Bailey motorhomes (1 Viewer)

[bobnick]

This may be ( or maybe not) a consideration,
A+E leisure in Northwich ( 2 miles from you) are a Bailey authorised warranty agent, irrespective of where you buy it

They fitted my Awning and i have bought lot's of stuff off them. Great bunch of guy's. If i got a Bailey they would be my first port of call should i need.

 

[Lenny HB]

I have seen a lot of people dismiss the Michelin tyres - it would certainly be a cheaper option. I am loathed to change or play with the tyre pressures because of past experience. My concern would be the load rating- I do tend to press on a bit. What are you using?

Toyo Observe Van (load rating 121) they are a winter tyre but will be staying on all year they give a very smooth ride. Running them at 70psi in the rear & 60 in the front may drop them further.
Typical a month after I bough them they dropped in price now around £95.

With the full air now I've had it I wouldn't have a van without it. The leveling is only about 5" nothing like the range of Jacks but gets us level 90% of the time.
The new active air is supposed to be good (about 9k).

 

[Offagain]

I'm getting the impression that once they have your money and you have picked up your new van it's pot luck what back up service you might get.
Not unlike cars or anything else for that matter.

Sadly that does seem to be the norm.
We bought ours from 3A’s in Carmarthen. We were assured several times before we bought it that it had been uprated to 3850kg. When Paul went to collect it the paperwork all stated 3500kg. When he queried it he was told “oh well, too late, you’ve bought it now”!
It was only when he started quoting bits of law at them about rejecting it (he has a background in car sales) that they ran around a bit and “discovered” the correct paperwork and an an additional loading weight plate (whatever the technical term is) attached to the van!
Plus they hadn’t done the couple of minor repairs (hatch locks and catches) which we had asked them to.

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[denisejoe]

The old toyo winter tyres had a 70 psi max I have them but only run at 55 all 6 tyres

 

[bobnick]

Having bought scores and scores of new vehicles both here for personal use and in Dubai for personal and my businesses i can honestly say the after care service one gets in Dubai is far far better than here. FACT.
Just saying like as it's totally irrelevant to most.

 

[Solwaybuggier]

We had an Autograph 740 13 plate - so an earlyish model - from new. We loved the layout and space, and it was reasonably comfortable. Our dealer was good.
But we had major damp/delamination problems, which required a return to factory for repair. (And then when it came back it took a while sorting out the problems where the factory had put things back together wrong!).
Quite a few other things went wrong- in fairness some of them with non-Bailey components which are fitted by many manufacturers - but the build quality was not good. (Worse than an Autotrail we’d had previously- although that was 52 reg, and I’ve heard it suggested Autotrail were better made around that time.)
We decided we wanted rid before the water ingress warranty expired, and wouldn’t buy another Bailey.

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[Lenny HB]

The old toyo winter tyres had a 70 psi max I have them but only run at 55 all 6 tyres

Max psi rating on tyres only applies to the US market.

 

[bigwood]

I havnt had any dealings with Bailey motorhomes but having had to recover a Bailey caravan I was surprised how heavy it was. I asked the owner how much weight he had in it. He assured me it was not over it’s weight limit but his Granada struggled on hills.
When I looked for a replacement for our PVC the Bailey was on my short list if they used a Ford base.

 

[Simon Select]

Bailey are good value for money. Like any van there will or can be issues. Bailey, Roller Team, Elddis are all in the good value for money bracket in my opinion.

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[Simon Select]

Well! I have had 2 vans off Alan Kerr and guess what, won’t be buying another off you or any recommendations with that attitude neither!
No need for it!

You have had a pop at me for trying to get someone to help you. I didnt sell your van so I think you were a bit harsh!

 

[Bailey58]

Bought the original Bailey 740 SE in 2013 and had a water ingress problem in the sealed area above the cab which we could hear swishing about over our heads. Sorted quickly by our dealer, Becks at Rollesby, with a squeeze of silicon and never had a problem since. Oh, apart from going into limp mode a couple of years back which turned out to be a relay fault. Roomy and comfy and the size has never bothered us.

 

[Jenka]

I have a Bailey 2017 from new and just hit 45000 miles ,we like the layout and spec for the price but have added a lot of extras such as air suspension, but reluctantly have ordered a continental van as the Bailey has had numerous problems it's been resealed x3 and I even have extended warranty but lost confidence in the brand .As we spend virtually 12months in europe when we encountered problems one look at the badge from the dealers and it was no sorry. If your doing UK and keep for warranty period then I suppose ok.

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[Paul Wilkins]

I have an autograph 796 and I like mine a lot. Good value for money and so far nothing more than a couple of niggles from new. Yes it’s wide but I drive on the cats whiskers philosophy, it will fit through the gap if the wing mirrors do. And the wing mirrors are no wider than any other Sevel base unit. Plus I believe the new models on the Ford have actually slimmed down a bit.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Lenny HB - I personally think that our Boris has a particularly attractive rear end (it’s the view that most people see of our van because we are usually in a hurry) and it’s certainly one of the lowest, dare I say “sporty” looking vans out there. Even got it through a drive through once. No problems with ferries so far either.
Build quality of mine is good I think- I love the airplane locker style cabinets. No damp under the mattress like a friend got in their then new hymer. But then there’s a Friday afternoon van from most makers I bet. But it’s not as good as a continental van regards double floor but it’s perfectly capable of UK weather (We’ve had a few nights in the snow), and you won’t be seeing me post any pictures of the electrics, but you pays yer money and makes yer choice.
Payload is a hot topic and that is a concern for more than just Bailey. I am not affected as I have enough for the three of us on the HD chassis.
Friends bought a C-Tourer because it is light weight but because they are a family of four (with teenagers) it still runs overloaded- so it’s not just Brit vans. I would suggest that you are no better or worse off than a like for like Imala. I will be honest and say that you may have to watch the rear axle limit more than payload if there’s a garage.
We were going to trade ours up this year but have decided that we will keep it for another 3-5 years, because the layout for us just works and the direct 6 berth replacement is not as good IMO.
I am probably going to go full air this year - the ride quality of the low chassis has me looking for the path of least resistance and dodging cats eyes. That said the handling is good when overtaking hgv’s.
Only the Ford based units offer auto box. I do wish I had one of those maybe, and maybe the tablet holder and leather wheel in the cab. Other than that what’s not to love about Boris.

We have a 794T, fitting the 1/2 air suspension has transformed it. Doesn't bang and crash over our awful roads and in France/Germany its like driving a feather bed around. The BIG disadvantage .. the rear garage. Its sooo small. But there has to be compromise in all things.

 

[frogijock]

View attachment 448514
So I forwarded your message to the service department and then left Howard’s and it’s my fault someone from the service department didn’t ring you back?
Ps you didn’t say please!

He did say Thanks

 

[MisterB]

we have a Bailey 740 autograph, absolutely love it BUT its not perfect .... our main gripe is the way the additional bed is made up of the seat cushions. we only take our grandchildren who are very young, but its still a pain. I wouldnt like to sleep on it or make it up every night !! Other than that i havent come across any major or minor issues that couldnt be sorted easily enough. They are certainly stylish enough to make owners into proud owners ( though my philosophy has always been that you can have just as much fun/enjoyment out of a lower budget motorhome than you can with a higher end budget one, its how you use it and what you do, where you go that matters, not how much you spent buying it in the first place!)

little things i want to change on ours are

sort out electrics so 12v hab area will still run with ignition on
change cold water inlet so i dont need a fancy (expensive) add on just to fill the water tank !


i would be surprised if you find many people who have a MOHO that have major problems and they still have it !!!

we bought second hand so all the niggles had been fixed (if there were any !) we would consider another Bailey if it had an island bed and electric/manual drop down bed, which is why we are seriously looking at the Roller Team T Line 743 - it seems to have everything we want in terms of layout, but we need to buy second hand as we cant afford a brand new one !

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[POH]

Im thinking the same, I have an Imala and the amount of problems from new with the hab area was disappointing to say the least. Ranging from half the cupboard locks hanging off, to the nav system having to be changed twice and the rear plastic corner piece hanging off one day on arrival which was the bracket underneath to the chassis had come undone.

I wont go on Id be here all day, But I almost rejected it 3 months in.
Have you had issues or just want a change

issues silly things like cupboard door warping twice over locker lights coming on and off when they feel like it, damp in rear locker due to seal being fitted wrong a little bit of damp behind drivers seat basin in toilet having to be resealed again!! hab door window replaced now needs resealing hab door to be adjusted ,like i said silly thing really .

 

[POH]

This may be ( or maybe not) a consideration,
A+E leisure in Northwich ( 2 miles from you) are a Bailey authorised warranty agent, irrespective of where you buy it

That's good to know thanks

 

[POH]

Hi All, i can see it's a bit of 6 of one and half dozen of the other on the Bailey, but how do the other vans i listed compare , Pilote, Rapido, Dethleffs, Swift would like your thoughts on these as well if that's ok.

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[bobnick]

Riding on the back of your post, so would i.

 

[POH]

come on gang that's two of us now waiting

 

[Bognor Saint]

Hi All, i can see it's a bit of 6 of one and half dozen of the other on the Bailey, but how do the other vans i listed compare , Pilote, Rapido, Dethleffs, Swift would like your thoughts on these as well if that's ok.

We have a Dethleffs. Bought new May 2019. 3 minor issues sorted under warranty, cracked sink waste, fresh water pump and cupboard adjustment.

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[gpat]

we have a Bailey 740 autograph, absolutely love it BUT its not perfect .... our main gripe is the way the additional bed is made up of the seat cushions. we only take our grandchildren who are very young, but its still a pain. I wouldnt like to sleep on it or make it up every night !! Other than that i havent come across any major or minor issues that couldnt be sorted easily enough. They are certainly stylish enough to make owners into proud owners ( though my philosophy has always been that you can have just as much fun/enjoyment out of a lower budget motorhome than you can with a higher end budget one, its how you use it and what you do, where you go that matters, not how much you spent buying it in the first place!)

little things i want to change on ours are

sort out electrics so 12v hab area will still run with ignition on
change cold water inlet so i dont need a fancy (expensive) add on just to fill the water tank !


i would be surprised if you find many people who have a MOHO that have major problems and they still have it !!!

we bought second hand so all the niggles had been fixed (if there were any !) we would consider another Bailey if it had an island bed and electric/manual drop down bed, which is why we are seriously looking at the Roller Team T Line 743 - it seems to have everything we want in terms of layout, but we need to buy second hand as we cant afford a brand new one !

12v doesn't run in hab area without ignition on.....surely that's a fault!

 

[Lenny HB]

12v doesn't run in hab area without ignition on.....surely that's a fault!

I think you mean off, which makes them unusable in some circumstances I don't know how people cope with that.

 

[Marmite]

We picked up our new Dethleffs in June. Done around 2500 miles with ~ 20 nights, and no problems so far.

This our first MH, but had a Swift caravan for 18 years before that, with no damp and only odd issues which were easy to fix myself.

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[Swifter]

12v doesn't run in hab area without ignition on.....surely that's a fault!

That “ feature “ tends to be standard on most UK built vans .

 

[brysee]

We have a 625se and it's great for the two of us
It doesn't matter who makes them just get the one that's right for you
Any make will have some sort of problem just like cars you get good and bad

 

[Simon Select]

We have a 625se and it's great for the two of us
It doesn't matter who makes them just get the one that's right for you
Any make will have some sort of problem just like cars you get good and bad

This post sums it up perfectly! Life is too short, use it and enjoy it!

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[timetochill]

Bought new Bailey 740 from Alan Kerr 4K cheaper than local Bailey dealer including part exchange so dealt with them no problem when we needed remedial work the local dealer completed this under baileys warranty with no problems would buy a Bailey again and also shop round for prices

 

[Papa lazaroo]

Hi gang anyone got any thoughts on Bailey vans been looking to change and they have one that might suit us
1, are they any good
2, are they worse than Autotrail ( got an Imala )
3, is there anything to steer clear of,
have been looking at Dethleffs, Pilote, Swift (kont tiki) , Rapido , had a look at Hymer but can't afford until my numbers come on the lottery

Hi, we picked our Bailey 79-4 from Elite motorhomes in Banbury in July, exellent handover and a free stay overnight in a local site . Glad we did as we had a few issues the next day which were sorted by the dealer. Very pleased with the Bailey and no problems so far, very nice to own and one of the better looking Motorhomes.

 

[WESTY66]

Lenny HB where have you seen the toyos for £95

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