Base Vehicle Warranty

[Guest Martin McKay]

I bought a brand new Avondale Seascape based on a Fiat Ducato in January 2004. I had intermittent problems with an air bag warning light coming on occassionaly. This happened less so in the summer of 04 and hardly at all summer 05. I had to take the vehicle in for a safety recall November 05 and as I drove in I noticed the air bag warning light stayed on for the full journey (20 miles) I asked the dealer to check and they advised me that a new unit was required.I asked for this to be done under warranty and was told my warranty had expired in May 2005. I contacted Fiat UK and was told to write in to their Warranty Section and it would be amended.( letter sent 25/11/05) No reply received. I telephoned again and was told that Fiat UK had written to Turin to clarify the problem and I would be given an answer by the end of the week. That date has come and gone. Surely I am not the first customer to suffer from what I perceive to be a problem related to the purchase of a new Motorcaravan on a certain date which happens to be a period of time after the motorcaravan manufacturer purchased the vehicle from Fiat. If so it makes a mockery of reviews which appear in your excellent magazine stating that certain vehicles have a certain base vehicle warranty period.

[Guest Derek Uzzell]

No, you are definitely not alone! There have been reports about this in UK and Continental magazines for as long as I can remember. It's also been mentioned on this forum and if you search on "old motorhomes for new" (omitting the quotes) you'll retrieve the reference. Of course the warranty on the 'chassis' part of your motorhome should commence simultaneously with (or pretty close to) the date that the vehicle was handed over to you - that's what any reasonable person would expect. If I were in your position and I didn't get any response from Fiat(UK) in the very near future, I'd write a strongly worded letter to them demanding that this is sorted out PDQ. I'd also copy the letter to Avondale and the dealership from which the Seascape was purchased, and I'd make it apparent to Fiat(UK) that I had done so. I may have said this before, but I suggest that anyone with a new motorhome (particularly if it's built on a Citroen, Fiat or Peugeot) who is not absolutely certain about the base-vehicle's warranty duration/terms gets them checked (via the VIN number) at an agent for that make of vehicle.

[Guest Brian Kirby]

May I add to what Derek has said? When you bought your 'van, you were presumably provided with documentation about the Fiat warranty? You should have been. If I may suggest, go straight back to the dealer from whom you bought the van and ask them why they haven't registered your vehicle with Fiat. They should have done this at the time they registered it with DVLA. The only exception would be if it had been pre-registered and was old stock. Even then, if you bought it as new, it would surely have been supplied as having a three year Fiat warranty. Tell the dealer his failure to register the vehicle has, effectively, cost you your warranty and you want it reinstated to the full three years from date of purchase. If the dealer has ceased trading, then go to Avondale and inform them of your position. I suspect the main fault lies with the dealer, possibly Avondale. Fiat may require proof of registration, i.e copy of log book, before they are totally convinced teh van was registered so late. Hope this helps Brian

[Guest MelE]

Whatever Fiat say - positive or negative - your contract is, in law, with the supplying dealer whose responsibility it is to sort this out. We motorhomers give in too easily by being persuaded that it is the base vehicle manufacturer who provides the warranty on the base vehicle, so we should go there with the problems. NO! You go to the Dealer. He's profited from the sale, after all.