romahome outlook

[lizzie]

:)Hoping to upgrade my C15 Hitop to an Outlook
Would welcome any feedback - good or bad - from Outlook owners. I would probably opt for the on board toilet.

[peterholden]

We upgraded from a C15 to an Outlook with toilet option - It is absolutely brilliant, we also make use of the rear seats with seatbelts.

[lizzie]

Hi Peterholden
Thank you for your feedback. I had considered waiting for the launch of the new R20 on the larger Berlingo chassis but am not sure this would be a good idea. The Outlook always seems to have good reviews. The back door hinge paint finish seems problematic. Is this something we have to live with. Also rear springs appear to have caused problems in the past. Is this still a problem?
Liz.

[baldybantam]

Hello, I would also like to know if there are mechanical problems with the Berlingo (current model not the new one). Rear Springs sounds bad.

Thanks

[margaret]

we purchased our first outlook in April and have had a couple of succesful weekends away. I use it for golf away days and when baby sitting the grandchildren. We did purchase a Movelite awning to give us more space particularly when it was raining and it was useful to put the porta potti in, and easier to use during the night. We hope to get more use of it this coming year.

Margaret

[lizzie]

Thank you for feedback. I have not heard anything negative about Outlooks. I am a lone camper so presume the lack of space should not be a problem, The C15 has sometimes felt rather cramped especially with the bed made up. My tendency to hoard does not help! Still no feedback re door hinge and springs. Will the new Berlingos have improved springs which dont have to be upgraded? This will probably be my last vehicle so hope it will see me out! How long do they keep going without majorly expensive repairs ie weding, bodywork etc?

[lizzie]

Hopefully weeding not required! Meant welding! Also has anyone paid for winterised version and has anyone bought Taylormade silver screens. Any news on the new R20 on larger chassis out this year to replace Outlook?

Liz

[baldybantam]

Taylor made silver screens are far superior in my opinion. We had them for our first van and sold them when we got the Trigano. (Have to say they sold second hand for more than we paid for the Fiamma ones so folk must know the quality)

We bought Fiamma for that as Taylor made were not doing interior screens for the X250 Fiat, were very disappointed with the suckers which kept coming off/out, also much thinner padding

The Taylors sold us their much superior suckers and it has improved the stickability of the Fiamma screens.

I think it is well worth paying their higher price - some folk may disagree.

Re new Outlook, we have just ordered an Outlook for March. We were told it would be nearer the end of the year for the new ones and they will be more expensive of course. I'm sure other folk will be able to give you more information direct from the Romahome/Freeborn people.

[peterholden]

Rear Springs. All Outlooks are fitted with MAD supplementary springs. We have them on our Berlingo car now 8+ years old from when we used to tow a caravan.

We upgraded the supplementary springs to heavy duty ones from MAD. (This is because there are two of us and we carry all sorts of clutter including 2 folding bikes, we also go to France regularly and make it worthwhile by bringing lots of goodies back.) When I spoke to the manager he said that all new Outlooks and Mezans were now fitted with the heavy duty springs.

We have genuine Silver Screens as we did with our C15 and I have found them excellent. We bought or Outlook from Richard Baldwin in Halifax two years ago and the day we went to collect it we also went to silver screens to get our new ones. If we had not left them in the C15 he would have given us a discount.
We have a movelight awning (one of the original design) and find it very good although we have a drieaway awning that we have had for more than 20 years but the poles are very heavy.

Romahome are not the only ones having difficulty keeping paint on the rear door hinges, but they are very substantial. Our only problem is remembering to keep it well lubricated in winter because as with all motorhomes the back gets very dirty, however this is the only complaint really although we are not keen on the table in ours and have replaced it with a plastic table (using the original fittings) which has a set of legs that can be used outside. It is slightly larger and much lighter but spoils the appearance..

Urs is one of the last of the 1.9 DW8 non turbo engines the same as our car, slightly slower perhaps not as economical but very cheap to maintain. One extravagance was having Cruise Control fitted by Dave Newell, it was not available from Citroen as an option on our engine, it is the bees knees and makes long journeys on the motorway very relaxing. I wish that I coul justify it on our car

Peter Holden

[lizzie]

Thank you for your reply. I will miss the stable door but the back door on the Outlook seems very substantial and the lock seems pretty good also. I dont suppose a small amount of paint loss affects the functioning of the hinge. I am pleased to hear the problem with the springs has been sorted. This is the last of the Outlooks I am led to believe in this form. Do we mourn their passing? Perhaps the new style R20 will be even better!
LizT

[deejay499]

We went for the Outlook in 2006 with the pullman interior and find it so much better than the centre table set up. We also decided not to have the toilet option as it takes up all the storage space that would be under the sink, and we would take a portaloo if needed. The storage space is used so much more than a loo - I hope!
The paint is also coming off our door hinges and I am going to try and remove it and redo with silver smooth Hammerite, possibly using a suitable primer.