Mars Vanguard
Verified3 reviews
mars vanguard peeling – I bought this camper 1 year ago, the previous owner bought it new from Pt Pirie the year before, it is 2 years old. He used it 3 times for a couple of weeks each time. It has started to peel,literally like a top layer of skin coming off, under it is the hammer tone paint, but with the clear coating coming off, is dull and has no protection from the elements. Has anyone had this happen, and what can i do to fix it. This is a great little camper, does everything i want, apart from the mars cook top lacks power, but i sorted that out.It held up really well is some very windy conditions.Easy to put up, i do it myself, great camper, just need some advice please. Yvette.
Great value – We have had excellent memories in our vanguard. Easy to set up and pack up. Great functionality and water proof during poor weather. Highly recommend as value for money.
4 years old is obselete – We bought a second hand Mars trailer. The seller had purchased a new roof for the annex prior to our buying it. The roof didn't fit. We negotiated a replacement for the new, unused part and it doesn't fit either. Their response was: 'When I sold this, I cannot guarantee that the zips will match, as it's a 2014 trailer the zips will vary' So, a 4 year old camper is unrepairable. An interesting marketing strategy.
While I appreciate your response it is a complete reversal of your previous advice to me. "If you bring the trailer down here on Saturday, there is not much we can do." "There is nothing I can do." It should not come to this, and I'm following other paths which may be more expensive but hopefully not nearly so irritating.
Our team member explained to me that he was referring to "replacing the zip on the spot", which is something we still cannot do. However there are other alternatives which unfortunately were not explored.
It turns out that zippers really are not that mysterious. All that is required is a measure of product knowledge, a bit of quality control and a bit of customer service.
There is absolutely no need to state you can't match zippers unless, of course, you have no idea what zippers have been used in your campers. That lack of knowledge can be remedied by sending one of your 'team members' off to talk to someone who knows about canvas. Or you can google how to measure a zipper.
The correct size costs about $30 per metre, retail, plus an hours labour to strip of the incorrect one and replace it. I don't know what zippers cost in China, but I'm betting they are cheaper.
For your information, the zips used in our camper are #8 and the ones on the replacement are #10. That piece of advice is free and may help you avoid making similar mistakes in the future. You're welcome.
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Hi Miss Magpie, I am sorry to hear about your predicament, however there are fixes for the un-matching Zip as you pointed out in your correspondence with our customer service representative. As we know the zips can change over-time we also added Velcro to the awning so customers could attach it even without zips.
As you may be aware, the owner before you ordered an awning roof for a soft floor camper which is totally incompatible with your unit. We replaced it for you with a hard floor one, however, unfortunately he zips didn’t match. I would suggest you ring up and book a time to come over to our store in Springvale, then we can proceed to try one or two different awnings until we find one where the zips will match.
As of May 2015 we had major process changes and campers from that date onwards comes with 5 years structural warranty among many other benefits that do not pass on to a secondary owner.
As far as we are concerned you are the only person where we could not match an awning to the main tent and we are happy to try again when you are ready.
Regards Mars