A'van Eurostar

Bad toilet setting – We recently purchased avan euro 594 had visitors stay and didn't realise toilet waste went under toilet as I'm new to owning haven't used it myself now toilet and kitchen area stinks like pee how can I get rid of this smell I think it may have leaked under cupboard in kitchen Show details

After several serious problems with our Euro Star 685 we will never consider another avan – What do you do, when you notice the fridge and micro wave cabinet has actually parted company from the outside wall. We have had to put the van up against a tree and get our hydrolc jack and jack the outside wall in toward the inside of the van. 2 cm gap was closed and we put small angle brackets on the inside to hold the outside wall in place,… Read more

what a lemon. Try calling Avan, and wait and wit and wait. So bad in customer relations. $63000.00 rip off. They fit a Proster awning, which is totally useless. We did a deal where a so called full annex was to be supplied. Another joke.

Thin vynal walls, roof too short and was replaced after three months. No banana bars, wall fell apart after six month gap tyres wear out on off side. In 10000 km. tow bar had loose bolts on delivery, split door is badly fitted, we arranged for an aircraft engineer to realign the door because it was screwed in with screws that were too short, boot leaks, screws too small for pre drilled holes in all drawers. Replaced these my self. Plastic fittings to draw baskets break after a few week, replaced air conditioner after one year, replaced hot water system after 12 months, water leak under bed wetting the whole storage area when Pipe fitting came loose, none return valve under bed rusted out within six months, replaced t with plastic one, I could go on and on, but quite frankly, Avan need to take a long hard look at their quality control. Bad, bad, bad.

quality and customer service – I would strongly recommend not to purchase an Avan caravan, if you have any issues trying to get replacement parts or service you will, like us experience nothing but frustration. We have recently had to replace the shower unit due to cracking and in eurostars round about 2006 they used a 5 peice shower cubile that you can no longer replace,… Read more

they no longer use this type of shower unit and it cannot be replaced, the dimension of the shower area is an odd size and to date I have not been able to find a unit that will fit an area of 785 x 610 x 1950, it looks like I will have to make one myself, however if you want any assistance from the manufacturer you can forget any help, they cannot even bother to get back to you, you would think that if you wanted repeat business you would help customers of your product, very short sighted as we were looking at upgrading to a newer van , it will definatly not be with Avan

Poor craftmanship

What a nighmare - poor product which we sold ASAP – Here is an edited version of a letter that I sent to the Managing Director of A'Van. Still waiting for a reply! Electrical Fault: Our first use of the van was in January 2009. Shortly after arriving in Jindabyne I experienced the first electrical problem. The van blew a fuse that effectively took out the fridge and various other appliances… Read more

(range hood, gas igniter for the stove, gas igniter for the fridge, TV aerial, a range of lights including all connected via the block of four just inside the door, toilet flush and gas igniter for the hot water). I replaced the fuse and all worked OK for a couple of hours before the fuse again blew. I ended up returning home early and talking with A’Van about the problem. As a result it was agreed that I would return it to Sydney and that the technical people would have a look at it. I informed A’Van that it seemed as if the van had a dead short.

I returned the van on 11 February 2009 and A'Van pulled out various wires but were unable to isolate the problem but had all systems working when I left. I then moved onto Huskisson and within 24 hours experienced another power failure. As a result of this failure I returned the van to Sydney and left it for repair for the better part of two weeks. I then returned to Sydney on 3 March to pick it up. As you would expect I asked what had caused the fault and was told that despite extensive attempts to isolate the fault it had not been possible to do so and that as a result both the battery and Electro bloc had been replaced.

On the 28th we made a short stop on our way out of Canberra only to discover the problem had returned. I then spent the remainder of the week negotiating with A’Van about how to rectify the situation. In the end after placing a bigger fuse in the offending circuit on instruction from A’Van and an assurance from A'Van that they would authorise someone in Darwin to look at the problem if it recurred I headed for Darwin on 1 May 2009. The problem returned that evening and I again lost power as detailed above. A new Electro bloc was air freighted to Darwin and I installed it in the van in accord with A'Van's instruction. The new Electro bloc made no difference so we were effectively back to square one. It was subsequently agreed that AVan would arrange for an auto electrician to look at the problem on site in Darwin. I helped the auto electrician and we spent a full day trying to track down the problem. He finally found that the scotch lock that had been used in the range hood was the problem. The end of the two wires were extending just far enough through the lock that they were capable of touching the stainless steel in the range hood and thus create a short and loss of the fuse at the Electro bloc. He fixed this and there has been no further failure.

Other Issues with the Eurostar:

Poor Design

1. Jockey Wheel. The position of the jockey wheel on the A frame made it impossible to open the boot in most circumstances when the jockey wheel was in use. This was rectified by A’Van welding a second jockey wheel bracket further forward on the outside of the A frame.

2. Jockey Wheel Bracket. The locking mechanism on the jockey wheel bracket was fouling the hand brake cable.

3. Wardrobes. It is not possible to hang a standard coat hanger in either of the van’s wardrobes nor is it possible to open the wardrobe doors fully as they snag the pelmets over the front windows.

4. Metal Baskets Under the Wardrobes. Both baskets have broken runners. This is due to the opening not being square and the stress this has caused to the plastic clips that attach to the basket to allow them to run.

5. Insect Screens. The design of these screens allows insects to enter the van between the folds where they are encased within the aluminium frame. The result is sandflies and flies freely move between inside and outside.

6. Caravan Window Nearest to the Door. It is not possible to open the window more than a fraction when the door of the van is open as the window fouls the door.

7. Caravan Door Holding Clip. This clip will not hold the door even in the gentlest of breezes resulting in frequent slamming of the door. I have paid to have this fixed by installing a hook and eye to hold the door in the open position.

8. Caravan Barn Door. It is not possible to leave the lower portion of the door closed if you wish to deploy the door insect screen. In Australian conditions this pretty much makes the barn door useless.

Other Warranty Issues

1. Leaking Front Boot. I requested that this be rectified when I left the van in Sydney for two weeks earlier in the year. It was still leaking when I sold it.

2. TV Reception. The van suffered from poor reception from delivery. I undid the aerial booster and discovered that the co-axial cable had been cut too short. I rectified the problem.

3. Refrigerator Poor Performance. The performance of the fridge in northern Australia on either gas or 240v was very poor. After reading the installation instructions it became obvious that the refrigerator has not been installed correctly. TheDometic instructions state that the distance between the upper and lower ventilation grilles should be a minimum of 1400mm. In fact the distance on my van was 1050mm, that is 350mm shorter. The refrigerator is meant to be sealed so that fumes cannot enter the living area. (see clause 6.2 of the Dometic operating instructions). The fridge in my van was not sealed on at least 3 of the 4 surfaces between the van and the fridge. All of the above problems were unresolved when I sold it.

4. Air Conditioner. The air conditioner was not properly sealed where it protrudes from the roof into the van. As a result we woke one morning in WA to a nice puddle of water in the middle of the van after a rainy night. In the end to protect the van from water damage I removed the inside cowling and resealed the unit from the inside. I have resolved problem.

5. Van Tyres. Prior to setting off on my journey to Darwin I put the van in for a routine service and inspection. When I went to pick it up the service staff pointed out that the tyres needed inspection/replacement. I took the van to a local tyre outlet. They inspected all the tyres and found four of the five were faulty and needed replacement. I then had to pay $564.00 for replacements. the tyre company has since reimbursed me for this amount.

7. Polaris CV-10 Camera. I paid extra to have a Polaris CV-10 reversing and rear vision system fitted to the van. I did this as I naively thought the installation would be completed as the van was being constructed. When I returned to Canberra after picking up the van I discovered that the mini camera for the tow vehicle was missing as well as the Woza cable set and the various leads, extensions and brackets. A’Van has since located and forwarded to me the mini camera but I am still missing the other components.

8. Interior Boot Light. While an interior boot light is a standard feature for this model my van does not have one. Obviously this was overlooked during construction, which indicates poor quality control. The size and weight of the van for towing. See review above. Problems with electrics, fridge, tyres, front boot, air conditioner, installation of reversing camera, jockey wheel and so on.

Bad – It is a beautiful van Except for the after sales service and the shoddy workmanship.If we lived in a capital city we might get better service, but we live in North Queensland We bought our 609 model in June 08. We looked at all the other vans and settled on this one for its open planning.My partener loved the roll in pantry and good size fridge… Read more

and freezer. In the six months we have had it we have had nothing but trouble. The air conditoner has been changed three times,the boot leaks after a good down poor it looks like a swimming pool inside, the annex they have given us can't be put up because no one knows how.Where the solar panel has been put on the top they never sealed it properly and water comes through the ceiling. All warranty work has to be taken to an A Van distributor, with the nearest one to us is 1200 km away.The after sales services is none i have found.

Good – It is a good solid van with faults which could easily be eliminated with little effort.It tows easily behind a suitable vehicle.It is roomy inside and the bed can be made into a queen size easily The ensuite is very good size,the roll out pantry is a good size,the insulation against heat/cold and noise is very good.The suspension gives a smooth… Read more

ride for things IN the van. The security without locking the door and all windows is non existent. The roll out pantry cannot support a heavy load.The A frame is too short.The rangehood sets out too far.The power cord tangles when "stuffed" away.There is no outside tap.Wardrobe doors cannot open fully.

Excellent – My Eurostar 685 is just outstanding, it tows really well and looks fantastic. Very modern interior with a roomy ensuite and beautiful smooth painted finish outside much easier to clean than our old coromal, really good value for money too!compared to other vans we looked at I love everything about my new eurostar it is absolutly beautiful and has… Read more

everything even a home theater system There is nothing I dislike, except you need to be careful not to scratch the beautiful stainless steel benchtops

best van we have owned – We bought a new 609 Eurostar in 2009. We connected it to the car and dragged it to Darwin, returning to Sydney via Melbourne to see our son after a three month trip. We also took the opprotunity to visit the factory at Packenham to attend to some warranty issues(boot leak and fitting special bolts to hold roof to furniture to minimise expansion… Read more

due to high ambient temperatures- 40 degrees in Darwin to 6 degrees Melbourne). AVan have now solved this problem in later models. The after sales service was the best we have experienced with the five vans that we have owned. The van towed very well, is very comfortable and well insulated. We would recommend this model without hesitation. appearance, towability, comfort, and insulation. boot leak(fixed with Clarke Rubber gasket material), pelmet prevents wardrobe doors opening fully

A beautiful,well designed 685.Towing,insulation,van interior layout ideal.all mod cons – We have had this van 3 years and have taken it to Tasmania and loved it.Home away from home.A couple of things concern me and the main one is the dividing wall between the bathroom and bedroom has developed a gap about 10mm.above the doorway.The other problem and seems inherent is water leaking into the boot which i am going to fix myself by… Read more

reshaping the hinges and fitting a different type of rubber seal.We want to make the big trip this year and am concerned about the gap in the wall.Has anybody experienced this problem Cheers Rob. Very comfortable,perfect insulation and all mod.cons. Issue with gap in wall

Good – It's still a good van and once all the bugs get ironed out, (like the fact that we couldn't use the gas regulator - as it turns out it is faulty), we'll enjoy it more. Same as for previous review. Further to what I wrote on April 20, 08, A couple of weeks ago while getting ready for a trip south to get away from Perth's heat, my wife noticed that… Read more

the ceiling had lifted and there was up to a 2 1/2cm gap between the lockers on the right side. Also, there was a gap between the chrome poles and the ceiling, so much so that one of the poles could be moved freely. As the van cooled down, so at least the gaps lessened. The expansion also probably caused the plastic around the skylight to crack. One other thing, in the 594, the range hood juts out so I've managed to hit my head on the corners a few times.

Excellent – Great Van ,absolutly delighted with our choice ,tows well as we are towing with a BA Ford Fairmont Gia 6 cyl which falls well into the weight capacity range and tows with ease and plenty of spare power .We purchased from Cruise Oz at Logan Qld great people to deal with definatly reccommended. My Wife and I purchased the Eurostar 594 about 18… Read more ·  1

months ago and did a few short trips ,we are now on our way around Australia for 12 months .

we evaluated all brands for 2 years prior to making our decision and apart from a few items listed below we are absolutly thrilled with our choice .We have ignored some of the things which we know are the same in all vans regarding space as we are living in a small area not in a house .We have spoken to many owners with other brands and they all have something they are not quite happy about. Excellent choice . Boot sealing is bad as we have the mandatory boot leak which seems to come with the Eurostar and AVan dont have an answer to as we have had it looked at during wty ,This is a job in progress for me .The shower flexible hose is a braded type and frayes so that you get pin pricks to your fingers when used ,I have replaced this with the standard chrome shower flexible type from Bunnings for $25 (works great )

2011 AVan Eurostar 609 – Very well apointed Van with all you need to feel comfortable in a home away from home. Stylish and modern with good cupboard space. Good van. Great value for money. The van does not come with an outside tap. Horrors the van does not come with a security screen door.