Own or owned an Approach 740 or 745 ?

[M-J]

This model is on the shortlist for buying as our first MH, any feedback (good or bad) or tips would be much appreciated.

 

[Simon Select]

This model is on the shortlist for buying as our first MH, any feedback (good or bad) or tips would be much appreciated.

I have 2 on my forecourt in Taunton if you want to have a look at either.

Simon

 

[M-J]

I have 2 on my forecourt in Taunton if you want to have a look at either.

Simon

Thanks for the reply but we would be looking at the 2012/13 type

 

[Solwaybuggier]

We had a 2013 740. In its favour, it’s very comfortable and spacious - albeit that the space derives from its greater than normal width, which can be a bit daunting on the road.
As against that, we had numerous problems with it, resulting in the van going back to Bailey for repairs to the damp. We were not impressed with the build quality and were very happy to trade it in before the water ingress warranty ended. We wouldn’t buy another. If you did buy one of this vintage I would strongly suggest you look for one with the water ingress warranty still in force and extended to 10 years. (When first introduced they had a 10 year ingress warranty subject to yearly hab checks by dealer - they reduced that to 6 years from around 2012, which could be extended to 10 for an extra charge.)
Sorry if this is more negative than you’d hoped (and I’m sure other Bailey owners will be very happy with their vans) but I can only speak from our experience.

 

[BobtheBass]

There were a lot of "caravan" sourced features on the first run of Approaches that were changed to more "motor home" like on the later Signatures. Even the shape looked more like a caravan in my eyes. We were very happy with our two Signatures but they really are w..i..d..e..... Worth going for a later model (2014 onwards I believe) just for the Alde heating system.

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[Purple2]

I concur with Solwaybuggier. I had a 2016 740 model and experienced damp issues.
Having said that I now have a 79-6 which is pretty damp free in relative terms as Bailey, it would appear have 'learned' from the early problems.
You asked for an honest opinion and thats all im giving, not Bailey bashing.

 

[Vic]

I had 2012 740 for four years and 30k+ miles. All ok until the last year hab check. Damp in bathroom and by hab door. All repaired under warranty. Only moved it on as I came into some money and wanted a van with a large garage.

 

[Daz n Tina]

We have a 2014 740 autograph for the last 3 years. We are very happy with the layout of the van and the Aldi heating system and have encountered very few problems. We did have a damp floor in the garage which was sorted under warranty and this was due to the locker door which was replaced.

It is always advisable with any van to either go armed with a damp meter or a independent specialist in that field.

You have to be mindful that lots of vans have had problems from all makes just look through this forum some costing more than twice as much as a bailey.

There are lots of happy bailey owners out there unfortunately you only tend to hear about the ones where there has been problems. Rightly so as it makes you aware of potential problems.

I would hope a van in the age bracket you are talking about has had any issues rectified. I would recommend buying from a reputable dealer who will continue with warranty work if it is within the time frame.

Would I buy another bailey, yes definitely.

There is a very knowledgeable base on the bailey motorhomes Facebook page and also vans come up for sale on that page.

 

[Jenka]

Never heard of a Bailey signature ? But I have owned and know plenty who have brought Bailey products over the years and yes problems occur with any product ,however I can say whole heartily Bailey warranty is very good and tend to get things rectified quite quickly but you do need a good dealer as they are the link to get the warranty duly sorted.
Good luck with your search.

 

[BobtheBass]

Never heard of a Bailey signature ? But I have owned and know plenty who have brought Bailey products over the years and yes problems occur with any product ,however I can say whole heartily Bailey warranty is very good and tend to get things rectified quite quickly but you do need a good dealer as they are the link to get the warranty duly sorted.
Good luck with your search.

Sorry it was my attempt at weak humour. They are called Autographs but we called ours Signatures and the name just stuck....

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[Jenka]

Lol thanks Bob at least better than Orca as most call them

 

[DLT]

We had a 750 Autograph Signature 2014 no problem. We now have a Autograph 79/4t
have had few teething problems but all sorted

 

[Delboyarapaho]

We haven't had one but looked very seriously before buying our first MoHo. What put us off was lack of storage space for chairs, BBQ, ramps, hose, table, and wine & Beer. Think very carefully about what you will travel with before buying as they build them so low there are no/very few lockers around the vehicles or any size compared to many other manufacturers. Glad we didn't buy because we struggled with all we travel with in a 27ft long Autotrail Arapaho so for us it would have been a huge (and expensive) mistake

 

[Ingwe]

Well, we don't have the model you have but we have a 2012 620 Approach and have had no major problems with damp or anything else. The van had done 5,000 miles when we got it and we've now done nearly 27,000 miles.
We don't have a good word to say about the dealer we bought it from however. Once they'd got the sale they weren't helpful at all.
Good luck with your new motorhome.

 

[Ockerron]

We have a 2012 Bailey 745se, bought in 2014 and have had only one problem with it in 4 1/2 years, and that was the air-bag light coming on. Had the ecu repaired and no problem since. Yes they are wide but easy to used to. Not had any damp issues.
Ps Due to family circumstances our 'van is up for sale.

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[Solwaybuggier]

We haven't had one but looked very seriously before buying our first MoHo. What put us off was lack of storage space for chairs, BBQ, ramps, hose, table, and wine & Beer. Think very carefully about what you will travel with before buying as they build them so low there are no/very few lockers around the vehicles or any size compared to many other manufacturers. Glad we didn't buy because we struggled with all we travel with in a 27ft long Autotrail Arapaho so for us it would have been a huge (and expensive) mistake

We actually found the storage on our 740 quite reasonable - ramps, chairs, hoses etc all slotted in under the bed, accessed via external locker. The under bed storage is not properly boxed in, though, meaning water pump etc could be vulnerable- some people made their own boxing, I think. (Later models addressed this issue.) Plenty of room for bbq, and wine/beer under the lounge seating, although that is a bit of a pain to access.
Obviously not as good as a proper garage type storage, but manageable.

 

[Korgrocker]

We had a 2013 745. Only negative was the AlKo chassis - very hard ride and we felt every bump as a jarring crash. This caused the microwave to emit a high-pitched squeak every time we hit a bump until it finally shook loose and had to be reattached through the four screws holding it underneath. I gave up in the end and made a frame for the supporting shelf that I then screwed the microwave into. But then the shelf started to come adrift. Must confess it beat me and we traded it in for an Elddis Encore 285. No problems with that. Peugeot chassis is giving a softer ride and almost no rattles.