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- 3 reviews
- 2 likes
Have a penguin camper. These caravans ate made from cheap and poorly constructed material. I will never buy a Jayco camper again. Many things have broken some I have had it
Latest, cheap bolt broke off main roof strut. Can't believe the garbage materials they have used.
- 5 reviews
- 4 likes
We recently bought a 2005 Jayco Dove. The previous owner had fitted it with a HWS and stainless steel shower stall. I upgraded the springs to Trojan 2000 kg, hooked it up to the car (2014 Mazda BT50) and off we went. What a gem this van is, I have lots of experience towing big trailers over long distances but you don't even know the Dove is on the back. The 2 of us could get it set up, including the annex, in 35 minutes without rushing, packing up took about the same amount of time. It is a bit of a pain having to unhitch the van to get the fro...
Read morent bed out although I imagine you could get away without doing so if you were towing it with a sedan rather than a ute fitted with a canopy. Our first trip was 7,000 k's, 1,000 of these was over dirt roads including the Birdsville track, dust proof? Not quite, but not that bad either, we just covered the bedding in plastic and it wasn't a problem. In terms of comfort, the beds are great, we bought a couple of 12V fans from Jaycar (about $15 each) and even in the height of summer on the Birdsville track we had a comfortable nights sleep, Overall the van performed flawlessly, like anything, treat it poorly and it will probably give you problems but look after it and you will have lots of fun.
- 10 reviews
- 8 likes
Bought the Flamingo in 2008 and have used it many times for family camping and even lived in it for 2 years when I was working in the country. Weak points: Door can have trouble with alignment, faucet/handpump will start to leak after a couple years and always experiences water 'hammer' when hooked up to mains, awning is difficult to take out and really difficult to put away, water connector on outside is way too fragile and was replaced once under warranty, fridge burned out its heater element (lasted 5 years), one of the cooking burners needs...
Read more a new safety switch, the special switch which connects the body to the roof lighting was rubbish and the wires are too thin, they tend to get warm. Strong Points: I have not had any leaks, tears or major breakdowns of the materials; the awning has withstood major windstorms with no damage, I've not had any major repair that I could not handle except the water connector covered by warranty and the faucet which cost me a couple hundred, the battery was expensive but worth it as its still going strong after 6 years, it drives and brakes well, never a problem, everything else is working fine, the beds and seats and surfaces have held up well, the outside still looks really good, and its retained its value well. Should you buy it? If you are willing to handle the camper gently, and don't mind fixing small things yourself (paying someone to do it is too expensive), then yes I would buy it. My last comment is for the Jayco sales and service performance. They basically treat you as if they have plenty of customers (which they do) and have a 'take it leave it' attitude. Once I took possession I never brought it back to the dealer and went instead to an authorised service rep. in Adelaide who was reasonable.
- 3 reviews
- 6 likes
My husband and I purchased a 2013 JAYCO hawk the service dept didn't fit the door correctly. Won't even lock. The roof leaks in several places. We have used that much silicone and it Still leaks. To be honest they are only interested in $$$$$$$$$ especially the first service. They didn't fix any of our problems but were quick to put there hand out for the $300 service fee.
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Day 1Glass fell out of door 5mil gap on pick up Daughter went through seat first time in camper, lift arms pulleys failed many many days waiting to use in four months has been out or repair shop for three trips one month, Returned to Jaco for refund, Still waiting ordered van march last year shame, after service is !!!!!!!
We bought our 2013 Flamingo new from Caravanland Cannington & what an amazing camper it is. We are a young family that love the great out doors. This van is perfect for us in every way. Not too big for storing in the carport. Adequate internal storage space and an abundance of bench top space. Very comfie beds. We got the full annex with walls & it's perfect for both shade & a place for the kids to play if it rains. Can't fault this camper it has everything you need for weekends or longer trips away. Ours isn't the Outback but we did get it un...
Read moreder slung which meant we benefited from getting the outback chassis with greater ground clearance without spending the extra dollars. For the quick weekend getaways we do we couldn't justify the expense of a full outback. Cabinetry, furnishings & finishes are great quality. We love the natural light & fresh air this camper affords us. Not to mention the benefit of 360 external views allowing us to watch the kids play outside while we enjoy the comforts of the van. We would highly recommend this van to anyone considering a popup style camper.
If you treat your pride and joy with the respect that it deserves then you will not have a problem!!
i have a 2013 swift and yet to see a drama
Have some respect for your Stuff and it will respect you!!!
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Sold it after 3 months putting beds out than have to make them :(
May as well kept the soft floor camper no room inside awning was poor
Needed to do more homework next time
Poor quality was told as well built to a price
We purchased a Jayco Swift in Nov2013, it has been back for repairs three times. The biggest issue is the door does not stay shut when 2 people are on the bed. Has anyone had this issue? Jayco have changed the design and now have the double bed at the other end, eg not over the drawbar.
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Purchased a six month old Jayco Swift in 2013, had it for 6 months and then got rid of it. This camper basically fell apart around us, from shelves dropping out, to sliding bed supports shattering while packing the van away. Bolts dropping out of the leg supports and the wiring failing. The after sales service was dreadful, terrible customer service. Sold this lemon and lost money, but purchased an older Gold stream pop top which has been a delight
Good to tow and looked good
Poor workmanship, no quality in any part of the van construction. dreadful after sales sevice
The flimsy plastic on the roof top vetilation vent distorted badly, also the curtan tracts suffered to the extent that you could not close the curtans without using extreme force.I had to use a heat gun to open up the gap in the tracts so it would work again. The roof also has distortions and some of the edge trim is lifting off.
The van is usable and works well.
The quality of the plastic trims are perthetic.
Picked up our 2013 outback in febuary 2013 we were excited having stepped up from a soft floor camper . We looked at numerous campers and decided on a swan after talking to friends and people while camping and travel . We have had faults with pipe work on twin tank set up kinked from factory lower door was misaligned had this looked at was fixed very poorly, lower door would not stay shut without using duct tape door striker was not thick enough, lower door hinge pins fell out, not enough clearance between lower door, roof and side of van...
Read more when closed up for travel destroys top lip on lower door . Have fixed all these things myself as have not been happy with the repaires carried out by dealer. We bought new as thought we would of not had these dramas . What warranty? Ease of setup, external shower, storage towes like a dream quality control on van, attitude of dealership once money was handed over, being told thats how they are by warranty person
About to take delivery of a new Jayco Swan Outback, some of your comments really worry me, will go over the van with a fine tooth comb before I sign off. Are there any positive comments out there?
I was told by a Jayco seller that 'they are built to a price' and that Jayco don't employ 'tradesmen' only standard factory workers so you will get poor workmanship that will slip through the cracks... end of quote.
The ease of set up, and now that i have sorted out the problems myself i am starting to enjoy the swan every thing has its place inside . I would definetly check it very thoroughly as they are built to a price
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After over 20yrs of tenting I hit 40 and had enough sleeping on the ground!
I only have a small car which I love (2005 VW TD2lt Golf), the swift had just come into production and after checking out at the Caravan & Camping Show in Claremont WA, I made my purchase.
Well our 'cubby' tows like a dream, sets up with ease (even without the help of my son), has heaps of space and is very comfortable.
Purchased Bag ends which are put out every time, as they protect the exterior bed ends, (and are easier to clean).
Have removed 8.5kg gas cylinde...
We are finding it quite difficult to keep the insects out of the van. As those who have a Penguin know the door is probably the worst feature. Does anyone out there know of a way to fit a screen or something similar so we are not opening and closing the main door all the time?
No fly screen on entry door
You can buy strips of netting for doors or get an old filmy curtain and stick it on with velcrose
yes we went to cheap as chips and bought a $6.00 magnetic fly screen and fixed it to the wood for the curtains so it hangs over the door and when you pack up it just sits on top of the door when you l...
Read moreatch it to the roof of the van hav eno problems with bugs as it is magnetized when you walk through it shuts back together a cheap and easy fix to your problem with bugs all the best Wayne
- 4 reviews
- 11 likes
We went from the tent to an Eagle Outback. We bought a used 2008 model and had it for about a year. Used it every chance we got then upgraded to an Expanda.
I had no dramas with it. Pretty basic set up - bed flys, battery, water pump. It had the Fiamma wind out awning which made my life a lot easier too. Sick of poles and pegs.
I had the main set up down to 6 mins (then a bit more to set it up completely including having a beer in the hand).
The design for the eagle suited us as there was plenty of room to spread out. We didn't feel like ...
- 29 reviews
- 24 likes
OK, so we wanted something small and compact, there are only two of us. We were after something easy to put up and take down, after we have had tents, trailer tents, campervans, caravans. So we saw originally the Jayco Swift at a dealer and thought this would be ideal, size wise. We are planning on doing a few long roadtrips, so opted for the new 2013 Jayco Swift Outback. We placed our order with the local dealer, and all was good. We were counting the days until we got our new camper trailer, but were out of the loop with delivery as the ...
Read moresalesperson was off sick and basically nobody seemed to care (or that is what it felt like). We eventually picked up the new Swift and we were taken through the process on how to put it up and down. We got it home and that following weekend we put it up, and noticed that we had a curtain missing from one bed end, not only that but on inspection there looked like paint overspray on the wheel arches?. We contacted the salesperson to find out that the curtain was not missing, it was actually a safety thing because of the location of the cook top? So why leave the curtain hooks there? Anyway they gave us a curtain because they said we were "responsible adults". The next weekend was a long weekend so we went away on our first trip. Firstly we got 20kms down the road and the brakes were locking on one side of the trailer, so we switched the EBC off in the car. We put the camper up and noticed that the glass in the door was jutting out, so we hoped it wasn't going to be a wet weekend (which is wasn't). OK so a few teething problems. Next the fridge would not stay alight on gas, so all of our food had to be disposed off - not impressed. So on the Monday we called the dealer and explained the problems and they booked us in, but not for 5 weeks! I emailed the manager of the dealership (I am still waiting a response!). So the day arrived for us to take it in for the work to be carried out and it took a week, as the person who deals with the fridges just never turned up! We had to keep phoning to ask what was happening....by this time we were not impressed. Incidentally we had to cancel our weekend away which was booked as they took so long..... We got the camper back with just over a week until our 2 week roadtrip. All seemed good. When we got to our first camp stop, we put the camper up and the door seemed a bit hard to close, noted that the pin in the top hinge was missing! Anyway the week went on and we were packing away and noticed that the black trim on the camper had actually started to come away from the van (held on with double sided tape). That same day we arrived at our next camp stop and as we slid the bed out something fell on the floor, and it was the plastic that goes inside the aluminum track where the bed slides into had fallen out. Funnily enough at the campsite we saw the big sister an Outback Swan and went and asked if they had problems and yes they did, their trim had come away and also they had a crack in their roof, after 3 months of ownership. Would we recommend Jayco products and afterservice....that will remain debatable!
With thanks to the team at the factory in Melbourne and our local 'Service Agent' we have had our issues fixed. It is a shame that the local dealer doesn't provide the same great service.
Im thinking of buying a Jayco as they are so popular for my family? however im very nervous as im a single mum and can't fix things. I just don't have the strength? WHat should I do???? We love campin...
Read moreg and I have a cup supermatic hard floor over 25yrs old???
Hi Donna. If you cannot do repair work yourself give the newer Jaycos a miss. We purchased a 6 month old swift last year and had it 6 months before getting rid of it. This near new camper trailer prac...
Read moretically fell apart around us, and my hubby can repair most things himself. We had shelves drop out of the kitchen, the bed sliding supports shatter and the bolts from the leg supports fall out while towing. All in all a terrible experience and the local service provider was disinterested. I would strongly suggest looking at an older Gold stream, Coromal or Golf....this is what we did and our older gold stream has been wonderful. Goodluck :-)
We have owned our Swan Camper for two years (2011 model) and we are delighted with it, but unfortunately the workmanship on the finished product is not good. Maybe quality control on the finished unit could be alot tighter. We have had alot of small parts of the camper need fixing after we arrive home from our annual three week holiday.
Good size windows and you feel part of the landscape.Good storage and easy to tow.
Too many small things have gone wrong.i.e screws have fallen out, door fell off, door window needed reglueing on, outside light only works occassionally. Gas cylinder is quite diificult to change (ours is in the front boot) when the camper is up Too many small probles to mention
Yes we bought an Eagle Outback in 2011. Very rough finish, eg safety chains still having spikes all over from gal dip, I had to file down for safety. Water pump is a big issue and I am looking to replace mine with something better.
- 2 reviews
- 1 like
We have a 2012 jayco hawk,we have only put up and down 3 times,we are having trouble with the clamps, very hard to close we were told we could leave bedding on but obviously not. We do have mattress toppers on. Do you have to strip beds everytime you close camper up? We are travelling for 3 months and we had not planned on making beds every day.
have had only 1 weekend away in it,and loved it.
when packing up excessive strength required to close roof clamps.did not realise awning would take so long to roll up.
hi there. We have a 2011 Hawk. We do leave our bedding on the bed, but not the quilt any more as we have a matress topper. we leave the sheets on, but the quilt and pillows are a little too bulky. On...
Read more the kids end, we leave the sleeping bags/ quilts as there is no topper that end but take off the pillows. We just did a 6 week trip and it didnt take much to throw the quilt over once the van was up. I'm not sure how you travel with it, but we have 3 kids so the table is a bed, which is where we fold the quilt and put the pillows. Hope this helps, cheers
Mine used to do this if you didn't lay the canvas in neatly when you pack it up. Make sure the canvas isn't bunched up too. I used to push in the back bed first then walk inside and try and straighten...
Read more everything up, then push the front bed in. Then stand outside on the top step and try and straighten out the canvas again. You should be good after that.
We had a 30ft Jayco Super Lite Travel Trailer 298RLS that retailed for about $36,000.00. From the time we started using it, we have had nothing but trouble with this unit. The biggest problem we have had was water leaks.
We used it the first time and the outdoor shower leaked so bad the the carpet next to my wife's side of the bed was soaked. Also, the first time out we had no heat. The furnace was defective. So they had to replace a part in that.
Our water pump quit working so that had to be replaced. Before a year was up, we to...
Read moreok our unit in to get the wheel bearing packed and guess what, one of our brakes had frozen and we needed a brake job. You guessed it, the warranty would not cover the brakes, so that cost me. There goes that bumper to bumper warranty. Now the warranty is over, and there was water on my wife's side of the bed again and also water was getting on the carpet under the dinette and so we took it in and were told that the seal around the dinette window had broken and that would need to be taken out and resealed and we needed to re-coat our roof. This cost about $1000.00. We had it done and went on a trip and the water was still coming in around the dinette, so I called Jayco. I explained all of the problems that I had had and wanted some help getting the unit repaired.
Purchased 2nd hand three years ago for my growing family of five. Largest Jayco campervan in their range. Came with bed end flys and extended size annexe.
Very sturdy and easy to tow, with Manual or auto vehicle. Towed with Mk11 XT Falcon sedan hardly know its on behind you, know with Toyota Klueger same deal.
Easy to setup with the help of the kids and teaching them the responsibility of doing this. Beds are pretty good with inner spring queen and double, also single bed when table folded down.
We recently had a trip to Darwin and acr...
Read moreoss from Mt Isa down the east coast of NSW, van was very good although head winds through the Centre of Australia reduced my fuel consumption down averaging about 21.5 ltrs per 100 kilometres to Coober Pedy - Alice Springs. For families of five this Van represents good value for money under 20K second hand. Would recommend to others, sure screws come loose and things move on the van which needs attention, but when you travel and 11,500km to Darwin and back home from the East cost of Australia you are bound to have these things happen. Remember these vans are not built to be a rolls royce caravan with all the bells and accessories. They are meant to be practical with standard refinements. Enjoy the time you have spending in them with the family as your kids grow up very quickly and get out there and see Australia. Happy campervaning.
- 2 reviews
- 2 likes
Bought our Swan Outback when it was 9 months old. Still had the stickers on the mudflaps. No dramas at all. The whole family love it. We came from one of those camper tents and think this is the Hilton on wheel !!
Set-up is quick and my 4, 6 and 7 year old can help out too. The Outback version gives good ground clearance and plenty of room under the bed to stash bikes etc at night.... it also means I can get to the front boot without banging my head.
Quick setup. Handles well on the road. Looks great. Stacks of space and storage.
No problems r...
- 6 reviews
- 7 likes
We have a 2004 Eagle Outback and have dragged it to some pretty remote locations without any major dramas.
We bought it after the wife said she wasn't going to sleep in a tent anymore.
This is a great compromise, all the luxury, and still camping under canvas.
The last 7 years we have spent 3 or 4 weeks away with up to 5 kids over Christmas, and it is our ultimate getaway...... we love it
Its not perfect, Jayco quality control is marginal, but nothing that can not be attended to by the average handyman.
Ours is fitted up for free camping with solar and batteries, and can remain independent indefinitely.
Luxury camping...... on a budget
Jayco quality control really needs a serious overview.
Bought our Hawk new had usual problems in screws coming loose which I replaced with longer ones, dont know why they dont use longer screws at Jayco, took about 4 hours to clean access silicon from a new van (not good), replaced my bag awning with a coolabah rollout awning, what a difference takes about 3 mins to set up and about the same time to put away, as apposed to 30 min with a bag awning. Have 5 people in our family 3 kids in teens and we all sleep comfortably well. We use our van about 4 times a year and cover some vast distances with no major problems, overall we are very happy with our Jayco Hawk and will buy another Jayco in future.
Easy to tow and store when not in use.
Jayco needs to look at quality control
- 2 reviews
- 2 likes
The Swift - smallest camper in the range and absoutely great value! Want lots of storage? Need places for your clothes? Taking two kids and the dog? Then buy something else!! This is not what the swift is about. There is just my wife and I and our three dogs and we find the swift to be abosolutely perfect for us - it is light, easy to tow and very spacious given its small size, storage space and features are just right for what this van is designed for (and its not designed for six weeks on the road but at a pinch it could be managed) I wo...
Read moreuld recommend Jayco campers to anyone!!! PS have had a top of the range 2002 Coromal Magnum Camper to compare against and the coromal loses out hands down on the quality side of things !! Small and easy to tow, great layout
- 7 reviews
- 9 likes
I own a 2005 Jayco Eagle Outback since new for a number of years. Unfortunately, for an 'outback' camper, many quality components were lacking - things that were only obvious once you own and use it. Very quickly, we experienced Laminex lifting, the pop-reverting of hinges in plywood defied belief since they simply pop out and require replacing with screws (as should have been used in the first place), plastic bracing was used in various interior areas that have mostly broke within very short time frame, and very substandard drawer design wit...
Read morehout bracing meant that the weight of the large draw broke the track early on. Furthermore, the inserts within the channels that the beds roll on always slide out and have already worn a hole in the canvas (we continue to experiment with different glues to hold them in place), the automatic light disconnector mounted on the roof has broken off so many times that I have thrown it away after repeatedly fixing it, the wiring in the stove required repair when two separate wires disconnected (one with a substandard crimp), the gas regulator stopped working (though was replaced under warranty), the door latch literally fell apart (also replaced under warranty, which the replacement one was checked while at the dealer before accepting it to also find it was faulty!!), and the clips used to hold the annexe light in place are prone to being easily broken. Furthermore, the fridge panelling had the plastic surrounds break (I can't fathom why), and the drawer latches were instantly prone to sticking (requiring a bit a graphite to never stick again). On the undercarriage, the plastic elbows to the water-tank are plastic and hence prone to breakage from stones and therefore drain the water-tank, and the brake wiring is so exposed that they have nearly been blasted out of existence - requiring repair and taping up out of the way when this should have been done at the factory. In short, corners have been cut in the quality of so many facets, especially for an 'off-roader', that to call it an 'outback' model is deceptive at best. The van does have compactness, good layout and clearance. It is therefore very unfortunate that a few short-cuts have been taken where these surely would not materially impact on the price. Compactness, good layout and road clearance Don't take one off road without first replacing every cheap plastic bit on it, and undertake major reinforcing of drawers and water tank elbows and undercarriage wiring!
As a footnote, one of the reasons why we chose the Eagle model was because of the internal layout. We previously owned a Finch, but had to practically assemble the van to get to the fridge! The Eagl...
Read moree has the fridge directly opposite the door, which means that you can access the fridge without needing to even pop the top - great for grabbing a cold drink or re-stocking the fridge as you pass through a town on the way to your camping spot.
Totally agree. We just came back from a 4,500km trek into Central Oz with our 2011 Eagle "Outback" and our experience is similar to worse. Outback might mean going on a dirt road for 95% of owners, ...
Read morebut once you tow it on some serious corrugations, the thing all but fell apart! Screws, laminex, 2 x shock absorbers broke their mounts (nothing wrong the the SA itself, just the mounts are too weak). Hinges rattled loose, the list is LONG. VERY disappointed. Having said that the trailer is excellent if you only take it 100m along a dirt road into a national park.Agree that the name "outback" is a misnomer. Cheap fittings, together with lack of adequate QA in the factory, mean that it has very limited longevity offroad.
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I made a thicker striker block to keep door shut out of 10mm cutting board, also put some epoxy glue top and bottom of your door hinges as these will fall out.