Cheval Liberté trailers - any horror stories or are they mostly reliable?

[nicolenlolly]

I bought a minimax which is the three horse because on the face of it, I loved the idea that the side opens up for when the horses are stood around at shows as it gives them more room. I also loved the idea of the separate tack area so it would save my car from being swamped with horse stuff. So far, within a 10 months of ownership, I have managed to fill an A4 sheet with the snags that I have wrong with it that vary from the fact that the brakes get stuck on if I ever want to reverse, to the partitions falling off and landing on the horses in transit, the rear gas struts snapping off, the paintwork isn't primed so it is already rusty/peeling off, there are so many screws/rivets missing, the rubber floor is ripped, the ramps don't actually line up to shut properly oh gosh the list goes on...

I have had the lady at the dealership that we bought the trailer from tell us that we are the first people to ever complain about a C L trailer and there is nothing ever wrong with them. She has suggested that some of the items might be covered by the 2 year warranty but having looked at the Consumer Rights Act and studying the Trading Standards website, any other bad experiences are helpful to fight our corner. Whilst I sincerely hope no one else has had a poor experience, I have managed to find a couple of things on here in the search bar and wonder if there are any other experiences anyone would be willing to share?

Many thanks and happy Thursday xx

 

[Equi]

My dad was an engineer all his life, and this is the one horsebox he would never let me buy.

 

[Casey76]

A couple of my friend have them in France and are always raving about how great they are; light and airy, easy to pull. No structural issues in the years they had them, including the big 3-horse trailer, which often went 100’s of kms every other weekend for competition.

 

[Batgirl]

I had a second hand mare and foal trailer. Loved it, replaced the struts before I sold it but it was rather old by then and had been stored outside in all weathers.

 

[Rowreach]

I looked at the 2 horse version but was put off when I discovered that the front ramp has to be down in order to access the tack locker. I'd heard bad things about the older models, but thought the new ones had better reviews.

 

[Becc]

I’ve had my single cheval for nearly a year and love it. It’s nice to tow, my horse is far more settled in it than in my previous equitrek and a year down the line it still looks in great condition.

 

[HorseMaid]

I have a 2003xl, it's from 2007 I think so not new, but it's a lovely trailer and the horses travel well, it's nice and solid, not rattly like an ifor, and light to tow!

 

[jsprince]

I don’t have one but the thing to remember is that in every production line there can be a right Lemon that slips through. So don’t let them fob you off.

 

[nicolenlolly]

Thank you for your replies so far I am hoping jsprince that you are right and it is just a lemon as it does tow beautifully, the horses travel so well in it and even a couple of friend's horses that are "non loaders" went up straight away first time asking. The side openings are just a godsend at pony club events and it makes the whole process so much nicer for the horses but as I say, there are just so many snags with it and the dealer is very dismissive and will see if they can fit us in some time soon...not really what I wanted to hear when I bought it brand new and haven't had it the full year yet!!

 

[sunnyone]

We have a CL ,bought new in the UK in 2012. We have had no problems with it, other than the bungees on the rear blind perishing. Easily replaced in a camping shop, or with bale string. It lives out but cleans up well. We expect to replace the tyres next year as strong sunlight perishes tyres and we forget to put our protectors over .

 

[Nicnac]

Sounds like you got what they call a Friday Afternoon build as I've heard only good things about them. I would push push push back at the dealer and threaten them with legal action. They need to sort it out for you! Do it in writing and copy in the headquarters in France -
101 Route de Saint-Baslemont
88800 Lignéville