Inspecting a van before you pay

Handover is the last moment you have real leverage. Once the balance is paid and the van is off the yard, every problem becomes a warranty claim instead of a condition of sale.

This is a working inspection order for a new van at pre-delivery or a used van before purchase. Allow two hours. Bring a torch, a tape measure, a tyre pressure gauge, a spirit level, a phone camera, a 12V test light or multimeter, and printed specifications from the model’s CampSpec page.

Before you arrive

Print or screenshot the published tare, ATM, GTM, ball weight and tank capacities for the exact model and floorplan. Write down the payload you calculated, which is ATM minus tare. You are going to compare these numbers to what is stamped on the van itself.

Ask the dealer in advance for:

• A copy of the compliance plate photograph
• The gas certificate of compliance
• The electrical certificate of compliance for the 240V system
• The weighbridge docket if the van has been weighed as built
• The full warranty document, not the summary page

If any of those cannot be produced before handover day, that is worth knowing early.

1. The compliance plate

Find the plate first. It is usually on the drawbar, inside the front boot, or on the A-frame near the coupling. Photograph it in focus, including the VIN.

Check the following against your printed figures:

On the plate	What it means	What to check
ATM	Maximum legal loaded weight, coupled	Matches published ATM, and is within your tow vehicle’s braked towing capacity
GTM	Load carried through the axles	Matches published GTM, and is within the tow vehicle’s rear axle allowance once ball weight is added
Tare	Weight as built and weighed	Compare to published tare, and expect a variance
VIN	17 characters, unique to this van	Matches the contract, the invoice and the RAV entry
Date of manufacture	Month and year	On a “new” van, check how long it has been in stock

If the plate figures differ from the brochure, the plate governs. A difference in tare of 30kg to 80kg between the plate and the published figure is common on optioned vans, because options are added after the model’s baseline weighing. A difference of 150kg or more should be explained before you sign.

Take the plate’s tare, subtract it from the plate’s ATM, and recalculate payload from those two numbers. That is your real payload. Across the 799 models with both figures published, the median payload is 620kg and the median caravan carries 190L of fresh water, so a full tank alone accounts for about 30% of a typical payload.

2. Weighbridge before handover

Do not accept a van you have not seen weighed. Public weighbridges are available at most council depots, recycling centres, transport yards and many grain receival sites, and a weigh typically costs under $40.

Weigh in this order:

1. Van alone, uncoupled, jockey wheel down. This gives you the true tare as delivered, including every option and dealer accessory. Compare to the plate.
2. Van coupled to your tow vehicle, whole combination on the plate. This gives gross combination mass.
3. Tow vehicle alone, uncoupled. Subtract from step 2 to get the van’s ATM as it currently sits.
4. Van’s axles only on the plate while still coupled, if the weighbridge allows it. That gives GTM directly, and the difference between ATM and GTM is your actual ball weight.

Ball weight is where a lot of legal combinations become illegal ones. Across the 618 models that publish a ball weight, the median is 7% of ATM, the middle half sit between 6% and 7%, and only 1% publish 10% or more. For vans rated at 3,500kg ATM, the median published ball weight is 220kg. Loaded with a full front boot, two gas bottles, a full water tank forward of the axles and a generator on the drawbar, real ball weight routinely exceeds the published figure by 50kg or more, and it comes straight off your tow vehicle’s payload.

If the dealer will not weigh the van, weigh it yourself on the way home and treat any discrepancy as a matter to raise immediately, in writing, rather than at the first service.

3. Chassis, suspension and coupling

Get under the van with a torch. On a used van, do this before anything else.

• Chassis rails. Look for surface rust bloom at welds, which is normal on galvanised steel, and distinguish it from flaking or scaling. Look for cracks radiating from weld toes, especially where the A-frame meets the main rails and where suspension hangers are welded on. Any crack is a stop-and-ask.
• Welds. Check for consistent, continuous beads. Look for repair welds and grinding marks, which indicate a previous failure.
• Suspension. Grab each shock absorber and check for oil weeping down the body. Check bushes for cracking and play by levering the trailing arm. On leaf springs, check for a broken or shifted leaf and worn shackle pins. Look at whether both sides sit at the same ride height.
• Underbody protection. Check that water tanks, pipework, wiring and the grey water outlet are shielded or recessed above the chassis line. On a used van, stone damage to tank straps and abraded wiring loom are the two most common findings.
• Coupling. Check the type, check it for free play, and check the mounting bolts are torqued and marked. On an off-road coupling, work it through its full articulation. On a 50mm ball coupling, check the latch mechanism and the wear on the cup.
• Jockey wheel and stabiliser legs. Wind each one through its full travel. Check the legs are mounted to chassis members, not to the floor.

4. Tyres and wheels

This is the section most inspections skip and the one with the clearest arithmetic.

Age. Every tyre carries a DOT code on the sidewall ending in four digits. The first two are the week of manufacture, the last two are the year. A code ending 2224 means week 22 of 2024. Caravan tyres commonly time out before they wear out because the van sits still. Tread depth tells you nothing about a six-year-old tyre with sidewall cracking. Check the spare too, including the date, because spares are often years older than the fitted set.

Load rating. Work it out rather than assume it. Take GTM, because ball weight is carried by the tow vehicle, and divide by the number of tyres on the ground.

For a 3,500kg ATM tandem-axle van with the median 220kg ball weight:

• GTM = 3,500 - 220 = 3,280kg
• Four tyres, so 3,280 / 4 = 820kg per tyre minimum

That means each tyre needs a load index of at least 101 (825kg), and a sensible margin puts you at load index 104 (900kg) or above. Most light-truck tyres fitted to off-road vans are well clear of this, often load index 118 to 123 (1,320kg to 1,550kg), but passenger-construction tyres fitted to lighter vans can be marginal once the van is loaded to ATM.

For a 2,000kg ATM single-axle van at 7% ball weight:

• GTM = 2,000 - 140 = 1,860kg
• Two tyres, so 1,860 / 2 = 930kg per tyre minimum, which needs load index 106 (950kg) or above

Single-axle vans put far more load through each tyre than people expect, which is why load rating matters most on the smallest vans.

Load index ratings apply at a specified cold inflation pressure. A correctly rated tyre run 20% under-inflated is not a correctly rated tyre. Note the manufacturer’s recommended cold pressure and check all five.

Rims. Rims carry their own load rating, stamped or cast on the inner face. Check that aftermarket alloys fitted by a dealer are rated for the axle load, and that the stud pattern and offset match the original.

Wear pattern. Feathering across the tread indicates alignment or axle issues. Wear on one shoulder only suggests a bent axle or incorrect camber, which is worth a professional check on a used van.

5. Brakes and breakaway

• Confirm the brake type, electric drum or electric-over-hydraulic disc, and that the controller in your vehicle matches.
• Have the dealer demonstrate the brakes actuating from the in-cab controller, wheel by wheel if possible.
• Check the breakaway unit. It must have its own battery, and the battery must be charged and healthy. Ask when it was last tested and pull the pin to confirm the brakes lock on, then reset it.
• Look for a breakaway battery monitor or test switch. If there is none, ask how you are expected to verify the battery on the road.
• On a used van, ask for evidence of a brake service. Drum brakes need adjusting and magnets need replacing periodically, and this is routinely deferred.
• Check the safety chains are rated, stamped, and correctly sized for the ATM, and that the shackles are rated rather than hardware-store shackles.

6. Gas, electrical and water

Gas. Australian caravan gas installations are done to AS/NZS 5601 and a licensed gasfitter issues a certificate of compliance. Ask for that certificate by name. Physically check: cylinder restraints hold the bottles firmly, the regulator is in date and mounted upright, the gas locker is sealed from the interior and drains to the outside at the base, and the appliance data plates are legible. Do a leak test with soapy water at every joint you can reach with the bottles turned on. Light every appliance, including the cooktop, oven, grill, hot water service and heater.

240V electrical. The 240V installation is covered by AS/NZS 3001 and requires an electrical certificate of compliance. Ask for it. Physically check: the RCD trips when you press the test button, every power point works on mains lead, and the mains lead itself has a current test tag. Look at how the inverter is wired and whether it is interlocked so it cannot back-feed the mains circuit.

12V system. Check the battery type, capacity and mounting. Check the fuse or breaker panel is labelled. With the van off mains, run the fridge, lights, water pump and any diesel heater and confirm the battery monitor responds sensibly. Check the solar controller reports the array voltage and that panel output responds when you shade a panel.

Water. Fill the fresh tanks completely and leave them full for the rest of the inspection, then look underneath again for drips. Run every tap hot and cold, check the pump cuts in and out cleanly, check the shower mixer, and confirm the grey water outlet drains without pooling. Check the hot water service pressure relief valve operates. Check the tank breather and the fill point seal.

7. Seals, leaks and body

Water ingress is the most expensive fault a caravan develops and it is usually invisible until the damage is done.

• Run your hand along every external sealant bead: windows, hatches, awning rail, roof penetrations, corner mouldings, service doors, and the join between the roof and the walls. You are feeling for cracking, lifting edges and gaps.
• Inspect the roof from a ladder. Check around the air conditioner, the aerial, vents and solar panel mounts. Look for standing water marks and for sealant that has gone chalky.
• Inside, press firmly on ceiling panels, on the walls under each window, and in the corners of overhead lockers. Softness or flex means moisture.
• Look for staining, bubbling wallpaper, lifting laminate edges around the shower and delamination on external walls, which shows as slight waves or bulges when you sight along the wall in low sun.
• Smell the van with the door closed after it has been shut for a while. Musty air is a finding.
• On a used van, a moisture meter reading taken by an independent inspector is worth the fee. Ask for readings at the lower corners, under windows and around the shower.

8. Doors, hatches and fit-out

• Open and close every external hatch and door, from both fully open and half open. They should latch without lifting or pushing the frame.
• Check every hatch has a working stay and that gas struts hold.
• Check locks all work from one key set, and count the keys supplied.
• Open every drawer and cupboard, check catches engage, and check drawers are on rated runners rather than domestic ones.
• Check the door frames are square by measuring both diagonals.
• Operate the awning fully, including any wind sensor or motor.
• Check the entry step deploys and retracts, and that it locks in the stowed position.
• On a pop-top, run the roof up and down several times and check the lift mechanism, the seals and the canvas.

9. Documentation

Collect all of this before you pay the balance.

• Compliance plate photograph and VIN, cross-checked against the contract.
• RAV entry. New road trailers supplied to the Australian market are entered on the Register of Approved Vehicles, which is searchable publicly by VIN. Search it yourself and confirm the entry exists and matches.
• Registration papers or unregistered vehicle permit, with VIN matching.
• Gas certificate of compliance and electrical certificate of compliance, both naming this van’s VIN.
• Weighbridge docket from the pre-handover weigh.
• Warranty documents in full. Read the exclusions. Check the general warranty term and the structural warranty term separately, because they are usually different. Of the 189 brands in the dataset, 78 publish a general warranty term with a median of 2 years, and 80 publish a structural term with a median of 5 years, so the two figures on one van commonly differ by several years. Check whether the warranty is transferable to a second owner, what service intervals are required to keep it valid, and whether unsealed-road use is limited or excluded.
• Service schedule and first service booking, in writing.
• Appliance manuals and individual appliance warranties, which are usually held by the appliance manufacturer rather than the van builder.
• Written list of any agreed rectification items, with dates, signed before you pay.

Separately from the manufacturer’s warranty, consumer guarantees under Australian Consumer Law apply to the sale and cannot be contracted out of. A short manufacturer warranty term does not extinguish them.

10. On a used van, additionally

• Run a PPSR check by VIN for finance owing, write-off history and theft. It costs a few dollars and takes minutes.
• Ask for service records and the previous owner’s weighbridge dockets.
• Ask directly where the van has travelled. Corrugated roads, coastal salt and long periods sitting unused each leave different signatures, and the answer tells you what to look at hardest.
• Check the tyre dates against the van’s age. Original tyres on a six-year-old van mean either low use or deferred maintenance.
• Check the batteries’ age and type. Lead-acid and AGM banks have a finite life and replacement is a four-figure item on a large system.
• Have the brakes inspected by a trailer specialist before your first long trip.

What to do with your findings

Write everything down as you go, photograph anything you would want to prove later, and give the dealer a written list before you pay rather than after. Rectification items agreed in writing on handover day get fixed. The same items raised a week later become a conversation about who is responsible.

If something material does not check out, the correct response is to delay handover. There is no urgency that outweighs a chassis crack, a missing gas certificate, or a compliance plate that does not match the van you thought you bought.