Guest Ian COLDBECK Posted April 13, 2005 Share Posted April 13, 2005 I am new to Motorhome ownership and have just bought my first a Swift Sundance 590 RS LUX 5 berth on a Fiat Ducato MWB 2.8D with 9200 miles on the clock, First Reg.01/01/02 - I have two problems 1) The gearbox does not engage in 3rd without a 'clunk' a mechanic tells me the synchromesh has gone on 3rd and needs attending to. (But the dealer says he cannot find anything wrong) 2) The maximum speed it will do on a good day on a downward gradient is 60 mph. Normal running is 50 / 55 mph. Has anyone out there had a similar experience with the 3rd gear? And, is the performance as described above all I can expect without a Turbo? I thought it may at least reach the national speed limit! I have a 6 month (limited) warranty and need to resolve these issues as soon as I can, Thanking you in anticipation, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Docted Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 Ian Firstly speed:-Downhill you should be able to each in excess of 60MPH, in fact you should be able to hold 60 on the flat if you are not overloaded. The mileage on the van would indicate periods of inactivity so get the brakes checked to ensure that your parking brake is completely releasing and that all pads are fully retracting from the discs when the brakes are released. Get an emissions test carried out to ensure that all fuel is being burnt completely. Most of this should be covered by an MOT done by a trustworthy garage. Secondly the gearchange problem; unless your dealer has his own mechanical workshop, few have, he is not really in a position to comment. If the limited warranty is through an insurance policy, as most are, report it to them and let them take on the responsibility of dealing with the diagnosis you have ben given by your mechanic. Good luck Docted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian COLDBECK Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 Hi Docted - First thank you for taking the time to repy, when I took delivery of the van it had had it's first MOT 2 days before so the things you noted should have been addressed then! We have never overloaded because we have only been away for short periods up to now the longest being 2 nights over Easter. On Monday I took the van back to the dealer (by arrangement) because I told him he was ultimately responsible for selling the van in a good working order. He had arranged, through his warranty Insurance Co. to have the gearbox issue resolved, he was to pay an excess as it was more than the limit per job. I got a call later the same day from an employee not the person who drove the van telling me the dealer did not take my van in as he could not find fault with the gearbox!!!! He turned around on route and brought it back. And he has now made some adjustments to 'a pump?' she couldn't say which pump, now it was doing 65 / 70 mph. I am going to collect it tomorrow Friday 15th. Watch this space! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mel B Posted April 14, 2005 Share Posted April 14, 2005 Ian Get them to let you have details of EXACTLY what they have done to YOUR vehicle! If possible get it in writing, or you write it down and get them to sign to agree that that's what they have done. I would also suggest that if you're still not happy with the vehicle get it booked in for another MOT or a good inspection by a friendly garage that you can trust and get them to go over it with a fine tooth comb. We have had cars in the past which were supposed to be okay but by the time we found out we had a major problem they were out of their warranty period and we didn't have any proof of their 'tinkering'! Remember that the insurance warranty is YOURS for YOUR vehicle, not the dealer's and if your friendly garage finds a problem it should be fixed under the insurance so long as the parts are covered, if the garage suspects fowl play by the dealers don't mess about, get trading standards involved as the longer it goes on the more of your warranty period ticks away and dealers can sure make things drawn out! We used to have a Swift Suntor 590RS on a 2.8D (Sept 2001), it was a bit slow but we certainly could do more than you've been experiencing. It took a bit of time to get up to speed and overtaking was always like watching paint dry, never mind going up hills, but it plodded on happily on the flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Docted Posted April 15, 2005 Share Posted April 15, 2005 Ian As Mel B says it is your insurance not the dealers, get it all in writing including your unhappiness with the gearbox and send it to the dealer, recorded delivery, asking them for a timetable to rectify the faults. Be polite but firm but make sure that you get your problems sorted out. Good luck Docted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian coldbeck Posted April 17, 2005 Share Posted April 17, 2005 Thanks for your interest, did not reply sooner been away for the weekend, no improvement. I have arranged an independent mechanical engineer to inspect the vehicle gearbox and engine early next week and informed the dealer of my intention in writing on the advice of Trading Standards. I will keep you all updated Thanks again, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Docted Posted April 18, 2005 Share Posted April 18, 2005 Ian you are handling this in the correct fashion let us know how it goes please and any problems that you encounter. It will be nice to have a full resolution to show other users on the forum how to achieve it. Are you keeping the dealers name quiet or are you going to share after resolution? Good luck Docted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian coldbeck Posted April 18, 2005 Share Posted April 18, 2005 Hi Docted - At the moment in fairness to the dealer until it is resolved I will not name yet, however if I do not get the matters sorted soon and satisfactorily I will publish the dealership as a warning to others. Although I did sign a warranty agreement it does not absolve the dealer of his resposibility to my statutory rights. That was from Trading Standards so it is worth knowing. Regards, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Coldbeck Posted April 19, 2005 Share Posted April 19, 2005 Hi again Docted, Mel B and all interested parties - Well I had the expert look over the vehicle, the synchromesh has definately gone on 3rd gear. He checked the engine and told my Partner that the fuel injector pump was correctly adjusted to be fair it was a bit better at the weekend. BUT he also found that the front wheel bearings have gone as has the rear suspension, the first time we load up fully for a long trip the springs will be touching the rubbers and it will cause the van to sway on bends / roudabouts. I have not told the dealer as yet I am waiting for the full written report in a couple of days. My engineer says that the bearings & suspension should have been detected at the MOT as it is not new wear, bearing in mind the MOT was done 2 days before I collected the van! I will keep you posted. Regards Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike C Posted April 20, 2005 Share Posted April 20, 2005 Hello Ian, The vehicle is 3 years and 3 months old, has done 9200 miles and has all the faults you have listed, including the fuel injector pump needing to be adjusted. Question. Who serviced it and how often, and do you have the service book fully stamped up? With all those faults I reckon you have a good case to reject the vehicle as "Unsuitable for the purpose for which it was purchased". May I suggest, if you have not done it already, that you contact the previous owner for more information especially the mileage when he sold it. This may well strengthen your case against the dealer. Regards and good luck, Mike C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Coldbeck Posted April 24, 2005 Share Posted April 24, 2005 Hi Mike C. I have been in contact with the previous owners (2) The original owner said he had no problems and it had got up to 80 mph whilst in France, he said he sold it because he changed jobs and no longer had the time to give it full use. The second owners only used it once but this is because the Lady had a disability and found the bed layout awkward if she had to get up in the night, there was no room for manouvre as the bed blocked the aisle, they did say it was slow but thought this because it had no turbo, they also described the gear change as 'stiff' They sold it to the dealer I bought it from in July 2004 - 6 months before it was sold to me. There are service stamps in the book. I have sent a copy of the engineers detailed report to the dealer by recorded post and gave him seven days to respond, if not I will have all the faults rectified and if need be take him to Court for the costs + all my additional expenses, engineers report, phone calls etc. OR demand a full refund + expenses - I will not hesitate to name and shame the dealer if I have to Regards Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Docted Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 Ian Sorry to hear that the problems have increased, but you are still pursuing this in the correct manner. The fact that the van has done nothing for 6 months is probably a contibutory factor but the MOT should have identified the bearings problem and there is also action that you can take against the issuing workshop by copying your engineers report to the Dept of Transport along with a copy of the MOT. Good luck Docted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Coldbeck Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 Hi docted. sorry for the delay. computer out of action. Done what you suggested already contacted vosa who told me that unfortnately my report to them was too late because I should have reported it before a month after the MOT. I did not know about this then. I am still in conflict with the dealer and am awaiting latest reply. no real news yet but will keep you updated as and when. I am still taking advice from trading standards before I do anything serious, but getting to end of tether and soon will have to have all repairs done and go to court if I have to. I have no choice really. I can not afford like all of us to spend all this money on something that I can not use without worry and stress. thank you for your interest. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.