3 weeks into my Auto Sleeper Malvern

Well, we have had it three weeks, two weekends away, it's like 5 star camping!. I have an issue with the electric hot water heating, (it's not working) but hope to get that resolved with a visit to Motor Plus on route to the NEC next week.
My only gripe so far, is that internally it's a bit noisy, I'm driving my wife crazy, she is spending many a journey wandering around the habitation looking for the damn rattles. I have isolated quite a few but some still remain. I have reduced the tyre pressures by 5 PSI all round, lets see if that helps. No doubt we will get there in the end, so long as I don't maim her indoors in the process. Any Malvern owners out there that can come up with some pointers ?

Glad to hear the "Mercedes based" Malvern also suffers from the dreaded rattles and it's not just unique to the Peugeot Boxer X250

Unfortunately I think the rattles are part and parcel of running a coachbuilt, you can do a heck of a lot to minimise it though, we were horrified when we first got our Nuevo but have fitted some of that non slip rubber grip map in all our draws and cupboards, we also use it on the oven shelves so our whistling kettle and pan doesn't rattle and have some tucked under the oven shelves where they sit on the rails which has cured all the oven rattles. Also use this to cushion and silence crockery rattles and anything in the cupboards that may cause any knocking or rattling.

The other area for terrible rattles was the Truma ultraheat fire, Mark Burdett at Auto-Sleepers adjusted ours and we now only get a very occasional rattle when the roads are particularly bad. Only other area we had creeks (more than rattles) were the lounge seats / beds as the clutch lever at the front was not locking them back fully causing the sofas to move around and squeak... again Auto-Sleepers sorted this easily by adjusting the clutch to take up the slack and they are silent now. Getting the missis in the back as you drive is a good idea, it's hard to tell from the cab where they are coming from but this is how we tracked all ours down.

Auto-Sleeper have been criticized in motorhome magazine reviews for rattles in the habitation areas (mainly kitchen related) but the more recent reviews are suggesting this has been addressed and the newer models are better.

Good luck with your Malvern, really nice motorhome

CC

Three hours of searching and some rattles identified. The biggest culprit, as others have identified, is the tin plate Truma Fire. What a design disaster!
I have bent the tops wires down as suggested, now the front fits nice and tight. The thermostat bulb had come out of its plastic mount, the metal thermostat mount is a stupid metal clip, (which didnt) yep, that was out and rattling like a good un, now secured with a screw. The battery box at the other end was out of its mount, now secured.
Many of the cupboard locker doors required catch adjustment to make the doors sit onto the rubber seal that is obviously there to stop the doors from rattling!
The lift up bed has metal to metal contact, screwheads resting on the metal frame below, cured with some self adhesive felt, as has the wardrobe door, the shower door, the door furniture and bottom plastic drawer in the fridge. I think that is the list, (for now)!
In fixing the rattles in the Truma fire I discovered where the incessant wind and road noise was coming from in the back. The air inlet for the truma comes up through the floor, and I can see daylight all the way around it, not just little bits, its a bloody great hole. More on that later.
All in all, Autosleepers, and Motor Plus as their agents, have not scored very highly in my view, most or all of my rattles could have been, and should have been identified and rectified if only they had simply completed a short road test, especially as my van has been on display at several shows during 2012 before I bought it new.
I have just moved to Autosleeper from a Hobby, did I have any rattles? Nah. (But the Autosleeper is much better!).
Well, I'm off to enjoy a hopefully now quieter Malvern.

Mostly the tyre pressures are up to the maximum for the vehicle, typically 80psi in old money for an X250 (don't know about a sprinter, I'm only a pleb ). It would be well worth loading it up to the gunwales and putting it across the local weighbridge to get the axle weights and total. A) you'll find out how much payload you really have spare on each axle and total, and B) you will be able to email the tyre manufacturer with the weights and exact tyre details and they should tell you what pressure to use. It astonished me - rock hard ride and very rattly at 80psi now down to 57 front 62 rear and a very smooth (for a white van) ride. Hope that helps and apologies if you've already done it. In my case the payload remaining was astonishing - now where is all that froggy wine?

Our Worcester is also on the Mercedes chassis, much much quieter and altogether better than the previous Peugeot and Fiat vans, doors don't flap about over 65mph and normal conversation is possible plus you can actually listen to the CD player!

Rattles.. I'm getting them one by one. A few tips that might be worth sharing!

We do not have the Trauma fire but do have the Thetford Crapice cooker.( not a spelling mistake) Door flew open, rattled like a box of washers so....

I made up some spacers for the door from a piece suitable piece of heavy duty rawplug ( not melting type!) which made it tight so it couldn't move up and down, then I used araldite to secure the stupid pully out flap below the controls in the half way position. We use non slip grip roll under the lid and clothes pegs to secure the shelves when travelling. All trays are wrapped in grippa roll...

Hey presto SILENCE, no more rattles.

There were only four screws holding the metal plate which protects the seats from the boiler tank so more screws and that stopped that one.

I have also put those little sticky door pads on which has stopped any door rattles.

There is still the odd creak and groan which is really unavoidable but on a scale of 1-10 I reckon I have killed of 9 of the rattles - it just takes time to track them down!!!

Just need to stop the water pump making a noise like a fire hydrant now and I reckon I am there.

But why on earth don't A/S get it right in the first place, if I am spending 60K on a van I really wouldn't mind having to spend another £100 or so if that is what it takes!!

I would have thought that an email from the tyre manufacturers giving the recommended tyre pressures for actual axle loads would not have invalidated my insurance. The 80PSI was assuming each axle is fully loaded, which is isn't.


Welcome on board, by the way.............

pcb7ty wrote:The loudest rattle is from the Heki. The guide wires 'ping'. Drive with the fly screen pulled 3/4 of the way across.

Don't reduce the tyre pressures on the Merc. The handbook says motorhome conversions should use max pressure. If you use less you risk not being insured by not complying with manufacturers operating instructions.

If I hadn't bothered to read this thread because I don't have a coachbuilt, I wouldn't know you'd joined so please take a minute to introduce yourself here..

https://www.autosleeper-ownersforum.com/f36-welcome-section-new-members-please-introduce-yourself-here

Fair enough. I'll continue with a comfy ride and look out for that when a get a Merc based coach built.

DuxDeluxe wrote:I would have thought that an email from the tyre manufacturers giving the recommended tyre pressures for actual axle loads would not have invalidated my insurance. The 80PSI was assuming each axle is fully loaded, which is isn't.

That sounds like you claimed on your insurance and they rejected your claim because your tyres didn't have enough air in

Nope.... Must admit that it wasn't too clear. Too busy preparing a gourmet meal for Mrs Deluxe. What I was trying to say was that I asked the tyre manufacturers what their recommended pressures were, giving the tyre details and the actual axle loads from weighbridge, as a lot of others have done. I can find nothing in the handbook to tell me I can't do this so reduced tyre pressures according to recommendations and now have a ride quality that doesn't attempt to remove the fillings from my teeth. I was trying to be helpful.....

As a motor insurance broker with 45 years experience I believe talk of cover being invalidated because somewhat lower than manufacturers recomended tyre pressures are being used to be scaremongering. In any case policyholders are protected from unreasonable decisions by insurers because they have the ability to have any dispute ultimately referred to the Insurance Ombudsman for an adjudication.

Hi there ! Yes we had to swap our Bourton re husbands worsening back issues . We also have been away 2weekends and it is 5star ! 
Our situation is identical ! I was on my hands and knees loads of times looking for new squeaks and rattles .
Isolated a few but biggest is wood panel at the bottom of the bed . Silicon spray today so we will see . 
DAB radio is also an issue and still not resolved . 
Onwards and upwards ! 
Anyone else ?

Amazing how 7 year old threads come back to life.

Ah, but that is the advantage of a proper forum, if a person has a problem they can search the forum and invariably someone else has already started a thread on it.

AndyRoyd wrote:Ah, but that is the advantage of a proper forum, if a person has a problem they can search the forum and invariably someone else has already started a thread on it.

Totally agree but the search facility on the forum is not the best.

Hi All
I have a rattle on heki above cab on my Orion Gemini,I can solve it by putting shims under the fasteners but every time I open heki they fall out.
Has anyone replaced rubbers above or introduced tape to pack the Perspex.
Other than this all other rattles sorted,cupboards and wardrobe doors no longer fly open on bumpy roads.

Wolfie wrote:Hi All
I have a rattle on heki above cab on my Orion Gemini,I can solve it by putting shims under the fasteners but every time I open heki they fall out.
Has anyone replaced rubbers above or introduced tape to pack the Perspex.
Other than this all other rattles sorted,cupboards and wardrobe doors no longer fly open on bumpy roads.

On my Heki 3 the rubber seal was not completely around the perimeter, to do with having some permanent venting I think. I added a complete seal rubber which got rid of squeeks and road/wind roar. The runner strings that the blind/flynet run on do rattle but a couple of pieces of foam under and 1/4 close of the blind and flynet when traveling cure it.

Hi Peter
May I ask where you obtained the rubber seal from as this is probably allowing the heki to bounce going over bumps,have not heard any draft related noises though.I don't want to keep packing the fasteners with shims as they may weaken and break.
The runner strings are not rattling but will not stay in the fully closed
Position without a bungee cord.

Can't remember where I got it, but this is the thing- didn't pay as much as this though.

https://caratech.co.uk/product/caravan-motorhome-dometic-seitz-heki-rubber-rooflight-seal-540e12/

I loved reading about the Malvern... and now I see it’s from 2012!

Norwich Lass has mentioned DAB problems.  I don’t have a DAB radio in the Malvern, but I can play my phone via bluetooth, and that gives me any channel.

Doonhamer5 wrote:I loved reading about the Malvern... and now I see it’s from 2012!

Norwich Lass has mentioned DAB problems.  I don’t have a DAB radio in the Malvern, but I can play my phone via bluetooth, and that gives me any channel.

Morning DH, nice to see another early bird. How's the weather up there.
Boaby (expat A&B)

burlingtonboaby wrote:

Doonhamer5 wrote:I loved reading about the Malvern... and now I see it’s from 2012!

Norwich Lass has mentioned DAB problems.  I don’t have a DAB radio in the Malvern, but I can play my phone via bluetooth, and that gives me any channel.

Morning DH, nice to see another early bird. How's the weather up there.
Boaby (expat A&B)

Ha! Yes very warm at the moment.  
I’m scunnered as to where A&B is actually located in Scotland! Aberdeen...?