This post is about our experience with Urban Caravans problems and warranty issues. This is a follow-up to our Urban Caravans review.
We have owned an X-Terrain Urban
Structurally, our Urban
Urbans’ in-house dust suppression system worked exceptionally well, and the van has no major dust problems when travelling across dusty roads.
We did find dust around some areas where pipes entered the van and weren’t adequately sealed. Only a tiny amount of dust was in that area, so it wasn’t a problem.
The cabinetry and furniture have not moved; we find them built to the highest standards. Our van has had no leaks and has been in some of the wildest storms.
The van is extremely well-insulated and soundproofed, to the point that sometimes we sleep in, even in a busy
The actual van build is exceptional, which is why we purchased an Urban
The componentry or products inside and outside the van have caused our warranty issues.
Our Urban Caravans Problems And Warranty Journey
We left our home in June 2023 to tour Australia full-time in our Urban X-Terrain.
Our first major destination was Karumba, where we met up with friends, and Kev did some fishing.
On our way to Karumba, at Lara Wetlands, we noticed that it was hit and miss whether our door would lock. A few stops later, it wouldn’t, so Kev installed a lock from a hardware store inside.
Water Pumps
After Karumba, we travelled along The Savannah Way. Our first stop was at Leichhardt Lagoon, where our main water pump didn’t work. Fortunately, our freshwater pump still worked.
The electrical system wasn’t working either, along with the pump. However, on this particular Friday evening around 7 p.m., George, Urban’s senior electrician, called us after hours from Melbourne.
Within a few minutes, after a hard restart, we had power! The pump wasn’t playing along, though, and it wasn’t until we reached Mareeba that we had the faulty pump replaced.
Until then, we had to stay in
We were all set to tackle the PDR on our Cape York trip.
Our first stop was Hahn River Roadhouse, and when we tried using a tap connected to our main water tanks, we found the brand-new pump no longer worked. The same plumber replaced it when we returned to Mareeba from Cape York.
On the way back down from the Cape, we visited Cooktown, The Daintree, and Cape Tribulation, so we were back in
The plumber advised that he replaced eight other water pumps in other caravans between the times when he swapped out our first and second pumps.
It seemed that Shurflo had a faulty batch of water pumps at that time.
Since the second pump replacement, we have had no further problems with our water pumps.
Dometic Windows
Around the same time the door stopped locking, Dometic recalled the windows in our van. The latest batch of their windows was faulty and de-laminating; thousands of van windows were recalled across all brands of caravans.
As we were in outback Queensland, Dometic advised us to tape all the windows and that we could have new ones fitted at their nearest agent.
We had all but two windows replaced in Townsville. Out of the other two windows, one was buckled, and the other had a massive scratch across it!
The other two windows were replaced in Hervey Bay.
Thetford Induction Plate
We have an all-electric
When we reached Bramwell Station, only one of the induction plates worked. By the time we reached Loyalty Beach, neither of the plates worked.
According to the error codes, Thetford advised that the motherboard had stopped working and the induction plate was faulty.
Fortunately, we had a Dometic slide-out kitchen, and the weather was fine.
A Thetford agent in Cairns replaced the induction plate.
Dometic Slide-Out Kitchen
Coming back from the Cape, one of the gas burners stopped working, and the ignition switch was not working to light the gas burners. A wire had detached from the grommet.
The ignition switch and lights in zone one of our
The ignition switch was fixed in Hervey Bay after a service agent in Mackay inspected the kitchen, ordered the parts and had them sent to Hervey Bay.
Water Tanks
On our way to The Daintree and Cape Trib, we stopped at a Farm Stay in Mosman for a few days. There, we found that our drinking water wasn’t flowing.
Naturally, we thought it was another faulty water pump. Instead, Kev found that the strap holding the water tank in place was broken as it had broken on a corner fold.
We had the strap reinforced, welded and fixed in Mossman under warranty. We paid for the job and submitted the invoice to the warranty department. Urban Caravans paid us back within a few days.
Checker Plate
Whilst Kev was under the van with the water tank, he also noticed that the checker plating had cracked in places where an angle had been cut.
The checker plate runs from the front of the van to the back and protects all the wiring, plumbing, tanks, etc, under the van.
All the checker plating under our van has been replaced under warranty.
Fans
We ordered our van in March 2021, and it was built in September-October 2022. In the post-COVID era, the
One of the shortages was Sirroco fans, so our van had Fresha fans installed instead. Both were faulty on our shakedown trip and were repaired.
Both have since been replaced because they stopped working again. This time, they were replaced by Sirroco fans.
Kitchen Tap
On our way to the Cape the kitchen tap screw came loose, causing the tap to fall over and cause damage to the tap, the sink and the kitchen bench.
The corrugated roads also worked their magic, unscrewing lids on some fridge jars and container lids in the pantry! Fortunately, the jars were in containers, so the clean-up wasn’t too bad.
The tap, sink and kitchen bench have all been replaced under warranty.
Urban Caravans Warranty
When dealing with warranty issues, I followed the standard procedure and called the dealer where we bought our
I found both Elena and Tanya extremely helpful and efficient. Elena called after hours when we were in Mossman having the water tank fixed to make sure we were ok.
After booking our
This was the perfect solution for us. Urban had our van for over a week, and everything was completed, including a few mods we wanted. Plus, the boys in the workshop found a few other minor issues while working on our van that we hadn’t noticed and fixed them.
All our warranty work is complete.
Final Thoughts
Undoubtedly, having things go wrong in a new van isn’t fun. It’s probably not what you expect, and at times, it can feel very frustrating, especially if you are in the middle of nowhere, miles from any service centres.
However, as we found, you will get by, and the issues will be fixed if you have an Urban
The warranty departments in
We’ve never owned a brand new
From travelling around Australia full-time, we’ve met people with worse problems in their vans than we had. Many caravans were instantly recognisable high-end brands. Many of these warranty issues were structural issues.
As I mentioned above, we have had no problems with the build and structure of our Urban
With years of experience travelling Australia in a caravan, I’m passionate about helping others embark on their own unforgettable adventures. From off-grid camping tips to expert advice on planning the ultimate big lap of Australia, I share stories, practical hacks, and inspiration to make your journey stress-free and exciting. Whether you’re a seasoned traveller or just starting out, join me as I explore the beauty of Australia, one road at a time!
