Pre-Purchase Inspection

Compare VIN on the manufacturer's plate, chassis stamping and registration document

Red flag: VIN mismatch, ground or peened chassis stamping, plate rivets disturbed. Walk away if you cannot verify provenance.

UK only: run a CRiS check on the chassis number

Red flag: outstanding finance, theft marker, write-off record — the lender still owns the van.

EU: verify Fahrzeugbrief / Carte Grise / technický průkaz original is present and ownership chain matches

Red flag: mismatched ownership chain, missing original document, photocopy only.

Read the service book — habitation, gas, damp check stamps every 12 months

Red flag: multi-year gaps, especially in damp checks, void any manufacturer water-ingress warranty.

Confirm a current gas certificate (G607 in DE, habitation check in UK) within 24 months

Red flag: no certificate, expired more than 24 months, no record of remedial work after a fail.

Cross-check VIN against open recalls (KBA Germany, DVSA UK, importer)

Red flag: open recall not actioned. Notable example: Knaus/Weinsberg semi-integrated B-pillar fairing recall affects motorhomes, not towed caravans.

Search the VIN against published emissions-defeat litigation lists (wohnmobil-schadensersatz.de et al.)

Affects mainly motorhomes but premium tow vehicles and caravan add-ons can be implicated. Resale-value risk; environmental-zone access risk.

Ask for the last 2–3 annual damp reports with readings per location

Red flag: rising readings year-on-year, missing intervening years, or 'pass' with no figures.

Photograph the weight plate: MiRO, MTPLM, max axle load, max nose load

Verify the plate values match the registration document and any homologation certificate

Red flag: registration weight differs from plate — could be re-plated, modified, or have an undocumented chassis upgrade.

Calculate real-world payload (MTPLM − MiRO) and subtract owner-fitted heavy accessories

Red flag: payload eroded below 100 kg by motor mover, second leisure battery, satellite, aircon. You cannot pack the van.

Where possible, weigh the caravan on a public weighbridge and compare unladen weight to the plate

Discrepancies above ~30 kg without explanation are a red flag.

Brand check: Fendt caravans frequently have real-world payload under 200 kg — verify carefully

Documented Fendt issue: AL-KO axle often at its rated limit before owner accessories are added.

Walk around the van in raking light looking for ripples, dimples, hail dimpling and star cracks

Red flag: dimpling along the sidewall (frame movement), star cracks at high-stress corners (impact damage).

Knuckle-tap exterior wall panels and roof — listen for a uniform thud vs hollow note

Red flag: hollow note indicates delamination of the sandwich skin from its core (£3k–£15k repair).

Inspect every panel edge, corner moulding and joint cover for skin lifting

Red flag: outer skin separating from the substrate — delamination is progressive.

Inspect decal edges for lifting, blistering and corrosion underneath

Brand check: Bailey Pegasus (2010–2013) — aluminium front panel, look for stone-chip dimples and decal-edge blistering

Red flag: once decal is removed, corrosion blisters surface under the aluminium skin.

Brand check: Bailey Alu-Tech — inspect the outside skin around every Alu-Tech fixing bracket for hairline cracks

Brand check: Swift / Sterling (2010–2015) — inspect upper rear corners for star cracks

Red flag: ABS supplier of this era cracked at top corners. Swift moved back to GRP rear panels from MY2016.

Brand check: Adria — look for hairline cracks around ABS front/rear bracket areas and stone-chip blistering

Less prevalent than UK-built equivalents; treat as a check-for, not a known defect by model. Adria's 10-year water-ingress warranty depends on annual habitation service.

Inspect every roof seam, antenna and rooflight surround — sealant should be pliable, not cracked or shrunken

Red flag: cracked Sikaflex, brittle butyl tape, lifted edges, white efflorescence at fasteners.

Inspect solar-panel mount feet and gland sealant where cables enter the roof

Red flag: cable gland sealant cracked — direct water path to wiring loom.

Inspect the full awning rail externally for lifted sealant and pull-tested screws

Red flag: sealant missing behind rail, corrosion at rivets, internal damp meter spike along the rail line.

Brand check: Hymer-Eriba Touring/Feeling — lift awning-rail end caps at the front centre and inspect sealant

Awning-rail piping transition across the front centre commonly fails and water tracks down behind the front-window seals.

Brand check: Fendt — run a finger along the roof-to-side rubber piping (Dichtungsschlauch) for lifting or cracks

Rubber piping between roof skin and plastic edge trim works loose and admits water under the awning rail.

Brand check: Hobby — press the roof-to-rear-wall joint strip ('Anschlussleiste'); it must not lift

Classic 'Hobbykrankheit': the joint strip between roof and rear wall is the leak point; water tracks into rear corners.

Take damp-meter readings systematically at every wall–floor junction, all four corners, around every window and rooflight, both sides of the door, beneath every grab handle and awning-rail screw line

Red flag thresholds (Caravan & Motorhome Club): 0–15% OK, 15–20% monitor, 20–24% likely early ingress, 25–30% remedial work required, 31%+ structural damage. Any reading above 20% must be priced into the offer.

Tap-test the rear panel and lower wall edges; meter the floor/wall junction inside every locker and under fixed beds

Red flag: hollow tap sound, soft plywood at locker floors, tide marks inside heater locker.

Meter all four corners of every window and rooflight, internally and externally

Red flag: soft cill underneath, dark staining on wallboard below, peeling lining.

Lift wallpaper, push into corners, lift cushion bases — surface readings can read low when rot is deeper

Red flag: blistering wallboard despite a low surface reading — moisture has migrated.

Lift every cushion and bed base; meter the timber underneath; sniff for mustiness

Red flag: black mould under base, condensation tide marks on plywood.

Brand check: Hymer-Eriba Touring — lift carpet at the front nearside corner and meter the floor-to-wall junction; visually inspect tubular steel frame from inside floor lockers

Aluminium skin over a steel tubular frame with thin ply floor — water reaches floor-to-wall bolt holes and rots ply, then attacks the steel cage.

Brand check: Knaus Südwind — meter inside the front wall left and right of the window; open the gas locker and inspect floor and hatch seal

Bugpartie is the most cited weak point — water enters around the front window frame, gas-locker hatch and Kederleiste.

Brand check: Tabbert Puccini — meter the kitchen carcass sides and base; inspect Heki rooflight seals from outside

Heki rooflights and surrounding seams leak; water tracks down into the kitchen unit causing chipboard swelling.

Brand check: Dethleffs Camper / Nomad / Beduin — meter all four floor corners; check grab-rail screw heads for halo staining

Caravaning rates body/structure defect rate around 39% — driven by window-frame and grab-handle leaks; corner floor rot is the typical end state.

Brand check: Weinsberg CaraOne — damp-meter behind rear-light positions from inside the rear locker

Rear light housings let water into the rear panel; multiple owners report damp around rear lights within 1–2 years.

Brand check: LMC Style/Musica — open every external hatch and examine inner ply for waves; meter floor from front corner to wheel arch

LMC service hatches do not stay weathertight beyond 3–4 years; rot progresses from the front corner along to the wheel arch.

Brand check: Bailey Alu-Tech — meter the inside floor at all four corners; lift internal corner trim; inspect ABS corner caps for displacement

Plastic ABS corner trims trap water between bodyside and trim; water tracks into floor-ply corners. Persistent across Alu-Tech generations.

Walk every square foot of the floor in stockinged feet — feel for sponginess and give

Red flag: spongy plywood under cooker, around shower tray, in front of habitation door — almost always from a roof, plumbing or door-step leak.

Press the gas locker floor, front locker, battery locker — check around drain grommets

Red flag: soft timber, water staining at drain holes.

Inspect the AL-KO chassis from underneath for road-salt corrosion at axle stubs, handbrake linkage and shock-absorber mounts

Surface 'white rust' is cosmetic. Road salt left unwashed causes real corrosion at axle stub and brake linkage.

Inspect A-frame welds and the jockey-wheel clamp mount for cracks

Red flag: cracks at jockey-wheel mount, bent or twisted A-frame.

Brand check: Hobby — probe ply where rear bumper meets floor from underneath

Rear bumper bolted directly under the floor edge creates a closed pocket that retains water against the underside.

Brand check: Swift Challenger/Conqueror (pre-SMART HT) — tap-test along edges; pay attention under cooker and at doorway

Spongy or delaminating sandwich floors with plywood top/bottom and EPS core. Swift factory remediation has historically taken 6–8 weeks.

Read the 4-digit DOT code on every tyre (WW/YY) and the spare

Replace caravan tyres at 5–6 years regardless of tread depth. Red flag: tyres over 6 years old, sidewall cracking, mismatched DOT dates per axle.

With wheel off the ground, rock at 12/6 o'clock for play; spin to listen for bearing noise

Red flag: rumble, lateral play, scored bearings, grease past the seals.

Check brake-lining wear through the backplate inspection hole (BPW: SN420/SN360 5 mm limit; SN300 7 mm)

If Knott axle: verify overrun cable runs freely and brake balance left-to-right

Hitch onto towball and push handle down — arrows visible below the recess = side pads OK; arrows above = pads worn

Red flag: pads under 3 mm, grease/oil contamination (must be replaced, cannot be cleaned), cracks in pad material.

View the front of the AKS handle — green visible below red = OK; only red showing = front/rear pads worn

If shock absorbers are fitted to the axle, visually check for oil weep and bounce-test each corner

Wind the jockey wheel through full travel; check clamp pinch bolt and shaft

Red flag: stripped thread, bent shaft.

Wind each corner steady through full travel; check for stripped thread or bent leg

Open door at full extension and observe gap to frame; check every locking point engages (top, middle, bottom on multipoint locks)

Red flag: door sags so upper/lower bolts don't engage even though the handle turns — false-secure condition.

If Hartal: operate key from outside and lever from inside — feel for binding

Red flag: stiff or binding cylinder (common — central shaft binds in plastic housing); plastic surround swelling against barrel.

Turn every Zadi/Hartal external locker lock; check door alignment with body

Brand check: Weinsberg CaraOne — with the door closed, look for daylight at the strike and hinge sides; pull the door at the handle to test for movement

Documented issue: the door cutout is sometimes larger than the door frame, leading to poor seal and frame movement.

Brand check: LMC — visually confirm an external door perimeter seal; look for algae streaks below the door frame

Some LMC ranges omit an external door perimeter seal that competitors include — leads to water/algae in door gap, freeze damage in winter.

Brand check: Fendt — open and close all locks twice from cold; operate fly-screen door full travel

Bent/sticking door locks, gas-locker locks needing replacement, fly-screen doors failing to seal are repeated reports.

Inspect every Seitz/Dometic Heki dome for crazing and cracks at hinge mounting points

Red flag: star cracks from hail, cracks radiating from hinge, latch failing to hold at travel position.

Wind each rooflight fully open and closed — check for binding

Red flag: seized winder (common fault), missing detents.

Inspect every acrylic side window for spider crazing, especially at frame corners; check for cloudy double-acrylic delamination

Red flag: deep crazing reducing visibility, cloudy interior between panes.

Pull each blind and flyscreen fully and release slowly

Red flag: retraction springs lost, fabric torn at edges, blind jams.

Brand check: Tabbert Da Vinci — check the supplier IGU recall has been actioned with Tabbert via VIN; inspect for fogging or displaced panes

A window-supplier defect (loose IGU bonding) led to a cross-manufacturer recall affecting Da Vinci units in the mid-2010s.

Brand check: Bürstner — hand-press each window frame for movement; inspect inner rubber lip at corners for shrinkage

Window frames work loose on the wall; rubber seals have shorter life than competitors.

Confirm a current gas certificate (G607 per DIN EN 1949 in DE, equivalent elsewhere) valid within the past 24 months

Read the date stamp on the regulator — mandatory replacement at 10 years per DVGW G 607

Red flag: regulator over 10 years from manufacture date; no legible date stamp.

Check the date stamp on every flexible gas hose — replace at 10 years

Red flag: cracking on flex, undated hose, hose touching exhaust or hot surfaces.

Witness a pressure-drop leak test per EN 1949; spray-test each appliance joint

Confirm gas locker drain hole(s) are unobstructed and exit clear of any habitation aperture

Red flag: blocked drain, drain modified or sealed (illegal), debris collecting.

Confirm each fixed appliance is EN-compliant (CE/UKCA marked) and flues terminate externally

Red flag: aftermarket appliance without certification, flue routed through habitation void.

Pre-2004 fixed-cylinder installations may pre-date EN 1949 — expect outdated regulator and old hoses

Replace regulator and hoses before use regardless of appearance.

Press the RCD test button and confirm it trips and resets cleanly; confirm MCBs sized appropriately

Red flag: RCD fails to trip in time, missing or mismatched MCBs, arcing marks on the consumer unit.

Measure leisure battery rest voltage — should be ≥12.7 V (≥12.8 V AGM)

Red flag: rest below 12.4 V, swollen or leaking casing. Typical lead-acid life 4–6 years; LiFePO4 over 10 years.

Apply a known load — voltage should not drop below ~12.0 V; verify the battery holds capacity through a discharge cycle

Red flag: sag to ≤10 V under load — battery needs replacement before any motor mover use.

If Schaudt Elektroblock: test 12V outputs, mains charging output, behaviour with solar input

Red flag: EBL99 mains-charge fault, 12V output failure, burnt connector pins, charge voltage above 15 V (often EBL402 solar regulator).

If CBE / Nordelettronica: same outputs and charger function; verify panel indications match measured voltages

Verify solar regulator output matches the battery type setting; inspect MC4 connectors

Red flag: regulator output above 15 V to battery, gland sealant cracked at roof entry.

Test every socket, light and USB under load; inspect the EHU socket for burn marks

Red flag: discoloured or melted socket face, intermittent operation when wiggled.

If a motor mover is fitted, inspect motor terminals for corrosion, rollers for free rotation, and the wiring/fuse path back to the battery

Fill the fresh tank and check for weeps; drain the waste tank and look for cracks at the drain valve

Red flag: hairline cracks (frost damage), heavy biofilm, smell after flushing.

Run every tap — pump should prime quickly and not short-cycle

Red flag: pump cycles with taps closed (check-valve failure), low pressure (worn diaphragm), screaming pump (dry or clogged inlet strainer).

If Truma Combi: verify the FrostControl valve closes below ~3 °C and can be reset by hand; check service history of the boiler

Red flag: valve dumps water erratically, no service stamps. Common fault codes E01 (low water pressure), E02–E04 (burner/flue), E212H (combustion air/exhaust blockage).

Flex visible runs of cold pipework

Red flag: hardened or yellowed PEX / Whale Quickconnect, crazing at fittings.

Every tap should activate the pump (microswitch) or pressure pump; check for drips at the spout base

On any Thetford cassette toilet over 4–6 years since seal replacement, expect the lip seal at end-of-life

Red flag: slide stiff, seal cracked or 'rolling', water/odour bypass.

If Truma Combi: light from cold on gas and on electric, verify both elements; check exhaust terminal undamaged

Red flag: E01–E04, E89H (fan/motor/PCB), repeat ignition failure.

If Alde: check expansion-tank fluid colour and odour. Blue G11: replace every 2 years. Pink Alde Premium: every 5 years

Red flag: turbid or 'fishy' fluid, no record of change — acidic fluid corrodes aluminium internals.

If Alde: inspect every radiator joint, expansion-tank level and circulation pump operation

Red flag: weep at joints, low expansion-tank level, noisy or non-circulating pump.

If Webasto/Eberspächer diesel heater: cold-start, listen for healthy fan ramp; smoke only at startup

Red flag: persistent white smoke (unburned fuel), repeated lockouts (glow plug/coking), exhaust corrosion holes.

Inspect external flue cowl and pipe for corrosion holes and loose clamps

Red flag: soot deposits on bodywork around the flue, perforations.

Run hot water from the mixer tap on each energy source; verify thermostat range

Where the heater controller exposes an hour count, read it and compare to the van's age

Run an absorption fridge on all three energy sources for ≥6 hours; verify temperature drop. Confirm the van is level

Red flag: crusty yellow ammonia deposit at rear or inside (cooling unit replacement), won't cool on gas, won't cool on 12 V while driving. Absorption units lose ~40% efficiency past 3° tilt.

Toggle AES/MES through gas / 12 V / 230 V — auto-mode should select based on availability

Remove external vent; inspect burner for soot, spider webs and blockages

Red flag: heavy soot indicates poor combustion or vent obstruction.

Banknote test the fridge door seal on all four sides

If a 12 V compressor fridge: verify start-up draw and steady current; check fan operation if forced

Red flag: won't start (low-voltage cut-out triggered), excessive frost build-up (door seal or thermostat).

Press cushions firmly; observe rebound and look for crumbling under covers

Red flag: foam stays compressed, powdery residue (UV breakdown).

Open access panels behind beds and wardrobes; check timber framing for darkening

Red flag: black or grey timber, fungal smell, fastener heads disappearing into soft wood.

Open and close every drawer and locker; check that latches engage

Inspect upholstery fabric and headlining for wear, stains, or detached panels

Brand check: Bürstner Premio/Averso Plus — operate the drop-down (Hubbett) bed fully twice; inspect latch engagement and fabric trim sleeve

Drop-down ceiling bed is engineered to the limit; latch fails to engage securely, fabric trim tears out of mounting rail.

Hitch onto the tow car — AKS handle should engage smoothly with no clunk when pulling away

Red flag: excess fore-aft slack at low speed (worn front/rear pads), snatching.

At a steady 80–90 km/h on a quiet stretch, perform a lane-change test

Red flag: yaw not damping out within one cycle — friction pads worn or hitch fitted incorrectly.

Apply the tow car's brakes gently at 30 km/h — the caravan should pull back smoothly via overrun

Red flag: snatching (cable seized), no bite (out of adjustment).

Test all 13-pin electrics: side lights, brake, fog, reverse, indicators, fridge supply on D+

Test the motor mover: with rollers off the tyres run the handset directions, then with rollers engaged do a full forward/back/spot-turn on level ground. Voltage at the motors should stay 12–13 V

Red flag: voltage sags below 12 V under load (battery EoL), motors stall above ~120 A peak, corroded terminals.

Inspect the breakaway cable for fraying and a working clip