# First impressions of the new Bessacarr 530



## safariboy

We have just had our first week-end away in the new Bessacarr. We are going away later on and will write a proper review after that. This is just a few first impressions and some odd points that may help someone else.

Firstly: overall we are very happy with it. It is too early to comment on build quality in general but it seems good. There have been some comments about water entering the engine compartment in the new X2/50 base vehicles. It is true of ours; the problem seems to be that the guttering at the base of the windscreen is made in two parts and the join in the middle leaks.
The dealer has promised to fix; it but Fiat could have avoided the problem by making the guttering from one piece. While we are discussing the base vehicle it is worth mentioning that you only get one remote fob from Fiat. A second key which is provided will unlock the door and you can use it to start the vehicle but we had a Cobra alarm fitted and that will not work with the spare key but only with the radio fob. A second fob will cost £190! (There is a chip in the spare key so it will work if the Cobra alarm is deactivated) A Sigma alarm has its own radio fob and so might be a better choice.)
I liked the driving with an excellent clear view and light responsive controls. There seems to be plenty of power. On the A34 from Winchester to Oxford I did change down from 6th up the hills to prevent the new engine labouring but when it has eased up a bit more even that may not be required. The MPG "computer" gives 27.5 and that includes quite a lot of yard work so I hope to be over 30 on a long run.

We liked the blown air heating (effectively silent even when belting out heat on warm up) and it made the van very comfortable. The shower room was wonderfully warm. Initially we could not get the heating to work when there was no water in the system. The reason turned out to be that the van control panel and the Truma controls work together. It seems that you need to turn hot water on at the van control panel even if you only want hot air and have no water.A phone call to Swift sorted that.

The multimedia system is advertised as factory fitted but it seems that while the wiring harness is in the vehicle already the units are provided for the dealer to fit. The cab radio is also a DVD /MP3 player but this could only be seen on the drop down screen. It should also be available from a "phono" TV point at the other end of the van We are yet to discover if this is simply because the units are not correctly plugged in or if the distributer box is faulty.
Initially we had problems with the Freeview TV system and thought that there was no Freeview in Winchester but that turned out not to be true. Setting up the box was a little tricky but when set up it worked well, as did the status aerial.

The cab radio/DVD seem to work from the vehicle battery. This does not charge from the hook up and so a longish time without driving could be a problem. All the rest of the electronics come from the habitation battery. This could be a problem when not on hook up because, as Swift designed the system, it is on all the time. Our dealer saw the problems associated with this and put in a switch so we can take care of it.

The inside lights look wonderful and on hook up there is no problem. Most lamps are individually switched so again no problem but the kitchen lamps are one fluorescent and two Q/I giving an unreasonably large load when not connected to 230V. A switch on the Q/I down-lighters would be a good idea.

The awning light and a light over the habitation door come on when doors are opened etc. and I understand that Swift know that there is an issue because they do not always go off when driving. They are writing to the dealers with a fix for this.

The control panel gives plenty of information including current in or out of the battery in use, voltage of both batteries and an indication of the charge left.

The 230V trips are located inside the base of the wardrobe and I felt that a less prominent position could have been found. (even if just over to one side) That said they were not where they could be touched by things in the wardrobe.

We thought that the wash room managed to combine utility- in that it would be suitable for long term use - with simplicity in that it did not use up too much of the van. It was possible to have a good shower between two screens without soaking the toilet or sink. The result was that the area to be mopped up afterwards was pleasingly small. The shower itself was excellent.

The wheel arch intrudes into the cupboard near the door. That is understandable but it is only plastic without insulation and there was condensation on the first night ( but not afterwards). I felt that it should have been boxed in to keep it warm and prevent condensation. Many people will keep their bedclothes here.
Nothing has fallen off, cracked or chipped. It's lovely and light and airy and we are very pleased with it. Both Swift ,the dealer ( Marquis Berkshire) and Fiat have listened and responded to our comments and we feel we have been well served by all of them.

We'll write a review for the database when we are back from an extended trip, in May.


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## christopherobin

Looking forward to your updates
Our new Bessacar 560fb is due June.


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## safariboy

Hope that you enjoy it. I look forward to hearing what you think about it. If you have the elegance pack make sure your dealer demonstrates the whole of the set up including DVD (take one with you) played onto a TV and the Freeview tuning and freeview onto the drop down screen.


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## Rapide561

*Fiat*

Hello

Glad all seems to be going well.

Is there any chance of a photo of the windscreen area and I shall look at the Italian vans on site and see how they compare?

Russell


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## Grizzly

*Re: Fiat*



Rapide561 said:


> Is there any chance of a photo of the windscreen area and I shall look at the Italian vans on site and see how they compare?
> Russell


Hi Russell...do you mean the under bonnet bit - where the possible leak is ? I'll put a photo of that and the whole van on my album.

G

I've just put 3 photos up Russell. I'll do more later and get OH -who did the bodge -to write more about it.


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## safariboy

If you look at Grizzly's pictures you can see the photo on page 4. If you open up the bonnet there is a metal shield in the center top. If you follow this up there is a piece of gaffer tape covering the join. It did not stick but shows up the position. The gutter is in two pieces and the join seems to be the problem. On mine there is a substantial drain on the right hand (UK drivers) side so there should not be a problem. I have contacted Fiat UK service and our dealer is going to seal it off but I think that in the end Fiat will need to make the gutter one piece or make a better join.

Gaffer tape is no good - it will not stick even to the plastic when dry.
It would be interesting to know what other Fiat's are like there


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## quartet

*Thank you so much for this informative account!*

We are getting the Bessacarr E560 (FB) in July so enjoyed reading your comments!
Thanks again
barry


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## safariboy

I am rather concerned with the water leak into the engine compartment. This is a Fiat problem . I suggested that it was due to the joint in the gutter at the base of the windscreen. On further examination I am not happy with the seal between the gutter and the windscreen. I would advise anyone taking delivery of a new Fiat to pay particular attention to this area and make sure that there is no water damage inside the engine compartment.
Ours is being sorted but you might find it simpler to reject any vehicle which is not prefect in this area.


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## Grizzly

safariboy said:


> . On further examination I am not happy with the seal between the gutter and the windscreen. .


Barry - I've put a photo in my album which might help you to know what to look for. I can take more next time we visit.

G


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## quartet

Are those just wheel trims or did you get the alloys?


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## quartet

Hope you don't mind a few questions.
What colour is the the awning pls? My wife wants matching gear....doh!Did you geta bar with it to keep fabric tight? Did you get the leg mounting brackets fitted to the bodywork. Can you use the tv as a rear view mirror when driving or does it just come on with reverse gear?
Did you get any extras fitted eg towbar?
Do you have a microwave in yours?
Is yours the end washroom model? (that was our 2nd choice)
Is the boiler quiet? (being under the bed)
Is the habitation heater part of the Truma? and you don't need water in to operate?
Is the sat nav screen part of the radio or is it a separate unit mounted on the right. We have the Motoroller travelpilot based on the car radio and it's useless and has got us into lots of bother and cannot be trusted!
Is the water drain at the back? Is it ok to fill up with water, my current 1 takes 10 mins 'cos it spits back. Any idea of top speed yet?

Barry


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## Grizzly

What colour is the the awning pls? 
It's the olivey green version - matches very well with the interior upholstery as the green is picked out in the seat trims. Not sure whether they intended this or they don't sell enough green awnings !

Did you geta bar with it to keep fabric tight? 
Not sure what you mean but the awning is the standard one and the fabric is tight when the awning is up

Did you get the leg mounting brackets fitted to the bodywork.
No, we've never had these on either previous van. It comes with 4 pegs to hold the front legs down.

Can you use the tv as a rear view mirror when driving or does it just come on with reverse gear?
Only with reverse gear. When on it is very clear and effective. I understand it is illegal to use it as a rear view mirror but stand to be corrected on this. You can play DVDs on it and get (built in) Freeview TV as well as playing MP3s. There is a socket in the rear to enable you to watch all this on your own larger TV.

Did you get any extras fitted eg towbar?
We had a Cobra alarm and 2 bike Fiamma bike rack fitted. Very pleased with latter which has been so done that the kitchen window can be fully opened. NB what my OH wrote about the key fob and the cobra alarm.

Do you have a microwave in yours?
Yes, a Sharp one fitted as part of the Elegance pack.

Is yours the end washroom model? (that was our 2nd choice)
No, end kitchen. Gives you some visibilty through the back window. The cooker is fitted away from the door with "dead space" in front of it - ie no doors, so is very safe.

Is the boiler quiet? (being under the bed)
Remarkably so. We have never had blown air heating and were worried that is would be noisy but we are amazed. You cannot hear it even on start up. It is very effective and we are delighted with it. It can be set via the control panel to come on and go off like a domestic set up.

Is the habitation heater part of the Truma? and you don't need water in to operate?
Yes it is one big unit and no, you don't need water to operate it. We could not get it to work initially bacause the settings on the control panel are not intuitive but we can send you the setting you need and it works ! Useful for us as we drain the van at the farm we keep it and can have heating while we work.

Is the sat nav screen part of the radio or is it a separate unit mounted on the right. 
The Blaupunkt Lucca MP3 satnav is mounted on the dashboard to the right of the driver . The cradle is stuck to a pad on the dash and can be dropped below the dash out of site. The head unit can then be taken with you and works on battery. The whole thing is wired to the radio and works through the radio for sound if you want it but can be separate. It has an excellent built in aerial. It works via SD cards and I have yet to find out if I can put my Tom tom POIs onto it. See Blaupunkt website.

Is the water drain at the back? Is it ok to fill up with water, my current 1 takes 10 mins 'cos it spits back. 
Filling up is no problem as is emptying waste which seems much quicker. The waste tap is located in an easily accessible place. We are going to put a length of tubing on ours to extend the range of it. There is a filter on the waste which is easily accessible. Dumping fresh water involves taking up the interior carpet to get at the water tank under the floor. This has a plug in it which is pulled out by means of a chain ! Pull out the plug and excess fresh water drains very fast.

Any idea of top speed yet?
Not yet, but don't watch htis space as we tend to potter and never reach top speeds !

The wheel trims are the standard ones. We didn't go for the alloys.

Hope this helps

G


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## Grizzly

Barry...The awning is a Fiamma recessed one but is Bessacar badged so I guess they do order them to tone with the chosen colour scheme rather than just picking the nearest to hand from stock ! Your wife can rest assured -ours looks very smart.

G


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## safariboy

The microwave is actually standard - not part of the elegance pack.
The van certainly will reach 70 mph on the flat and actually tends to do so if not watched. It is very light to drive and visibility is excellent.


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## Rapide561

*New Fiat*

Hello

Sods law, as it is mid week, I am the only person here. Come the weekend, I shall have a nosey at new Fiats when they arrive - as they always do.

Failing that, I have to go back to the Rollerteam dealer again for some work to the Heki, so I shall have a look at theirs and try to sneak a photo!

Russell
Your correspondant in rain drenched Italy, braving the elements, in search of more water under the bonnet.


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## Grizzly

*Re: New Fiat*



Rapide561 said:


> Hello
> Russell
> Your correspondant in rain drenched Italy, braving the elements, in search of more water under the bonnet.


I'm so pleased it's raining Russell and you can see possible problems as they happen !

If you could arrange for it to be warm and sunny in about 2 weeks please ?

Thanks again for your help

G


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## 96410

boxes and told me they had not fitted it all, i told them to get lost and get it sorted. also our key fob does not work but we are getting a new one.
Good luck.


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## Grizzly

subaru said:


> We have just taken delivery of our 680 FB swift and love it but we have same problem with tv, its not factory fit because the dealer gave me 4 boxes and told me they had not fitted it all, i told them to get lost and get it sorted. also our key fob does not work but we are getting a new one.
> Good luck.


Subaru...I wonder if you were given all the bits ?

We had 6 boxes ,all empty save for charger and mains units and accessories. The dealer had installed them. The TV requires an audio/video selector box ( Jebsee make) and a digital TV(DVB-T) top set. (I'm reading off the boxes. )

Other boxes belong to the drop down monitor, sat nav and car radio/MP3/DVD player. Our drop down monitor works fine but the TV picture will not play on the drop down monitor only on our own TV in the back and the DVDs only play on the drop down monitor and not the TV in the back.
The dealer has it on Sunday to- we think- connect up the switches properly. Touch wood, everything else has worked fine and the dealer is a delight to deal with; responsive and efficient.

We'd have liked another key fob but that is a Fiat thing not Swift or Marquis.

G


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## 96410

I cant get a picture on my rear tv at all but i a hopeing that when its all fitted right that it will be fine, i moved the pannel above fridge and there are 3 electrical boxes with loads of wires (i looks really complicted) i would like to know your out come on this as i dont want the dealer to fob me off by saying (oh but thats how it works).


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## kennyo

Just picked up our bessacarr 765 a few parts need replacing but they are just small things. The freeview eye for the remote control does not work this is from swift which there is a problem as they had ten to return so far, I read before we picked the van up about the heating control where you can set it to come on I try this and could not get to work sets okay but nothing happens though you don't need this as it works fine manually and is soooo warm. Upgraded engine and it is excellent very quiet but you have to watch your speed. I had a problem with my fuel gauge as it was not moving even when they filled it up and when i was talking to one of the mechanics he said that they had been a few with dodgy gauges and it takes ten days to get a replacement luckily they fixed mine but i said that if i leave the van i will not be back to collect it. So far so good and Im still :lol: even after it took five days before i left the dealers ( so make sure you take spare clothes when you go to pick up your MH )


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## 96410

Kennyo, i am waiting for a new remote thingy as well


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## kennyo

Just been to try the tv in the back of the van with a dvd in the radio and could not get any sound from the tv only the radio. Will have a look at this tomorrow are learn to lip read, as you would have to turn the radio up pretty loud to here at the back


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## Grizzly

kennyo said:


> Just been to try the tv in the back of the van with a dvd in the radio and could not get any sound from the tv only the radio. Will have a look at this tomorrow are learn to lip read, as you would have to turn the radio up pretty loud to here at the back


Is there no sound coming from the speakers in the van roof - next to the central lights ? We find we can listen to the radio very clearly even in the kitchen area at the back of the van ( even in the bathroom if you turn it up

Sounds like someone had fun wiring in all the gizmos !

I understand that was Swift. All that your dealer should have had to do was physically attach the gadgets to their place and plug the wires into the wiring that Swift had left in place. They can't do it in the factory or the gadgets get pinched on the forecourt.

G


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## safariboy

Sound should be available from the phono sockets but anyway as OH points out it is good from the mid speakers. I expect that there is a control in the radio/DVD menu to adjust the back speaker volume so that might be worth looking at. I have not managed to locate it.


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## kennyo

misunderstanding all the speakers work great its just i should get sound from my tv at the rear of the van through the phono socket but i do not will play with it tomorrow. Mind you if you turn the radio up the whole site can listen to what i am watching as its that good


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## Grizzly

Hi Kenny

Please take careful note of what you do ! 

We can play DVDs and MP3s on the radio and get picture and sound on the drop down screen. We can get TV - Freeview only- on our own TV in the back via the phono socket. To get analogue TV we have to plug directly into the Status box in the wardrobe 

What we can't do is get the DVDs to play at the back on our TV and the TV pictures and sound to appear on the drop down screen - no sound or picture either way.

We don't think it is us, we have followed the instructions to the letter. We know it should happen - the schematic diagrams are perfectly clear on that.

We think it is a wiring fault or a plug in fault. It's going back to the dealers to - hopefully- sort out on Sunday. If not we will take our little DVD player away with us. I've been cadging DVDs for months for this !

Isn't it fun ? Looking on the bright side I suppose all the mental exercise involved keeps dementia at bay though the frustration probably doesn't help blood pressure. I keep reminding myself that we used to be perfectly happy in a tent with gas lanterns and books.

G


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## kennyo

Hello G 

Looks like you have more trouble than me I am going to try to sort it out myself. If I cannot fix the problem then back to the dealers we will go but we are in no hurry as you say its just one of the luxurys of today


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## 96410

Did anyone get this TV,DVD, Freeview, drop down tv, rear Tv , sound problem sorted out. I got my van back today and i cant watch a dvd on my bedroom tv and no sound from the flip down tv watching freeview.
(all very complicated).


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## 98316

There have been some comments about water entering the engine compartment in the new X2/50 base vehicles

Does this apply to the 400 series as well? Seem to have missed this topic when its been posted. We have the new E495 with the new chasis. How can I tell if we have this problem? How do I access the photo album mentioned to compare the pics to ours.

Just one other point, we were told the 500 series has a problem with the batteries draining if its left for 3 weeks without use, our dealer recieved a letter from Swift, it has something to do with the 'extras'. Our dealer says that you should disconnect the battery if you are leaving it standing but also that there is a switch you can have fitted. 

One more note, for those of you in Wales, 3 A's Caravans in Pencader have a good selection of brand new Bessacars on the drive ready to be taken away, not sure how many are sold but we saw at least 6 there the other day of different models, might be worth a phone call if you are looking for one and don't want to wait. They have excellent customer service and after care.


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