# Considering new 9048df



## Valkman (Jul 16, 2011)

Hi All,

My wife and I are considering moving to a new 2015 9048df from our Autotrail Navajo . Grand daughter arrives shortly and we will soon be needing more passenger seats  . I really would appreciate any advice/comments from existing owners as to strengths/weaknesses/ problems/remedies etc etc. about this model and Rapido in general. Is the build quality good and are they a good company to deal with? . From reading entries on other forums it would appear the chassis upgrade to 4400kgs is essential for a decent payload. I am also considering a scooter rack on the back as well. Has anyone done this? 
The 'media pack' I purchased with my Navajo is absolute garbage and has a terrible reputation. - £1000 of complete rubbish (thank you Auto Trail!). I was wondering if the Pioneer multimedia unit fitted to the Rapido is well regarded or suffers a similar reputation. 
Best wishes to all....

Valkman


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## Camdoon (Sep 21, 2012)

The one fitted to my van is the Pioneer avh-x2600bt which gets reasonable reviews online. From a Mhome point of view it only takes input from 1 camera which has an external mic (it also appears that if you want the mic to work with the Rapido Waeco camera you cannot switch to the camera other than through reverse gear ). Bluetooth works well and there are other "I" utilities available when Pio get round to updating to the latest Apple IOS version. The screen is not much larger than a Sat Nav and I am not inclined to watch anything on it when a laptop, tablet or Avtex would be better (a Hudl screen is larger). There are no steering wheel controls but with Siri and the console top mic you can use it as a hands free phone. There is no DAB but reception is good. We have no rear speakers but speaker cables which appear to be in the back of the hab area rather than the seating area but getting that sorted. The front speakers are powerful enough to allow us to do some serious head banging. There is USB connectivity in the underneath map box. There are ryw RCA points by the TV points but I have nothing analogue that will work through them. I am unsure whether they are even connected. I think you have to think of the player as no more than a radio/MP3 player with Bluetooth for hands free and music. I certainly would not pay a premium for it. There is apparently a Sat Nav you can literally bolt on underneath which retails unfitted at circa £400+. When I recently went to Halfords to buy a double din radio/DVD player for a car I was advised to buy one from China at a third of the price, Rapido would have done better if they had. Whip the Satellite dish off your present van and buy an Avtex to watch TV/DVDs if your present kit cannot.
As for Rapido then there are a number of minor points which a company known as Brown and ending in hills are in the process of sorting out which they should have picked up on in their PDI. I could understand why some gauleiters were upset if it was a faultless German van they wanted.
There is also the interesting Techno thread showing how to rebuild a 7 series Rapido.
The Rapido manual is only a couple of steps ahead of a chinese translation. They combine all vans and versions (6,7,8,9,90,10; both Merc and Fiat variants) in the one document so sorting out what is relevant is torturous and it is not online. Oh they do not tell you until half-way through the manual that if you use LPG then there is no warranty on the gas installations.
Overall we are very happy with the Rapido and in cars have preferred and done better with French flair rather than German efficiency. Go for it.


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## wp1234 (Sep 29, 2009)

Hi ,
I'm also moving away from Autotrail ( 2012 Dakota with a rubish multimedia pack as well ). 
The Autotrail salesman I dealt with back in 2012 really left me with sour taste so I've just ordered a Rapido 990df with upgraded 4250kg chassis + 150 hp engine etc etc .With the upgraded chassis and big garage space I really couldn't justify the extra £6 k for an Alko chassis and extra underfloor storage space . But it's all down to choice I guess.

From what I saw in the NEC and various bits of advice I've had the quality is there .


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## HarryTheHymer (May 1, 2005)

We were very attracted to this van - very similar in layout to the Hymer 544 for lounging space. Also, the relatively short rear overhang allows the attachment of a scooter rack (chassis capacity permitting). We've seen other 9048df's with scooter racks attached. The rear overhang is less than the Hymer 544.

However, the report in MMM about 3 years ago mentioned that the fresh water tank did not have a drainage dump facility. So when you drain down, you presumably have to pump the water out - this is not very satisfactory in our view as there will always be stale water left in the tank.

Maybe, Rapido have now provided a dump facility for the fresh water tank - so it's worth checking. 

This is the only reason we didn't buy a 9048df.

Expect other Rapido owners of this model will be able to help.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Shame that you could not have had a dump facility made up and fitted, would have been quite simple surely.

cabby


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## wp1234 (Sep 29, 2009)

HarryTheHymer said:


> However, the report in MMM about 3 years ago mentioned that the fresh water tank did not have a drainage dump facility. So when you drain down, you presumably have to pump the water out .


Gosh I never even thought to check that when I was looking around the van I just assumed all vans would have this as standard , are the new models equipped with the dump valve I wonder ?


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

> wp1234 said:
> 
> 
> > HarryTheHymer said:
> ...


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## Valkman (Jul 16, 2011)

HarryTheHymer said:


> We were very attracted to this van - very similar in layout to the Hymer 544 for lounging space. Also, the relatively short rear overhang allows the attachment of a scooter rack (chassis capacity permitting). We've seen other 9048df's with scooter racks attached. The rear overhang is less than the Hymer 544.
> 
> However, the report in MMM about 3 years ago mentioned that the fresh water tank did not have a drainage dump facility. So when you drain down, you presumably have to pump the water out - this is not very satisfactory in our view as there will always be stale water left in the tank.
> 
> ...


I spoke with Adrian Prior from Wokingham Motorhomes this morning and he was puzzled by the MMM report. He said that the Truma Combi boiler has a 'dump valve' fitted so that it can be drained down and as far as he is aware this has always been fitted. Similarly, there is a fresh water tank 'drain tap' fitted to all Rapidos and he believes always has been. He checked with his technicians and all seemed nonplussed by the report in MMM. Maybe some confusion over what is meant by a 'dump valve perhaps? 
:dontknow:


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## HarryTheHymer (May 1, 2005)

Regarding the review in MMM about the lack of water outlet to the fresh water tank, I have now found the relevant article.

See May 2010 edition of MMM page 165 - Test between Dethleffs Magic Edition and Rapido 9048DF. 

The reviewer states, "Emptying the Rapido freshwater tank involves pumping via the taps - there's no drainage outlet, which I find inexplicable". 

Hopefully, Rapido now provide a drainage outlet to the fresh water tank in later versions of this model.

Don't shoot me - I'm only the messenger !!!!!!

PS. The Truma heater will always have a dump valve to discharge water at below approx 5C to prevent water freezing in the heater. The dump valve also has a manual override to allow drain down.


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## Devonboy (Nov 19, 2009)

I am surprised that a representative from Rapido did not challenge the article, my 2009 9048DF definitely has a fresh water dump facility. They also show the double lounge bed configuration incorrectly when compared to the Rapido instructions.


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## Valkman (Jul 16, 2011)

I'm inclined to think MMM got it wrong on this occasion. I'm sure the Motorhome industry in general, and Rapido dealers in particular would have known about such a glaring omission. Best to park that issue and move on I think. Good recall by Harry the Hymer though! Respect to his little grey cells for that one


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

I have heard from Clive regarding his 9048 and this is what he says; "Our view. Good build quality and a dream to drive / live in. Drain valve for cold water is under hatch in floor just outside of toilet door under the drain for grey water. The chassis on our van is an Alco and our understanding from SV Tech is it can only be uprated to 4090kg. This 2240 rear axle and 1850 front. The Alco air assist is dearer than for some other chassis for some reason. Also tyres that are 225/r70 15 with a load capacity of 112 is required at the rear at least. Finally, the only draw back is the width of the wardrobe which could / should be about four inches deeper. Would we buy this again knowing everything? Yes unless we won the lottery.


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## Valkman (Jul 16, 2011)

Thanks rayc and Clive for this. We were looking at either a 9048df or a Hymer B544 (identical lay outs). We've decided on a 2 yr old 544 we've found with the maxi chassis and a whole host of extras that bring it up to the spec of a standard Rapido! - OK slight exaggeration perhaps! The Hymer is fugly in comparison to the Rapido but the Rapido isn't as practical. French flair -v- German engineering and practicality. Close call but its the Hymer for us. 
Best wishes to all...


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## HarryTheHymer (May 1, 2005)

Interesting recent comments by both rayc and valkman.

If you are looking for payload then the 15" wheels mentioned by rayc's friend would generally limit you to 3700Kg although maybe SVTech can improve on that, at a price.

My last van (Hymer BC544) had 15" wheels and that is why I sold it for a van with 16" wheels, giving much greater payload (gross 4250Kg).

If you can get a Rapido with a 4250Kg chassis then that might be a good option being in mind the overhang is less than the equivalent Hymer and therefore better for transporting a scooter on the back.

Best of luck with your search. Hope this helps.

PS. Glad to hear that the report in MMM about the non existent fresh water drain facility was probably incorrect, judging by owner reports.


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## Valkman (Jul 16, 2011)

A little misleading perhaps but i think what they were probably trying to explain was that there is no drain tap at the side of the vehicle. The drain is on the centre line and just forward of the rear axle with the release tap being inside the habitation area under a floor panel. Not the most practical solution because it's not easy to judge where to dump if the space around the motorhome service point is tight and also, as a lady at the NEC found out when using the temporary Caravan Club Site at the NEC Motorhome Show, you cannot get a bucket underneath it when there is no specific 'dump' facility. She and her husband had just had a shower and her solution was that she was going to empty in a lay-by!


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

> Valkman said:
> 
> 
> > A little misleading perhaps but i think what they were probably trying to explain was that there is no drain tap at the side of the vehicle. The drain is on the centre line and just forward of the rear axle with the release tap being inside the habitation area under a floor panel. Not the most practical solution because it's not easy to judge where to dump if the space around the motorhome service point is tight and also, as a lady at the NEC found out when using the temporary Caravan Club Site at the NEC Motorhome Show, you cannot get a bucket underneath it when there is no specific 'dump' facility. She and her husband had just had a shower and her solution was that she was going to empty in a lay-by!
> ...


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## Valkman (Jul 16, 2011)

OK. Good point well made  but i think they both drain from the centre.


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

> Valkman said:
> 
> 
> > OK. Good point well made  but i think they both drain from the centre.
> ...


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