Renault Master Servicing

[Guest MelE]

There was a long exchange about Renault Masters and warranty and servicing work. Having examined the situation in some detail (I have a Master-based motor caravan), the position is as follows: 1. In the UK the Renault Master is sold by two quite separate organisations: it is biggest vehicle sold by Renault Cars and the smallest sold by Renault Trucks (the rear drive Renault Mascot version of the Master is sold only by Trucks) 2. Renault Cars UK is wholly owned by Renault France and dealers selling the Master will have no problem servicing or doing warranty work on van conversions. Because of width, length and, possibly, floor height, many, if not most, will have real problems lifting a coach-built motorhome because their lifts are designed to handle the van as a maximum. Weight is not usually an issue. 3. Renault Trucks is a quite separate company and is owned by Volvo. Base vehicles bought through Renault Trucks are totally maintainable by Trucks and lifting will never be a problem. But there are far fewer Trucks dealers in the UK than Cars. 4. There is no cross-recognition of warranties. If your base vehicle was bought from Renault Trucks, then Renault Cars will refuse any warranty work and vice versa - it's like expecting Mercedes to do warranty work for free on a BMW. But they will both service it if it fits. 5. So if your vehicle is UK-built and the base is UK-sourced, you need to find out if it was bought through Cars or Trucks. (Few UK coachbuilts yet use the Master, however.) 6. If you buy a continental-built coach built or van conversion on a Renault Master base, you need to know exactly who is responsible for warranty repairs to the base vehicle. It is most likely to be Trucks since the base veicle will almost certainly have been bought from them by the converter. And this can mean long trips since there are relatively few Trucks dealers in the UK. 7. Incidentally, a Renault Trucks sourced Master has a warranty and call-out support valid for 3 years throughout Europe - which is why I sourced my Master from Trucks. Hope that clarifies the situation.

[Guest MelE]

I should add that Devon buy their Masters through Renault Cars.

[Guest Brian Kirby]

What may not be totally clear from Mel's posting, is that the ownership of Renault Trucks by Volvo is total, and not just applicable to UK distribution. French (so presumably elsewhere in Europe as well) sourced Masters may be also sold by the Renault cars division or by Renault Trucks. The French motorcaravan press seems cock-a-hoop at the recent advances in market penetration of the Master into the French motorhome market. They don't discuss whether the Master is a Renault Trucks (Volvo) Master or a Renault cars (Renault) Master. It therefore sems Uk suppliers of Master based motorhomes, whether home produced or imported, should be interviewed as to which kind of Master their 'van will be based upon. Could have quite an impact on how easy it is to get it serviced, with most car dealers being unable to accommodate the bulk of a motorhome, and the truck service centres being few are far between. That should put the cat among the pigeons!

[Guest PeteC]

Well there seems to be some diffeerences to what I have found in practice My Renault Master?Devon Monte Carlo was suppied originally to Devon's by Renailt Truks (was it Celeveland - need to sorth it out from the paper work) I have servicing and waranty work done by my local Renault car garage (4 miles from home) The Renault car garage told me that being thier largest and the Carlisle (45 miles away) truck depots smallest I could have the work carried out there In fact I ave haad work carried out by both firms Including waranty work Also recently Renault cars had to get some spares from the Renault Truck dealer When I go in to either they can get my vehicle records off their computer

[Guest Brian Kirby]

Interesting! There was a mention that Renault UK had reached some arrangement with Renault Trucks for Trucks to service the Master based Knaus that started all this. Perhaps that has now become recriprocal, as it surely needs to be if there are not to be lots of disgruntled Master owner around. Could it be the Knaus was the pathfinder? I've seen no mention of servicing problems in my French Camping Car mag, so maybe the agreements were there all the time but, as the issue did not arise until a coachbuilt was involved, no one had looked at them. Still seems worth checking before you shuck out all your mney though. Brian

[Guest PeteC]

No it isnt new My mster is six years old My last van was a Renault & that was 13 years 150,000 miles old when I sold it the same was available for that Dont know who started this off or where they got their MISS-information fron

[Guest David Lloyd]

To Mel/Brian/PeteC Looks like there may be more than a glimmer of hope that if I did plump for a Renault Master based vehicle (the Knaus Sun Ti is still favourite!) there's a good chance of getting servicing/warranty work carried out but I need to ask around. PeteC - I take it you are based in the NE - did you say there is a Renault trucks dealer in Cleveland where I am? Mel - if Renault trucks are owned by Volvo - do I take it that Volvo trucks dealers will also service and carry out warranty work? David

[Guest Mel E]

David, No, Volvo trucks will not service your Renault. Volvo owns the Renault Trucks Distributorship in the UK, but it's an entirely separate company. Many vehicle distributorships are owned by companies other than the vehicle manufacturer - you may have come across a company called Inchcape that owns many distributorships. It's a 3-tier system: manufacturer > country distibuter > local dealer Devon: I believe they used to buy their Masters through Renault Trucks but switched recently to cars. I spoke to the boss at the Shepton Show and he told me they'd switched because there are more Cars dealers.

[Guest PeteC]

Yes there is a Renault Trucks IN Cleveland think it is on the RAF St Georges/ Cleveland Airport site But more than likely there will be a car dealer nearer to you You will also find Renault car dealer throughout Europe

[Guest Brian Kirby]

Mel et al I cheated and looked at the Volvo website. After a bit of searching I found what seemed to me a fairly unequivocal statement that Volvo now owns the whole of Renault Trucks. The clear implication was that they own the poduction as well as the distribution. This also gives Volvo MACK, which Renault had already bought and Dodge Europe. (Dodge US apparently being Mercedes) The Renault Trucks website is a bit equivocal over actual ownership, which is why I went and looked at Volvo. I think it was quite recent, 2002 or later. Notwithstanding, I doubt Volvo trucks could/would service Renaults and would be very unlikely to ba able to carry out warranty work. It's as Mel says, they own them, but have not amalgamated the brands or the products. Until they rationalise production, which they presumably will eventually, there are unlikely to be many common, or interchangeable, parts. What wasn't quite clear, is who is actually responsible for making the Master: trucks or cars. I assume the factory is a joint venture with GM, hence the Vauxhall/Opel versions. The question I couldn't answer was who was the JV partner. However, so long as service is available for coachbuilt motorhome conversions, I guess it is all a bit academic. Regards Brian

[Guest MelE]

Deep breath . . . it is, of course, even more complicated, because: - the Renault Trafic and Renault Master (and, I think, the rear drive version) are built in joint-venture factories. The Trafic is built in Luton and the Master in Lyon. - as Renault owns a controllonh 43% share of Nissan, the same Master is also the Nissan Interstar as well as the Vauxhall/Opel Movano. Some of the engines in these vans are Nisan engines. - in France, Nissan car dealerships are increasingly alongside the Renault ones. - I assume, with considerable comonality of parts, it would be possible to get a Renault Master serviced and get spare parts at a Vauxhall/Opel/Nissan dealership (without, under recent legislation, compromising the warranty). - But I think that warranty work has still to be carried out by the originating distributorship. Nuff said? - But

[Guest david]

MelE Mel I have been trying to ascertain how or if I can get a REnault Master serviced and warranty work completed should I go for this chassis when we replace our motorhome. Following replies from yourself and others I spoke to the nearest Renault trucks dealership at Billingham (nearer for me than my present Peugeot dealership) who informs me that they would certainly carry out any servicing work on the vehicle BUT ...... they would only carry out warranty work if the base vehicle were originally sourced via RENAULT TRUCKS and not Renault cars. I have today spoken to Lowdham Leisureworld regarding the Knaus Sun Ti (which is our preferred choice so far) and they assure me that thed Knaus base vehicle is supplied by Renault Trucks. So all seems to be satisfactory .............unless.... we go for a Burstner Delfin! Drat I haven't checked with them yet!!!!!! David

[Guest MelE]

David, Any warranty work is, of course, the responsibility of the supplying dealer (e.g., Lowdham) rather than Renault. But most of us prefer, for both speed and knowledge of the base vehicle, to go direct to Renault. You need to check that the base vehicle comes with a Europe-wide Renault Trucks warranty.

[Guest David]

OK - thanks MelE

[Guest Brian Kirby]

Mel is contractually spot on. If Lowdham supply, Lowdham should fix! I understand Lowdham have some newly trained Fiat mechs so, should your choice eventually have Fiat underpinnings, Lowdham may well be able to resolve the problem direct and, whatever make the base vehicle, should be your first point of call even if you know they won't be able to fix it themselves. Then, should the problem become complicated (heaven forfend) to the point you decide to reject the vehicle, they can't claim they haven't been made aware of the problem. They may well opt to refer you elsewhere, or may take your vehicle elsewhere themselves: however, that should, strictly, remain their choice. You're then reasonably in the clear should matters get legal. (See what a dreadful cynic I've become!) I was chatting to a couple in France who had a new, Fiat based, Liaka A class automatic that was giving trouble. First the engine control comp developed an intermittent fault and woildn't exceed 1,500 rpm or develop any power unless it was so mooded. Then it decided it had far too much coolant and it was time to shed some. We talked while they were awaiting a braakdown truck. They had been back to their supplying dealer to explain some function of the vehicle, and the dealer's Fiat mech had commented favourably on the mew style steering wheel adjuster. The proud new Liaka owner felt his confidence level fall abruptly, when he realised the mech was actually talking about his automatic gearchnage paddle! For some reason he seemed to have gained the impression that the mech wasn't really all that familiar with the vehicle after all. Well, we all have to learn, after all, don't we? The point of the above digression is that some dealer's mechs may be more equal than others, but a good Fiat/Renault/Merc workshop mech has probably seen and dealt with more problems than a dealer's mech has had hot dinners! I shouldn't bee to miffed, therefore, if the dealer does send you elsewhere for any warranty work. Won't always be true, of course, but most commercial vehicles rack up 100,000 or so miles per year, whereas motorhomes do somewhere nearer 6,000. It's bound to take a mech longer to build up good experience working mainly on these low mileage vehicles. Regards Brian

[Guest David]

Thanks Brian I'm not too concerned if I eventually do go Fiat (or Peugeot) for the type of vehicle we are considering that would probably mean a much more local dealership. No, my real concern had been the purchase of a vehicle like the Knaus Sun Ti which would probably have to come from Lowdham as the nearest dealer to me. However, in amongst all the interrogations about Renault base vehicles, servicing, warranty work etc it does occur to me to get written consent from the dealer to use the nearest Renault Trucks centre - but also to do it via the supplying dealer for the reasons you outline. David