Corky 8 Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Having had enough with 2 years of Teething Problems (Dealers Term) on the Motorhome I bought new in 2008 it had a Hab and Engine service twice in that time,I sold it Back to a dealer and I am now looking for a replacement,I would never buy New again, So Back to the used Market with a strict criteria. After a lot of research on various models of Motorhomes None starting or ending with (spit) F.f.f.f.f.f fiat. I decided on what I thought was a well known good Converter/ Manufacturer ,then Models / Layout / equipment fitted as standard where gone through to decide on what suited our needs best, both in our own country and for touring Europe, then the All Important Which Chassis and engine Match, then the Decision on what year and Mileage we would accept. That done we started our Search, going to Dealers and Private sellers wherever we saw a model that matched our requirements, ( NOW TO THE POINT) out of some twenty odd Motorhomes we looked at and enquired about, 5 year old or less with Mileage below 8,000 miles there were only Four that had up to date service History for Engine Service, Most People assumed,because their 4 year old Motorhome had done less than the recommended Mileage for servicing, it was not due a service some Dealers were as bad saying it would be serviced before delivery,and none stated they had regularly run the engine at least once a Month, Its little wonder Some if not most of these Motorhomes will have problems, So its buyer beware in Capital Letters, Or am I asking to much ? Do you stick to Regular Service intervals, I,m old school and think Servicing is the heart of longevity for an Engine as Most Engine Manufacturers state a Mileage or time for Servicing , We have purchased what we hope to be our Last and Long Lasting Partnership with the Motorhome we have Chosen. I know my choice wont be agreeable with all as life is like that. ................Safe Journeys DennisNo I,m not telling you yet so dont ask Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 I suppose our 2 cars and the m/home will have lost value because I have no proof of dealer servicing. I will not pay through the nose for potentially slipshod work. I have a great mechanic for the cars, we have used him for years and pay in cash (hence the lack of documentation). The m/home is now seen to by a cracking heavy recovery company and they get paid in cash as well. Some of you might say that I have no legal rights if anything went wrong but I trust the company to put it right. They have already gone beyond the call of duty for me in the past. My last m/home had to be serviced under warranty by the dealer (Brownhills). The bills were eye watering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 I am of the old school as well, at the very least the oil and filter needs changing every year. The problem with low mileage motors that have not had regular oil changes is that the oil is contaminated with nasty acids and the like. Leaving an engine standing with oil that is like that is sure to cause some damage to bearings etc. I have actually stripped engines that have been so treated and have seen mains and big end bearings turned very dark with small pits. I would personally prefer a higher mileage vehicle with a full service history, and in fact that is pretty much what I bought. 2007 Ford 27,000 on the clock with every service on the dot. I change my oil and filter myself every six months, and only use fully synthetic oil now, it's expensive but cheaper than a new engine! Hallii PS I had a rubber stamp made with my name and address on, I have sold various vehicles over the years and no one has ever commented on it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rupert123 Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 I certainly would not worry about the mileage. I know service history is not a warrenty but personally we have ours serviced once a year, apart from anything else you have to do this to meet the warrenty requirements. I would not buy a motorhome that had not got a service history on both base and habitation, would also contact servicing garage to check. Motorhomes can be enough trouble without missing a proper service or one done by well meaning amateurs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted October 31, 2010 Share Posted October 31, 2010 Hi Dennis and all, I'm entirely with you on this one. Our MH was exactly 4 years old with 12,000 miles on the clock when we bought it with a full service history. Since then I've changed the oil and filter and also the fuel filter every 12 months along with other bits and pieces as I see fit (ie Brake fluid this year). I buy genuine parts from my local Merc commercial dealer and do my own servicing with the help of a friend who works at the dealership. I then keep the receipts as proof of parts used and complete the service book myself as a true record. I'm sure when I eventually come to sell it a prospective buyer will understand what I've done and why. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corky 8 Posted October 31, 2010 Author Share Posted October 31, 2010 Keith - 2010-10-31 5:34 PM Hi Dennis and all, I'm entirely with you on this one. Our MH was exactly 4 years old with 12,000 miles on the clock when we bought it with a full service history. Since then I've changed the oil and filter and also the fuel filter every 12 months along with other bits and pieces as I see fit (ie Brake fluid this year). I buy genuine parts from my local Merc commercial dealer and do my own servicing with the help of a friend who works at the dealership. I then keep the receipts as proof of parts used and complete the service book myself as a true record. I'm sure when I eventually come to sell it a prospective buyer will understand what I've done and why. Keith.Hi Keith, I dont think you will have any trouble when you come to sell your Motorhome, I have spent many many years working on hgv,s and taught many Drivers to service their own vehicle,s,all did it to a very high standard as they have a vested interest in getting it right,it was their own vehicle, I would prefer a Main agent serviced vehicle, the Majority are trained to a high standard but there will always be those who get Lazy and cut corners, But I would and have bought a car which was serviced by its owner,you can tell the conscientious ones by the condition of the whole vehicle,My point was to those who dont Change just the oil or even get someone to do it for them, there is a need to change oils regularly, Warranty suppliers always make it a condition of cover that the vehicle is serviced to the Manufacturers schedule, once any warranty on the next vehicle has expired I too will be doing my own servicing,I always feel its been done Properly then. Hallii I like your idea of your own rubber stamp, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.