Habitation check - cost effective?

[John.N]

Wondering about a habitation checkof my motorhome I phoned my local dealer who quoted £198. When asked what that covered he reeled off a list of things which were were rather basic and which I reckon I could easily do myself. The price quoted probably represents three hours labour so their engineers must work extremely slowly or there are other more complex issues of which I am unaware.

What are other owners experiences and are such checks good value for money?

[Dave225]

If your MH is still under warranty then an annual service will be required to keep the warranty valid. Although in part it is way for a dealer to make some money, it also means the unit is getting checked regulalry so any faults are hopefully spotted before they become and expensive repair.

 

I accept that much of the check is pretty basic and consists of seeing if equipment is working correctly, however, they will also check for gas leaks and of course do a damp check, both of which are pretty much outside your DIY scope. They may also highlight issues which you think are just fine, but could be potentially dangerous. For example I was advised that I had put carpet under my gas bottles to stop them scratching, but I had also partially blocked the vents. Never had any problems in 5 years but you never know.

 

If a specified maker's dealership is not required, ie outside warranty, then possibly getting a mobile engineer to do the work will be more cost effective.

[hallii]

To me, the main checks are the damp test and the gas leakdown test.

 

I purchased a damp meter for about £15 and I have made up an adapter to accept a good pressure gauge.

 

So, I check all round with the damp meter, windows, roof vents, walls etc etc. and then turn the gas on to "charge" the system and turn it off. Any drop in pressure over 15 mins I regard as a failure, but all is fine.

 

The rest is, as you say, basic stuff. The mains electrics should be tested but since I never use mine I don't bother apart from testing the RCB and putting a meter across the earth connections.

 

There will be those who throw up their hands in horror at this cavalier attitude, but it works for me, and at leat I know that SOMETHING has been done.

 

H

[LordThornber]

Cost effective?

 

Yes if they find an issue that may or may not take you or your loved ones life.

 

No if they don't.

 

Take your pick, pretty simple stuff in my humble opinion. I'm no DIY'er so the choice is simple - regardless of cost effectiveness.

 

Martyn

[crinklystarfish]

They are indeed basic. Only ever had damp tests done by an 'approved dealer' to keep a 'van in water ingress warranty, and even that hurt. If indeed you can DIY, then DIY. As stated, at least that way you know what's been done and that someone hasn't just shuffled your cushions round.

If you can change a tap washer, you'd be nuts, or very cash rich / time poor, to call a plumber to do it for you.

[BGD]

I can DIY, so I do.

 

That said, our old-dog of a MH here in Spain is from stardate 1992, so it's just a tad out of manufacturers warranty.

It's also a very simple animal; no ICU, no chips, no can-bus, no electronic fly-by-wire, just very basic mechanicals and electrics.

 

With the exception of planned maintenance to the mechanicals (changing air and oil filters, changing oil, checking water/brake fluid/power steering fluid levels, tyre pressures) I don't do anything inside the vehicle other than use the thing, a lot (we are away in it for maybe 60 to 80 nights per year); and if something breaks or fails to work, I see if I can fix it/replace it myself.

Usually I can, but if not I take it to a man/garage that can.

 

Sometimes we think we'd really love a wonderful new or almost new white plastic motorhome....but in practice often I'm not at all sure; ours is very simple to self-maintain; there sin't very much to go wrong on/in it; it serves us loyally and reliably, and I can do an awful lot of repairs, maintenance, and travelling too for the maybe £20,000 to £30,000 of extra cost to us to trade up to a nearly new A-class...........

[pepe63xnotuse]

As has already been said,I suppose it's down to how handy you are and how much you value what ever warranty is left to run?..

..if you've still got a good few years left to run on it(..or if the model has a bit of a history with water ingress issues etc),then probably best to keep it up to date....;-)

 

(...having said that, it always amazes me that some folk'll spend good money on a hab'/damp check and yet they'll go for years without spending a few minutes of their time,sticking a ladder up against the van and cleaning/checking the roof for possible damage/leaks..?! .... :-S )

 

[tonyishuk]

In our case yes !!

 

I lost £2000 on a trade in deal on a 6 year old M/home after having it 3 years.

 

The dealer knew where the damp points were (informed by the factory ?) , Not where I expected, and I tried most places with my damp meter

 

Dealer even used my damp meter to prove the point :-(

 

And it was obvious it had been damp for some time and not a recent splash !

 

Rgds

[broc]

After a long wet winter, we paid for a habitation check on our Autotrail Cheyenne motorhome just before the warranty ran out. The vehicle was declared 'damp free' in writing by the dealer.

 

2 weeks later (after the warranty had expired) we traded the Autotrail against a new van at the dealers who had done the habitation check, imagine our horror to be told there was significant damp caused by a leak where the GRP moulding for the semi-integrated awning fitted into the side. It was evident that the leak had been present for a long time; fortunately the dealer accepted that his technicians should have found the damp (while it was still under warranty) and honoured the PEX valuation.

 

In this instance it was well worth the £180 habitation fee.....but it makes you wonder if technicians bother damp checking inside overhead lockers?

 

[crinklystarfish]

Cushion shufflers.

[pepe63xnotuse]

broc - 2011-09-27 8:42 PM

 

After a long wet winter, we paid for a habitation check on our Autotrail Cheyenne motorhome just before the warranty ran out. The vehicle was declared 'damp free' in writing by the dealer.

 

2 weeks later (after the warranty had expired) we traded the Autotrail against a new van at the dealers who had done the habitation check, imagine our horror to be told there was significant damp caused by a leak where the GRP moulding for the semi-integrated awning fitted into the side. It was evident that the leak had been present for a long time; fortunately the dealer accepted that his technicians should have found the damp (while it was still under warranty) and honoured the PEX valuation.

 

In this instance it was well worth the £180 habitation fee.....but it makes you wonder if technicians bother damp checking inside overhead lockers?

 

Yeah...it's strange how these dealers always seem to "find" damp come trade-in time..?..

(..Good to hear that you were covered though broc ;-) )

..but having inspected it only 2 weeks earlier,I wouldn't have thought they had much of a case anyhow.

 

..and I wouldn't mind hazarding a guess that,after maybe just "drying it out" in the workshop,it was declared "fit for the forecourt" again.. :-S

[Brian Kirby]

Dave225 - 2011-09-26 7:17 PM If your MH is still under warranty then an annual service will be required to keep the warranty valid. .................

 

This is only the case if an annual habitation service is a condition of warranty. Ours is not.

 

There seems some confusion here.

 

Manufacturer's warranties cover what the conditions say they cover, no more, no less.

 

What you have to do to maintain the warranty is what the conditions say you must do, no more, no less.

 

A van may have a five or six year warranty against water ingress, but only one or two years warranty against other failures. To maintain the water ingress component in force, it it will almost invariably be necessary to have an authorised dealer carry out damp checks and record the results.

 

For other components, there should be no real need for annual checks but, if the warranty says these must be carried out, that is what you must do. If you have the knowledge, skills, time, and inclination, to DIY, and the warranty does not bind you to having these carried out by an authorised dealer, do so.

 

Habitation checks are a variable feast, and I think I'm right in saying they do not necessarily include a damp check, any more than a damp check would be likely to include a check of gas and electrical systems. As with everything, establish exactly what is actually required by reading the warranty, and exactly what is on offer by getting a written copy of the scope of the habitation service. Then you'll know whether it is good value, and whether you want it.

[Dave225]

I would be very surprised if any manufacturer sold you a new vehicle and did not request some form of annual checkup/service for a period of time. You may certainly be allowed to use a dealership that is approved but not necessarily the one you purchased the outfit from. It is also usually in your interest to do this at least for the first year as you can get any faults rectified at the same time.

 

I agree that much of the habitation check is 'look and see if it works' but the majority of Service Schedules include a damp check as part of the deal. I think we agree that that, and the gas check are the important bits. You can of course get a damp check done separately but then you will not get the gas check done.

 

While replacing many of the parts on some of the equipment is not difficult, actually getting to it may involve removal of a gas fitting and again you really need to be well versed in what is required to do this. An enthusiastic DIY'er may or may not meet that requirement in terms of skill and the necessary equipment. Checking for gas leaks with soapy water worked fine in days gone by, but is no longer the correct way to do this. Also our 'brave new world' has dated gas regulators and hoses with recommended renewal dates. I admit to not noticing that my high pressure gas hose had such a date, and although still valid, will need to be changed in a year or so. The habitation check noted this for me.

 

I also have noted from much of the Camping Press that damp meters used by the dealers are not the same as those you can buy in the shops and are more accurate. Again, if I was contemplating a trade in, then having an 'approved' service schedule to back my case would make me feel more confident of achieving my sale. Possibly a bit better than 'I checked them last year and they were fine then.....' What does the art and antiques world say?? Provenance my dear boy is everything.

 

I am not advocating that Habitation Checks are a must and accept that they do give the dealers some revenues for seemingly not a lot, but if you find a reputable engineer, then he/she can spot things you may have missed. Every so often it is a good check.

[Brock]

Until two years ago, my experience of habitation checks was positive. However, I am convinced that the last two - with different dealers - were simple job creation schemes for underemployed staff.

 

However, having a reliable electric, gas and damp check is a minimum I would say especially given the unfortunate deaths caused by faulty gas appliances and the cost of damp if it is not caught early.

[lennyhb]

I too think annual habitation checks are a waste of money if you are a confident DIY'er, out of interest I did ask our Belgium dealer how much for a habitation check the answer I got was not necessary until the van is 5 years old.

I did get them to do a gas safety check this year (for which they did not charge) while doing the damp check.

I looked at the fridge myself, after 3 years of running almost entirely on gas the jet was clean, chimney & baffle not even a trace of soot.

As for the main electrics most likely problem are going to be loose connections due to the constant vibration it's subject to, no 5 minute dealer check is going to check every connection in the van for security.

[John.N]

I should have limited my original enquiry by saying that the van is 11 years old and therefore well out of warranty. I am reasonably competent at DIY and have an electric multimeter, a damp meter and a very efficient hand held gas detector. I also know a very good motorhome service engineer who would advise me on anything I didn't understand. I suppose that if I were to sell the van privately an official looking certificate would be useful but otherwise I agree with most of you that it would be money down the drain (or in the pockets of the dealers shareholders!)

[Mickydripin]

I was quite happy with my habitation check.

I know some of the jobs were under warrenty but not only did they check for damp service the gas and other things that needed doing, they changed the awning light, (which I supplied) they changed the hookup socket, replaced some of the sealent on the roof that had shrunk and did it well,found a fault on the auto switch over on the three way fridge, and re wired my radio for the sum of £150 plus £30 VAT thanks Lazydays garage one part of the company that shows they can look after there customers.

 

Mike.