Avida caravans are some of the most popular RVs you can purchase in Australia. This RV brand gained notoriety throughout the country thanks to its reliability and durability.
Additionally, the manufacturer of these RVs is based in Sydney, Australia, and more people are looking for options within the country.
However, even though these Avida caravans are a great option for RV enthusiasts, they also have drawbacks. There’s no such thing as a perfectly running RV, so you must be prepared for potential issues.
Please continue reading to learn everything you need about common Avida caravan issues you can encounter throughout your ownership. In addition, we will teach you how to fix these problems so that you can get on the road as soon as possible.
What is an Avida Caravan
If you’re looking for a reliable RV in Australia, you can’t go wrong with the Aveda caravan. This is one of the most popular options you can purchase throughout the country because it has a strong reputation, and the company has years of experience.
Avida Caravan Problems and Their Solutions
1. Unwanted Trailer Movement
The most common issue you’ll experience driving around your Avida caravan is the trailer moving in ways you don’t want. Unfortunately, this is a difficult issue because it can cause a car accident. When cars get into an accident with an RV, it can be life-threatening.
Fortunately, this issue isn’t hard to fix because it relates mostly to how fast you’re going. Your trailer can only handle certain speeds, especially if you have much weight. It can also vary depending on the weather conditions outside.
For example, if you notice your trailer moving a lot, it could be because it’s windy outside. During extremely windy weather, it would be best to park your RV in a safe area until the weather subsides.
There’s not much you can do to control weather conditions except weigh them out until it’s safe to drive.
It’s always important to prioritize your and other people’s safety on the road, so you must ensure that you keep your Avida caravan trailer stable while driving. Otherwise, your trailer could crash into a vehicle and create a terrible accident.
How To Fix
The good news is that if you lose control of your trailer, it’s typically an easy fix. You should slow down your vehicle to see if that helps you gain stability.
Most people lose control of their trailers when they go too fast in their RVs. Remember, your RV is much larger than the average car, so you must be mindful of how quickly you drive.
If you notice your trailer swaying even after you slow down, you should park the vehicle and check your tire pressure. When it gets cold outside, it’s common for tires to deflate, and if you don’t have enough air, it’ll be hard to control your caravan.
Always keep an air pressure pump and gauge in your RV because tire mishaps are the most common issues RV owners face. If you’ve blown out a tire, you’ll need to tow your RV to a tire retailer for a replacement. It would also be best to keep a spare tire in your RV.
So, stability issues are typically caused by tire pressure and speed problems. Before continuing your journey, you need to slow down and pump your tires to the appropriate PSI. Otherwise, you could lose control of your trailer.
2. Can’t Fully Extend Avida Caravan
Another problem Avida caravan owners encounter is that they need to extend their room capacity using sliders. Most of these RVs have slide-out options to extend your room when you park your vehicle. This is a great way to make your RV feel more like a home than a vehicle.
So, it can be extremely frustrating when the walls won’t slide out or get jammed halfway through the opening process. However, this problem isn’t exclusive to this brand of RV. Any RV with a slide-out room can experience jams or other issues that make it difficult to operate.
How To Fix
If you can’t fully extend your sliders, there are a few troubleshooting options you can do. Try these tips to get your sliders working as normal so that you can extend your RV.
- Check your RV slide-outs for any jams: The most common reason people have trouble sliding out of their RV is that there is something caught in the way. When you leave your RV unattended while extended, debris and dirt can easily get trapped inside. Check for any large objects and clean your connections before trying the other options.
- Replace any damaged parts in your RV slide-outs: the slide-out room on your RV is one of the easiest parts of your vehicle to damage. If you notice any damaged parts, you can order new ones online and wait for the replacement. Check your RV slide-outs before going on your trip to ensure they’re in working order.
If your RV sliders are beyond repair, you may need to take your Avida caravan to a mechanic for care. Unfortunately, you can only do a limited amount of troubleshooting alone if you don’t have experience in this area. Otherwise, you could worsen the damage to your vehicle.
3. Avida Caravan Sealing Problems
Have you noticed that bugs or other paths have entered your RV? Unfortunately, this signifies a sealant problem in your Avida caravan. Sometimes there can be holes in your RV that make it easy for these pests to enter and make themselves at home.
Insects and other pests may be inclined to enter your RV if it’s cold outside. You have temperature control in your RV, which these creatures can’t get outside.
Additionally, when your RV isn’t sealed properly, it can cause a draft and make you waste money by supplying hot or cold air to the vehicle.
How To Fix
If you want to fix your rodent or insect problem in your RV, you need to seal everything properly. This includes your roof, side panels, and any discrete corners you have throughout the area.
You can use an RV sealant to complete this task, just ensure that you have the indoor or outdoor option depending on where you put it.
You don’t want to purchase an improper sealant for your purposes. For instance, if you need to put sealant on your roof, you must ensure it’s water-resistant to avoid leakage.
4. Poor Electric Supply
People like to use an RV for camping because they can have all the comforts of home while enjoying nature. One of those big comforts people have is electricity so that they can have a refrigerator, cooking supplies, etcetera, in their RV.
Unfortunately, there are times when your electric supply might not work properly. For example, if you have sockets throughout your RV that won’t work right, you may have difficulty using your appliances or entertainment stations.
How To Fix
You can use a few methods to fix electricity issues throughout your RV. Follow these tips to get your appliances up and running again so that you can enjoy comfortable amenities in your Avida caravan.
- Clean out your sockets: If you’re having difficulty using your electricity in your RV, you may have too much dust or debris. You can use a vacuum or pressurized air to remove this dust and debris and get your electric appliances working again.
- Check your generator supply: You’ll need to check anything that provides power to your RV to ensure it’s up and running. For example, if you have a solar power generator, you’ll need to check the current and ensure everything’s hooked up right. If you have an electric generator, you may need to charge it due to a dead battery.
- Check your wires: another reason you could have difficulty accessing your electricity is that the wiring is damaged in your vehicle. It’s common for wiring to melt in severe climates if you’re not careful about how you store your RV. If you have a rodent issue, it’s also possible that mice bit through some of your wirings.
If you notice any of these problems, it will affect your elective supply and make it hard for you to live a comfortable lifestyle on the road. This can completely defeat the purpose of owning an RV if you don’t do anything to resolve it.
If you try all these methods and still have trouble, it would be best to bring your RV to a specialist for an examination.
Final Thoughts
If you’re having any other issues with your Avida caravan, it would be best to check the user manual for more information.
You can also contact the manufacturer for customer assistance if you believe there’s something wrong with your RV. You don’t have to deal with these issues alone; you can contact professionals for help.
These RVs are the most popular options in Australia because they are reliable and have a strong reputation. Although these RVs are reliable, they can still encounter issues like any other vehicle.
All good points. Yes tyre pressure is good point and the supplied tyres on van are at cheaper end of the range, upgrading to heavier wall light truck tyres and then running at near maximum cold pressure makes dramatic difference to van ride as suspension then works, not the tyres acting as suspension. Running lower pressure, as was when I purchased did make van bounce along behind cruiser, now rock solid and no bounce And yes, also agree with stability as wind can really comes into play if is gust from angles behind van. Load ballance also is very important and keeping draw bar down force <300kg is important. especially with front galley van.
Slider motors, I say when not if will have problem but not sure how to even access them without dismantling van.
Avida are next to useless when ask questions, just say take to to dealer… I had water leak and did not know where was coming from. Water was getting underfloor area. After some persistence and new person at Avida they sent be dealer bulletin. Obviously knew of problem and how to fix, as applied to muti-terrain vans with checker plating on lower sides. Factory assembly failed to seal between back of plate and floor side assembly so water can get in. Solution, pull out all side sealing and replace. Drill holes at specific locations to allow water out of extruded member before can get further in. I suspect was a document that would normally hand out as was for repairers in their group.
Most frustrating issue was that refrigerator running on 12V travelling long distance as would not work well. House battery after many hours of travelling was very low. When looked into it found that 12V 12 pin cable with Aux 12V to charge battery also supplied the recuperator. Simple calculations proved the design was flawed as house battery was supply some 12V current to refrigerator and rest was coming from vehicle. Under this scenario the house battery was constantly being discharged even with solar input on long trips. Solution, from an electrical designer, (me) was to remove the refrigerator 12V from the house battery when vehicle is running and provide alternative supply. Installed 50A Anderson plug on vehicle with new 16mm2 cable and plug at van. New cable on van went into electrical area under seat. Installed 250A C/O relay and picked up relay supply from switched supply from when engine is running. This switched 12V is already at refrigerator to tell refrigerator to switch to 12V. So when engine is running, relay is energised and refrigerator is fed from dedicated Anderson plug supply. Once engine is off or 12 Pin plug removed from vehicle, refrigerator reverts back to house battery and then gas if parked. House battery is now fully charged when driving and refrigerator works much better. How did they get this wrong one asks, do they have designers or just people thinking they know how to do this??? I believe they did change design later as have seen Avida vans with Anderson Plug as well???
Hello. We have an Avida caravan and have an issue with a ‘soggy’ floor due to water damage. Avida have done an initial inspection and say they can’t find the source. I note you referred to an Avida Dealer Bulletin in relation to water getting under the floor. Is it possible for you to share this bulletin with me? We are having challenges with this issue and would like to read the bulletin you referred to.
Many thanks
Kim