We had a Swift Challenger 2008 for many years. Hardly any issues, until water ingress started. In 2022 we bought a Bailey Unicorn Vigo. I love the set up but like you, a range of build failures. We bought local and repairs and replacement parts have and still are on going. It has been back to the factory once and into the dealer workshop 3 times. But, having long trips 5 to 9 weeks at a time, it makes you worry about what's next. These caravans are not cheap, but chatting to a Dutch couple last year, they too have had problems with their continental built van. The lesson if there is one, is to buy local, service local for warranty repairs and get the extended warranty. Shame, but we're banging heads on a wall hoping for change.

Single axle caravans tend to shake themselves to bits worse than twin axle due to higher tyre pressures and 'bouncing'. Had no trouble with twins, but bits fell off singles all the time.

We have a dealer special Swift, exact same layout and year as yours. Luckily a local dealer agreed to carry out warranty work for us. They have been amazing and we have had no problems getting repairs under warranty. However I totally agree about build quality, so far we have had - replacement front locker door, front large blind, replacement cooker where it shook itself out of the kitchen, new shower head, door blind and we have higher than normal damp readings at the rear of the van which are being monitored!

Had a Swift caravan from new, followed by a pre-owned Bessacarr motorhome, followed by a Swift motorhome from new and still owned. All had minor niggles, but none were as bad as the experience described here. Prior, I had Autotrail motorhomes which also had minor niggles, and a Bailey motorhome that I sold after one year when it developed serious damp issues. All caravan/motorhome manufacturers refer customers with problems to dealers. Dealers will only respond to warranty problems if they sold the vehicle because all the manufacturers are reluctant to reimburse them with their reasonable costs. In any event, a customer's contract is with the dealer, not the manufacturer. In these post covid times, many dealers can sell products very easily, and poor service is not only a feature of the caravan industry.

I'm amazed at the shoddy build quality of your van. We have a 2012 Lunar Lexon, which we bought in 2013. Its had 10 years of regular use, and apart from the odd little issue, like a wardrobe hinge that broke and the loo flush pump seized up, its been a brilliant van. We were thinking of upgrading to a newer van as we have owned it for 10 years now, but I'm having second thoughts! You would have thought build quality would have improved over the last 10 years, but I wonder if manufacturers paying their employees "piece work" to churn out rubbish as fast as they can has something to do with your issues?

We downsized to a two berth Bailey Pheonix 420 last December. Like you, we are experiencing shocking build quality to put it politely. Most faults I have fixed myself but over six months later we are still waiting for replacement parts and a date when the dealer can action the repairs. Double whammy here with poor build from Bailey and indifferent service from the supplying dealer. We've been caravaning for thirty years and it's the last van (new) we'll be buying.

Sorry to hear of your troubles. We've had several swift products over the years, 2 of which were sterling variants of your van , a 2013 model which was still timber framed, then a 2015 model which had the so called ' smart' construction. Needless to say the 2013 model was better made than the 2015. On the whole you need to buy from a good local dealer who will look after you. The oven on our 2015 Eccles sport 586 wasn't working on our arrival in Cornwall after a 400 mile tow. I rang my dealer ' couplands caravans ' and they arranged a fitter from Atlantic caravans to sort it out. Couldn't ask for anymore. Having made motorhomes for a living for many years, and having a few contacts scattered around, i can tell you that swift are not the same company as they used to be. Once Peter Smith sold up they went downhill bigtime.

It is very disappointing to see this. Here in Japan, UK made caravans have such a bad reputation, they are simply not sold here anymore. The biggest brands dominating the Japanese caravan market are Hobby, Adria, Caravelair, Knaus, Fendt and of course, Hymer. Hobby and Adria being the most common by far. The Brexit debate of 'should we or shouldn't we' is long over. However, what I will say is that no matter how many trade deals the UK makes with other countries, if UK manufacturers don't pull their socks up and start getting serious about quality control then no matter the trade deal, the benefits of Brexit or whatever, the products are simply not going to sell. Naturally, there are good companies within the UK, but there are far too many that happily contribute to the 'Made in UK = Break Anywhere, Anytime' reputation and spoil it for the rest. I am in the process of finalising my choice of caravan and have whittled that selection down to a UK manufacturer (not Swift), but the quality issue of UK caravans is bothering me. Perhaps I should go back and look at Adria or Knaus (they have what I would like) and whilst they too are likely not without their issues, are probably going to have a higher probability of not disappointing within the first 6 months. It is a pity.

Had my Sterling (Swift by another name) for 6 years, same faults and more, dealers are shocking just don’t get this if you don’t buy it from that dealer they refuse to help. My next van will also be continental.

I agree. I have a Swift Major 4EB 2018. My dealer is about 1. hour 15 mins away. Wrote to Swift and got the same response, not interested see dealer. Have had various issues, heating pipe dropped off underneath, brakes squealing (replaced the pads), front locker opener fell off. Worst though was last year, took winter cover off and took battery home to recharge properly which was fortunate as I went back the next day when it was raining. The whole of the inside nearside rear wall was streaming with water (yes waterfall level). The seal on the roof have shrunk to such an extent that the water poured in. My service guy said it was just poor workmanship. I did a temp repair and the dealer temped it further so I could use it but it was 6 months before it was fixed. Eventually fixed with a new full rail and reseal. They also replaced the decal over the front window which was bubbling and pealing off. Also replaced a front side window seal which now doesn't quite fit at the top. Trying to get it fixed under warranty, might be window warped in heat, replacement £300 if they cant cover it!! Wish I had gone for a second hand better make.

I don’t think the blame is entirely with swift. Like many have asked were your wheels actually balanced ? Did you regularly check tyre pressures? It sounds as though you have given it a very rough ride around Europe in very hot weather and not much care. Now you are trying to put people off buying a swift when Im sure most uk brands would look a bit less than pristine after a trip like that if not properly cared for along the way. Blaming parts not made by swift isn’t fair either , decals ( which will blister in severe heat when left facing the sun for a period) cooker, jockey wheel, outside flaps etc etc all these are bought in and would be of the same quality on other uk vans. Any dealer who does work on it wont be paid if you didn’t buy it from them , thats why we buy near home . They struggle to get their own jobs done in the busy months anyway. Modern caravans are built now to be as light as possible so not as robust as older vans or most German vans. You chose a budget range from Swift so very unfair to compare to a foreign top of the range far more expensive caravan. Maybe given the type of trips you were planning you should have chosen differently and also treated the van with more care along the way ?

We traded in a coachman that we had from new 2019 675 and bought a second hand swift elegance 2015 and are very happy with it. Would definitely buy swift again

Motorhomes are the same bud, I bought an AutoTrail had exactly the same thing must have had 50 problems it’s taken a year of going back and forth to the dealers to sort it and they still have 5 things to do now. I’d never but another AutoTrail however one of the dealers said they are all the same his words were”they are all problematic 🙄”

We bought a 5yr old challenger 580 se ,first time out and while we were out water fitting failed under rear sink ,we got a new fitting and a new set of carpets . I could of taken it back but my instinct was only the bare repair would be done so I went front to back replacing g all the fittings with the superior black ones with the ss clip inside c/w pipe ferruls and "cyclops and secured the rear pipes to a block to prevent vibration ,I also put a well lit secondary w/pump switch near the sink to save knackering the panel switch as we now turn the water off when we leave the van .I have also had to re secure the front floor to the van body, what I found the manufacturer had done was nothing short of pathetic in the building of the front end - my repair and enhanced fasteners it should last for long time .as regards other things yes we to have things falling off and yes it's all down to quite poor and cost cutting measures now remedied . I think it's case of don't just screw it back on improve it then it won't happen again .Will I buy another NO ,will I sell this one not in a hurry .

Great vlog thanks. I bought a swift 530 challenger 2019 same issues or similar, including screeching braking system. Asked swift about all the issues. They were completely uninterested and unhelpful. I am waiting for a repair from the repair company for damp issues at the rear of the van. Under the warranty, 6 months later, it's going in next month. Build quality is very poor. Entry lever or not, the caravan should be of an acceptable standard. I'm selling it to buy a motorhome. Hopefull, with better quality standards. Cheers

I agree so much.we had to repairs slats too. We have a useless cooker knob.the water has caused us so much trouble and cash.we had the shower soap panel taken off twice as a leak was behind it.I the front panel has lost its gloss so have the other sprites on site.never again .

Had a brand new Swift Caravan 12 years ago. Conqueror 565 From picking it up to the storage site headboard fell off then on closer examination settee/Bed wasn't built properly. Then the real problems started damp the dealer we bought it from had gone bust. So had to sort it my self, Wardrobe door fell off. And other numerous problems. Did keep it for 12 years. But on trading it in the dreaded damp had returned. Bottom line all manufacturers are crap, Our friends bought a brand new Bailey last year £34,000 and they have had numerous serious faults and issues.

I worked for one of their dealers, for two weeks, our boss used to tell customers they are not meant to be towed, just parked on a site.

Bought a brand new 28000 pound swift last year after having a German Burstner from 2001 which was superbly built. Kept the swift only 3 months as we could see that issues with build quality were becoming evident, such as seating was sagging and creasing from day one which seems to be quite a common fautland doors not shutting properly which was a worry as we had hoped to keep it for 10 years. Traded it in for a 2019 Adria adora Isonzo which is like a Rolls Royce in comparison and still looks and feels brand new. Would never buy a van made in UK which is sad I think Swift Bailey etc should have a good look at how Adrias are built and copy good engineering and quality!

We bought a brand-new coachman back in March 2023. After the second time we used it. The bedroom window fell out the smoke alarm needed new batteries like you say with swift, the build quality is terrible. I’ve come to the conclusion that all dealers are as bad Wandahome told us to speak to Coachman They were just not interested.

To be honest one day at a dealer and all those faults could be fixed, the advice has always been to buy local. Even with our German Motorhome I have to fix minor faults myself which I would rather do than send to the dealer.

Totally agree I e gone from a coachman to a swift and what was I thinking. Poor poor quality and will never ever buy a swift again. Spoilt many of our holidays in the first year. Shocking.

After 3 motorhomes , 2 of which were new and 1 new caravan over a 15 year period we have called it a day. Loved the lifestyle but worry and disapointment outweighed this. Lots of stress , especially with Swift. Had to pressure them that much on forums to get a major damp issue sorted. I had to sign a gagging order to get the work done. They don't like the negative press. Anyway i worked out that i am £90k out of pocket. It seems that uk manufacturers aren't really learning from their mistakes. I'm glad I'm out of it now. Started renting statics. Less worry.

Blimey if you do go continental we bought a Hobby 700km away but have needed nothing done in 8,000km - shocks etc as standard, super happy with it - good luck

It’s not just there caravans we had a Swift Kontiki 2021 awful build quality bits falling off all over the place. My dealer order the parts still waiting 18months later,which is great as I sold the van last year.Bought a Cathago absolutely stunning ,one year 8k around Europe not a single fault. Definitely go European brand chalk and cheese.The happiest trip was the day I waved it goodbye off the drive.

Hiya Mark. Bought a Motorhome, Swift Compact C404, in August 2020 from a Swift dealer...... zero after sales, rep said it's all happened to mine as well. Very reassuring! The cooker wouldn't work when we picked it up, drawers won't open or close properly. But the worst is the Swift Command Control panel. Man I've gone grey haired with piece of crap. Equipment icons disappear regularly. I have to calibrate regularly, it loses Bluetooth all the time. It won't stay connected to the Tram heating control panel adjacent to it. It is a piece of shite! My wife and I paid high £40k's. I would never ever buy a Swift motor home ever and would advise anybody not to buy them. This experience hasn't been pleasurable which is the point of motor homing I would just. i feel for you man.

Like someone else has said, it's hard to level the blame at Swift for the outside services (water etc) as they are made by other companies, same as the oven and jockey wheel, not sure if your van has shock absorbers but I think the main issue with caravans is that the wheels aren't balanced, I'm pretty sure that all main stream UK caravans are built to a similar standard (which isn't very good), I completely agree with you about the Swift dealers though, we have a piece of trim above the overhead locker that has snapped meaning the locker door has fallen off, we can't buy the piece of trim online (we could buy through Prima Leisure if it was a Bailey) and the only way to purchase the trim is through a swift dealer, our local dealer aren't interested in getting back to us though and I assume that's because we didn't buy the van from them.

I have a friend who does insurance warranty repairs and he was telling me that all the brands of caravans that he is doing repairs on including water ingress that were built 2018 to 2020 during the covid period and the demand for caravans and motorhomes boomed the quality of build was less than expected possibly due to the high demand and manufacturer's getting them out the factory. So it's not just swift. This friend has a £100k A class defleffs 2018 motorhome at his workshop right now that had horrendous water ingress in the cab area down the wall and around the door. the over cab bed will no longer be able to be used as the strength even after repair will no longer be there to have a bed in use over the cab. £5K worth of work to get it back on the road. So it's not just swift even the so called better made European manufacturers have issues also. Hope in the year you uploaded this everything has been seen too

Well said! We shouldn’t have to put up with such shoddy workmanship. I moved house and I’m 4 miles from an Elddis dealer but they won’t service it because I didn’t buy it from them! It’s like going back to the 70s standards of service and quality - that’s why all car manufacturers are foreign. My Elddis Accordo 😢 Motorhome has had endless problems including a cracked shower tray because of faulty installation. It’s going to cost me £500 to fix it. I have 1 inch plywood parts which have rotted because it’s not marine ply. The trims on the roof are coming off. I could go on and on and on!

Lots of items are 3rd party and used by many cvan manufactures. Sounds a good shake down test and assume most cvans would have similar problems. Hope the hols went OK.

Thats ridiculous. Thanks for the heads up, will avoid Swift!

Sorry to hear your problems We have a swift challenger 480se 21 years old and still solid and no complaints but these days build quality has gone We would never buy a new van because of this

My wife and I have had many problems similar to these it had to go back to factory for a massive leak in the panoramic window after two years and claiming through Visa the van went back with a loss of £14,000 plus the dealer said swift only pay what they think is a fair labour rate so the dealer stopped selling swift vans.

I wonder what part of the world they source their parts, like hinges , fridges ,jockey wheels. And probably a lot of the interior and exterior fittings.

Great review. Am going to the NEC on Saturday to look at caravans. Won’t be considering Swift.

Its a bit of a lottery when you buy a caravan, my lunar cosmos has been faultless, we are now waiting for our new swift 560se ,for us it was the layout that made us choose swift ,,all of the manufacturers only screw them together the bits inside are generally the same so it can be a bit of a lottery if you get a good or bad one

Our Swift was pretty good apart from interior trim kept falling off like yours as screws were short or wrong size. Rear washroom had a leak as like most Swifts the rear shell cracked at the top (very common issue) letting rain water. On trading it in the dealer went to this area first so they know its common. The fix is stick on corner pieces which is a bodge in my book. Elddis are not much better as our new caravan had a damaged / not stitched correctly cushion with a hole in it, missing fake wood trim around the microwave, wiring for front running lights snagging where you have to put the leg winder into which kept disconnecting cheap spade connectors. Bathroom tap broke as plastic chrome securing ring was put on too tight and cracked. Horrible dealer special badges that I removed and replaced with Elddis badges. It took 4 months to sort out issues and in the end I moved the wiring for the running lights, why run them under the caravan instead of through the front storage box ? A lot of parts feel really cheap for a £27,000 caravan (Now nearly £30,000).

Should have bought a coachman had it since 2008 no problems

We have a 2018 Sprite Major 6TD & have experienced many of the same faults. My biggest gripe at the moment is that after 5 yrs & limited use, all of the cushion foam is shot & offers little support.

I was deliberating between a Coachman or Swift ? The dealer said, Swift build wise are the equivalent to a Ford car. Not build to last.

Appalling, I would never buy a swift now. Hopefully a lot of people will do the same.

Shocking - however all caravan manufacturers are the same, we have elddis - your contract is with your dealer which you purchased the van from - quote sale of goods act 2015 “be of a satisfactory quality Goods must be of a standard that any reasonable person would regard as satisfactory” Your contract is with them only.

That’s the worst I have seen a caravan. Are you sure you didn’t go off roading?!😂 Swift would not be able to help you as your contract is with the dealer you bought it from. You can have it serviced anywhere as long as they are approved , but any warranty work has to be done by your dealer. That’s why it’s not a good idea to buy a caravan from the NEC show at a discounted price as chances are you will have to travel miles for warranty work. Not saying that is what you did. Just saying it is best to buy as local as you can.

I would not overrate German caravans. They have a better reputation in the UK, because there are so few of them when compared with British caravans. If you actually google German forums in the German language you will find a lot of complaints (an extreme example:kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ptSSdsSmnLHJlWym.html) I switched from Hobby which I owned for 7 years to Swift, and so far Swift quality looks much better in terms of hinges, handles, furniture panels and doors. My hobby suffered from Loose hinges, bending wardrobe doors, breaking handles, cracking windows, leaks from the toilets, breaking bed panels, rubbish LED lights, extremely easily dented aluminium body, falling off the external plastic rear corner panels when driving, and jockey wheels problems. Obviously, most people who watch such yt videos or comment on forums are those who have problems. Btw, my friend who is a caravan parts dealer in Europe told me that Hobby has a bad reputation. There are also design issues with hobby - uncomfortable sofas, the table which turned to bed is noisy when you move during the night, original hobby mattresses are rubbish (had to upgrade) and you can also easily flood the caravan from the tap which can be accidentally open and in its drive/default position it will pour water to the cooker, when caravan is connected to the car ( models with no leisure battery and built-in water tank - most of them ). I have only discovered it because I run my checklist after hitching the caravan.

Seems to be more of a general 'shake' issue, probably wheel related. After a couple of years things have shaken loose. Buy a bag of screws and glue and fix yourself. At least you can be confident it will be done to your satisfaction.

Crikey you must have hit some bloody big potholes

It’s disappointing to see the problems your having with your Swift. It seems the quality of 3rd party suppliers and Swift have dropped the quality control ball. My Swift is from 2009 I’ve had from new and it’s bullet proof in comparison. You can guess I’m not ready to change it any time soon.

Thankyou for you’re video I was just about to buy a new Swift 😮 what brand would you recommend ?

Like most things built to a cost,not to last.

I lived in an early 90s, Adria 510 for 6 years after a divorce . That caravan was fantastic . Everything worked , nothing broke , and I actually sold it for a small profit . Then I bought a brand new 1998 Hobby which was not as well made . I would certainly buy another Adria , can't recommend them enough .

The build quality of some of these new vans is absolutely rubbish. I was watching a blog about a brand new Bailey the other day it was dropping to bits. Completely unacceptable.

I have to say that I agree with the choice of materials and the way Swift like to staple things together rather than glue and screw. A smooth staple will as you've found pull out. Have you checked the screws to the body of the van in the front locker? I bet you find some missing or falling out! We now have a MY19 Bailey which we bought new in 2021. It had hung around because of a dealer having it in stock and going bust during Covid. The thing that lets bailey down is the bad design from wall to floor which lets water onto the floor because of the poor skirt design and ours has been back to bailey for damp floor repairs. Bailey have had a few goes at improving this but it still isn't perfect. Overall I would say our bailey is better screwed together with better merterials and I was very glad to be rid of the swift command system. No idea on latest vans from Bailey, you always hear stories about every manufacturer. Keep in mind a lot of the components that go into the van are bought off the shelf from various manufactures and are common between many caravan manufactures.

Yes definitely rubbish best ones I've found are Adria good quality and better finished and if you buy an older one even better

Bailey caravans are the same, Rubbish, we had a brand new Bailey Ranger 540/6 van in 2008 for £12000 brand New, so when I took it to the place we brought it from for its 6 mounts service as no other dealer near by would touch it as we did not bye it from them I was told that we needed new tires as the ones on the van where out of date. Bailey turned and said tires weren’t under warranty. Also at this service The van was letting in water around the rear bunk beds window and at the front window the build quality was shocking, rear lift up table fell off, fly screen on the door fell to bits, laminate on kitchen services peeled off and many more, this van ended its life in 2016 as all repairs for water ingress was getting to much, we could not trade it in as it had more water in the walls than a swimming pool. Caravan manufacturer’s should be held responsible just like car manufacturers, We loved caravanning. But after that from Bailey stay well clear.

i have a brand new swift and its literally falling apart. swift are just not interested.

Sounds horrific. I do have one question though: did you not get the caravan serviced apart from 2020? I am only asking because I can see the sticker.

You could check your wheels are balanced?

Buy a Burstner the build quality is super.

Sorry but most of these issues are not swift items like the pump and the little plastic plug socket all items bought in the same as all the other caravan dealers

The build quality of all UK caravans is shockingly poor. I would never purchase a UK caravan.

All new vans are shit boxes imo. If that's what happens on European roads imagine being in Australia on gravel roads.

I have owned .my 2020 sprite major 4 eb since November 22. The build quality is poor numerous problems with build quality and all this from the supposedly number one caravan .manufacturer. I will never buy another swift caravan

Wow, thanks for giving the "heads up", we're in the decision making process at the moment and this vlog has helped greatly in deciding NOT to buy swift.

British caravans have been very poor for decades, think Sprite, think Perle etc, no screw holes pre drilled, just screws rammed though to cause cracking later on and in comes the water. My ten year old Coachman vision owned from new has not been bad, just the washroom vanity unit cracking due to the above shoddy untrained workmanship.

French caravans like caravalair ans Sterckeman are also very bad. Very light weight, but laks quality.

No excuse but we're your wheels balanced. If not it'll shake more than a rattlesnake 😮

Your Caravan looks very low is your axle ok?

In the old days swift was a great manufacturer now its a case of bang it together get it out...the stuff they use for materials is second rate....yes im a swift owner but my caravan is from the 80s and still going strong

What European van would be a good one

Swift don’t seem to have any pride in workmanship or customer service.

Did you Report the faults, via swift connect? The online tools for communication to the factory, you can’t blame your local dealer, your contractual agreement is with the supplying dealer. plus it’s an entry level caravan, don’t buy a Dacia and expect Bentley build Quality!

Hi I am sorry to disagree with you. But Swift are a amazing manufacturers of caravan and motor homes. I have always used Swift and it is like any thing in life. If you do not keep up with the repairs with any thing then after a while things can go wrong. Can I ask you do you not have problems with your house because of constant use yes you do. So then with a caravan regardless of who built it you will always have some sort of problems. I can not stand people that are so silly to make a KZfaq video to try to get things done for nothing. Get a life and stop putting company's out of business. When it is down to you to keep up with the ware and tear of your van. Kind regards David Patel

Why not to buy …simple ….its made badly in the uk …..uk junk at its best 🙁

Swift are awful but tbh they are all crap

So you’re travelling in Europe. What do you expect a UK manufacturer to do about faults unless you take it to an authorised repairer. This is a pointless revenge video trying to put others off buying Swift. What do you hope to gain?

Any Swift caravan of 2017 to 2020 needs checking for gas locker leaks into the habitat area of van I have a 2018 swift Elegance 580 which when windy could feel draught coming into van I put a smoke pellet in gas locker when windy & low & behold i had smoke coming into van Swift not interested their comment when sent video was it nota lot of smoke No because i took smoke pellet out before van filled with smoke After a year of emails etc to Swift & my dealer I showed video to NCC guy at NEC who said that terrible he would of failed the van But thanks to NCC Swift took my van in for repair??? ON 24/05/23 with expected return date of week commencing 05/06/23 On 05/05/23 Swift emailed me to say they would send pics of mock up panels for my approval the following week It is now the 28/05/23 & no pics sent to date So waiting continues Also in the early stages Swift said I could seal gas locker myself but they not recommend it After several emails asking why they not recommend it I am still waiting for answer they just ignore emails So if anyone has a Swift caravan get it checked for air passage into the caravan then contact Swift who will try fobbing you off If so contact the NCC as they have told me that ALL gas lockers must be sealed from habitat areas If you don't you could have a disaster on your hands Happy caravanning

looks like made by IKEA

Don't buy Nike clothes either

did you get it solved