A refrigerated van has one job: keep your goods at the right temperature, every day. When it starts to struggle, it’s better to spot the signs early and change it on your terms than to find out with a full load on a hot afternoon. These are the signs we look for.
1. The temperature won’t hold
If the temperature wanders about despite regular servicing, the refrigeration system may be failing. Get the thermostat checked first, because sometimes it’s a small fix. If it isn’t, that’s usually the clearest sign the van is near the end of its working life as a fridge van.
2. Damage to the lining or the body
Rust, corrosion, cracks or holes in the insulated lining, and door seals that have gone. Once water gets into the lining, the insulation stops insulating, the fridge works harder and the temperature gets harder to hold. A tired, damaged van doesn’t do your business’s image any favours either.
3. Repair bills that keep coming
Every van needs maintenance, but when repairs start coming more often and costing more, the money may be better spent on a replacement. A breakdown with a full load in summer can cost you the stock and the customer.
4. It’s outgrown your round
If you’re turning work away, doing two trips where one should do, or loading over the van’s payload, you need a bigger van. Overloading is unsafe and the fridge struggles with a packed load space. See what size fridge van do you need?
5. It can’t go where your work is
A diesel van that isn’t Euro 6 (most diesel vans sold before September 2016) pays £12.50 a day to drive in London’s ULEZ, which covers every London borough, and several other cities run Clean Air Zones. If your customers are inside them, an older van gets expensive fast. See are you ULEZ compliant?
6. It’s the wrong temperature for the work you do now
If you’ve moved from chilled to frozen goods, or taken on customers who need deep freeze, a chiller van can’t do the job. A unit working flat out every day beyond what it was specced for wears out early. See chiller, freezer or deep freeze?
7. It’s costing more to run
If fuel use has crept up despite proper servicing, the engine and other parts may be past their best. A newer van can cut your running costs, and an electric van can make sense for some town rounds. See our buying guide to electric fridge vans.
Replacing your van
We take part exchanges, so your old van can go towards the new one. Our used fridge vans are checked by our own engineers and come with a warranty on the van (what’s left of the maker’s, or 12 months, which can be extended), plus 12 or 24 months on the fridge unit, and new vans come as cancelled factory orders or built to your spec. Finance is available for business customers from a £500 +VAT deposit, subject to status, and delivery is free anywhere in the UK.
More on keeping a van going in how long does a refrigerated van last? When it’s time, see our used fridge vans and new fridge vans, or call us on 01444 245555 and we’ll tell you honestly whether yours is worth fixing.
