My wife and I just sold our caravan last week and we are now in the process of looking at campervans. We saw this lovely Citroen Relay at the weekend and it had everything that we were looking for – price, layout, rear toilet, size, colour – but there is a fly in the ointment.
My wife had read that when looking at a van you shouldn’t be afraid to move cushions etc to get into all the nooks and crannies and check for damage and damp and she did just that, asking the owner if it was ok first, and everything was coming up fine until she got to the area under a bench cushion where the water heater and pump along with all the pipes and connections are located. She found that it was damp, almost wet, under the plywood that everything sat on and I had a feel as well getting my fingers right underneath and yes it was not only damp but I would say wet.
The owner, who seems a nice person, looked disconcerted about what we had discovered. The van is obviously well kept by the owner and his wife in fact it looks pristine and I tend to believe him when he said that this area of wetness was a surprise to him. The van had been sitting for two weeks since their last short trip.
My feeling is that there is a very slow leak from the water heater or pump and that this is causing the problem. I don’t think there is any water ingress from anywhere causing this. Everywhere else in the van as far as we could tell is dry and there is no smell of damp at all. There is no habitation report for the van.
I called him later on that day and said that I would like to buy the van on condition that the area that was wet was repaired and the cause identified.
Anyway I would appreciate any thoughts that members may have on this. This is a big purchase for us and we don’t want to be left with a white elephant if we go ahead and buy then have to sell at a loss later in the year.
cheers Martin
My wife had read that when looking at a van you shouldn’t be afraid to move cushions etc to get into all the nooks and crannies and check for damage and damp and she did just that, asking the owner if it was ok first, and everything was coming up fine until she got to the area under a bench cushion where the water heater and pump along with all the pipes and connections are located. She found that it was damp, almost wet, under the plywood that everything sat on and I had a feel as well getting my fingers right underneath and yes it was not only damp but I would say wet.
The owner, who seems a nice person, looked disconcerted about what we had discovered. The van is obviously well kept by the owner and his wife in fact it looks pristine and I tend to believe him when he said that this area of wetness was a surprise to him. The van had been sitting for two weeks since their last short trip.
My feeling is that there is a very slow leak from the water heater or pump and that this is causing the problem. I don’t think there is any water ingress from anywhere causing this. Everywhere else in the van as far as we could tell is dry and there is no smell of damp at all. There is no habitation report for the van.
I called him later on that day and said that I would like to buy the van on condition that the area that was wet was repaired and the cause identified.
Anyway I would appreciate any thoughts that members may have on this. This is a big purchase for us and we don’t want to be left with a white elephant if we go ahead and buy then have to sell at a loss later in the year.
cheers Martin
and it might not be up to my wife's high standards. Would suit me down to the ground though as I spoke to the owner and its insulated ready for winter use with diesel heater, has a bike rack and tow bar with scooter holder as well. Owner used it to go back and forth to his farm in France every year. Has had it remapped for economy and gets 40mpg with 80 mph at 2000 rpm. He was totally up front about it being basic. Also does the Fiat not have a chain timing belt - I checked them out online and one site said this.
