed without reaching it again! Camos dome is really good but have also made provision for a standard aerial on the roof incase of obstructions to the satellite signal.
Laurie - can you please tell me exactly how to select the heating for the waste tank as I have spent ages without seeming able to find it? I presume its a sequence of pressing the waste tank symbol and the Programme button on the Schaudt- but its beating me!
By the way any body had any probs with the front electric overcab bed?
Think thats enoughh for my first post so hope you didn't mind me butting in.
regards
Tony

 

[Maddie]

Hope you don't mind me joining in, but as you can see I have a 677SP. Are we the only "Adriaticfanatics" on this forum or are there more?


We are very big adriafanatics in this household as we owned 5 of them

We changed to Frankia this year as we wanted something with bunkbeds but widthwise and a longer length.
Still with the same dealer in Germany.

Kind regards

Maddie

 

[camcondor]

Hi Manofvision, Kooky, Haganap, Maddie and all the other Adria fans....it's great to see you here!! Please post pics of your outfits, those who currently have Adrias, good looking vans that they are the more Adrias the better!!

Manofvision, the front cab area is pretty chilly without extra heating - luckily, ours came with an "extra" Webasto diesel heater which is fab for the cab area and if we ever need to use the overcab bed. I'm sure silver screens will help - I haven't managed to find any yet, both Taylormade and Silver Screens themselves were very "off" to me when I tried to order some at a show (it was all just too much trouble for their booming businesses and the couldn't care less attitude was oh-so-obvious so I bought some thermal insulation material and will "get a Round Tuit "sometime I guess. They were great on our old van. Interesting little fact is that an adult exhales approx 2 litres of water (ie condensation.....)over 24 hours, and that water has to go somewhere, whether its on the cold windows, the walls or the upholstery when you are asleep......:Cool:

You've done most of the other things that Adria omitted - plug points, front lighting. Other disappointment for me was the sound system - no rear speakers, ignition has to be on to use radio, nuisance. Will resolve sometime!

Sat systems are great, but an aerial backup is a gooood idea, and cheap.

Are you sure you have a heated waste tank as some of the models don't? Yes, its via the Schaudt - I'll go down to the van as soon as I can, may be the weekend before I get there, and write the sequence down of what to press to get it on - the manual is useless for that - if I recollect, its via the top right hand button, same place where you switch the water pump on and off, and then use the plus or minus buttons to scroll OFF or ON. The panel is excellent, but has an esoteric operation - not exactly intuitive!!!

Not had any problems with the electric overcab bed or the electric rear fixed bed - have you?

Will try and get back with the Schaudt info, please remind me if I haven't done it by the weekend!!!


Laurie

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[Kon tiki]

If the manuals are anything like the ones I had with my Adria the Schaudt ones were impossible to read without a magnifying glass. They had printed 4 pages on one A4 my eyes aren't that bad but but I was struggling to read them. I contacted Schaudt & they emailled me PDF copies of them, the email address of the guy who replied was Udo Lang I have contacted them previously & have always found them helpful.

 

[Manofvision]

Vision 677SP

:thumb:Hi to Maddie who is quite near to us - Frankia was something we looked at but the Adria just about ticked most boxes. We did however really like the Grande Frontier of Auto Trail but the price put us off - so too at the moment do all the adverse comments! Nice to hear from you.
Hi to Ed and thanks for info - I use a magnifiying glass on the Schaudt pages - but it is still a complicated piece of kit!
Thanks to Laurie Have in the past used Taylormade, but this time both they and Silverscreens couldn't really be bothered with us limited production people as they didn't have any profiles to work from. So went to Vancomfort who make a thermal metallised type of screen cover. Whilst the one they supplied didn't quite fit properly it was easily modifiable as were the fitting instructions. So they were quite happy to agree a reduction in the cost and I modified quite easily using my own system of tensioning as I didn't like the long bungee cords they utilised. Excellent result, works well, looks reasonable and packs flat. By now with my suggestions and other feedback they must have had they should be in a good position to produce a good solution. Also very reasonable and helpful people! I have pics of my installation which I can either send you or if I can fathom out how to post pics here will do so!
I agree the sound system is C**p- in my last unit, a Mirage 5000 I actually installed a full 5.1 cinema system but the Vision doesn't really lend itself to this sort of application. I have an iPod Nano and am considering buying a Bose Sounddock - one of the earlier mark 1's ones which are currently retailing around £140 and using this onboard. Though of course with the Camos and a Sky card you can access music that way.
With regard to the heated waste tank - you could be right that I may not have it! I have selected the waste tank on the panel and Pressed the OK button but nothing happens. When you select the fresh water tank and press the OK button the pump switches on or off! Tends to suggest that the heated waste is not present - and I am not sure what other physical evidence to look for to prove it?
Electric bed - ummmmmmmmmm yes - the control unit packed up on site with the overcab bed in the down position! Only option at that time was to have the vehicle recovered by a low loader. Thankfully an Adria dealer 50 miles away actually had one in stock that they could fit - so despite all the aggro we escaped with only a day wasted. As this isn't a stock item for dealers we have been trying to get definitive emergency procedures from ADRIA. The ones they supplied have been trashed as useless by another dealer as absolutely impossible and we are still waiting on this matter!
The dealers who got us out of the problem were brilliant, even holding their workshops open for us to arrive - but they didn't want to get involved in any other warranty work as apparently its totally unprofitable for them as ADRIA only give them credits for the work! We have however nothing but praise for PREMIER motorhomes at Chichester - they are marvellous and have acquired parts for us in minimal time whereas our original supplier couldn't! Our overall experience of ADRIA dealers is not good as the first one cancelled our order a day before the van was due to arrive and the replacement dealer doesnt answer our letters!
Long story - maybe we all meet some time and chew the fat!
By the way, we had the factory towbar fitted and have a Q Pod with a Home made trailer which we haven't yet towed with this vehicle.
Anyway - enough for now
regards
Tony

 

[camcondor]

Strange how similar some of our experiences have been, Manofvision!! I couldn't believe just how "off" and downright rude both Taylormade and Silver Screens were- I had also bought several products from them in the past, so wasn't expecting the "couldn't be bothered so f"£$%% off" attitude from them. Hope they sow what they reap - credit crunch and all, I'll never buy from either bunch again, and will never recommend them!!! Would really love to have details of your screens if you want to PM them or post them on here.

We had the very worst of the worst dealer experience with BCS Motorhomes Herne Bay - truly, unbelieveably disgusting!!!! Hopefully we can share experiences one day over a nice bottle of wine (or a case!!!) Adria main dealers in Long Melford were also rather disinterested at the time, I know things have changed a bit there, but its not impressive. Luckily the vans are generally much better built than the UK builds or we would probably be up the creek!!! I hadn't thought about the failure of the overcab bed motor.......that is rather catastrophic. We rarely use it, I suppose if it failed the rear beds motor could be used as an emergency until a new motor was available??? We never raise / lower the rear bed any way as we don't carry a scooter or high item in the garage. At least theres a "spare" motor then!!! Our model is the 707si - perhaps you only have the single motorised bed? Please let us know any follow up to the bed motor saga!!!

I am building in a car pc unit which has a connection to the Avtex TV - this will give internet connection via a standard dongle (ours is T-Mobile). I've built the mini car pc myself and will prob install in the area under the front dinette table where there are some shelves / bottle racks. Saves one more bit of clutter in the motorhome, namely the laptop, having to be packed everytime we go away. Am also considering installing some rear speakers and ensuring that the stereo operates independently from the vehicle key - its so basic, but numerous MH convertors couldn't be bothered to look after this little point!!!

I ordered numerous factory fitted options, none of which came with the van - we were also kept waiting 6 months longer than we had been promised delivery, by the dealer - he had our cash deposit though, which I didn't want to lose - will never do that again!!! Lying creep, he was!! The towbar wasn't the factory fitted option we asked for, but a tatty, dangerous, rusting piece of rubbish constructed by a backyard bodger and mate of the dealer :Angry:- another long story, but ultimately rectified by Towtal with a very professional installation.

Back later with the Schaudts foibles re the waste tank - its quite a tricky piece of electronics, the manual could have been better and really doesn't give the right routes for some of the functions!!!

Laurie:thumb::thumb:

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[Manofvision]

Vision 677SP

Hi Laurie
Well thanks for your reply. Talk about deja vu!!!!!! I was stopped in my tracks when I read who your dealer was!!!!! Unbelievable that a certain Mr G should be the dealer of choice!:thumbdown: We ended up going legal on ours - long story - but that meeting now sounds a good idea. Shall investigate ways of having a private exchange with you. This is only a quick response and will cover your other points later.
regards
Tony:thumb::thumb:

 

[Manofvision]

Vision 677SP

Hi Again Laurie,
With regard to the bed failure it wasn't a motor problem, it was the black control box on the wall by the right hand side of the bed where all the electrics plug into. This apparently provides power to the bed and regulates the amount of amperage the bed can draw to prevent overload to the motors. There was power to it but not from it so something inside this little box of tricks had failed. So unless you have a spare - no power to the bed. The emergency instructions for manually retracting the bed, supplied to me by ADRIA after hassling my other dealer for nearly a year are a bit of a joke - I can supply you a copy if you wish. When I told Adria that they didn't seem feasible, I was told to go to and visit an ADRIA dealer who would demonstrate said procedures for me. Went to Premier (who I would wholeheartedly reccommend) and when they saw the instructions they were gobsmacked and agreed that it was not feasible for a number of reasons! They referred the problem back to ADRIA a few months ago and have been chasing them on my behalf regularly ever since but we still await a solution! But I will keep you advised
Your TV solution seems a good idea.
Campbells, who took the order over from you know who, installed my Camos system which was a Show deal including the dish, receiver and TV . They didn't plumb it into the factory provided cabling as was intended by the manufacturer and also they stuck the Tuner - yes stuck it on the wall in the cupboard with double sided tape!!!!! Of course it fell off and I eventually constructed a shelf in the cupboard for it and a mini sky box to sit safely on. And Campbells well they are another story! Won't say too much at this stage as I am about to give them one last chance to salvage their standing with me! Watch this space!
Enough for now
regards
Tony

 

[tommo29]

Adria Experience

Sorry for butting in to this thread but I thought you would like to hear of my experience of my purchase of a new Izola 687SPG. I simply love the van but the inital problems, some of which maybe other Adria owners can help me with.

Upon delivery we discovered numerous problems, cracked body work, deeply scratched windows, broken latches, no radio aerial, speakers not working, squeaky driver seat, poor sealant, reversing sensors go off whether near objects or not. This was just the beginning.

Upon our first trip, the consumer unit constantly tripped when just boiling a kettle.

After 3 months, and a considerable amount of hassle especially with Adria who I believe to be terrible in after sales or customer service. We have almost resolved all the problems, by at least 3 visits to the service shop, 2 consumer units etc..........

I also have reluctantly accepted that we don't have the 3 year Renault warranty.

Other topics we have the sliding screens and they are just great. The switch for the waste tank heater is the same as the content check switch. Leave it depressed and the heater activates. I think, I don't plan on ever using it.

I agree having just spent christmas in Chirk North Wales the heating is not good at the front and we resolved this by having a halogen heater on. The warmest area is the edge of the shower seat where I'm sure the heating tube is located, so all the heat is conducted hear instead of the front. We also have the bathroom door ajar to allow the heat to flow from there. We have just discovered a new problem, one of the hobs fails to stay on.

So to my remaining problem is the reversing sensors. They have been fitted too low to the grounnd (only 30cm) and constantly beep. The dealer claims they are wrong, but will not resolve unless authorised by Adria.

Adria claim we have no rights for a warranty resolution. Adria claim they have no problem with any other Izola MH's. Is there an Izola owner out there who could send me a photo. Adrai refuse to answer any phone calls or e-mails.

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[Kon tiki]

Hi, I picked up my Izola s687spg on the 1st November, I emailled Andrew Taczynski, Aftersales Warranty. One of my complaints was the reversing sensors being set too low. As for the aerial, when we were collecting the van I had taken my own radio to fit in, as I couldn't get a signal they tried one of their radios & that wouldn't work either so they contacted Adria only to be told they remove the original aerial but don't fit anything else the dealer was going to fit a windscreen one for me but couldn't find one so they agreed if I got one fitted they would pay (still waiting for the cash though for this & some other things around £150 up to now) The extra speakers aren't connected & the wires are under the dashboard, the dealer got somebody to connect these (a 5 minute job) Still arguing about the 3 year warranty, the Renault T&C for the warranty state 'The Warranty applies to any vehicle sold new in the United Kingdom' I bought my van new in the UK, the dealer agrees with me. When I bought the van I was told by the dealer that it had a 3 year warranty (it was the final deciding factor) I have had numerous phone calls & emails from them confiring this. I was told by Renault & Adria that in the event of a breakdown :helpsos: I should call Adria Partner in Solvenia & not the AA. I called them & was told that in the event of a breakdown I should contact the breakdown service in my own country :Angry:.

Would I recomend Adria not likely their aftersales is terrible, which is a pity as the van isn't that bad for the price. Not had any other problems but we haven't been anywhere yet, due to go off on 1st Jan. Pity we didn't know you were at Chirk we are just down the road in Wrexham.

 

[tommo29]

Adria Experience

Did you recieve a reply from Andrew at Adria?

They are remarkably quiet when it comes to resoving problems.

Thanks

Tom

 

[madria]

Adrias

Hi to you all, I have the 677SP, Auto/Manual, 150, 3850 uprated chassis new in August 08 (built 12/07) been pleased so far with it , only had the Schaudt ELB go down whilst in France, luckily there was an Adria dealer close by in Narbonne who was very helpful went in on a Wednesday he ordered a new unit from Adria France, returned on the Friday and was fitted in 15 mins under warrenty. As for the beds, both our's are none electric, but did have to make a slight modification to the drop down as it was coming down to far and resting on the steering wheel which was then marking the suede material, fitted a couple of washers, to hold it clear. Warranty?? anybody any answers? have tried to register with "My Renault" but no reply as of yet, will have to start chasing up oh: but suspect it'll only be 2 years having read other threads, Hope that we dont need it - as Tommo29 has asked did you receive a reply Andy - bye for now - Mick:thumb:

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[Englesman]

Adria Fan

Hope you don't mind me joining in, but as you can see I have a 677SP. Are we the only "Adriaticfanatics" on this forum or are there more?


We are very big adriafanatics in this household as we owned 5 of them

We changed to Frankia this year as we wanted something with bunkbeds but widthwise and a longer length.
Still with the same dealer in Germany.

Kind regards

Maddie

Well here is another adria fanatic added to the conversation,we are on our second, first we had a Adriatik Coral Sport 680sp model 2002 bought second hand and now we bought the new Adriatik Coral S690SP with the queens bed at the rearI don,t know if you folks have seen this model in the uk ? from the area where i live in Belgium there were only two that had been ordered at that time Fancied the Vision,but the queens bed is what decided it for me :thumb:No more climbing over the missus to get to the toilet in the middle of the nightthe only other make M/H we would consider buying apart from adria is the Concorde-Frankia-Carthargo,or the Flair all very very popular in germany oops along with the Euro mobil of course,nearly forgot that one:Blush:untill then though we are more than satisfied with our dealer -service and performance of our present M/H
Oh by the way I was lead to beleive that a van is what you go to work in ?????
Don,t devalue your (;van) call it the MOTORHOME :thumb:
Regards
Englesman
PS To my knowledge not heard of an dissatisfied Vision user on this side of the water!!

 

[Paulie]

Joining the Adria throng!

Hello all you Adria buffs! Apologies in advance for the length of this post, and I don't suppose many will read it in its entirety, but I wanted to share my Adria experiences with you fans. (If the site had a Motorhome review section, I would have put it there!)

My better half and I fell in love with the Vision at first sight at the October '07 NEC show. We were looking for a LHD vehicle as our dreams / plans were to tour Europe in the MH. We had sworn to ourselves prior to going to the show, that whatever we did, we were only looking to see what layouts we liked so that we could find a good "pre-owned" bargain and given that it would be our first van purchase, we would definitely, under no circumstances, never, ever be buying a new vehicle at the show.

Needless to say, that was before we got to the Adria stand run that year by Premier Motorhomes and saw the Vision 707si. During our tour of the many vans at the show we discovered that our first question had to be, does it come in LHD and the salesman's response to that question was that it used to, but that it wouldn't be available in the 2008 UK spec, but he thought that the concessionaire's in Long Melford might still have one. They did and we bought it with the up rated weight plate, which seemed to be a mandatory option if you actually want to use the vehicle!

We ordered it through Premier and had them fit an extra leisure battery, Avtex 19" TV and aerial, Fiamma 4.5m Zip awning with Safari room, Fiamma Scooter rack for the garage, 2 x 11KG Gaslow Bottles, Twin angle reversing camera and Blaupunkt Berlin radio with their Luuca 5.3 GPS. We ordered a Strikeback alarm system and gas detector to be fitted by Vanbitz in Taunton after collection in December.

When we did collect it from Premier it looked amazing and we were chuffed to bits with the vehicle. We did point out some very minor stitching problems with the driver's seat squab (which is not sorted to this day) and the drop down bed surround had some broken runners, but we were overjoyed with our purchase. (Turns out it was a 707sg. I don’t know what difference that makes. Presumably a slightly earlier model)

I guess it goes to show just how naive we were as we didn't realise how the dealer system works with MHs, because there have been several warranty issues that needed sorting which meant we had to travel the 230 mile or so round trip from Essex to Chichester each time anything needed sorting. That has been too often for my liking, particularly with the cost of diesel rising as it was and overnighting costs of the local campsites it meant that it was costing about £100 each time I wanted something fixed under warranty. However Premier were great and offered some compensation for our troubles... which we spent on extra goodies at Premier!

One of the warranty issues that we've been trying to get fixed was a visible gap round the seal of the habitation door. (Not very good for a fully winterised vehicle. However I suppose that gap is as nothing compared to the permanent vent hole for the extractor fan over the hob! There ought to be some way of sealing that.) Adria wouldn't accept that there was a problem and supply a new door unless it was verified by the dealer, which meant a trip to Chichester just to look at the problem. Premier ordered a new door and when it arrived they fitted it and it was worse than the original! They re-installed the original door. I can't believe that there is no hinge side door adjustment. It was clear that this was not a fixable problem, so I sealed it with B&Q draught excluder.

Another issue was that the Dometic fridge freezer would not work on battery when travelling. It turns out that when the vehicle first arrived at the dealer, there was a fault where the windscreen wipers would switch on, but not off. They fixed this by cutting a wire which, in turn, caused the fridge problem. They connected the cut wire to different supply point and it seemed OK until some time after the Strikeback alarm had been fitted when the fridge started making a strange buzzing sound when operating on 12V. Back to the dealers who said it was due to the way the Battery Master had been installed (which was done at the same time as the alarm system was fitted) which was complete nonsense as they had not gone anywhere near the fridge circuitry. I don't know what the eventual fix was, but Premier did sort it out.

Premier also promised us carpeting as this had been installed on the show vehicle, but wasn't on ours when it arrived. Adria didn't want to know about this, so Premier, very kindly, said they would provide carpeting at their expense. They would get it made up and have it sent to us directly. This took some time to accomplish, but it did eventually arrive. One minor problem: it was for a right hand drive vehicle, so 2 of the pieces didn't fit. Premier undertook to get this sorted but as these carpet pieces were not mirror images and Premier didn't have a Left Hand Drive template..... guess what... we had to go to Chichester so they could make up a template. They did this and fitted the carpet for us during one of our subsequent visits.

The next problem was that all the batteries kept going flat, both leisure and engine. We keep the vehicle in storage when not in use, but there is no mains supply to keep the batteries topped up and I had no back-up charging system. The batteries would be flat after only a couple of weeks in storage. Under advice from Premier, I jump started the van from the car and took the vehicle to the nearest Renault Commercial dealer in Basildon who tested the engine battery and found it to be defective. Next problem: the vehicle was out of warranty!!! How could this be? We had only had the van a few months, but according to the Renault warranty system, the warranty had started in 2006 when the base vehicle was delivered to Adria in Slovenia and had not been re-set since. Premier said they would sort this out with Adria, but it could not be done there and then, so I would have to return to the Renault garage when the warranty was sorted out. This of course meant that I had to jump start the van again a few days later and go back to Basildon for the replacement to be effected.

I had previously assumed that the leisure batteries were being drained via the Battery Master trying to keep the engine battery topped up. Wrong! The original leisure battery was about the same age as the original engine battery and was also defective. This was replaced during one of the all too frequent trips to Premier in Chichester. However I'm sure that this defective battery had a detrimental effect on the additional leisure battery installed prior to picking up the van, which in-turn has had an effect on the replacement; i.e. they should both have been replaced at the same time. I am still having problems with the leisure batteries going flat after a few weeks of non-use despite the fact that I have since had an Alden Phenix solar panel installed! Admittedly this is over the winter, when there is not a lot of daylight around, but I am still at a loss to explain what is draining two 80Ah batteries in a matter of weeks when being topped up by a 100W solar panel. Anyway, we'll see what happens when we use the vehicle more frequently this year. If the batteries have had it, I will be replacing them with as high capacity standard wet batteries as will fit in the battery bay, rather than the over-priced gel ones currently installed. Note to self: Remember to tell the Schaudt panel when you do!

I decided on the Alden Phenix solar panel after much consideration of the alternatives. I considered the E-Foy, Self Energy, flat 130W solar panels and quiet (?) generator alternatives. I plumped for the Phenix panel as I did not want to be carrying large quantities of highly combustible and invisible burning fuel for the E-Foy, given that the ease of obtaining this stuff across Europe is somewhat questionable. The Self Energy, as well as being a noisier alternative, would have invalidated the 3 year Adria warranty on the gas system, so that was ruled out. A Honda genny would, I fear, be too noisy and for the sake of others, I discounted it. (But if my battery problems persist, I might have to reconsider.) There was not enough roof space for 2 x 130W solar panels AND the Alden Netmaster satellite system. So I was left with just the one option which we have yet to test in anger.

The next issue we had was another problem with the fridge. It stopped working on gas. It would light, but would not stay lit. Rather than face another trip to Chichester, I agreed with Premier that it would be OK for me to get it fixed under warranty by a local Dometic engineer who had previously checked out the safety recall for me. He thought it was the main control panel which he had in stock and duly swapped it out. It wasn't that, so it had to be the igniter unit. Of course, he didn't have one of those and had to order it from Dometic UK who had to get it from Italy, as the fridge / oven combo fitted in the Vision is, apparently, a very rare beast indeed! (I hope its reliability improves!) After some weeks delay, it arrived, was fitted and all was OK.

Another mark of our naivety when purchasing the van, was that we were not aware that the load carrying capacity of the Vision is not that great or that it would need to be, even with the up rated, 3850kg plate. (I have checked and it cannot be up rated any further.) Soon after we got the van, we took it to a weighbridge to see just what was what. To my dismay, the van weighed 3700kg. This was with most of the necessities loaded (Table & 4 chairs, safari room, groundsheet, Telesteps, hose reel, tool kit, crockery & cutlery etc. etc.) and us both on board but without any clothing, (except those we were wearing!), bedding, food or personal items and without bikes and the 100kg scooter I was proposing to carry on the rack we'd had installed in the garage. So if we carried a scooter, that would leave us nothing to spare and we certainly couldn't have taken any passengers. Needless to say, I've removed the scooter rack and we're now thinking of towing something! Even so, weight will certainly be an issue. (To that end, I've recently lost 15kg!)

We've used the van on a number of UK trips and are extremely happy with the way it performs and all of the facilities it has to offer. These trips have proved vital in allowing us to identify and get all the bugs ironed out... well most of them anyway. We simply cannot wait to get started on our European adventure. All we have to wait for is for the better half's pension to kick in next August and we're off! Premier Motorhomes have been brilliant. It's just a shame they are so far away from us.

The only criticism I would have of the interior of the vehicle is the cupboard space over the galley is just not flexible enough. The left hand and centre cupboards have no adjustable shelves and are too tall for anything we have to store in them. I got Premier to ask Adria if they had a solution and they offered to sell me a 6' by 3' sheet of matching material for £183! How helpful is that! Has nobody mentioned this to them before? How easy it would be to include a couple of shelves and pegs and bore some peg holes!

To sum up, I would have to say that the Vision is a fantastic vehicle with one major design flaw, which is its load carrying capacity. In our model, and I don't know if they've changed this for later versions, the headlamps aren't adjustable for height (even though the adjuster knob is still in the dash panel) so you cannot compensate for the load in the garage. This means it's embarrassing, if not dangerous, to drive at night as the headlights are way, way too high. I think the only way that I can get around this problem is either to never drive at night or to have air-ride suspension installed at a cost of around £1000! I personally think it should be installed as standard.

 

[Kon tiki]

Interesting about the batteries, I have the Adria s687spg (did think about the Vision but the payload issue was a concern for us) although I haven't had ours on the weighbridge it should be ok with the 3850 chassis it should have almost 900kg.
I got the issue about Renault warranty sorted out just as we were leaving the UK. Renault have said the start date has been reset to the date we bought it but it is only a 2 year warranty (I was told before buying the van that it was a 3 year warranty & the dealer has said he would sort something out so we will be having discussions when we get back) It was just a well the warranty was sorted as our engine battery failed in Portugal, I had never thought it was working that well. After a decent run within an hour it was down to 12.5 volts & by the next morning it was under 12 volts. I did manage to start most times but did have to get it jump started a couple of times. We weren't even running the radio when we were stopped & I would hook up the small solar panel to it but it made no difference. We went to a Renault dealer in Sines & he checked it out & said it was not good. We had to wait a day for him to get one & it was fitted under warranty, up to now it all seems ok again. We find the 85amph gel battery to be holding up well, we have a solar panel of about 80amph & it always seems to have power to spare (we are having a lot of sun though so hot today we were glad to sit in the shade)

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