# Anyone own a Chausson Flash 22 ?



## Grobbo

Hi All

Any member have or know of anyone with a Chausson Flash 22 or any of the new Chausson 2011 range. 

We bought ours last month and we are interested to hear any views on build quality or comparisons with other MH's. 

As it is our first MH we have nothing to compare it to and would welcome any comments. 

Regards

Gary


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## Kez100

Hi Gary,

We don't own a Chausson Flash 22 but it's top of our shopping list for 2012. I hope you are enjoying yours.

Kez


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## Jezport

We had a Flash 03 (2006) Chausson were dirt cheap then £24000 new.

For the money they were unbeatable, we had no major issues and for a budget van it was built very well.

Having said that with the prices around £40000 now. If I was looking for a van now, I don't know if I would have gone for one compared to other brands.


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## mikebeaches

This time last year we purchased a 2010 Chausson Flash S2 (the 2011 model has only very minor details changed).

'Flash' is of course Chausson's entry level range. We are pleased with it and satisfied it meets our needs extremely well for what we paid. We particularly like the modern interior design.

Previously we had a 6-year old Rapido motorhome (not from new) and I think it fair to say that the interior finish, although rather dated, was in our opinion of a slightly higher quality than the Chausson. Not a significant issue on the Flash S2 though.

However, the new motorhome with the Fiat X/250 cab drives much better than the previous Ducato and as I mentioned we're very happy with it.

Hope you enjoy your new motorhome.


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## Hessi

Ordered our Flash 22 2013 model last week. Took our Danbury VW T2 up today as she is going in px. 
Drove the flash 22 today and had full guided tour of electric bed and heating and it was fantastic.
New mh due March 2013 in time for Easter and can't wait.

best rgds

Hessi 

:roll:


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## Davethepenguin

I've a 2011 Flash 28 Transit based M/H. Whilst there have been a couple of issues with build quality, I'm pleased to say nothing major as yet. 

Regards

Andy


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## Agilityman

It appears most people don't have many issues with Chausson.

But beware, I have a 2011 Flash S2, here is a list of the faults:-

1, Black hot-air duct cover under bed re-cut to allow ducting to connect properly to terminal under bed just outside bathroom door. The ducting was so stretched it was not fully home in the terminal and was allowing the hot air to escape in the under bed void.

2, Bathroom hot-air duct terminal fixed permanently to the wall (internal part of terminal – under bed). This kept dropping off, separating from the external part of the terminal. I also bedded the external part of the terminal with silicone to the shower wall. I would have thought this should have been done as the shower water would find its way into the wooden shower wall?

3, Thetford WC flush button bezel fixed properly. The cut-out in the wooden wall was too large, allowing the bezel to move and gape.

4, Shelf under the bed (next to wardrobe) not level. One of the support blocks needed re-fixing lower down to level the shelf.

5, Water piping and electrical ducting in WC housing needed re-distribution and discard of original fixing (this fixing did not allow the piping and ducting to be placed as close as possible to the supporting wall) and re-fixing to allow cassette to slide freely into housing.

6, Cupboard door above kitchen re-hung (lower) to hide clearly out of square frame of cupboard.

7, Dinette table – swing out leaf needed considerable adjustment to allow the lock to work. 

8, Two hinges on wardrobe were faulty. These were swapped for good hinges taken from hinged shelves below that would not be used.

9, Door flyscreen needed external handle fitted. There is no external handle for the flyscreen, making it difficult to open from the outside. There is an internal handle.

10, Silicone beading needed on both sides of Kitchen worktop. There was a strip of plastic strip/beading at the rear of the worktop, but not the sides. However the bathroom worktop had the plastic strip/beading on all three sides.

11, Lock put on bathroom sliding door to stop door sliding open when travelling. The door is not fitted squarely, there is a gap at the top (4mm) when the door is shut. If this gap is closed with the magnetic strips in contact, the one side of the door is lifted off its roller. 

12, 230v a.c. wiring in Consumer unit needed re-terminating. The cable clamps clamped the inner conductors only and not the cable sheath on all cables. This is a really bad electrical installation fault, showing no understanding by the fitter of electrical standards.

13, Horizontal external joint between Luton and panel between Fiat cab and conversion offside sidewall needed new mastic added. There was a clearly visible crack in the mastic along the whole original mastic joint.

14, It appears there should have been Velcro on the cab door pillars to stop cab curtains gaping when shut. I have added Velcro strips to match the existing Velcro strips on the curtains. If this is not the case, perhaps they should be added as standard to provide better privacy.

15, Needed to make solid removable panel behind the grill external ventilator. Why? Because cold air comes directly into the motorhome in even the lightest wind. It is uncomfortable. Also the electrical wiring for the grill can been seen easily from outside the motorhome. I would imagine that when cleaning the outside of the motorhome, the use of a water spray would result in the electrical wiring getting wet. This would happen because the ventilator grill is above head height. A water spray can easily be directed downwards when cleaning the refrigerator grills, to stop water ingress.

16, The central third brake light. I decided to check the water proofing, as this third brake light is a well known water ingress weak point with many motorhome manufacturers. I found that the non-setting mastic had been put at the bottom only of the hole where the cables exit the motorhome body. This actually resulted in providing a funnel for water to enter the motorhome fabric. I have of course fully filled the hole with silicone mastic and put a silicone bead around the top and sides of the third brake light housing.

17, Fixed bed found not to be level. Head end was 25mm higher than foot end. Obviously incorrectly installed. Found out this was the reason the metal frame of the bed appeared to be twisted. When the mounting of the foot end of the bed corrected, the bed frame lay flat correctly and the bed felt flatter when in use. Mounting also had to re-inforced as it had started to deform (sag downwards). Later found this was due to the fixing reinforcing within the hollow wall had beed omitted.

18, The ‘Project 2000’ TV slide mechanism would not stay locked when travelling and would allow the TV to swing out alarmingly when turning left. Took mechanism down and found out it had been installed incorrectly. I had to file off some of the locking mechanism, so that it would work properly when re-installed, rather than re-fitting it correctly and having to drill new mounting points in the ceiling. There were many abandoned screw holes under the mechanism – as if the Chausson fitter had had several attempts at fitting the mechanism. 

19, External locker door adjusted to even top and bottom gaps and ensure top weather strip in contact with motorhome body.

20, Gap with bathroom sliding door fixed after investigation and finding roller track had become unattached from roof. In the doorway there was two fixings only, with as said one completely failed – screw was stripped. Fixed with 4 new fixings – improved fixings with broad flat heads to support the door more evenly.

21, Screws in the table wall connection moulding where not put in flush and allowed to be protruding causing gouges in the wall mounted aluminium section.

22, Screws around the door footwell where put put in flush and allowed to protrude.

23, Some of the window external mastic is very poorly applied and unsightly.

24, Stay on external locker does not work. It cannot possibly work as the geometry is all wrong.

25, Two of the acrylic windows are not visually clear, badly distorting the view.

25, One of the above locker fixings in the TV slot is badly chipped and visible around the plastic cover.

26, Vertical cable trunking by kitchen sink is 6mm too short, leaving an unsightly gap. 

27, The floor covering is clearly covering indentations and also has air bubbles where the covering has not fully adhered to the base floor.

28, Main habitation door retainer clip broke after 12 days use. 

Even this list is not exhaustive.

Just be aware that any Motorhome can have faults. This October I met a fellow Chausson owner at the Dunkerque ferry terminal (he had a 3month old Chausson Flash). We got talking and he asked me what I thought of my Chausson. I replied I wouldn't buy another one. Before I could let him know of the faults, he shook my hand and said he was very disappointed with his. He had just spent five weeks in France and he had had my faults and quality issues come to the surface. He had been close to the Chausson factory and had telephoned the factory to see if he could bring the motorhome in for the faults to be rectified. This was refused any he was directed to his dealer. I think that sums up Chausson, in my opinion they do not take their customer care seriously. I am in email contact with this chap, he has let me know that he is now getting all the faults fixed at his dealers, so that he can quickly trade it in.


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## mikebeaches

Agilityman said:


> It appears most people don't have many issues with Chausson.
> 
> But beware, I have a 2011 Flash S2, here is a list of the faults:-
> 
> 1, Black hot-air duct cover under bed re-cut to allow ducting to connect properly to terminal under bed just outside bathroom door. The ducting was so stretched it was not fully home in the terminal and was allowing the hot air to escape in the under bed void.
> 
> 2, Bathroom hot-air duct terminal fixed permanently to the wall (internal part of terminal - under bed). This kept dropping off, separating from the external part of the terminal. I also bedded the external part of the terminal with silicone to the shower wall. I would have thought this should have been done as the shower water would find its way into the wooden shower wall?
> 
> 3, Thetford WC flush button bezel fixed properly. The cut-out in the wooden wall was too large, allowing the bezel to move and gape.
> 
> 4, Shelf under the bed (next to wardrobe) not level. One of the support blocks needed re-fixing lower down to level the shelf.
> 
> 5, Water piping and electrical ducting in WC housing needed re-distribution and discard of original fixing (this fixing did not allow the piping and ducting to be placed as close as possible to the supporting wall) and re-fixing to allow cassette to slide freely into housing.
> 
> 6, Cupboard door above kitchen re-hung (lower) to hide clearly out of square frame of cupboard.
> 
> 7, Dinette table - swing out leaf needed considerable adjustment to allow the lock to work.
> 
> 8, Two hinges on wardrobe were faulty. These were swapped for good hinges taken from hinged shelves below that would not be used.
> 
> 9, Door flyscreen needed external handle fitted. There is no external handle for the flyscreen, making it difficult to open from the outside. There is an internal handle.
> 
> 10, Silicone beading needed on both sides of Kitchen worktop. There was a strip of plastic strip/beading at the rear of the worktop, but not the sides. However the bathroom worktop had the plastic strip/beading on all three sides.
> 
> 11, Lock put on bathroom sliding door to stop door sliding open when travelling. The door is not fitted squarely, there is a gap at the top (4mm) when the door is shut. If this gap is closed with the magnetic strips in contact, the one side of the door is lifted off its roller.
> 
> 12, 230v a.c. wiring in Consumer unit needed re-terminating. The cable clamps clamped the inner conductors only and not the cable sheath on all cables. This is a really bad electrical installation fault, showing no understanding by the fitter of electrical standards.
> 
> 13, Horizontal external joint between Luton and panel between Fiat cab and conversion offside sidewall needed new mastic added. There was a clearly visible crack in the mastic along the whole original mastic joint.
> 
> 14, It appears there should have been Velcro on the cab door pillars to stop cab curtains gaping when shut. I have added Velcro strips to match the existing Velcro strips on the curtains. If this is not the case, perhaps they should be added as standard to provide better privacy.
> 
> 15, Needed to make solid removable panel behind the grill external ventilator. Why? Because cold air comes directly into the motorhome in even the lightest wind. It is uncomfortable. Also the electrical wiring for the grill can been seen easily from outside the motorhome. I would imagine that when cleaning the outside of the motorhome, the use of a water spray would result in the electrical wiring getting wet. This would happen because the ventilator grill is above head height. A water spray can easily be directed downwards when cleaning the refrigerator grills, to stop water ingress.
> 
> 16, The central third brake light. I decided to check the water proofing, as this third brake light is a well known water ingress weak point with many motorhome manufacturers. I found that the non-setting mastic had been put at the bottom only of the hole where the cables exit the motorhome body. This actually resulted in providing a funnel for water to enter the motorhome fabric. I have of course fully filled the hole with silicone mastic and put a silicone bead around the top and sides of the third brake light housing.
> 
> 17, Fixed bed found not to be level. Head end was 25mm higher than foot end. Obviously incorrectly installed. Found out this was the reason the metal frame of the bed appeared to be twisted. When the mounting of the foot end of the bed corrected, the bed frame lay flat correctly and the bed felt flatter when in use. Mounting also had to re-inforced as it had started to deform (sag downwards). Later found this was due to the fixing reinforcing within the hollow wall had beed omitted.
> 
> 18, The 'Project 2000' TV slide mechanism would not stay locked when travelling and would allow the TV to swing out alarmingly when turning left. Took mechanism down and found out it had been installed incorrectly. I had to file off some of the locking mechanism, so that it would work properly when re-installed, rather than re-fitting it correctly and having to drill new mounting points in the ceiling. There were many abandoned screw holes under the mechanism - as if the Chausson fitter had had several attempts at fitting the mechanism.
> 
> 19, External locker door adjusted to even top and bottom gaps and ensure top weather strip in contact with motorhome body.
> 
> 20, Gap with bathroom sliding door fixed after investigation and finding roller track had become unattached from roof. In the doorway there was two fixings only, with as said one completely failed - screw was stripped. Fixed with 4 new fixings - improved fixings with broad flat heads to support the door more evenly.
> 
> 21, Screws in the table wall connection moulding where not put in flush and allowed to be protruding causing gouges in the wall mounted aluminium section.
> 
> 22, Screws around the door footwell where put put in flush and allowed to protrude.
> 
> 23, Some of the window external mastic is very poorly applied and unsightly.
> 
> 24, Stay on external locker does not work. It cannot possibly work as the geometry is all wrong.
> 
> 25, Two of the acrylic windows are not visually clear, badly distorting the view.
> 
> 25, One of the above locker fixings in the TV slot is badly chipped and visible around the plastic cover.
> 
> 26, Vertical cable trunking by kitchen sink is 6mm too short, leaving an unsightly gap.
> 
> 27, The floor covering is clearly covering indentations and also has air bubbles where the covering has not fully adhered to the base floor.
> 
> 28, Main habitation door retainer clip broke after 12 days use.
> 
> Even this list is not exhaustive.
> 
> Just be aware that any Motorhome can have faults. This October I met a fellow Chausson owner at the Dunkerque ferry terminal (he had a 3month old Chausson Flash). We got talking and he asked me what I thought of my Chausson. I replied I wouldn't buy another one. Before I could let him know of the faults, he shook my hand and said he was very disappointed with his. He had just spent five weeks in France and he had had my faults and quality issues come to the surface. He had been close to the Chausson factory and had telephoned the factory to see if he could bring the motorhome in for the faults to be rectified. This was refused any he was directed to his dealer. I think that sums up Chausson, in my opinion they do not take their customer care seriously. I am in email contact with this chap, he has let me know that he is now getting all the faults fixed at his dealers, so that he can quickly trade it in.


Sorry to hear you have had so many problems with your Flash S2. Ours is a 2010 model, and we've been extremely pleased with it. A couple of very minor issues since new, fixed perfectly without a hitch by the dealer under warranty.

More than two years of ownership and our only concern is what we could ever find to replace it, that would have such a clever and innovative design. At just 5.99 metres long, in our opinion, a case of a quart definitely fitted into a pint pot. The bathroom and shower is as big as on many RVs. And the infinitely adjustable rear seat back on the dinette is incredibly comfortable compared with any of the upright ones on others we've tried.

Have thoroughly enjoyed our travels around France and the UK in it. So no plans to change at the moment. But no hesitation buying another Chausson when the time does come.

Mike


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## mikebeaches

Edited to delete duplicated post.


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## Agilityman

Mike,

Look at the September issue of MMM. I've written an article " Living with a Flash S2". I totally agree about it being a great layout, pity about the qualitity.


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## mikebeaches

Agilityman said:


> Mike,
> 
> Look at the September issue of MMM. I've written an article " Living with a Flash S2". I totally agree about it being a great layout, pity about the qualitity.


Yes, I read your article in MMM thanks. And I believe there was some positive feedback from at least one other owner in a subsequent edition of the magazine.

Mike


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## Hessi

See blog of flash S2 from which motorhome magazine at following link. 
http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/Motorhomes/Reviews/Motorhomes/Chausson-Flash-S2/_ch1_rw740_pg1

rgds

Hessi 
8)


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## G4EKF

*CHAUSSON WELCOME 78EB*

I bought my Chausson Welcome 78eb April 2011 and have had some minor problems and these were recitified at the Factory in Tournon.
I was given a loan of a Motorhome by Chausson which was full fuelled and gassed up for the week that the repairs were carried out.

I had to wait 4 months before they could carry out the repairs and when I visited the factory a quality control person inspected the MH and all items I pointed out were rectified.

I must admit that the the quality control on the assembly line and the dealers pre-delivery inspections could be improved.

I wrote to the Chausson representative in the UK about my concerns and with the supplying dealer going into liquidation he contacted the factory and everything was sorted out.

I am very pleased with my Chausson and would not hesitate to buy another. The dealer in Newcastle let me down with shoddy workmanship and I had to sort a few problems they caused with the electrical system when installing a satelite system.

I have been 3 times to Europe and have met owners of very expensive Motorhomes and they also have had similar problems that had to be sorted out so it's not just Chausson that's at fault.


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## Hessi

Grobbo,
How are you getting on with your Flash 22, any news.

best regards

Hessi 8)


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