Guest peter Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Andy_C - 2011-03-25 10:12 AM peter - 2011-03-24 11:18 PM The boat I've owned for 18Yrs needs a safety check every 4Yrs to get a river licence from British Waterways. They check everything inc' gas, fuel, heating. The lot and it's always passed. Cost? about £80. A bit different to what people are charging for Motorhomes. Believe me a modern cruiser is every bit as complicated as a Motorhome, if not more so. But they are a lot better built. Hence 20Yrs old and still looks pristine. :D £80? How long does it take? AndyAbout 1 1/2 Hrs. With no traveling involved as he owns the marina I berth in. Also no materials needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 How Much??????? - 2011-03-25 3:31 PM peter - 2011-03-24 11:18 PM The boat I've owned for 18Yrs needs a safety check every 4Yrs to get a river licence from British Waterways. They check everything inc' gas, fuel, heating. The lot and it's always passed. Cost? about £80. A bit different to what people are charging for Motorhomes. Believe me a modern cruiser is every bit as complicated as a Motorhome, if not more so. But they are a lot better built. Hence 20Yrs old and still looks pristine. :DThe build-quality difference aside, which i cant comment on. Even if a boat and a MH were built to an identical high standard, the MH is always going to be at a disadvantage as regards potential 'leaks' around joints etc, as the body is under far greater gravitational pressures eg rolling and pitching and jolts whilst travelling on the roads. Your average pleasure cruiser is never going to get any of this, hence its joints stay sound for longer.Ha Ha, have you ever seen the pounding that a boat gets at 31Knots into a choppy head sea. Fortunately there are no joints in a boat to leak, as the hull is usually moulded in one piece. With the topsides joint to the hull way above the waterline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Mel B - 2011-03-25 5:44 PM How Much??????? - 2011-03-25 3:31 PM peter - 2011-03-24 11:18 PM The boat I've owned for 18Yrs needs a safety check every 4Yrs to get a river licence from British Waterways. They check everything inc' gas, fuel, heating. The lot and it's always passed. Cost? about £80. A bit different to what people are charging for Motorhomes. Believe me a modern cruiser is every bit as complicated as a Motorhome, if not more so. But they are a lot better built. Hence 20Yrs old and still looks pristine. :DThe build-quality difference aside, which i cant comment on. Even if a boat and a MH were built to an identical high standard, the MH is always going to be at a disadvantage as regards potential 'leaks' around joints etc, as the body is under far greater gravitational pressures eg rolling and pitching and jolts whilst travelling on the roads. Your average pleasure cruiser is never going to get any of this, hence its joints stay sound for longer. You ain't seen the way that Peter speeds around the waterways in his boat have you ! (lol) :DNeither have you Mel. Though that could be arranged on a nice sunny day. Bring your bikini though and a bottle of decent wine. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 everhopeful - 2011-03-25 8:37 PM Thanks all for your excellent advice. It seems I'm not alone in finding dealer hab “servicing” rather short of the mark. I've no problem paying for good service that I actually want, but I don't want my window catches checking either! I've felt it worthwhile to keep the warranty intact with the hab servicing even though it seems to achieve very little else. In the past I've been asked for proof of servicing for EVERY year for the warranty to be covered. Why? I think we all know! From all the comments a DIY approach seems far more common than I'd expected and as my warranty completely expires soon I'll be doing my own checking from now on. The Gaslow gauge ticks all my boxes and although not as accurate as a manometer it'll give me a leak test far more often! I may even buy a manometer as well for a check of the regulator! (thanks to flicka and peter for the links) My van is "caravan" construction rather than proper coachbuilt so I'm quite keen to do the damp testing properly and quite often. I'll need to research a decent quality damp meter yet, but I'm guessing an ultrasonic meter may be the only one worthwhile. The Caravan Club seem to discourage DIY servicing, but at worst it must often be better than what many actually do, ie nothing. No doubt some workshops will provide a thorough and meaningful service of what is really needed and at a sensible price, but until I find one........A bubble tester for gas leaks is also good and easy to fit and use. Cost about £30, I've got one on my boat. If you don't know what it is, do a Google. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 A couple of points spring to mind. I lost £2000 P/X when changing my M/home because there was damp in it. Basically the dealer knew where to look and I did not. (Underneath where panels joined the floor) 1) Being a nominated dealer, they had information about faults that could occure after warrenty, and could be investigated, although there was no obligation to repair the fault. 2) MAYBE, if buying "preloved" a formal certification of checks could maintain the price against a a M/home that had no formal checks. We all like to save a pound or two, but the pounds saved (in my case) amounted to a couple of thousand pounds lost ! Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 But did it Tony? It seems the damp was discovered outside warranty, and you hadn't had the van checked since the warranty expired. So, if you had taken the van for an annual damp check the damp would still have been there to discover, albeit perhaps being discovered earlier, and would still have needed repairing at your expense. Looking on the bright side, it might have cost you more than £2,000 just to have the work done, whereas losing the money on a deal might have been the more economical way ahead, as the dealer might have swallowed some of the cost to keep the deal alive. I think you were unlucky, but ultimately the cause of the expense was the damp, not the lack of checks. Hope you didn't buy the same make again! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
How Much Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Well, ive had my hab. check done, and im pleased to say the van got a clean bill of health. Two blokes, two hours, went through it with a fine tooth-comb. Had to have a new blown air switch (that i already knew was dodgy) - £125 all in. Got a load of hints and tips thrown in for good measure as well. 'Kevin' at RMCS Rossendale. Give him a go! ps - they came to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvin Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 Regarding this damp test, before retiring early due to an accident I was a experienced and qualified building surveyor, I have always and still carryout my own damp tests. In 2008 we decided to part exchange our Swift caravan for a new motorhome, we ended up dealing with two dealers, Discovery in Cannock workshops inspected our Caravan, however, the other dealer had the motorhome we wanted in stock (no waiting) and offered a better deal to change (big mistake bad service and incompetent). I took the caravan up along with my deposit several day prior to picking up the new motorhome. Guess what they had found damp and would need to review the deal, I told them I would be coming up to pick up my caravan and deposit? they changed there mind and I could pick up my motorhome as arranged. Fortunately like many of you I am able to service my own caravan/motorhome, I have little confidence in the dealerships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 How funny is that? No responses from "the trade" then. Still I suppose it's understandable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Newell Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 peter - 2011-03-26 9:22 PM How funny is that? No responses from "the trade" then. Still I suppose it's understandable. What do you expect us to say Peter? You really need to have your Hab inspection done by a professional perhaps? The truth is that it has all been said already and much of it in this very thread. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
How Much Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 Theres good trade and bad trade in everything. Ive just used 'the trade' as said earlier, and im very pleased with what i got for my money. Ive also slagged 'the trade' (the place i bought my van), and wouldnt touch them again with a barge pole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
everhopeful Posted March 27, 2011 Author Share Posted March 27, 2011 I hadn't intended slagging the Trade at the start of this, but from owners experience it seems they don't always help themselves. From my list of things checked on a hab service it is obvoius that the checks are aimed at completely inept and impractical owners. I know of several owners who have no practical skills whatsoever and they really do need someone to check basic stuff for them. Sadly the same group of people probably won't bother anyway because they don't understand the need. I think the rub comes when intellegent and highly practical owners are forced by warranty terms to pay someone to do what they have either already done or could do a far better job of. There is no compromise - you pay for the dealer to check a whole list of unnecessary things or your warranty is void. Gas and damp checks are important of course. It wouldn't be so bad if the service included some useful items that many owners find a chore, other than the gas and damp checks . How about a thorough de-gunk, clean and disinfect of all tanks and pipes for a start! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 How Much??????? - 2011-03-27 9:54 AM Theres good trade and bad trade in everything. Ive just used 'the trade' as said earlier, and im very pleased with what i got for my money. Ive also slagged 'the trade' (the place i bought my van), and wouldnt touch them again with a barge pole.Apparently you can't beat a bit of rough trade, so I've heard. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 I've done my own hab check today, pity the converter did not mention in the sales blurb that because of the way the "drinking water" filler pipe has been routed under the van in a large bore semi transparent fill pipe, that it holds two loops of no doubt (considering it has been there since last September) a couple of litres of stagnant water. This would prove to be impossible to drain down,as I religiously drain down the rest of the water system, so I now know the "drinking water" so labeled would be anything but. Would that have shown up on a dealers check, Mmmmmmmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
everhopeful Posted March 28, 2011 Author Share Posted March 28, 2011 peter - 2011-03-25 11:15 PM A bubble tester for gas leaks is also good and easy to fit and use. Cost about £30, I've got one on my boat. If you don't know what it is, do a Google. That's an interesting piece of kit Peter. I imagine it would show even the slightest leak straight away. Sadly I wouldn't dare fit one in my van because it would make me paranoid. I can just see me watching for bubbles for hours on end and shouting "I've just seen another - cancel the booking, get the soap out" *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
everhopeful Posted March 28, 2011 Author Share Posted March 28, 2011 1footinthegrave - 2011-03-27 10:17 PM I've done my own hab check today, pity the converter did not mention in the sales blurb that because of the way the "drinking water" filler pipe has been routed under the van in a large bore semi transparent fill pipe, that it holds two loops of no doubt (considering it has been there since last September) a couple of litres of stagnant water. This would prove to be impossible to drain down,as I religiously drain down the rest of the water system, so I now know the "drinking water" so labeled would be anything but. Would that have shown up on a dealers check, Mmmmmmmm Just found exactly the same thing under my van. I actually discovered it when filling up with water because frost has split the pipe in several places and water is pouring out. I too thoroughly drained the water system but this water would always be there. The irony is that the loop was introduced by the dealer when the pipe was changed last time! The original pipe leaked probably because the converter damaged it. I'm viewing this as a positive thing because the van is still just in warranty and It would certainly split at some stage. Off to the dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
How Much Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Our waste hose looped under a chassis member, before heading UPHILL to the tank. And this was done by the converter. This also was never going to fully drain. What kind of trained chimps do some of these places employ?? :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Apart from my discovery about the fresh water inlet pipe ( see above) we also discovered (like you) last year the waste pipe routed up over the spring shackle point before going down again forming a loop that prevented the waste water tank ever fully draining, with the resultant smell that came back up the sink wastes. Trained chimps, no I don't think they are trained at all. P.S sorry IH your motor-home is fine in every other respect, but badly let down by such fundamental errors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.