tonyg3nwl Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Hi , I wonder what is considered a fair price for a first year habitation check. In the list of things to check, there are 20 items, most of which would take just a few moments ( windows and fittings, road lights, roof lights blinds and flyscreens furniture hinges and stays etc etc,) and some a bit longer (Fridge function on all, 3 systems, gas systems etc) I have just been quoted nearly £200 inc vat and told it takes 4 hours work, which I find is excessive. They also want the van booked in for a whole day as well . A different dealer much closer to me than Warminster, is offering habitation check for £99 (Poole), so I am tempted to go there but wonder if a check by them will be acceptable for warranty purposes, They didnt supply the van) As the van is not quite one year old, I dont expect any significant problems will be discovered, but if something were needing attention, who would do the work? Answers please on a postcard !!!!! tonyg3nwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 It's in the post obviously ? (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philjp Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 Tony the dealer i bought my van from as retired and closed the business down (no buyer could be found) .I have sought advice as to which dealer i can use. I have a CI dealer 4 miles away but they deal in caravans but would do habitation check for £75 and sort out any warranty problems.The parent company for my van Trigano Tribute is CI. to top it all the only Fiat dealer in this area that could do service n Van as gone into receivership 73 Phil gw1pjp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 tonyg3nwl - 2009-08-10 4:37 PM Hi , I wonder what is considered a fair price for a first year habitation check. In the list of things to check, there are 20 items, most of which would take just a few moments ( windows and fittings, road lights, roof lights blinds and flyscreens furniture hinges and stays etc etc,) and some a bit longer (Fridge function on all, 3 systems, gas systems etc) I have just been quoted nearly £200 inc vat and told it takes 4 hours work, which I find is excessive. They also want the van booked in for a whole day as well . A different dealer much closer to me than Warminster, is offering habitation check for £99 (Poole), so I am tempted to go there but wonder if a check by them will be acceptable for warranty purposes, They didnt supply the van) As the van is not quite one year old, I dont expect any significant problems will be discovered, but if something were needing attention, who would do the work? Answers please on a postcard !!!!! tonyg3nwl The answer to what will be required to satisfy the terms of your vehicle warranty, can only be answered by a careful reading of said document. If it stipulates that an authorised dealer or similar must do the work, that is what you must do. If it requires you to have a full habitation service, instead of just a water ingress check that, again, that is what you must do. However, since you pay for the service/check, there is no reason for you to return to the dealer who actually sold you the van.If you do find an authorised firm who will do this work at lower cost, just ask them to confirm that they will carry out any warranty work under the terms of the manufacturer's warranty (i.e. without cost to you, and within a reasonable timescale) before booking your van in - but make sure you're talking to the organ grinder, and not the monkey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 CARAFIT, at Crosshands near Llanelli, 20 minutes West along the M4 from Swansea, £120 + VAT, recognised by converters, insurance companies etc. They will also give estimates on line even for damage if you send a photo on email. Lend you a car if you want it to off for a local day out or go home if you are local, while the 'van is being serviced............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 Hi Brian, thanks for response. I have just looked at handbook and see that they say the checks should take 2 hours, not 4 . Also it is possible to get work done by any Authorised Dealer, so local guy will most likely get the job, but must confirm that they wont charge me for any necessary warranty work. I understand I have to pay for the checks to be done, so now have to find out why they say 3 hours minimum. Price is acceptable at £99 (currently on offer) . tonyg3nwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auntygranty Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Hi tonyg3nwl I live just down the road from you..I dont know how long you have had motorhomes but one of your best contacts I could recommend is Essanjay at Poole.. It would be worth checking with them, on the vehicle service side if you vehicle is a Fiat they do warranty work. Regards Auntygranty :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vernon B Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Afraid running costs come with the turf. By all means be prudent with your hard earned money but swopping dealers to save a few quid each year may well back fire if you have a fault that develops just after the guarantee expires. In the long term it sometimes pays to look at these service charges as an insurance policy. V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 auntygranty - 2009-08-11 9:50 AM Hi tonyg3nwl I live just down the road from you..I dont know how long you have had motorhomes but one of your best contacts I could recommend is Essanjay at Poole.. It would be worth checking with them, on the vehicle service side if you vehicle is a Fiat they do warranty work. Regards Auntygranty :-D Thanks for info re Essanjay, but mine is a Peugeot based Autocruise Stargazer, so Hartwells at Ferndown for the base vehicle. As in previous post, Habitation checks are on offer at Marquis, for £99 at present and I have confirmed they are on Autocruise approved list. Essanjay sorted the water ingress when I first got the van a year ago, and sent bill to warminster dealer for payment under warranty (with their agreement) as they couldnt get any Peugeot action through their Peugeot man. Current Motorhome was bought oct last year hence interest in first year habitation check, and previously have had many different caravans over 45 years, and been through VW caravannette, and Starfire, AS Inca, back to caravan, now current van. tonyg3nwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Sorry if my earlier meaning was not entirely clear, but so far as I am aware no motorhome manufacturers' warranties actually require you to have a full habitation service to maintain the warranty.Motorhome warranties are generally limited in scope by what is applicable to the various items of equipment on board: fridge, heater, battery charger and transformer unit, toilet etc etc. These generally have a standard 12 months warranty from their respective manufacturers that transfers to you as owner, normally taken to be effective as from date of vehicle registration. It is unusual for motorhome manufacturers to include such items in any extended warranties that they offer.The base vehicle, if right hand drive, will generally have a three years warranty in UK from the likes of Ford, Fiat, etc, that will be separately set out its handbook. However, some vehicles may have only two years warranty in UK, or you may have to approach the UK offices of the base vehicle manufacturer to update his records, to include your vehicle on the three year warranty register, where your motorhome was supplied to a mainland European converter. This is because the standard Euro warranty is two years and the third year of the UK version is insurance backed. Personal imports are sold in Europe with the Euro two years warranty, and this will not be updated to three. These warranties can only be exercised by dealers authorised by the base vehicle manufacturers, and are invariably dependent on the service record being completed within the specified periods. Do be careful about the time limits as well as the mileage limits for servicing. Most, if not all, must be serviced annually where the stated minimum mileage is not driven.What is left, is the internal furnishings, the actual workmanship in assembly, and the external envelope. Of these, you do need to read very carefully to see if anything other than water ingress is warranted for more than one year.If the only thing that is on extended warranty is water ingress, there should be no need to have a full habitation service to maintain the warranty. After all, it is difficult to see how the efficiency of a fridge could be relevant to leakage, so why should it need servicing to maintain a water ingress warranty in force?Finally, most of the installed equipment actually cannot be serviced. Truma Combi heaters have no maintenance schedule. So far as I know neither do any of the toilets generally installed. Ditto the 12V electrical systems. Ditto water systems. Gas and mains electrics installations do need periodic safety checks, for obvious reasons. The gas burners and flues on three way fridges can soot up so, if used extensively on gas, these should be checked from time to time.I am not suggesting that habitation checks are not desirable, just that they should not generally be a condition precedent to maintaining the motorhome manufacturer's warranty in force. However, this generalisation must be carefully assessed against the actual wording of the relevant warranties.If only water ingress is warranted then, subject as above to the actual wording of the document, have just that check carried out by an authorised dealer to maintain the warranty, and have whatever other checks you wish carried by whoever you choose. If more than water ingress is warranted, and you don't like the authorised dealer's prices, limit his checks to whatever is necessary to maintain the warranty, and then go elsewhere for the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granddad Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 hi try autovan at canford bottom wimborne 01202 848414 dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auntygranty Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 HEALTH WARNING Stay away from Canford Bottom for any work...a close friend took his expensive retirement van there for some work and they ruined, I mean ruined the roof by climbing on it with boots on unprotected planks Having seen it I would never go there for anything. Auntygranty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
granddad Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 some are happy some are not dont matter where we go it will still happen unhappy and happy dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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