Chausson Warranty

[Petra]

Having just got back from touring Europe, we discovered that our dealer RDH where we bought our motorhome last year is no longer trading. As we need our habitation check and service plus a few little warranty issues sorted out we visited a local branch of Discover. They said that they could do all that was required but that we would have to pay upfront for the warranty work and they would reimburse us when they got the money from Chausson. Is this normal and has anyone else had this happen to them? Or is it just because we did not buy the van there or is it Discovers way of getting more cashflow?

 

When we have needed warranty work for cars in the past we have never had problems regardless of which dealers we took it to.

 

[Brian Kirby]

That is the second time RDH have folded, the first time they were a Benimar dealership!

I wouldn't accept the idea of paying "up front", if by that you mean before they complete the work.  If they have undertaken to carry out the repairs to your satisfaction, for which you would pay them on completion - provided you are satisfied with the workmanship - then maybe.  However, I would first be inclined to try other Chausson (or even Challenger, which are really "badge engineered" clones) importers, to see if you get a more sympathetic response, before paying for warranty work on the basis that the dealer will "pay when paid".

Any competent dealer can do your habitation check, but read your warranty document carefully before using a non-Chausson dealer for the damp check element.  It seems a number of the manufacturers insist this aspect of the check is carried out by authorised dealerships.  This is especially relevant to any warranty on water ingress.

Where you stand on the manufacturer's warranty will depend on Chausson.  Motorhomes are not like cars in this respect, and however fine the words on the warranty, it is comparatively rare for dealers who did not make the sale to take on warranty work.  This will probably not be what the warranty will say, but since the manufacturers to not enforce the terms with their dealers there is little you can do.  The warranty lies outside your contract with the seller (RDH, RIP!), and amounts to a non-contractual promise that you cannot legally enforce.

You don't say what warranty work is required, but most of the things that go wrong in motorhomes are covered by their individual manufacturer's warranties (Truma, Thetford, Dometic etc), and the benefit of these warranties generally transfers to the buyer, so you should be able to approach the relevant firm direct.

All the likes of Trigano really do is assemble the bits so, apart from sealing the joints and installing the furniture, there isn't much their warranty alone covers.  This being the case, if push comes to shove, could you perhaps just buy the parts that need fixing from one of their dealers, and then fit them yourself?

[Stuart]

Perhaps it would be worthwhile trying to contact Chausson direct. They will know the position re RDH and there may well be other owners in the same quandry as yourself.

 

Stuart

[Mel B]

Have they definitely ceased trading? .... I found this on the web:

 

http://www.rdh.co.uk/

 

It looks like they've moved for sure since we last visited them (Feb 2007) but I'm not certain whether it is a new 'company' or not.

 

Also just found this on the web too - scroll down to the posting from 'Hire-n-go', last time we were in touch with RDH (last June), Chris was the after sales manager ...

 

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=671746

 

And if you want to get in touch with Chausson, this is their website and it gives details of dealers.

 

http://www.chausson.tm.fr/reseau.asp?pays=Angleterre

[Derek Uzzell]

Petra

 

My understanding is that a major reason for the original RDH company ceasing trading was that they had carried out thousands of pounds-worth of warranty work on Benimar motorhomes and could not obtain reimbursement from the Spanish manufacturer.

 

It's possible that Discover have found Chausson difficult when it comes to agreeing to, or obtaining payment for, warranty work and are seeking to protect themselves by asking customers for payment in advance. Obviously this puts the customer at risk if Chausson should quibble over whether a defect is eligible for under-warranty repair, or argue over the cost, or refuse to reimburse the UK dealership.

 

It would definitely be sensible to do as Brian advises and check with alternative Chausson agencies regarding carrying out warranty work. (I think the list of UK agents shown on the Chausson website is not current, but it should help.) Although Chausson's 5-year 'water-tightness' warranty demands an annual maintenance check by an authorised Chausson agent, I believe the 'habitation' warranty requires no mandatory check/service within its 2-year duration. (The French Challenger brand is not officially imported to the UK and, to the best of my knowledge, there are no UK Challenger outlets.)

 

In 2004 I was contemplating purchasing a Chausson motorhome (via RDH as it happens) and this involved the RDH salesman and me each trying to obtain information directly from the French factory. It was a frustrating experience for both of us and largely contributed to me choosing not to buy a Chausson. Perhaps things have changed for the better since then...

[Petra]

Thanks for the replies. RDH have changed hands and are now operating as RDH Auctions. Chris has started up his own company servicing motorhomes but I am not sure what effect this would have on the warranty if we used him. He has said that he has authority from Chausson. Maybe I am being too cautious. Thankfully there are not too many problems that need fixing.