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Choosing a Dethleffs caravan

We are here to help you choose the most appropriate model and specification of Dethleffs caravan for your intended purpose. It is never our goal to up-sell you; our goal is to help you get the right caravan for your needs. Please see the section below on selecting upgrades for more information on customising your caravan for your intended use.

Due to the current demand, there could be quite a delay between choosing a caravan and the delivery date. When you sign your sales agreement, we will give you our best estimate at when the handover will be. (This may change as a result of production and shipping delays.)

The payment process

To secure your name against one of our pre-ordered models, a signed sales agreement and a $10,000 deposit is required.

Once your caravan arrives in New Zealand and your upgrades are about to be added in the workshop, a middle payment is required. This is the remainder of the balance owing, less a $10,000 final payment.

A final payment of the last $10,000 is required the day before your scheduled handover.

Caravan arrival

Due to the volumes of orders we have, we cannot keep you updated with shipping details and arrival dates. Once your caravan arrives in New Zealand and workshop prep is about to begin, we will be in touch to confirm any final upgrades you wish to add and to request that your middle payment is made. At this point, we can also more accurately forecast a suitable handover date with you. The registration for your caravan will be sent to you a day or two before your handover at which point you can arrange insurance.

Caravan handover

To ensure the most successful start to your Dethleffs caravan ownership, we provide thorough one-on-one tuition on the day of the handover. We typically start these sessions at 10am and you should allow most of the day for this before heading off with your new purchase. Many customers choose to stay at a local campground after the handover – the NZMCA park near Taupo Airport is popular if you wish to freedom camp, or Taupo DeBretts and the Lake Taupo Holiday Resort are popular choices if you would prefer a powered site to begin with.

It is preferential to select the majority of your necessary upgrades at the time of purchase. This is the most efficient process if you need advice from one of our team on choosing appropriate items. It also reduces the likelihood of supply delays.

Should you wish to change or add upgrades while your van is on order, please email us with details. If you require advice on choosing the most appropriate items, please understand it can take a while to respond to emails or phone calls. We are a small team and all have limited time in front of computers or on the phone.

Your tow vehicle make and model is personal choice, but you'll need to ensure you have a sufficient tow rating for the maximum weight of the caravan you purchase. These tow ratings can be found in your vehicle manual, on the manufacturer’s website or on the AA website. Our workshop team can provide some general advice on suitable tow vehicles if you are looking to upgrade your existing vehicle .

Please download our tow ball and connector document to ensure your vehicle is ready to tow a Dethleffs caravan. If you don’t already have one, we can provide and fit an AL-KO high rise 50mm tow-ball unit with locking-plate on the day of the handover of your new caravan to you. If you already have a high-rise tow-ball, please check that the centre of the ball is within the optimum height range of 400 - 450mm from the ground.

Your Dethleffs caravan is fully self-contained. Please provide your NZMCA membership number on your sales agreement so the certification for your caravan can be matched with your membership when we submit the self-containment check-sheet to NZMCA. The certificate and warrant card will be posted directly to you by NZMCA, but you may not receive it until after you collect the caravan. We can provide you with a copy of the self-containment check sheet if you wish to freedom camp in the interim.

Your new caravan will be registered and warranted shortly prior to your handover to ensure maximum validity length for you. Details of registration and VIN will be emailed to you once they’re available. Your caravan will also have gas certification and an electrical warrant.

Each caravan also comes with a full 9kg LPG bottle, 20m power lead, caravan step, bubble level, steady winder, wheel brace, toilet chemical, grey water treatment, RV toilet paper, grey water drain hose and bag, roll away grey container (to use in conjunction with the on-board tanks if needed). You will need to supply your own bedding, cutlery and crockery. Other useful items are a kettle for the gas hob (try RV Supplies for these) and a levelling ramp which we usually have in stock.

Your caravan remains insured under our policy until you depart here with it on the day of your handover.

We will send you the registration for your caravan a day or two before your handover at which point you can arrange insurance.

There are specific caravan/motorhome policies which we consider a "must-have" based on their policy inclusions. These are available from both Star Insurance CamperCare and Covi Insurance. Both are very good policies. If you wish, we can quickly and easily arrange cover for you when you're here for the handover.

Exterior walls and roof

Any wash and wax product is fine on the caravan exterior walls and roof. You can stand (with care) on your caravan roof to clean it.

Windows

On windows, please only use a fresh microfibre cloth with VuPlex (available from us, Bunnings or some marine stores), Plexus (marine stores) or Meguiar's Waterless Wash. Please do not use products like Wet and Forget – these are not yet proven to be free of any negative long-term effect on the exterior.

Minor repairs can be carried out here or by RV Services (also in Taupo) who we work closely with.

For damage requiring panel and paint repair, we highly recommend Ross White Panel & Paint Ltd in Taupo. They are experienced in carrying out repairs to Dethleffs caravans and we can quickly and easily supply any parts they require.

As per your warranty agreement, annual servicing (including a water ingress check) needs to be carried out to maintain the Dethleffs warranty. This can be carried out within six months either side of your caravan anniversary.

We recommend you book your service with us at Central RV. Alternatively, you can also have servicing carried out at any of the other approved providers around New Zealand.

APPROVED SERVICE CENTRES
Taupo: Central RV
Taupo: RV Services
Tauranga: Alliance RV
Christchurch: UCC Motorhomes and Caravans