legit Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 We bought a knaus sport ti new from the discover group in dec 08 and have recently taken the van in for several repairs to be carried out under warranty (having only used the van 4 times) we were informed by discover that they would no longer honour the warranty as the knaus group have been taken over and the new owners wre refusing to honour existing warranties. does anyone have a similar experience/ do we have any legal rights/ consumer rights ? ect ect ... if anyone can clarify our position i would be most gratefull ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
messerschmitt owner Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 your contract under UK law is with the supplying dealer and not with the manufacturer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
messerschmitt owner Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 and as such it is their responsibility! Get trading standards involved if you have to but I would be expecting Discover to fix the warranty problems themselves. If not, tell them you will be rejecting the van! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel wood Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I agree about the contract being with the dealer but have you ever tried to reject a motorhome? (messerschmitt) It is not an easy matter. When we talked about it with a Midland family dealer with a good reputation (and an MMM Regional Awards winner on at least two occasions) where we had bought a new Auto-Sleepers Symbol ES I was told that the only way we could reject the vehicle is if we went through the courts. It may have been bluff. However the Salers Director made it clear that they would not be agreeing to our rejecting the vehicle. He claimed that the vehicle could not be rejected as 'unfit for purpose' because things could be put right and their obligation was to put things right. That last point may be the angle to take with the supplying dealer of the Knaus in question - it is their responsibility to rectify any faults. However, legal advice may have to be sought if they refuse to do so. Her'e hoping to a satisfactory outcome. On another point it seems that even manufacturers with good reputations for build quality are now producing motorhomes with inherent faults. At least 3 major manufacturers have been mentioned in this forum in recent weeks as having produced vans which required repair work within a few weeks of ownership. Yet another point is whether dealers' Pre-Delivery Inspections are actually being completed thoroughly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usinmyknaus Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Legit, I had the same problem with Lowdhams when I contacted them earlier this year. They said the Knaus 2-year warranty was void, as was the 5 year seals guarantee, they added that they would be very happy to carry out any work at normal workshop rates! Oh how I laughed my socks off at that last bit................ On the plus side I was able to shift my habitation servicing to an independent engineer and enjoy what I consider a rather better value for money and more comprehensive service a year earlier than I would otherwise have done. Fortunately, very little has gone wrong with the Knaus Sport Ti (compared to the depressing experiences recounted by some less lucky forum members of I think, mainly British-made vans) and my wife and I are still pleased with our purchase. Good luck with your pursuit of Discover. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
messerschmitt owner Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Mel you're right you do have to give the company the opportunity to fix the van, but after the third unsuccessful attempt, it is possible to reject the vehicle. I have never rejected a vehicle as both brand new purchases I have made have been of satisfactory quality for the job intended - although my motorhome was back with mercedes on day two with a broken heater control panel (fixed in two days). Of course, if it on finance, I would suggest going through the finance company too - they have a little more clout with the dealer! The biggest problem of going through the courts is that the value of a motorhome is greater than the £5000 limit for small claims! All trading standards departments will be able to inform you of the rights you have under the 1979 Sale of Goods Act and there are excellent templates for rejection letters on their websites. I know many people (certainly 20 or more) who have successfully rejected a motor car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 legit - 2009-07-13 1:27 PM We bought a knaus sport ti new from the discover group in dec 08 and have recently taken the van in for several repairs to be carried out under warranty (having only used the van 4 times) we were informed by discover that they would no longer honour the warranty as the knaus group have been taken over and the new owners wre refusing to honour existing warranties. does anyone have a similar experience/ do we have any legal rights/ consumer rights ? ect ect ... if anyone can clarify our position i would be most gratefull ! The others have basically said it all. Your contract is with Discover, and it is Discover's problem how they fix any defects in your van. However, you will need them on your side, so far as you can secure this as, under the circumstances - which are not of Discover's making - they may have to buy any parts/equipment from the new Knaus operation. They will naturally seek to minimise their costs, so I would suggest you review problems on the van yourself in the first instance, and see how many you think serious. Then look for a meeting with Discover, with the van, and go through all the points. Tell them which you think are the serious ones, and which you can live with/fix yourself. Then make plain to them that you aren't interested in Knaus and their warranty, or whether or not it exists, you are only interested in Discover's obligation to you as customer to put right what is wrong. You will need to allow them reasonable time, and you will need to establish what is reasonable. Do as suggested, and talk to your local Trading Standards people and explain the problem to them. However, I would say keep their advice to yourself initially in dealing with Discover - persuasion is likely to be more productive that threats. Threats tend to drive the other party straight into a defencive corner, from which they become very reluctant to emerge!After your meeting with Discover, confirm back to them - in a letter not an e-mail - who you met, when (time,date), what you agreed, and when it was agreed it would be completed. If this latter was left for them to confirm, record that and make clear what timescale you consider reasonable. Write simply and clearly, but always keep in the back of your mind that anything you put in writing may have to be presented in court as evidence if Discover become completely intransigent. Lets hope that will not be the case but if they won't shift, make sure you turn to a solicitor who specialises in consumer law, and not a "jack of all trades". You'll need someone with a respected reputation in that field to make the other side's legal adviser sit up and pay full attention.You will probably have to compromise a bit, so don't take responsibility for all the defects at first, have three groups: those you can easily fix, those you'd really prefer them to fix, and those you definitely can't won't undertake your self. However, be reasonable yourself and don't throw into the pot silly items like loose screws which, whereas they shouldn't be there, only require 30 seconds to do yourself.Apart from that - good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Hi, I had problems with my new Motorhome and sought advice from a solicitor, and followed their instructions and got a satisfactory result. If you have house insurance there should be a clause in your policy that covers legal advice - this legal advice is not limited to your house but covers what it says "legal advice in general". So you can get free legal advice over the phone. As I said above it worked for me. Send me a PM if you need more details as I will not put details on the Forum. Regards Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legit Posted July 14, 2009 Author Share Posted July 14, 2009 Many thanks to all those who posted replies .. they are all helpfull, I will follow up using your advice (and post the results) in the near future (i hope !) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickydripin Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 I hope you have some luck rejecting your van I did just that with my SEA Sharky motorhome and that was sixteen months ago everybody and his dog is trying to get out of it including the finance company that had the van off another finance company then the dealer who sold it to me who said that he did not sell it to me he said that it was another dealer that has gone out of business and he said that I should get in touch with the importer SEA they said that they would get in touch with the company that made the motorhome and uncle tom cobley and all and on and on it goes and my solicitor is earning a fortune Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickydripin Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 One more thing your house insurance will not cover your van for legal expenses one of the things they do not cover is motor homes nor will any other insurance as I have tried them all and have hit a brick wall the only way you can do it is see a solicitor and ask him if he will do a no win no fee also ask him to take out an indemnity to protect you in case you lose so that you do not have to pay the other side costs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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