I am shortly taking delivery of a 2024 Eriba 542, having had an Adria for a few years. The build quality of the Adria is pretty good really, aside from some rather questionable decisions with the 12v system. I have read a lot online about Eriba's build quality declining recently, but I wondered how it compares to other caravans that we see in the UK (the likes of Swift, Bailey etc?).

I have also read some people either replace the screws in the lockers on the 542 or fit retaining straps because there are issues with the screws being too weak. Is this something I should look to do when I take delivery? Are there any other "must do on day 1" tasks I also need to do with the caravan when I take delivery?

I am really looking forward to being an Eriba owner incidentally.

We purchased an Eriba 540 2024 model which arrived from Hymer in October 2024. We have used it now for about 10 trips, mostly short 3 to 5 days ones.

Our experience is that the current Eribas are very well built compared to our previous model (a 2009 (French built) 320. We have had some problems with the multifunction bed. In particular a stiff bed frame which needed some effort to get to slide out, and loose screws on the bed hinge frame. Also the attachment screws for the bed stays are totally inadequate, being wood screws into chipboard. They started to come loose. As we are under warranty, I checked with Cameron at Leisure First on whether we could upgrade the bed stays to gas struts, and to enhance the bed frame using heavy duty ball bearing drawer runners. This has been a massively beneficial upgrade and I can’t understand why this modification isn’t done as standard by Hymer - after all we spent £35k on this caravan. I also replaced the support screws for the stays (now gas struts) with threaded inserts and M6 stainless bolts - these are much more secure. We can also lift the beds up for access underneath with one hand, even with the seat cushion on. My detailed instructions on how this is done is posted in the files section on the Facebook group EribaFolk.

I don’t believe we have any issues with the bathroom door as Hymer have upgraded the lock fitting to a 3 point attachment. We also have security straps on all the overhead lockers to prevent the doors from falling open more than 90 degrees - this was an aftermarket pre-delivery upgrade done by Leisure First.

There is also an odd problem that when charging using the on-board USB (iPhone, portable light etc), the DAB signal is seriously degraded. We have a small Robert’s battery powered radio (Petite) which is great for the Eriba, but when we use the Eriba charging socket it completely destroys the DAB reception. This happens regardless of locality and is really annoying. I am going to raise this as a warranty issue. There must be some harmonic spatter generated by the USB charging circuitry which inserts itself in the DAB frequency band. If we use a 13A socket power strip with a different USB charging circuitry, there is no problem. I have tried with different USB leads including genuine Apple ones and a good Anker one with no improvement. I might try some ferrite beads around the charging cable which might reduce common mode interference but without knowing the specific frequencies of the interference this might be more luck than anything.

Apart from the odd screw needing tightening up around the bed cabinetry, I can’t see any other problems so far so we are very happy with the Eriba.

Pete

Thanks for the tips everyone. I think I will look at the screws and also fit some retaining wires on the cupboard doors. Are people gluing retaining wires for the doors in place, or screwing them into the wood?

EribaMotters, that is a really good idea. I can probably 3d print a little retaining arm to keep the bathroom door in place, and then bolt it through as you suggest.

Allypete, your issues sound like a grounding issue. If the issue is when you use one of the USB chargers, you could try fitting ferrite cores to the wires going to that usb port. Often that will stop any RF interference. You can pick them up on Amazon for a couple of quid.

One final question - we are buying from Glossop Caravans. Are Glossop official Eriba dealers? They seem to have a lot of Eribas in, but they are not listed on Eribas website as dealers. I have heard mixed stories about their aftersales service, which is a concern. The trouble is that as far as the warranty is concerned, I don't think I can go to one of the other Eriba dealers for a service because of the water ingress check (we are much closer to Red Lion - though I believe they are ditching Eriba and are no longer a dealer).

Quote: Caravan Nut wrote in post #5

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AllyPete, your issues sound like a grounding issue. If the issue is when you use one of the USB chargers, you could try fitting ferrite cores to the wires going to that usb port. Often that will stop any RF interference. You can pick them up on Amazon for a couple of quid..

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The first thing I did on getting home with my new (to us) 2016 540 recently was to unscrew all the locker and door screws and refit them with a dab of glue. Several had worked loose and, on the rear overhead cabinets, the trim the hinges screw into had split, This is the problem with Eriba swapping to "wood-grain wrapped" MDF profiles (as they did in 2010). You can make nice shapes with it, but MDF has no grain and, thus, no structural rigidity. I filled the cracks with high quality exterior wood glue and clamped them overnight. All OK so far. Interestingly the door screws were all tarnish free, whilst the holding trim screws were often slightly corroded. The MDF must hold some moisture in it from manufacture - or it acts like a sponge (more likely?) soaking up moisture from the air.

Like Colin I also replaced all the window fixing screws with stainless steel ones of the same size. There was actually very little corrosion there after 9 years.

Depending on your interior colour there are some good bathroom and wardrobe door retaining turn buttons available. Ours is in "Merano Cherry" and attached are a couple of photos of the ones I bought to fit. Lots available online, but only some include the extra spacer that you need to match the differences in the door and cabinets.

I wonder how many of these problems are weight related? We made up the bed for the first time and found the poles had bent in use. Ours is a 535 with the two aluminium poles spanning the middle with no support from the floor. I managed to source some stronger ones which will not bend but that's another kg or so.
Incidentally, I did consider whether this was a warranty issue but decided not, especially as the non eriba dealer had given us a good price

Wenn Sie hier auf Links zu eBay klicken und einen Kauf tätigen, kann dies dazu führen, dass diese Website eine Provision erhält.

I have a 2015 Eriba Familia from new and haven’t had any major issues. The touch lights have given me problems over the years. Some have been changed under warranty and I have changed a couple myself. The eBay link below are for the cabinet straps, I added these myself as a precaution.

https://ebay.us/m/JadkJ7

Don't ever look at the electrics in an Adria then! The 12v system is... interesting shall we say. Slovenian technology at its best!

First thing I did with our new 550 (which we also collected in October) was to get the wheels balanced to minimise vibration.
Having looked at the new-design cupboards, the latches seem much more secure. Having never had issues with the hinges, I haven’t messed with the screws.
The bathroom door we secure with a light bungee strap between the handle and the coat-hangers adjacent; we never had issues on our 2021 530 after we started doing that. We had problems with the screws on the tables with that van, but that was before we thought to place them upside down when travelling; they just get shaken too much otherwise.
I’m pretty happy with the build quality on the new one, but we did have to have the hitch and damper replaced under warranty.

Steve.

Hi first post since joining over a year ago, lots of following the many useful posts here.

Not sure on other people’s take on this but if the van is being bought from a dealer and it has been standing outside for quite a while I’d suggest a water ingress test before you pick it up. If it’s new would it be something you could get the dealer to agree to do at their cost?

We purchased a new 2023 310 in January 2024 which will have stood outside for months waiting for a buyer. When we took it for its service and water ingress test earlier this year two windows had damp readings of 50% around them. Once the work was agreed under warranty by Hymer it had to be booked in again to have the windows resealed and interior boards replaced. All dealt with quickly and courteously by Adventure Leisure but a round trip of 200 miles to drop off then again to pick up.

There weren’t any visible signs of damp and in hindsight the only telling thing was probably extreme condensation when it was cold, certainly more than we had in our 2004 420GT when we caravanned 15 years ago.

Other than the damp caused by the windows we have had no issues and have really enjoyed returning to caravanning and Eriba’s after a 15 year absence.

Paul

No advice, but just to say that, PiPi101 forgive me but your name did make me laugh. A brain the age of a 3 year old....

Hi,glad it made you laugh.

It came from my first grand daughter when she started talking, I wanted to be a Grampy rather than Grandad or Grandpa but all she could manage was Pipi. She is now 9 and still calls me it plus we have another grand daughter who is just over a year old and is being told I’m called Pipi as well.

It gives my wife a laugh she says it may be apt when I’m older and may have a few problems, incontinence etc.

Paul