spitfire
Free Member
Been looking at the titanium 640 . Any owner out there ? Or just opinion of any Chausson owners of any model .
Chausson Good or Bad ? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter spitfire
- Start date
Ivory55
Free Member
Did John and shell used to have one ?
Bought a new Chausson Allegro in 2006, nice van and sometimes wish that we still had it, would have saved a lot of money.
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AXO66
Free Member
Bought a 510 2 years ago on a ford transit 150bhp base. 11k miles so far.
First motorhome so can’t compare but at the cheaper end of the market.
Overall brilliant for us as the drop down bed from the roof gives us more space to live in with a separate-bathroom with large shower . In a 6meter van. Pleanty of storage, not all used.
So as often pointed out on this forum its the layout that counts..
Problems. Two leaky windows due to them settling a mm or so whilst travelling and causing the sealent to fail. Not enough put on. No problems being fixed. We bought at highbridge in somerset who organised our local dealer in west wales to fix one of them. So suggests chausson dealers talk to each other.
Rest of kit standerd , probably found on all other vans. All drawers and cupboards stay tightly closed when driving.
Diseal heater is a bonus as we only carry one 16 kg gas tank.
Also a dodgy temperture sensor on the air intakes causing it go into limp mode ! But fixed by ford under warrentary.
The height of the cab space seems larger than most so adds to space for storrage. Keep two pillows two blankets All books and window night time blinds up there .with room to spare.
First motorhome so can’t compare but at the cheaper end of the market.
Overall brilliant for us as the drop down bed from the roof gives us more space to live in with a separate-bathroom with large shower . In a 6meter van. Pleanty of storage, not all used.
So as often pointed out on this forum its the layout that counts..
Problems. Two leaky windows due to them settling a mm or so whilst travelling and causing the sealent to fail. Not enough put on. No problems being fixed. We bought at highbridge in somerset who organised our local dealer in west wales to fix one of them. So suggests chausson dealers talk to each other.
Rest of kit standerd , probably found on all other vans. All drawers and cupboards stay tightly closed when driving.
Diseal heater is a bonus as we only carry one 16 kg gas tank.
Also a dodgy temperture sensor on the air intakes causing it go into limp mode ! But fixed by ford under warrentary.
The height of the cab space seems larger than most so adds to space for storrage. Keep two pillows two blankets All books and window night time blinds up there .with room to spare.
Bought ours approx 2 years ago a Suite Relax. Love the van layout suits us. To date no real issues, centre mounted bed switch fell apart due to no torque seal on threads of securing screw. Fridge not running on 12v due to 5amp fuse failing . We love it and have no intention on changing
OP
OP
spitfire
Free Member
Thank you for your replies . Is a difficult one for us as would be downsizing from a double axle Hobby . Size and quality no comparison but at 70 not keen to pay an arm and a leg for a van . Seems much lighter furniture wise than our present van so any thoughts on how robust it is please
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Forgot to mention - the furniture has given us no problems. Soft close drawers all like new. Looked at an equivalent Hymer last week which was £40k more than we paid for ours - really! Well built I’m sure but traditional and on the same base vehicle without the engine upgrade.
mikebeaches
LIFE MEMBER
We bought a new Chausson Flash S2 based on the Fiat Ducato in 2010.
Travelled all over UK and Europe in it without drama for just over five years. Apart from routine servicing only remember having to get the fridge fixed once, which was nothing to do with Chausson.
Only traded it in to get a comfortmatic gearbox, because of a dodgy knee. Also wanted to change to fixed twin beds instead of a French double. Otherwise would be happy to still have it.
Having previously owned a used Rapido coachbuilt, and now have a Rapido pvc, yes there is a slight difference in the build quality - but it was never an issue to us. They are built to a budget to sell at a competitive price. We were well aware of that and happy with the result.
The Chausson was only 6m long, but because of the very clever design it was like a tardis.
Oh, and it had a really decent payload, as it only weighed about 2,700kg, on a 3,500kg chassis.
Would certainly consider having another, especially if they had a suitable pvc available in the UK (they used to have them under the name 'Twist').
Edited to add one final thought - when we traded it in after 5 years and 30k miles, only lost £6k over the cost to buy it new - which I thought was pretty good. We also got a discount on the new replacement van too.
Travelled all over UK and Europe in it without drama for just over five years. Apart from routine servicing only remember having to get the fridge fixed once, which was nothing to do with Chausson.
Only traded it in to get a comfortmatic gearbox, because of a dodgy knee. Also wanted to change to fixed twin beds instead of a French double. Otherwise would be happy to still have it.
Having previously owned a used Rapido coachbuilt, and now have a Rapido pvc, yes there is a slight difference in the build quality - but it was never an issue to us. They are built to a budget to sell at a competitive price. We were well aware of that and happy with the result.
The Chausson was only 6m long, but because of the very clever design it was like a tardis.
Oh, and it had a really decent payload, as it only weighed about 2,700kg, on a 3,500kg chassis.
Would certainly consider having another, especially if they had a suitable pvc available in the UK (they used to have them under the name 'Twist').
Edited to add one final thought - when we traded it in after 5 years and 30k miles, only lost £6k over the cost to buy it new - which I thought was pretty good. We also got a discount on the new replacement van too.
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Last edited:
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OP
spitfire
Free Member
Thanks all . Sounds very positive and a good price to pay at our age and the best layout we have found . Lounge area is great and drop down bed no problem as never in 14 years have we used the fixed bed in the day time so no problem
Steve and Gill
Free Member
- Apr 19, 2018
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We have a 630 bought in June this year from Elite (Banbury). Very happy with the choice, our first owned MH, we have hired in the past.
Agree the lockers are lightly built, but two of our friends are on their 3rd Chausson and have had no serious issues.
A couple of minor niggles were fixed by Elite without quibbling, one floor level LED and a poorly adjusted bed guide.
Could do with one or two more 240v sockets - ours just has one for the TV and another next to the sink. I'll probably fit one up nearer the cab and perhaps an inverter.
We took ours to a weighbridge on our first trip, rear axle much closer to the limit than the front, although enough payload left for our bikes and winter clothes, which was all we didn't have on board.
Definitely like the twin lengthwise beds, I can put mine out of the way and make coffee without disturbing Gill.
The lounge/table works well for my photo editing and Gill's water colour painting. This wouldn't be so good in our friends 610 with the L shaped seats.
Ours is a Ford, the passenger seat rotates and can be used to sit to the table, the driver's seat needs to be moved to & fro to avoid the steering wheel, door and sofa end when it is turned.
Having said that, we ate in the van with our daughter, her husband and two grandchildren this weekend without incident.
We had a solar panel rather than a 2nd leisure battery - looks to be ok so far.
Might look at having rear air aux suspension fitted at some point - there is some body roll but nothing worse than any of the hired vans I have driven in the past.
sdg.
Agree the lockers are lightly built, but two of our friends are on their 3rd Chausson and have had no serious issues.
A couple of minor niggles were fixed by Elite without quibbling, one floor level LED and a poorly adjusted bed guide.
Could do with one or two more 240v sockets - ours just has one for the TV and another next to the sink. I'll probably fit one up nearer the cab and perhaps an inverter.
We took ours to a weighbridge on our first trip, rear axle much closer to the limit than the front, although enough payload left for our bikes and winter clothes, which was all we didn't have on board.
Definitely like the twin lengthwise beds, I can put mine out of the way and make coffee without disturbing Gill.
The lounge/table works well for my photo editing and Gill's water colour painting. This wouldn't be so good in our friends 610 with the L shaped seats.
Ours is a Ford, the passenger seat rotates and can be used to sit to the table, the driver's seat needs to be moved to & fro to avoid the steering wheel, door and sofa end when it is turned.
Having said that, we ate in the van with our daughter, her husband and two grandchildren this weekend without incident.
We had a solar panel rather than a 2nd leisure battery - looks to be ok so far.
Might look at having rear air aux suspension fitted at some point - there is some body roll but nothing worse than any of the hired vans I have driven in the past.
sdg.
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On our second and i think they are a make where people often buy again which must say something. Had a few minor problems our main problem being buying from Lowdhams very expensive on hab services and poor on customer care.
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All motorhomes have their problems. Just look at some of the threads on here. It doesn’t seem to matter how much you pay, they all have niggles. We’ve been fortunate to not have a single problem with ours. As for dealers, it seems like once you’ve paid your money and driven off you’re on your own!
Agree but I never thought there could be so much difference in hab service costs at one time £150 or so more that at their other branch!!!!. I did suggest to MMM that they ran an article on the difference but they weren't interested maybe as Lowdhams advertise with them?
- May 29, 2013
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- Chausson best of Flash 10
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- Several years now
We have owned a Flash 10 for over 4 years from new and think it's great !! Have no reason or inclination to change it.
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faraway
LIFE MEMBER
If you are on Facebook, there is a Chausson Owners group https://www.facebook.com/groups/345455035659773/
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spitfire
Free Member
Many thanks . Have just requested to join 
Justamil
Free Member
Like Mike Beaches, we bought a Flash S2 in 2010, part exchanged it in 2017.
Great layout. Sometimes I even miss it, now that all the faults have been rectified. By myself - dealer useless.
unlike Mikes, mine was a Friday afternoon assembled van. So to put the other side of manufacturers failures, please see attached list of 28 faults from new.
1, Black hot-air duct cover under bed re-cut to allow ducting to connect properly to terminal under bed just outside bathroom door. The ducting was so stretched it was not fully home in the terminal and was allowing the hot air to escape in the under bed void.
2, Bathroom hot-air duct terminal fixed permanently to the wall (internal part of terminal – under bed). This kept dropping off, separating from the external part of the terminal. I also bedded the external part of the terminal with silicone to the shower wall. I would have thought this should have been done as the shower water would find its way into the wooden shower wall?
3, Thetford WC flush button bezel fixed properly. The cut-out in the wooden wall was too large, allowing the bezel to move and gape.
4, Shelf under the bed (next to wardrobe) not level. One of the support blocks needed re-fixing lower down to level the shelf.
5, Water piping and electrical ducting in WC housing needed re-distribution and discard of original fixing (this fixing did not allow the piping and ducting to be placed as close as possible to the supporting wall) and re-fixing to allow cassette to slide freely into housing.
6, Cupboard door above kitchen re-hung (lower) to hide clearly out of square frame of cupboard.
7, Dinette table – swing out leaf needed considerable adjustment to allow the lock to work.
8, Two hinges on wardrobe were faulty. These were swapped for good hinges taken from hinged shelves below that would not be used.
9, Door flyscreen needed external handle fitted. There is no external handle for the flyscreen, making it difficult to open from the outside. There is an internal handle.
10, Silicone beading needed on both sides of Kitchen worktop. There was a strip of plastic strip/beading at the rear of the worktop, but not the sides. However the bathroom worktop had the plastic strip/beading on all three sides.
11, Lock put on bathroom sliding door to stop door sliding open when travelling. The door is not fitted squarely, there is a gap at the top (4mm) when the door is shut. If this gap is closed with the magnetic strips in contact, the one side of the door is lifted off its roller.
12, 230v a.c. wiring in Consumer unit needed re-terminating. The cable clamps clamped the inner conductors only and not the cable sheath on all cables. This is a really bad electrical installation fault, showing no understanding by the fitter of electrical standards.
13, Horizontal external joint between Luton and panel between Fiat cab and conversion offside sidewall needed new mastic added. There was a clearly visible crack in the mastic along the whole original mastic joint.
14, It appears there should have been Velcro on the cab door pillars to stop cab curtains gaping when shut. I have added Velcro strips to match the existing Velcro strips on the curtains. If this is not the case, perhaps they should be added as standard to provide better privacy.
15, Needed to make solid removable panel behind the grill external ventilator. Why? Because cold air comes directly into the motorhome in even the lightest wind. It is uncomfortable. Also the electrical wiring for the grill can been seen easily from outside the motorhome. I would imagine that when cleaning the outside of the motorhome, the use of a water spray would result in the electrical wiring getting wet. This would happen because the ventilator grill is above head height.
16, The central third brake light. I decided to check the water proofing, as this third brake light is a well known water ingress weak point with many motorhome manufacturers. I found that the non-setting mastic had been put at the bottom only of the hole where the cables exit the motorhome body. This actually resulted in providing a funnel for water to enter the motorhome fabric. I have of course fully filled the hole with silicone mastic and put a silicone bead around the top and sides of the third brake light housing.
17, Fixed bed found not to be level. Head end was 25mm higher than foot end. Obviously incorrectly installed. Found out this was the reason the metal frame of the bed appeared to be twisted. When the mounting of the foot end of the bed corrected, the bed frame lay flat correctly and the bed felt flatter when in use. Mounting also had to re-inforced as it had started to deform (sag downwards). Later found this was due to the fixing reinforcing within the hollow wall had beed omitted.
18, The ‘Project 2000’ TV slide mechanism would not stay locked when travelling and would allow the TV to swing out alarmingly when turning left. Took mechanism down and found out it had been installed incorrectly. I had to file off some of the locking mechanism, so that it would work properly when re-installed, rather than re-fitting it correctly and having to drill new mounting points in the ceiling. There were many abandoned screw holes under the mechanism – as if the Chausson fitter had had several attempts at fitting the mechanism.
19, External locker door adjusted to even top and bottom gaps and ensure top weather strip in contact with motorhome body.
20, Gap with bathroom sliding door fixed after investigation and finding roller track had become unattached from roof. In the doorway there was two fixings only, with as said one completely failed – screw was stripped. Fixed with 4 new fixings – improved fixings with broad flat heads to support the door more evenly.
21, Screws in the table wall connection moulding where not put in flush and allowed to be protruding causing gouges in the wall mounted aluminium section.
22, Screws around the door footwell where put put in flush and allowed to protrude.
23, Some of the window external mastic is very poorly applied and unsightly.
24, Stay on external locker does not work. It cannot possibly work as the geometry is all wrong.
25, Two of the acrylic windows are not visually clear, badly distorting the view.
25, One of the above locker fixings in the TV slot is badly chipped and visible around the plastic cover.
26, Vertical cable trunking by kitchen sink is 6mm too short, leaving an unsightly gap.
27, The floor covering is clearly covering indentations and also has air bubbles where the covering has not fully adhered to the base floor.
28, Main habitation door retainer clip broke after 12 days use.
Great layout. Sometimes I even miss it, now that all the faults have been rectified. By myself - dealer useless.
unlike Mikes, mine was a Friday afternoon assembled van. So to put the other side of manufacturers failures, please see attached list of 28 faults from new.
1, Black hot-air duct cover under bed re-cut to allow ducting to connect properly to terminal under bed just outside bathroom door. The ducting was so stretched it was not fully home in the terminal and was allowing the hot air to escape in the under bed void.
2, Bathroom hot-air duct terminal fixed permanently to the wall (internal part of terminal – under bed). This kept dropping off, separating from the external part of the terminal. I also bedded the external part of the terminal with silicone to the shower wall. I would have thought this should have been done as the shower water would find its way into the wooden shower wall?
3, Thetford WC flush button bezel fixed properly. The cut-out in the wooden wall was too large, allowing the bezel to move and gape.
4, Shelf under the bed (next to wardrobe) not level. One of the support blocks needed re-fixing lower down to level the shelf.
5, Water piping and electrical ducting in WC housing needed re-distribution and discard of original fixing (this fixing did not allow the piping and ducting to be placed as close as possible to the supporting wall) and re-fixing to allow cassette to slide freely into housing.
6, Cupboard door above kitchen re-hung (lower) to hide clearly out of square frame of cupboard.
7, Dinette table – swing out leaf needed considerable adjustment to allow the lock to work.
8, Two hinges on wardrobe were faulty. These were swapped for good hinges taken from hinged shelves below that would not be used.
9, Door flyscreen needed external handle fitted. There is no external handle for the flyscreen, making it difficult to open from the outside. There is an internal handle.
10, Silicone beading needed on both sides of Kitchen worktop. There was a strip of plastic strip/beading at the rear of the worktop, but not the sides. However the bathroom worktop had the plastic strip/beading on all three sides.
11, Lock put on bathroom sliding door to stop door sliding open when travelling. The door is not fitted squarely, there is a gap at the top (4mm) when the door is shut. If this gap is closed with the magnetic strips in contact, the one side of the door is lifted off its roller.
12, 230v a.c. wiring in Consumer unit needed re-terminating. The cable clamps clamped the inner conductors only and not the cable sheath on all cables. This is a really bad electrical installation fault, showing no understanding by the fitter of electrical standards.
13, Horizontal external joint between Luton and panel between Fiat cab and conversion offside sidewall needed new mastic added. There was a clearly visible crack in the mastic along the whole original mastic joint.
14, It appears there should have been Velcro on the cab door pillars to stop cab curtains gaping when shut. I have added Velcro strips to match the existing Velcro strips on the curtains. If this is not the case, perhaps they should be added as standard to provide better privacy.
15, Needed to make solid removable panel behind the grill external ventilator. Why? Because cold air comes directly into the motorhome in even the lightest wind. It is uncomfortable. Also the electrical wiring for the grill can been seen easily from outside the motorhome. I would imagine that when cleaning the outside of the motorhome, the use of a water spray would result in the electrical wiring getting wet. This would happen because the ventilator grill is above head height.
16, The central third brake light. I decided to check the water proofing, as this third brake light is a well known water ingress weak point with many motorhome manufacturers. I found that the non-setting mastic had been put at the bottom only of the hole where the cables exit the motorhome body. This actually resulted in providing a funnel for water to enter the motorhome fabric. I have of course fully filled the hole with silicone mastic and put a silicone bead around the top and sides of the third brake light housing.
17, Fixed bed found not to be level. Head end was 25mm higher than foot end. Obviously incorrectly installed. Found out this was the reason the metal frame of the bed appeared to be twisted. When the mounting of the foot end of the bed corrected, the bed frame lay flat correctly and the bed felt flatter when in use. Mounting also had to re-inforced as it had started to deform (sag downwards). Later found this was due to the fixing reinforcing within the hollow wall had beed omitted.
18, The ‘Project 2000’ TV slide mechanism would not stay locked when travelling and would allow the TV to swing out alarmingly when turning left. Took mechanism down and found out it had been installed incorrectly. I had to file off some of the locking mechanism, so that it would work properly when re-installed, rather than re-fitting it correctly and having to drill new mounting points in the ceiling. There were many abandoned screw holes under the mechanism – as if the Chausson fitter had had several attempts at fitting the mechanism.
19, External locker door adjusted to even top and bottom gaps and ensure top weather strip in contact with motorhome body.
20, Gap with bathroom sliding door fixed after investigation and finding roller track had become unattached from roof. In the doorway there was two fixings only, with as said one completely failed – screw was stripped. Fixed with 4 new fixings – improved fixings with broad flat heads to support the door more evenly.
21, Screws in the table wall connection moulding where not put in flush and allowed to be protruding causing gouges in the wall mounted aluminium section.
22, Screws around the door footwell where put put in flush and allowed to protrude.
23, Some of the window external mastic is very poorly applied and unsightly.
24, Stay on external locker does not work. It cannot possibly work as the geometry is all wrong.
25, Two of the acrylic windows are not visually clear, badly distorting the view.
25, One of the above locker fixings in the TV slot is badly chipped and visible around the plastic cover.
26, Vertical cable trunking by kitchen sink is 6mm too short, leaving an unsightly gap.
27, The floor covering is clearly covering indentations and also has air bubbles where the covering has not fully adhered to the base floor.
28, Main habitation door retainer clip broke after 12 days use.
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