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Subject Topic: Faults with brand new motorhome
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10/11/2017 at 12:29pm
 Location: Worcestershire
 Outfit: Buccaneer Cruiser
View iank01's Profile View Profile   Reply to iank01 Reply   Quote iank01 Quote  
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Quote: Originally posted by TWWay on 10/11/2017
I am in process of rejecting a 2017 motorhome from a supposedly high-end German builder. It has spent two months in the workshop, many original issues unresolved and I still have a new 6+ pagelist of issues. Pretty well everyone I spsoke to on my last trip had similar issues with the same builder, but they seem to be endemic to the motorhome and caravan industry.

As a result of my experience and as a journalist I am starting an investigation of the industry. I may well turn it into a camapaign for more effort on quality/ reliability/ usability and less on superficial bling.

I can be reached by email news at M-dash.com if you are happy to share your experiences, on or off the record.



We rejected our caravan and I know of at least 5 other people who have rejected their caravans in the past year.


10/11/2017 at 2:19pm
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If one understands a bit about human nature & has worked with manual workers then theres no big secret to this. If one knows a bit about the construction of caravans & motorhtomes then it is easy to understand why there are so many faults & why this will never be fully resolved.

If you have human beings assembling components that require constant care & attention to ensure the accuracy of construction that is essential to ensure all those components work together reliably for years then best you create an atmosphere where those workers can work to the best of their ability.

In a factory with production targets set then that is not going to happen. Workers are not able to double check their work & take as long as required to ensure each process is finished correctly. The timeline allows them only one shot at getting it right so mistakes & substandard work will creep in all the time.

The next separate problem occurs with the difficulty in getting these production faults corrected once motorhome is delivered to the customer. It is fair to say that if a motorhome with faults was given over to one skilled operative who was given all the time he needed to slowly work through all the faults in the vehicle & not sign off the work until he was satisfied then the customer would also be satisfied.

However anybody knowing anything about the industry knows that will not happen. The requirement to maximise profit means that dealers will concentrate on sales rather than aftersales so their workshops will always be stacked back with work for weeks or months ahead due to inadequate staff. Large dealers generally do not have sufficient workshop space or staff to adequately service their sales volume.

If you think you can change all that then good luck to you. Motorhomes & caravans are not mass market consumer goods. They are a high end luxury niche market. The general public are not interested in faulty motorhomes the way they might be about faulty washing machines. There will be no high profile campaigns for better standards.

So the buyers will remain largely on their own. On a good production day most of the output will be relatively fault free so manufacturers have no incentive to change things which would need to come about by slowing down production & improving quality control. This would reduce profits.

It is naive to believe that the industry loses any sleep over this. People will continue to buy product & most will be happy with their purchase. The buyers of bad ones will remain on their own with recourse to consumer law.


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10/11/2017 at 2:29pm
 Location: Worcestershire
 Outfit: Buccaneer Cruiser
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However people pay extra for the PDI which is a separate cost to the price of the caravan and many workshops do not do a proper PDI.
In our case the PDI should have picked up a very serious fault and at that point the caravan should have been rejected by the dealer. The dealer chose to hide the fault which was then picked up by us about two weeks later.
Unfortunately your post is "spot on" and highlights the fact that they do not care as they know the onus is on the dealer to do the repair.
If finance houses started suffering losses due to caravans being rejected they can put pressure on manufacturers to improve the product and IMHO they are the only ones that can put real pressure on manufacturers.


10/11/2017 at 8:29pm
 Location: Milton Keynes
 Outfit: Bailey Alliance 66-2 Motorhome
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Quote: Originally posted by iank01 on 10/11/2017
However people pay extra for the PDI which is a separate cost to the price of the caravan and many workshops do not do a proper PDI.
In our case the PDI should have picked up a very serious fault and at that point the caravan should have been rejected by the dealer. The dealer chose to hide the fault which was then picked up by us about two weeks later.
Unfortunately your post is "spot on" and highlights the fact that they do not care as they know the onus is on the dealer to do the repair.
If finance houses started suffering losses due to caravans being rejected they can put pressure on manufacturers to improve the product and IMHO they are the only ones that can put real pressure on manufacturers.


Our experience was very different. We had purchased a caravan from Nene Court Caravans and were pleased with the service we got from them and so decided we would buy our next van from them. This was ordered and we were duly called to inspect the new van. However it became very clear that the sales manager was not happy with the van and said that we should not accept it and a new one was obtained. Roll on another few years and we ordered a new van from them only to receive a call from them a few months later to say they were closing their caravan dealership and our deposit would be returned, which it was. Perhaps decent dealers find it difficult to survive?

David



12/11/2017 at 9:23pm
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Dealers like that I would imagine are few and far between now David. However we think we have found one.
We bought our first van, brand new, and went in at what was then termed 'entry level' just in case we found out Motorhoming was not for us. We had previously owned both boat and caravan. We kept that van for 3 years, and continued to visit shows etc. during that time. We kind of fell in love with our next van, an expensive Autosleeper. All bells and whistles. We had a little wait for the new one, 3 weeks or so. We were offered a good price for the one the sold us previously, and we did agree the price we would pay for the new one. (We had seen one advertised at a knock down price) they matched it. So we said that we would bring in the old one, and they could have it for sale on their forecourt straight away. It would give them 2 or 3 weeks to sell it. When we got to our dealer with the van, we were given a letter to take away with us. It said that van such and such was our property and that it was with them for an interim period for them to sell it or not. We asked what's this all about and (similar to you) they said, the van is yours until we get your new one in. Only then does it become 'ours'. It was a very honest and I will say refreshing experience to have. We realised then, just like you, we were not being cheated in anyway whatsoever. I never even thought about going out of business, ceasing trading, or anything like it. When we arrived to pick up the new one, we took back the letter for them to destroy.
Needless to say, our next new van came from them also. Would that all dealers were made this way. Another thing with dealers.....check how long they keep their staff. Ours are the same old faces since 2008.
Ju15...good luck with your MH problems. I do so hope things turn around for you.

Post last edited on 12/11/2017 21:27:10

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Fish like a matchman <*))))><


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23/11/2017 at 4:28am
 Location: following the sun
 Outfit: Renault Master Cipro 85
View Traveller HA53DOM's Profile View Profile   Reply to Traveller HA53DOM Reply   Quote Traveller HA53DOM Quote  
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Could not agree more.

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Has freedom to travel


12/1/2020 at 4:08pm
 Location: Bridlington
 Outfit: MobilVetta KYacht 80
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I purchased a K Yacht 80 in April of 2017, problems started within 2 miles of Marquis (Dinington) Engine management light on, max speed 20mph on what felt like 2 cylinders. Corrected by Fiat Worksop, apparently the ECU had never been set at all, obviously a pre delivery inspection hadn’t been carried out. On second collection some three day’s later, the “mechanic” thought this would be a good time to check wheel nut tightness, Hmmm…Three days in and the shower waste leaked into the main living area and into the electrical box. Neither of the two T.Vs worked as the co-axial cabling was connected incorrectly on all points. The cupboard curved door adjacent to the entry door fell off as Mobivetta don’t fit it correctly, putting screws end on into the door, it splits, obvious to most but not them. The wardrobe door fell off following a new wardrobe end panel being fitted. The T.V lifter fell apart and following a new assembly being fitted the new one fell apart too, on the way home from Marquis. Central locking contacts on entry door require cleaning daily or locking doesn’t work on that door. All in a total of 97 faults have been corrected by me either redone correctly following visit to Marquis under warranty or directly by me without informing them, pointless contacting them, do it yourself, fortunately I trained as a mechanic with Mercedes Benz many years ago, this obviously enables me to have an excellent knowledge of motor vehicles some 35 years in the trade, a country mile away from todays “technicians” who sadly are not mechanics.
1st Habitation check by Marquis and the vehicle was returned exactly as it went in, with one serious fault…They left the gas flue access point open, which allowed gas fumes into the lounge area.
So all in all, thrown together by idiots, sold by staff who don’t give a damn and if returned to dealer, Marquis…well what can one say…AVOID.

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7755ian


12/1/2020 at 11:59pm
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I have been in the unfortunate position of having to reject an Elddis caravan a few years ago and last year an auto trail in both cases I had dealers who thought they could mess me about, unfortunately for them I have the type of legal backing that made them sorry they tried.
As Bob has said I would not go near a brand new anything these days its all looks and no substance


via mobile 02/4/2022 at 9:21pm
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: None Entered
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We have just purchased brand new k-yacht 80 in October 2021 and 4 of the faults you reported with your vehicle have happened to ours. Please can I ask do you still have the Motorhome? As for PDI it’s laughable


via mobile 04/4/2022 at 9:41am
 Location: Ayrshire
 Outfit: Auto-Sleeper MHs
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Welcome to UKCS. The OP posted just twice about his MH problems back in 2017, and hasn’t come back since.

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2024 = 20 sites / 41 nights. 2023 = 9/23. 2022 = 13/35. 2021 = 11/29. 2020 = 4/20. 2019 = 13/35. 2018 = 20/33. 2017 = 10/22. 2016 = 19/33. 2015 = 15 sites / 27 nights. Didn't count 1976 to 2014.


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via mobile 04/4/2022 at 8:35pm
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