CARAVAN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Q. What do we need to bring?
A. All you need to bring is your linen, side mirrors to suit your vehicle (if required) and personal items. We can provide you with a Starter Pack to start your holiday including a selection of side mirrors which can be purchased if required. Q. Do we have to stay in a caravan park or can we camp on the side of the road? The most common place to stay is in one of the thousands of caravan parks all around Australia or alternatively you can free-camp. Camping overnight in "wayside stops" or "rest areas" is also very common in regional and remote areas all across Australia (local restrictions may apply in some areas). When looking for a "rest area" to camp in, look for areas that already have a few other motorhomes or caravans (other campers will make you feel more secure). Q. Do the vans come with Solar Panel Kits? Yes most do however please check each model to be sure. If you are requiring solar panels, please ensure you select "Free Camping" option when making your booking. Q. Does my towing vehicle need to be insured? Yes it is a requirement that your towing vehicle has a current Comprehensive Insurance Policy. Proof of such policy is required to hire our caravans. Q. Can I take my pets away with me? We personally love pets however due to health regulations no animals are permitted inside any caravans sorry. Q. Do I have to clean the Caravan before I return it? All hires incur a mandatory discounted $99 cleaning surcharge which provisions up to 3 hours of cleaning so simply unpack your personal belongs and we will do the rest for you. No hassles, No worries. Please note however that excess soiling fees over and above the included 3 hours will be charged at a rate of $80/hr. Q. Do I have to fill the gas bottles before I return it? We are now pleased to offer a gas bottle refill service which eliminates the requirement for any hirer to have to remove used bottles, take them to a retailer to have them filled and then re-installed into the caravan. Simply bring back your van and we'll do this for you. This service is now mandatory. Price is only $20 for an 7.5kg bottle and $13 for a 3.75kg bottle. Q. What if I want to stay longer than I have booked? Luxury Caravan Hire will do everything in it’s power to accommodate all requests however during certain periods, caravans are fully booked and would need to be returned on time. Failure to return a hire on time will result in fees being deducted from the bond. Q. Do you hire Annexes? We are pleased to advise that we can offer fully enclosed annexes on a range of our vans. To check which vans have annexes please contact us. Q. Is there an age limit to hire a caravan? Yes you need to be over 25 years of age and under 75 years of age for touring hire. Q. Why is my fridge not cooling? The main power source to run a caravan fridge is 240v and gas. To cool a fridge to its operating temperature for use it must be level in all directions. If the caravan is not level, the fridge will run but won't cool. Even when perfectly level the fridge will take 4+ hours to cool and is best run overnight to reach optimum operating temperature & performance. When beginning to cool a fridge please set the thermostat to 50% capacity and only after 4 hours, then turn it up higher to make it colder. Q. Can you deliver and pick up the caravan for me? Yes, we can deliver anywhere in Australia and will provide you with an additional quote for this service. Normal pricing is $1.50/klm each way however always best to request a formal price as longer distances may be a little cheaper per klm. Q. Why is there condensation build up on the air con unit? Air contains moisture and this moisture tends to condense on cold surfaces. When air enters the Caravan, condensed moisture may appear on the ceiling, windows, metal parts, etc. The air conditioner removes this moisture from the air during normal operation. Keeping doors and windows closed when this air conditioner is in operation will minimise condensed moisture on cold surfaces. Q. Can I use 240v appliances on solar power? When free camping (no 240v power connected), no 240v appliance will operate when using either the onboard battery or via solar power as there are no inverters in any of the vans. |
Q. Tow Bar Requirements?
All vehicles towing must comply with industry towing capacity requirements and have a correctly rated tow bar fitted. The towing vehicle and tow-bar must both have a Towing Rating that exceeds the ATM Rating of the Caravan. The towing vehicle and tow-bar must both have a Maximum Ball-load Rating that exceeds the actual ball-loading of the Caravan at any time. It is the responsibility of the Hirer to always ensure that they do not ever exceed any of these Ratings when they have the Caravan partly or fully loaded. Q. Trailer Plug Type? Our caravan hire fleet all have 12 pin flat type plugs however conversion plugs to 7 pin flat and round (large & small) are available at no extra charge. Please note however that a 12 pin plug with a 12v power feed is required to run the fridge whilst in transit including activating AL-KO's ATC or BPC's iDC trailer control systems. For long trips it is highly advisable to upgrade your 7 pin plug to a 12 pin unit including power. Please note however that if your vehicle doesn't have electric brakes and we supply a portable brake controller, the fridge won't unfortunately run whilst you're travelling as the portable brake controllers aren't wired for power to run a fridge. Please contact us for further information. Q. What are the Fridge operation options? Most fridge operate in 3 different modes; 240v at a powered site, on Gas only when stationary at an unpowered site and lastly, on 12 volt when towing providing your vehicle has been wired up for it correctly with a 7 or 12 pin flat plug. If your hire requires an electronic brake controller and we retrofit one, you won't be able to run the fridge when travelling. Q. Will the Fridge work on 12 volt when towing the Caravan? Yes providing your towing vehicle has a correctly wired 7 or 12 pin plug then the fridge will work when towing. If your hire also requires an electronic brake controller and we retrofit one, please be aware that you won't be able to run the fridge when travelling. We cannot also be held responsible for a fridge not operating if your vehicle electrics are incorrectly wired. Q. How much deposit is required to secure my booking? 25% of the total hire charge or $200 deposit (whichever is greater) is required to secure your booking. No booking can be finalised until the deposit has been paid and processed. Balance of all hire charges are due 30 days prior to travel. Q. Are there any hidden extras? Our hire rates include all Administration Fees, GST, & Caravan Insurance charges. If paying by credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express) however, a 2% surcharge will apply. In the event of an incident, the insurance excess is $1,000. Q. How much is the Security Bond? Reduce both your security bond & insurance excess to $500 by paying an extra $15/night otherwise it’s $1,000. Payment is processed onto a credit card on the day of pickup or 24 hours before delivery and refunded in approximately 15 business banking days of return of the caravan subject to adherence to the terms and conditions of the hire. Q. Do I need to fit electric brakes to my car before towing your caravans and campers? No, Australian Road Laws state that any trailer with a greater mass than 750kg must have electric brakes. If your vehicle doesn't have electric brakes you can hire a portable electric brake unit for a small fee. If you own a Ford Ranger however, you may need to install your own brake controller as their computer electronics have resulted in compatibility issues with the brake voltage feeds. Best to come and see us to test your vehicle if you are requiring a retrofitted portable solution. If you already have your own brake unit fitted then our portable electric brake unit will not be required. Q. How can I find out which caravans my car can tow? The towing capacity of your car will be listed on your tow bar, or on a sticker on the inside of your drivers side door or in your cars manual. Our website lists the minimum tow vehicle capacity and tow ball weight under the specifications section for each caravan. You can also call us anytime and we would be happy to help. Q. How far ahead do I need to book? To avoid disappointment we would recommend to book 6-9 months ahead for Christmas, Easter and bookings of 3 months or more, 6 months ahead for January, school holidays and bookings of 1-2 months, 3 months ahead for long weekends and we will have limited availability at all other times at short notice. Q. What hours can I pick up and return the van? Our trading hours are Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm & Saturday 8:30am-12pm. Please note that we are closed on Sundays and all gazetted Qld public holidays. No caravan pickups nor returns are unfortunately available outside of these times. Hire vans need to be returned by 11am. Failure to obtain an authorisation for a rental extension will result in a late fee of AU$200 per day in addition to the daily rental rate for each day until the caravan is returned. Pickup time of your caravan needs to be scheduled so please ensure this is coordinated at the time of booking. For further assistance please don't hesitate contacting us. Q. Is there a limit to how many km’s I can travel? No, the only limitation is your hire duration, you can take our caravans Australia wide however there are strict restrictions regarding staying on sealed roads. No vans are allowed on dirt, gravel, corrugated or rutted roads, 4WD tracks, beach or sand. Please note that all caravans are fitted with GPS trackers to ensure no vans are taken off sealed roads. 
Q. Can I take a caravan off road?
All of our hire caravans are not to be driven on unsealed roads (being a road not sealed with a hard material such as tar, bitumen or concrete), dirt, gravel, corrugated or rutted roads or any 4WD tracks or on beaches or sand. All caravans are fitted with GPS trackers and the Customer is responsible for all damage if taken off sealed roads. Q. Do you supply side mirrors? The law states that you need to have mirrors in order to see behind the van. The trouble is that this is not a precise definition that specifies what distance behind the van you should be able to see and so there is a lot of confusion about how it applies. Unfortunately due to large variation of vehicle types and customer preferences for one type of extended side mirror over another, hiring side mirrors has become very difficult to accommodate therefore each hirer is responsible in supplying mirrors. We supply a very small range of mirrors and accessories for sale. To view Qld's Towing Guide including legal responsibilities please click here. If you are travelling interstate, please check with the respective state or territory in relation to what is your responsibility. |
