Relgate's 17.56.2 OB
- Thread starter relgate
- Start date
relgate
The Expanda Stork is delivering our babies across Australia at a frenetic pace...
Our 17.56-2 OB is also meant to be at the dealer in the next few days as it was meant to come off the production line today, then it has to have the Add-A-Room made for it.
Expect to see it in the next two weeks. Just in time for a few weekends away to bed it down - then off to Byron Bay in late September :heh:
CAN'T WAIT!
Kids don't know yet that the big surprise is coming - not until we go for a drive and come home with the
anda:
The Expanda Stork is delivering our babies across Australia at a frenetic pace...
Our 17.56-2 OB is also meant to be at the dealer in the next few days as it was meant to come off the production line today, then it has to have the Add-A-Room made for it.
Expect to see it in the next two weeks. Just in time for a few weekends away to bed it down - then off to Byron Bay in late September :heh:
CAN'T WAIT!
Kids don't know yet that the big surprise is coming - not until we go for a drive and come home with the
anda:
Latest update:
I will be picking up the van from Page Bros next Monday.
Driving down from Sydney On sunday arvo. Will stop ovenight with family in Wagga, then pick up Monday.
Stay at a local CP on Monday night, factory tour on Tuesday, then back to Wagga for Tuesday night.
Make my way back to Sydney on Wednesday/Thursday.
We were originally taking the whole family but have decided it is a little too far for the little ones. At this stage I am planning to take my boy (7yrs). The only issue is that he cannot come on the factory tour. I am thinking of leaving him on the foyer lounge, or even in the Expanda in the carpark with a DVD.
Any other ideas?
I will be picking up the van from Page Bros next Monday.
Driving down from Sydney On sunday arvo. Will stop ovenight with family in Wagga, then pick up Monday.
Stay at a local CP on Monday night, factory tour on Tuesday, then back to Wagga for Tuesday night.
Make my way back to Sydney on Wednesday/Thursday.
We were originally taking the whole family but have decided it is a little too far for the little ones. At this stage I am planning to take my boy (7yrs). The only issue is that he cannot come on the factory tour. I am thinking of leaving him on the foyer lounge, or even in the Expanda in the carpark with a DVD.
Any other ideas?
Ok, so I now have the expanda in my hot litte hands!
Drove down to Melbourne on Monday with my son (left the girls at home) via a stop with family in Wagga on Sunday night.
Arrived at Page Bros around 12pm and went through hand over. We went through every nook and cranny and all looked pretty good. My van seems of OK build quality. A few little things are not so good,especially some of the trim on corners on the laminte etc, but this is to be expected I guess. Certainly nothing serious. Everything was as it should be and all options were there (minus the second bayonet and rear boot door which were deleted previously by the factory)
Hand over was great, Staff were very knowledgeable and good at explaining. went through operation of appliances. Got them to get the fridge going on gas which was fine. I'm suprised how 'tricky' it is with all of the options/buttons for hot water, battery etc. I'm interested in that sort of thing so it's not a problem for me, but I'm sure a few of my friends would find it a real head spinner.
They showed me how to do the awning and annex, but without actually getting the annex out of the box. I'm sure it wont be too hard, but I wont be setting it up until christmas. Hope it's all there!
Hooking onto the Ute was great. there was only 15mm drop on the back and 15mm rise on the front so no need to rush out and get WDH.
We hooked up and drove off to stay in a caravan park just up the road
My boy was very excited
We had a great night. Plugged in the TV and hooked up the arial. Didnt need to adjust it at all, and got all digital channels no worries. Havent had a close look at what it is exactly, but it is the new one that looks like 2 big waffles.
Cooked some Pasta and sauce on the stove no worries and we both had a shower. The shower was much better than I anticipated, but maybe it was just the thrill of the first night! I noticed there is about a 20mm gap at the bottom of the shower door where some water could splash out. Is this normal?
It was pretty cold outside, but the Aircon (Sparrow) kept us toasty warm. It is pretty noisy so I only ran it in bursts. I turned it off for bed time, but put it on again for an hour on the timer at about 3am. Now that's camping!
Next day we were off to do the factory tour. I had noticed that the fridge fan ran non stop, even before I had turned the fridge on. I rang Page Bros and asked if i could bring it back that day. They were very accomodating and booked it in for after my tour.
Went on the factory tour which was awesome. Such a HUGE operation. No wonder they make the odd mistake. Around 850 employees all working hard. Saw the Expanda caravans on the line. Also saw them making the Chassis from scratch (in reference to the rumour they are not made at the factory). They are then taken over the road to get hot dipped and then brought back. I asked why they are not done on site, Brian (tour guy and spares guy) said that the boss probably owns that too! not sure if he was kidding...
Interestingly, there was a lot of talk on the tour about quality and how they try to keep up their standards. Lots of mention that because of the speed and scale of the operation, anything can happen behind a cupboard or under a floor that it is hard to control. There are lots of signs up for the staff that say things like "Your success is determined by what you do today" and "Quality matters" etc. When we got to the roof section of the line, Brian said that Gerry Ryan (owner) will occasionally walk through the door, go over to the roof that has just been siliconed and moulded, pull off the mould and if there isn't "Heaps of gunk" under it, he will go off his head. Brian said it is the only way Gerry can maintain quality in this vital area, as roof leak warranty claims are a big hole in his pocket.
On another note, my son was unable to come on the tour (18 and overs only) which caused a problem. I knew this before driving down, and discussed briefly with Brian over the phone. He said he was happy for him to wait in the lounge. Full credit to Jayco, when we arrived Brian came out with some hats and gave them to my boy, then made him feel very welcome. Reception was happy for him to sit on the lounge and watch a DVD and read his book. At the end of the tour I came to pick him up and I swear he hadn't moved a muscle! Thankyou to the DVD and the friendly Jayco staff!
Warranty claims
I took the van straight from the factory back to PAge Bros service and they were all over it. 5 of them came out and started to disassemble the fridge rear. As noted in another post, it was agreed quickly that the fan was on all the time and this was crazy. They came out with a new dometic fan with thermostat and fitted it on the spot.
In the mean time we went off to lunch. When I came back to pick up the Van I checked the monitor to see if battery was affected, and noticed that tank 2 read as full, even though bother were empty. The boys came back out and set to work, finally discovering that a set of wires had been caught up on the metal protection plate and had stripped, shorting out on itself. They did a nice neat fix.
Meanwhile, I mentioned the A-Frame tap was already half off (common problem I'm sure) 2 of the 3 screws had sheared through after 24 hours and not being touched! The team set to work on it and after 3 drill bits and 4 different types of tek screw they finally got it on. That thinkg is never coming off again.
Lastly, just before driving off the boys noticed that the pop top tent was folded out/exposed above the shower. I was over it and wanted to head off but Brian (service guy) was like a dog with a bone. He went into the van to investigate. We popped the top and he realised that there was no rib in that particular spot. It was missing. He ran off and came back with one and got it in place.
All in all that was 4 things fixed under warranty in the first 24 hours. I cant praise the service team enough for their prompt attention and great problem solving skills.
Finally headed back to Sydney via another over-nighter with Family in Wagga
Had an issue with the Transmission overheating on the way there. I was flying along at 110km/hr and the light came on. Slowed to 80 and it went off after a minute, then gradually sped up to 100, leaving it there. Maybe best to stay at that speed, or get an intercooler!
Van is off getting it's blue slip today.
EDTIT:
Please note that I have no affiliation with Page Bros or any financial interest. The above comments are just my thoughts and observations
Drove down to Melbourne on Monday with my son (left the girls at home) via a stop with family in Wagga on Sunday night.
Arrived at Page Bros around 12pm and went through hand over. We went through every nook and cranny and all looked pretty good. My van seems of OK build quality. A few little things are not so good,especially some of the trim on corners on the laminte etc, but this is to be expected I guess. Certainly nothing serious. Everything was as it should be and all options were there (minus the second bayonet and rear boot door which were deleted previously by the factory)
Hand over was great, Staff were very knowledgeable and good at explaining. went through operation of appliances. Got them to get the fridge going on gas which was fine. I'm suprised how 'tricky' it is with all of the options/buttons for hot water, battery etc. I'm interested in that sort of thing so it's not a problem for me, but I'm sure a few of my friends would find it a real head spinner.
They showed me how to do the awning and annex, but without actually getting the annex out of the box. I'm sure it wont be too hard, but I wont be setting it up until christmas. Hope it's all there!
Hooking onto the Ute was great. there was only 15mm drop on the back and 15mm rise on the front so no need to rush out and get WDH.
We hooked up and drove off to stay in a caravan park just up the road
My boy was very excited
We had a great night. Plugged in the TV and hooked up the arial. Didnt need to adjust it at all, and got all digital channels no worries. Havent had a close look at what it is exactly, but it is the new one that looks like 2 big waffles.
Cooked some Pasta and sauce on the stove no worries and we both had a shower. The shower was much better than I anticipated, but maybe it was just the thrill of the first night! I noticed there is about a 20mm gap at the bottom of the shower door where some water could splash out. Is this normal?
It was pretty cold outside, but the Aircon (Sparrow) kept us toasty warm. It is pretty noisy so I only ran it in bursts. I turned it off for bed time, but put it on again for an hour on the timer at about 3am. Now that's camping!
Next day we were off to do the factory tour. I had noticed that the fridge fan ran non stop, even before I had turned the fridge on. I rang Page Bros and asked if i could bring it back that day. They were very accomodating and booked it in for after my tour.
Went on the factory tour which was awesome. Such a HUGE operation. No wonder they make the odd mistake. Around 850 employees all working hard. Saw the Expanda caravans on the line. Also saw them making the Chassis from scratch (in reference to the rumour they are not made at the factory). They are then taken over the road to get hot dipped and then brought back. I asked why they are not done on site, Brian (tour guy and spares guy) said that the boss probably owns that too! not sure if he was kidding...
Interestingly, there was a lot of talk on the tour about quality and how they try to keep up their standards. Lots of mention that because of the speed and scale of the operation, anything can happen behind a cupboard or under a floor that it is hard to control. There are lots of signs up for the staff that say things like "Your success is determined by what you do today" and "Quality matters" etc. When we got to the roof section of the line, Brian said that Gerry Ryan (owner) will occasionally walk through the door, go over to the roof that has just been siliconed and moulded, pull off the mould and if there isn't "Heaps of gunk" under it, he will go off his head. Brian said it is the only way Gerry can maintain quality in this vital area, as roof leak warranty claims are a big hole in his pocket.
On another note, my son was unable to come on the tour (18 and overs only) which caused a problem. I knew this before driving down, and discussed briefly with Brian over the phone. He said he was happy for him to wait in the lounge. Full credit to Jayco, when we arrived Brian came out with some hats and gave them to my boy, then made him feel very welcome. Reception was happy for him to sit on the lounge and watch a DVD and read his book. At the end of the tour I came to pick him up and I swear he hadn't moved a muscle! Thankyou to the DVD and the friendly Jayco staff!
Warranty claims
I took the van straight from the factory back to PAge Bros service and they were all over it. 5 of them came out and started to disassemble the fridge rear. As noted in another post, it was agreed quickly that the fan was on all the time and this was crazy. They came out with a new dometic fan with thermostat and fitted it on the spot.
In the mean time we went off to lunch. When I came back to pick up the Van I checked the monitor to see if battery was affected, and noticed that tank 2 read as full, even though bother were empty. The boys came back out and set to work, finally discovering that a set of wires had been caught up on the metal protection plate and had stripped, shorting out on itself. They did a nice neat fix.
Meanwhile, I mentioned the A-Frame tap was already half off (common problem I'm sure) 2 of the 3 screws had sheared through after 24 hours and not being touched! The team set to work on it and after 3 drill bits and 4 different types of tek screw they finally got it on. That thinkg is never coming off again.
Lastly, just before driving off the boys noticed that the pop top tent was folded out/exposed above the shower. I was over it and wanted to head off but Brian (service guy) was like a dog with a bone. He went into the van to investigate. We popped the top and he realised that there was no rib in that particular spot. It was missing. He ran off and came back with one and got it in place.
All in all that was 4 things fixed under warranty in the first 24 hours. I cant praise the service team enough for their prompt attention and great problem solving skills.
Finally headed back to Sydney via another over-nighter with Family in Wagga
Had an issue with the Transmission overheating on the way there. I was flying along at 110km/hr and the light came on. Slowed to 80 and it went off after a minute, then gradually sped up to 100, leaving it there. Maybe best to stay at that speed, or get an intercooler!
Van is off getting it's blue slip today.
EDTIT:
Please note that I have no affiliation with Page Bros or any financial interest. The above comments are just my thoughts and observations
Sounds Awesome Relgate. Also sounds like the factory tour was good. We pick our van up Mid September from Mildura so no factory tour for us.
Can I ask, how do you know when your van is going down the line? Did your dealer tell you or did you call Jayco direct?
Cheers
Antman
Can I ask, how do you know when your van is going down the line? Did your dealer tell you or did you call Jayco direct?
Cheers
Antman
Hey relgate, your update was a good read, sounds like the dealer really looked after you and Im glad your young fella was kept occupied at the tour. Your van looks nice mate and it's good to know the chassis are Aussie made (not sure who suggested otherwise) :whistle: cheers mate enjoy!
Hi Antman
I'm not sure what you mean in the above question. I didn't see my van at the tour, just another batch on their way through. Sorry if it didnt read that way.
In terms of my Van's progress, I was given a number of updates about finish date, which turned out to be pretty acurate.
Also, forgot to mention that My van came with normal globes inside, and a normal globe in the extra light above the outdoor shower. However, I have LEDs in the rangehood and in the outdoor annex light.
On the factory tour I asked about lights and had a peak around. According to observation and answers to questions they are fitting LED as standard to Sterling and other models seem to be hit and miss until they've run out of the old lights. They were fitting old Style in the Expandas I saw on the tour.
On the factory tour I asked about lights and had a peak around. According to observation and answers to questions they are fitting LED as standard to Sterling and other models seem to be hit and miss until they've run out of the old lights. They were fitting old Style in the Expandas I saw on the tour.
relgate,
Great update on your first couple of days of owning the new van.
Factory tour sounds interesting - must book one sometime.
Thanks for the pointers on the fridge fan - same problem with mine, but have to wait a few weeks to get fixed.
Last night the kids insisted we christen the van and sleep out in it in the drive! I slept on the join in the innerspring mattress - was comfy enough. We have found that while the Sparrow is not too loud, it does shudder when the compressor turns off. Not sure what this will do long-term to the roof.
Looking forward to reading about many more "relgate" family caravanning adventures.
Cheers,
Ro
Great update on your first couple of days of owning the new van.
Factory tour sounds interesting - must book one sometime.
Thanks for the pointers on the fridge fan - same problem with mine, but have to wait a few weeks to get fixed.
Last night the kids insisted we christen the van and sleep out in it in the drive! I slept on the join in the innerspring mattress - was comfy enough. We have found that while the Sparrow is not too loud, it does shudder when the compressor turns off. Not sure what this will do long-term to the roof.
Looking forward to reading about many more "relgate" family caravanning adventures.
Cheers,
Ro
The chassis are gal dipped at another company (owned by Gerry Ryan). The transport is done by another company (owned by Gerry Ryan). If an opposition caravan company needs to buy parts or if you need spares, then Gerry has that covered. He owns Coast to Coast. The wheels are filled with Nitrogen which is a done by a Company owned by "guess who" and if you decide to go to Nagambie Caravan Park, he owns that too and others. But I did hear, his entertainment businesses generate more income than his sideline caravan industry business. And good on him!
Spot on.
On the tour they mentioned that 'Walking with dinosours' netted more than Jayco. Smart guy.
Yes 3 cheers for Gerry I wish him well with his adventures, with some people everything they touch turns to gold. Just for the record the "rumor" that relgate referred to was actually from one of my reps at work, so the next time I see him I'll let him know his info is worth jack s##t! From now on I will no longer put things out there that I hear!
Cheers.
Cheers.
I bet its a trip your son will never forget Relgate 
We purchased our Expanda from Page Bros too and could never fault there service and professionalism.
I noticed in one pic your missing a centre wheel cap, did you just check the wheel nuts?
We purchased our Expanda from Page Bros too and could never fault there service and professionalism.
I noticed in one pic your missing a centre wheel cap, did you just check the wheel nuts?