Water Ingress

[Mike88]

I bought a panel van conversion because I was fed up with leaky caravans. As motorhome construction is identical a coachbuilt was totally off limits. You only have to trawl through motorhome forums to see that water ingress is still an issue.

 

 

[Rayjsj]

Mike88 - 2012-04-28 10:38 AM

 

I bought a panel van conversion because I was fed up with leaky caravans. As motorhome construction is identical a coachbuilt was totally off limits. You only have to trawl through motorhome forums to see that water ingress is still an issue.

 

 

and it really shouldn't be, as adhesives have come on 'leaps and bounds' in the last 10 years. SO, that leaves the guy who applies it, and whether he is given enough time to do his job properly, (or whether he 'cares' enough to do it properly?).

I agree that most components that make up a 'Motorhome' come from mainland Europe these days, but it wasn't always like that, Carver heaters/water attachments, made in the Midlands, Electrolux 3 way fridges were made in Luton, in fact nearly everything was 'home sourced' only 'Financial shenanigins' have changed it, and not for the better, as our unemployment figures and balance of payment deficit shows. I 'Buy British' if I can, but that is less and less easy. Ray

[Brian Kirby]

Reputations are gained over years and lost in days. Firms with poor reputations have to work very hard, for a long time, before the ghosts of their past are laid. I think Swift may be on this road, but it will, IMO, be several years before one can have confidence that the improvements are consistent. Much the same applies to dealers, but it seems to me that those dealers who sell products from the more consistently reliable manufacturers will have far less grief with things that were wrong on delivery and that go wrong post sale. So, logically, they should have a generally easier life, and that should reflect in their attitude to their customers and any problems that do develop.

 

So, my starting point is to look for manufacturers with sustained reputations for quality of assembly, and for attentiveness to customer needs if things go wrong, including a willingness to take vans back at the factory for repair where a dealer cannot cope, or where the dealer no longer exists. Then look for dealers for that make with similar reputations and try to deal with them as opposed to dealing just with the nearest, or the cheapest.

 

Forums give a fair guide as to who is dissatisfied with what. It is seldom the case that satisfied customers take forum space to say their vans are fault free and satisfactory, but silence cannot be taken as a universal accolade, just that it isn't bad enough to gripe.

 

All vans are hand assembled from bought-in parts. What separates the good from the bad is, IMO, simply the quality of that assembly. They are all built against time pressures, and to a price, but those with the better reputations generally command higher prices. So, if the reputation is justified, the warranty costs are reduced, bringing a saving to the manufacturer as well as the dealers, and the higher price brings the double whammy of potentially more profitable build and sales. Ultimately, it is the quality, and training, of the shop floor workers who determine how well your van will come out, and it does seem that the Germans, with their penchant for systematising and rationalising production, probably have the edge with consistently good build quality.

 

However, any manufacturer can produce a duffer, and it is, again IMO, naive to expect a van to be perfect merely because of the badge it carries. This is where you need that good dealer, and a manufacturer who is demonstrably willing to take up the reins where necessary.

 

One firm seems to have consistently achieved these standards over a number of years, and that is Burstner. They are part of the Hymer group but, oddly, seem to have earned a better reputation for consistently good customer relations when things go wrong than other Hymer group companies: better even than Hymer themselves. The factory is in Kehl, which is only across the Rhine from Strasbourg, so not so distant from UK as some, and I have heard glowing first hand accounts of the standard of reception, and hospitality, shown to customers who need to take vans back for more complex, or emergency, repairs. Having said that, I think most Hymer group products (and there are many of them!) share the same ethos so, the odd "Friday" van excepted, they should be a fair bet as a purchase.

 

People's experience of French made vans seems much more dependent on the dealer, and their relationship with the factory. This is apparent even through the French magazine I read. Rapido and Pilote are above average, but the Trigano group products generally seem more patchy in dealing with problems, with long deliveries reported for replacement parts.

 

Personally, I would not look much further afield than France or Germany, except possibly Adria down in Slovenia. This is not to say no-one else builds good vans: they do, but many are not imported into UK and buying less well known and less widely represented makes from dealers outside the UK just seem a step too far to me. Neither is it to say that other manufacturer's products are suspect, or inherently more likely to give trouble than those I have mentioned, or even that no-one can ever obtain satisfactory service on other makes. Just that on balance, over time, the indications are that those I have mentioned have generally proven less problematic, and their problems relatively less difficult to resolve, than the rest.

 

I think one just has to approach commercially produced motorhomes on the basis that they are inherently liable to have faults, so one's best defence, in the absence of a sure fire way to eliminate the risk, is to reduce it as far as possible by doing your research and buying accordingly, even if that means compromise on dealer proximity, layout, or the colour of the curtains! This is offered as honest, and I hope balanced, personal opinion, so lets just see if it survives the onslaughts of the potentially aggrieved. :-D

[thomas]

Hi, From my experiences,not all German vans are free from water ingress problems. I have one! I can also say that some, if not all U.K. dealers of these vans are not interested in warranty claims made within the "5 year water ingress guarentee", if you haven't purchased the van from them. I bought mine whilst living in France, but on returning to good old blighty, no-one wanted to know about any faults. The "perfect trouble-free van" hasn't been made yet, or has it? I think you need to get advice from as many sources as possible before choosing. This blog being an excellent start.

[THE SHEPHERD]

Ad always the forum has supplied balanced advice, and I thank you all for taking the trouble. But rightly or wrongly, time will tell the search is over.We set out to discover a motor home based on members comments , a few dealers and lots of web time later,we have made a purchase, but not EU. I will keep it brief,whilst in a dealers looking for EU models we spoke to an elderly couple(like ourselves) looking for tier first motor home, they mentioned they had just viewd a Purgeot but didnt know about different models, it was in a barn on a farm,as we would pass it on our way home we decided to take a chance and call in.

We had set out with a budget of up to £30K not large I know but tops for us. So the upshot is we have again bought British, only because we thought it was to good to miss. Lets hope we are right.

So a 2001 (51) Compass Avantgard 100, one owner. Barn stored, 6400 miles, new cam belt ect new tow bar full service history and really as new inside. Cost just under £18K. I dont even know who makes Compass, I verified the milage as correct, and it really was, one carefull lady owner Guv. So Many thanks to you all but sometimes fate takes a hand.  

[Rayjsj]

Hello,

Good luck with your Purchase, sounds good value. Compass were made by Explorer Group which is now Elddis http://www.elddis.co.uk/autoquest.html

The motohomes were identical models both Compass and Elddis, just the names and upholstery differant, Spares are still available from the manufacturer.

Only 6400 miles eh! hardly run in. Ray

[THE SHEPHERD]

Many thanks for that, I have noticed the fuzes are the old glass barrell type,but it wont make a difference. Cheers TS