Hymer Official Dealers

[noble1]

A word of warning for anyone thinking of purchasing a New Hymer . We did - from the Hymer Stand at the NEC show . It eventually came through a dealer in the Midlands - I live in Scotland and Ive been told only the dealer I purchased it through will carry out any warranty work - Below is the reply From Hymer when I questioned why I have to travel over 300 miles to have my first year Habitation Service done - as I have an official Hymer Dealership 20 mins away .

 

: “, we would like to point out to you that some traders take the right to reject customers with vehicles that not purchased from them”

 

Not every dealer is obligated to take care of your issues, only the dealer you bought your Hymer from is obligated

 

So unlike cars and other MHs Hymer Dealers are not oblijed to service under warranty Hymer Motorhomes not purchased from them .

 

What is the point of being an Official Hymer Dealer ? -

[colin]

noble1 - 2020-07-09 3:34 PM

 

 

 

So unlike cars and other MHs

 

I would take issue with you on this, as many makes are the same, that's why the advice many give on this forum is "Buy from a dealer close to you"

[Bop]

I had the impression that Hymer was the brand which allowed owners to access any of its dealer network in the UK for hab and warranty work.

 

That said, we've lost all of our Hymer dealers in the North East of England recently so the network isn't quite what it was.

[noble1]

Thanks for your reply I had assumed in this competitive world an official dealer whether Motorhome or otherwise would be obligated and recompensed from the manufacturer they represent .

 

Why does the Motorhome fraternity put up with this ?

 

It certainly wasn't mentioned to me when I bought the vehicle- off the Hymer Stand .

 

It has been an amazing first year and I don't expect any warranty work but never the less , I feel Motorhome owners should make their feeling known .

[Brian Kirby]

Bop - 2020-07-09 4:07 PM

I had the impression that Hymer was the brand which allowed owners to access any of its dealer network in the UK for hab and warranty work.

That said, we've lost all of our Hymer dealers in the North East of England recently so the network isn't quite what it was.

Dealers are independent companies, so can make up their own rules. Manufacturers encourage them to undertake warranty work on all/any of their vehicles, but lack the clout of the motor manufacturers to be able to enforce that requirement. The base vehicle, however, will be handled by any suitably authorised workshop for the make.

 

As Colin says above, many UK dealers (and others elsewhere) will refuse to carry out warranty work on vehicles they didn't sell.

 

However, I'm a bit surprised that your nearest dealer won't even do the habitation checks, which are chargeable.

 

The usual dealer's whinge is that under their arrangement with the manufacturer, they aren't compensated for the cost of warranty work at their usual hourly rates, so will only carry out such work where they have taken the profit on a sale to compensate for the shortfall in payment on any warranty work.

 

Have you explained that under your circumstances you (apparently) had no choice over the supplying dealer, and that he is sending away the chargeable work as well as the warranty work? Maybe a further, persuasive, word in the right ear? Might you have spoken to a workshop manager, and not a director? OTOH, with an initially hostile attitude, do you really want to deal with them? But maybe, for a 400 mile return trip, you would! :-)

 

We are now on our fourth imported motorhome (one from France, the other three from Germany) and all have had the chargeable inspections necessary to maintain the warranties in force, plus warranty work, carried out by three different UK dealerships, without any quibbles, so yours is not an inevitable experience. The dealers were all more than 20 miles distant - but substantially less than 200 miles distant!

[noble1]

Brian

 

Thank you

 

I have just spoken with my local dealer - they will carry out the service but in the event of there being a warranty issue - they have refused to do this work , at this point I will need to take the MH back to the original dealer .

 

As I have mentioned earlier, in the future I too may look abroad to purchase our next vehicle , you live and ( through forums like these) learn .

 

Thanks again .

[longtemps]

The dealer you purchase from is as important to me as the Motorhome you choose. If the necessary research on van and dealer had been carried out by yourself, then the correct price to pay and your target dealer you hoped to buy from, should have been pretty clear to you before purchase.

I get the impression from your post that you dealt directly with a Hymer rep and was then “assigned” to a dealer. If this is correct then I fear that you probably paid over the odds and will continue to do so with a dealer so far from base.

[noble1]

Thanks for your feedback - I don't know if I paid " over the Odds" or not - I've bought many cars in my time and regardless of what price you have paid you always find someone who could have obtained it cheaper - in buying their own vehicle off their stand in a Show environment when the manufacturer really doesn't want to return to Germany with it , meant I obtained a healthy discount on the sticker price , the vehicle also came fully loaded - if ordering myself I may not have included everything but there are certain extras I have found extremely useful and pleased they are on the vehicle .. As I mentioned early it has been a very enjoyable first year.

[Robinhood]

It might be worth mentioning here that the "general" 2-Year Hymer warranty is not dependent on having habitation servicing carried out (at all, never mind by a Hymer dealer).

 

The 6-year water ingress warranty, however, is dependent on the annual water ingress check (which does need to be carried out by an authorised dealer and recorded on the Hymer system).

 

I choose not to have a habitation service, feeling reasonably competent after best part of 30-years motorhoming to deal with much of what that would involve, and avoiding the cost. I do, however, ensure that the annual inspection is carried out to keep up the water ingress warranty.

 

My dealer is some distance away, and sometimes wants possession of the 'van for longer than I would deem necessary, but they will provide me with a courtesy car for the interim (for the day, or for a week at one stage for relatively simple warranty work) making the travelling arrangements somewhat less difficult.

 

The 'van was bought at distance (but not unseen) knowingly, as it was a stock vehicle with a spec I liked, at a very good price, and with a good p/ex negotiated. The same model was not at that time available locally, in any spec. The deal compensated for the cost of returning annually, and my time is now my own anyway.

 

TBH, my dealings with the dealer have been OK. They paid for tracking to be done locally to me, as it was patently (well) out on my drive home from picking it up (though PDI should probably have been better); a bathroom door was replaced under warranty as the bottom seal had been mounted awry at the factory, and couldn't be removed/replaced without damaging the door, and, at the water ingress check in 2 weeks time they're replacing the high-level brake light which, though supposedly a sealed unit has let water in and partially failed. The two replacements have been agreed via photographic evidence rather than physically seeing the 'van.

 

 

[noble1]

Robinhood

 

Thank you for taking the time to reply .I was not aware the Habitation service was at two year intervals - the garage only said the engine service was bi annual service . I will ask them tomorrow to confirm that only the water ingress part is required annually in order to facilitate the warranty. Thanks .

[Robinhood]

I think you misunderstood my post.

 

There is no requirement to have a habitation service at any interval. You may choose to have one for peace of mind (though most of what one entails should be easy to undertake yourself, and I fail to see any value), but doing so or not has no bearing on any warranty. (the general warranty for Hymers is 2-years then expires, regardless of habitation service or not).

 

If you wish to keep up the separate water ingress warranty (which lasts for 6 years, and IMO is worth retaining) then an annual water ingress check at a Hymer dealer is required.

 

The lack of any requirement for a habitation service in order to keep up (either of the) warranties is common with a few German manufacturers (e.g. Hobby, Globecar in my past experience), though a number of British manufacturers do insist on the habitation service (in addition to the water ingress check) in order to maintain warranties.

 

For my own part, the only possible value I would get from a habitation service would be a gas integrity check, which I can't do myself without a manometer, but the one time I had concerns about the integrity of the system, the dealer check (not unnaturally as it turned out) failed to find any problem (and I diagnosed it myself later :-( ))

[Brian Kirby]

They charge for the annual damp check, but the charge is relatively modest compered to that for the habitation service. In view of what you said above about the pre-sale history your van, it may be worth "buying" the first habitation service to be certain that all the checks that should have been carried out before delivery were properly completed. Thereafter, it is a matter of one's DIY skills, and how relevant to motorhomes they are. :-)

 

To confirm what Robinhood says above, the 2 year Hymer warranty is not dependent on any service items being completed, but the water ingress warranty must be completed annually (there is a quite generous time "window" for this) and recorded in the warranty booklet as well as entered onto Hymer's database.

 

The Fiat? side is quite separate, and will require the services of an authorised Fiat Professional workshop (because, unlike the average Fiat car dealership, they will have a vehicle lift suitable for a vehicle the size of a motorhome) to be certain that any recalls or software updates get done. You should not have any problems with this if warranty problems arise.

 

I haven't checked the spec of your Hymer, but if it is on an AlKo chassis, do make sure that the two rear axle grease nipples (if present) are attended to annually. As these axles are not Fiat items (though the brakes, wheel hubs and bearings etc are), they will not be included in the standard Fiat service schedule. If the dealer who will do the annual damp checks has a suitable vehicle lift in their workshop (the nipples should be greased while there is no load on the axle), plus a grease gun, they could do that while doing the damp check. Otherwise the Fiat garage should be able to do it - providing they have a grease gun! But, the Fiat service interval is two yearly, while AlKo say every year. It is desirable that the invoice confirms the greasing as, should there be a problem with the AlKo axle (unlikely), you will probably need to be able to provide proof. Do also note the grade of grease specified by AlKo.

[noble1]

Brian /Robin Hood

 

Thank you very much .

[noble1]

Robin Hood/Brian

 

Having spoken to my Hymer dealer down south it appears you are both correct as I assumed , and explained to their service department.

 

What they said is that although Hymer doesn't require the Habitation service any third party items - such as the fridge , does .

 

But I'm with you two - why would I pay them to check my fridge ?

 

I will just the have the water ingress check .

 

Thanks again you have been most helpful.

[Robinhood]

noble1 - 2020-07-10 9:48 AM

 

 

What they said is that although Hymer doesn't require the Habitation service any third party items - such as the fridge , does .

 

 

...I don't believe that for a moment. (Though if the dealer does, or is trying to persuade you to pay for the habitation service any subsequent claim pursued through them might be slightly more difficult).

 

As I say, my dealer is replacing a 3rd-party item (brake light) when it goes for the water-tightness test, and it hasn't (and won't) have a habitation service.

[Derek Uzzell]

Mark

 

For a high-value appliance (eg. a heater or fridge) that has its own warranty independent of the general conversion warranty, the terms and conditions of the appliance’s warranty will stipulate whether there is any mandatory ‘servicing/checking’ within the warranty period that must be carried out to maintain the warranty’s validity.

 

If you want to know if the warranty of your Hymer’s fridge or heater really demands annual attention, check what the warranty says, not just accept what the dealer tells you.

 

I believe Thetford may have insisted that its fridges should be serviced/checked annually within the 3-year warranty period

 

https://www.caravantalk.co.uk/community/topic/29469-thetford-36-month-warranty/

 

but that no longer appears to be the case

 

https://www.thetford-europe.com/gb/warranty-0

 

I THINK the current UK warranty for Dometic fridges installed as original equipment in a new motorhome is also three years with no mandatory service/check within that perriod.

 

 

 

[Brian Kirby]

Derek Uzzell - 2020-07-10 10:10 AM

 

Mark

 

For a high-value appliance (eg. a heater or fridge) that has its own warranty independent of the general conversion warranty, the terms and conditions of the appliance’s warranty will stipulate whether there is any mandatory ‘servicing/checking’ within the warranty period that must be carried out to maintain the warranty’s validity.

 

If you want to know if the warranty of your Hymer’s fridge or heater really demands annual attention, check what the warranty says, not just accept what the dealer tells you.

Agreed. Dometic, Thetford and Truma all provide individual maintenance booklets for their appliances which should form part of the document pack handed over with your van, and AFAIK, in all cases the warranty terms are set out in those documents. In my own, limited (these items are generally very reliable), experience they maintain UK distribution centres with "customer care" centres for end user problems and will arrange for minor items to be sorted out reasonably efficiently. My only caveat is Dometic who, as with many other manufacturers, have transferred all contacts to a call centre in which the employees are not technical, and merely "field" queries with carrying degrees of success. A pity, because previously one could talk to the technicians who knew of what they spoke!

 

Incidentally, I note from the Hymer website that there are two Hymer dealers listed in Scotland, at Livingston and Roseisle, plus dealers at Newcastle, Tebay. From the distances you've quoted, I'm guessing that you are somewhere within the "central belt" and that your supplying dealer is somewhere around Huddersfield. It may therefore be worthwhile contacting one of the alternative, but closer, dealers to ask if they will damp check, service as required, and carry out, warranty work on your van.

 

An aside, but I enquired, some years ago, about getting some work carried out on an imported LHD van at a different branch of the same dealership as I'm guessing supplied yours, and was told that they wouldn't even allow it in their workshop - on health and safety grounds - because it had a German electrical system! At that time they were an authorised dealership for the make of motorhome I had. They maintained their dangerous German electrics line even after I pointed out that the vans they sold and regularly serviced had German sourced and installed electrical systems, albeit to UK standards. I got the (non-electrical) work carried out by a more receptive dealer elsewhere. Funny folk, motorhome dealers! :-D

[noble1]

Thanks Brian - I know RoseIsle - they are close by , I hadn't relised they had a Hymer franchise ,

 

I'll give them a call.

[Robinhood]

AFAIK, Roseisle are a Hymer "campervan" dealer only.

 

That doesn't necessarily mean they can't/won't carry out official recognised water ingress checks or be prepared to undertake warranty work on coachbuilt vehicles.

 

It might mean that they will be less "miffed" that you didn't buy your 'van from them (since they don't sell them!).

 

They do sell new Carado coachbuilts (part of the Hymer group), so should be well placed to cope, if they are willing.

 

It's certainly worth a telephone enquiry.

[weldted]

On a different track, have been told our Burstner Sept 2019 can have it’s hab check done at any Burstner dealer but any warranty repairs only at where we bought it from?

[Brian Kirby]

weldted - 2020-07-11 4:22 PM

On a different track, have been told our Burstner Sept 2019 can have it’s hab check done at any Burstner dealer but any warranty repairs only at where we bought it from?

But told by whom? Generally, who will do what is a matter that is decided by the individual dealer, despite the manufacturers' warranties being presented as "Europe wide", or similar. We have had Hobby, Hymer, and the present Knaus, vans, all of which were direct LHD imports from Germany, and all have had both water ingress checks and minor bits of warranty work carried out by UK dealers without any debate.

[weldted]

We bought our Burstner from Portsmouth, but our nearest dealer is at Wellington (Chelstons) spoke to the about a hab check for the warranty they stated they could do the hab/damp check, but would not do any warranty repairs you would have to have that done by the suppling dealer

[Brian Kirby]

weldted - 2020-07-12 9:57 AM

We bought our Burstner from Portsmouth, but our nearest dealer is at Wellington (Chelstons) spoke to the about a hab check for the warranty they stated they could do the hab/damp check, but would not do any warranty repairs you would have to have that done by the suppling dealer

I think, if you read the Burstner warranty, you find an implication that warranty work can be undertaken by any authorised Burstner dealer.

 

I also think, if you press Chelston, you find that the refusal to carry out warranty work on vans they did not sell is their own company policy, probably on the basis that Burstner do not pay them for warranty work at their full commercial rate, so they have no profit from the sale from which to fund the shortfall.

 

Portsmouth suggests to me Southdowns who, to their eternal credit, have carried out warranty work for me, without hesitation, on two vans they did not sell. Their attitude has been, "oh well, you may buy the next one from us".

 

Chelston used to adopt a similar stance, but seem to have become more "commercial" over the past few years. This may be because other dealers in the area had consistently undercut them on sale prices, but been less forthcoming on customer service! Not unheard of!

 

I note that a Elite Motorhomes now occupy a site previously occupied by Chelston, at Middleton Cheney, near Banbury. I know this, because I went there in 2005! :-D