hobby motorhome

[mavatbls]

For owners of Hobby vehicles, & just to follow up with the saga of the Hobby T500 that suffered the loss of a fixed rooflight which I reported in August 2013, I have just had an update from my local dealer, who I had to e mail after several failed attempts to get any answers, in that after receiving some parts this week, my roof light was not amongst them. He went onto say that there is no information about a replacement rooflight, other than they are out of stock in Germany. There is no solution offered or any time span to sort it. I am told that the boss at this dealership is going to Germany to have" words" as they say that they cannot get answers to any problems they present. I don,t know how many other people are stuck for parts, but I find the whole thing disgraceful, and feel that as soon as my van is put right (when) I shall be parting company, and looking for some English based motorhome, which may be difficult, but I will certainly be looking.

[the general]

Very poor service at least buy British you got a chance I hope to buy off vantage of Leeds has any owners of their van conversions got any information for me good or bad thax

[Den]

I'm surprised. Most German companies are on the ball.

Tomorrow we go to Germany, and the main MH of interest was the hobby!!!!

 

Not so sure now I'll watch with great interest the outcome.

 

We have at present a levoyageur and wanted to downsize. The service from Hayes and levoyageur is second to none

 

By now I would have been at the factory demanding satisfaction.

 

Den

[Rayjsj]

I very much doubt that Hobby themselves make the Skylight, they would buy them in for fitting on the assy. line. What you need is a definitive 'Who makes it' from them.

If it is a Warranty job, then the Dealer is the only way to go. But i'd still want to know who made the thing in case it happened again, when the warranty had expired.

You could be the victim of 'Summer Shutdown syndrome' of course, and all will suddenly 'spring back into life'. ?? a hope anyway. Ray

[Guest JudgeMental]

A bit pointless going to Germany during the summer factory shut down....

[Derek Uzzell]

A buyer of a motorhome – particularly a ‘coachbuilt’ motorhome – needs to be aware that many of the assemblages/parts used in the vehicle’s conversion may be unique to that make and/or model.

 

This will be as true for UK-built vehicles as for ones built abroad. For example, if one owned a coachbuilt Autocruise, Herald, Buccaneer or Bentley motorhome, how easy would it be for you be to obtain a critical GRP body-panel for it? It's also worth reading this thread:

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Autotrail-window-how-long-/32342/#M385595

 

Mavatbls bought his Hobby motorhome in August 2011. It may be assumed that, until the lost roof-light event, the vehicle has proved to be satisfactory’s (If it hadn’t been, it’s a fair bet he would have said so!)

 

Based on Brian Kirby’s and Robinhood’s comments on mavatbls’s other same-title thread, the roof-light will probably have been manufactured by the “Polyplastic” company in Rotterdam.

 

http://www.polyplastic.nl/uk/home.html

 

One might think that for a 2-year-old motorhome, even though the model is no longer in production, it SHOULD be practicable for Hobby to obtain quite quickly a replacement roof-light from Polyplastic and to despatch this rapidly to Mavatbls’s UK dealership. After all, there’s no good reason to believe the Hobby factory would deliberately drag its heels as it’s plain that to do so would alienate the buyer, who (as has happened here) would slag off the Hobby company.

 

It needs to be established why Hobby apparently cannot obtain quickly a replacement roof-light from Polyplastic and, more importantly, whether Hobby will be able to obtain the roof-light at all. Hopefully Mavatbls’s dealer will be able to obtain satisfactory answers during the Hobby factory visit.

 

 

 

[rupert123]

Derek Uzzell - 2013-09-03 8:17 AM

 

A buyer of a motorhome – particularly a ‘coachbuilt’ motorhome – needs to be aware that many of the assemblages/parts used in the vehicle’s conversion may be unique to that make and/or model.

 

This will be as true for UK-built vehicles as for ones built abroad. For example, if one owned a coachbuilt Autocruise, Herald, Buccaneer or Bentley motorhome, how easy would it be for you be to obtain a critical GRP body-panel for it? It's also worth reading this thread:

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Autotrail-window-how-long-/32342/#M385595

 

Mavatbls bought his Hobby motorhome in August 2011. It may be assumed that, until the lost roof-light event, the vehicle has proved to be satisfactory’s (If it hadn’t been, it’s a fair bet he would have said so!)

 

Based on Brian Kirby’s and Robinhood’s comments on mavatbls’s other same-title thread, the roof-light will probably have been manufactured by the “Polyplastic” company in Rotterdam.

 

http://www.polyplastic.nl/uk/home.html

 

One might think that for a 2-year-old motorhome, even though the model is no longer in production, it SHOULD be practicable for Hobby to obtain quite quickly a replacement roof-light from Polyplastic and to despatch this rapidly to Mavatbls’s UK dealership. After all, there’s no good reason to believe the Hobby factory would deliberately drag its heels as it’s plain that to do so would alienate the buyer, who (as has happened here) would slag off the Hobby company.

 

It needs to be established why Hobby apparently cannot obtain quickly a replacement roof-light from Polyplastic and, more importantly, whether Hobby will be able to obtain the roof-light at all. Hopefully Mavatbls’s dealer will be able to obtain satisfactory answers during the Hobby factory visit.

 

 

Cannot agree with any of this, far to reasonable. In the real world I would be very put out if a maker of my van could not supply a replacement part, especially if the van was fairly new. It is up to the maker to have a supply of spares in stock, who the hell cares if they are bought in it is the makers choice s to the parts they use and up to them, via the dealer to supply the parts. Why Derek believes it needs to be established why Hobby cannot supply the part is beyond me, the fact is they cannot and deserve all the bad publicity they get.

[mavatbls]

With regard to the Polyplastic comment, I have actually spoken to Myriad who deals with Polyplastic , but I could not get any sense from the girl on the phone, who just said they don,t deal with foreign makes, and that,s all she would say. I questioned her as to why my van has other Polyplastic windows, but I got the same reply. A girl robot I concluded and said goodbye.

[Brian Kirby]

Graham

 

I wonder if there may be some misunderstanding? All motorhomes are assembled from bought-in parts. The "manufacturers" provide little more than the design, and the labour to assemble them (though some do produce components in-house). This industry does not equate to the motor industry in any way, so far as parts supply is concerned. But, component producers who make parts specific to a motorhome manufacturer's specific design are contractually bound not to supply to anyone other than that manufacturer, because the manufacturer holds the design copyright. In the case of your rooflight, which is specific to Hobby, Myriad Products will be unable to obtain it from Polyplastic, because of this agreement. Neither will Polyplastic be able to supply you direct. All Polyplastic might be able to do is confirm if there is a production problem with these windows, and if so, explain why. So, when you spoke to Myriad Products, allowing for a little "lost in translation", that may be what the girl was trying to explain to you. Myriad can obtain Polyplastic windows, but only those that design copyrighted by Polyplastic themselves.

 

I suggested some time back in your other thread that you determine whose is the rooflight, and then contact them direct. Have you yet done this?

 

Regarding your comment on changing your van for another to eliminate this kind of problem, I'm afraid you will be unsuccessful. It is no consolation to you, and I do not defend the status quo, but all manufacturers do, from time to time, some more than others, have supply problems with replacement parts. Generally, the problem is time to obtain, but sometimes parts are simply unavailable from any source - this usually affects older vans. As I think I commented before, Hobby are not reputed to have the most dynamic supply chain, as least as far as their UK dealers are concerned. Regarding UK manufacturers, they are in exactly the same boat. Almost none of the components used are produced in UK, so they are in the same position as mainland manufacturers when supply dries up for whatever reason.

 

I understand that Hobby supplies its dealers sometimes direct, sometimes via Hobby UK (Ambergate Caravans), and that dealers order their components sometimes direct and sometimes via Hobby UK. It seems probable your dealer has ordered direct. As I said before, your only practical recourse is going to be via your dealer. You have an excellent van, of generally high quality, on which there is currently a supply problem with a component you urgently need. The only winner, should you consider changing the van to a different make, would be the dealer who sells you the new van, and in any case you can't realistically do this until the rooflight is replaced. Hobby won't feel a thing, and your wallet will feel a big hit!

 

My advice, for what it is worth, is to maximise pressure on the dealer to explain exactly what the problem is, and what they/Hobby are doing about it, to seek to get the status of your order raised to the highest level possible within Hobby, and to try to work with them to secure that end. Your frustration is palpable and understandable, and I sympathise, but you will nevertheless need tact, diplomacy, and patience, and some degree of ingenuity, to get this supply impasse resolved. I really don't think there is any alternative route you can take. Have you visited the dealer and sat with the MD face to face to put your case to him? Just getting a face, and a personality, to a name can sometimes work wonders.

[Guest JudgeMental]

I would be calling Hobby Germany and talking to he head not the tail...

[Keithl]

How about talking to a replacement window company such as EECO Link and if they can supply a pattern part then either suggest your dealer gets one from them or you get one and then get someone to fit it.

It may not be the perfect answer but will at least get you back on the road and able to sell the MH if that is what you so desire.

 

Keith.

[Robinhood]

For a "custom" part such as this, you are unlikely to get it through anything but the official Hobby channels. This means either an end-dealer, or Hobby UK.

 

I still can't work out whether Hobby in Germany have been asked directly about a availability, but, as I posted on the original thread, Hobby in Germany are (in my experience) very good at answering queries (in English). I would be chasing them via the contact form on the German website, or the personal email address for customer services that I posted.

[Brian Kirby]

Keithl - 2013-09-03 2:55 PM

 

How about talking to a replacement window company such as EECO Link and if they can supply a pattern part then either suggest your dealer gets one from them or you get one and then get someone to fit it.

It may not be the perfect answer but will at least get you back on the road and able to sell the MH if that is what you so desire.

 

Keith.

Unfortunately, this is highly unlikely to succeed, Keith. This is a complex item, trapezoidal in shape, and curved in two planes. In effect, it is a double glazed trapezopidal segment of a sphere, that is bonded (or not!) into the overcab fairing in the same way as a car windscreen is bonded in. The only source of supply of a component likely to fit properly and look convincingly as though it is original, will be a genuine replacement part. The OP really needs to put all his resources into chasing this component through the dealer and back, as Eddie suggests, to Hobby.

 

My own attempts at contacting Hobby over poor of supply replacement parts were referred immediately back to the dealer. Don't know if the lady is still there, but I contacted a Marion Baasch at Hobby - Marion.Baasch@hobby-caravan.de It may be worth trying her, but the communication will need to be relatively succinct, and preferebly only ask one question at a time. The Germans seem not to respond well to lengthy complaints. Just to quote the chassis number and ask where is the urgently required replacement for a cab rooflight that flew from the vehicle while driving, as ordered by their dealer, Bloggs and Co, for which he has now been waiting for X weeks.

[Guest JudgeMental]

Heavens......it costs peanuts to telephone in this day and age..stop wasting time and get on the case....

[Pampam]

Mevatbitz I certainly wouldn't get rid of your hobby they are grand motorhomes , am sure you'll get your window sorted .i have an autotrail 2010and have a problematic window : the dealers can't fix it and haven't as yet offered any solution and the manufacturers tell me the dealers have to sort it: stalemate I too thought it best to buy British .....WRONG!! It seems the converters all buy windows etc from same companies. At least your dealers trying for you mines done sweet FA. Pp

[grahamw]

Brian Kirby - 2013-09-03 1:24 PM

 

 

Regarding UK manufacturers, they are in exactly the same boat. Almost none of the components used are produced in UK, so they are in the same position as mainland manufacturers when supply dries up for whatever reason.

 

I would suggest that there is a difference with regard to UK manufacturers. Many UK manufacturers do use standard components purchased from abroad and as such these items are not subject to "exclusivity agreements" between motorhome manufacturer and producer. In other words in many instances the item required can be obtained from many different sources. I personally could buy replacement non uk manufactured rooflights and windows from a number of places here in the UK. I note that you make the comment on the basis of the supply "drying up" which would be true but what also needs to be born in mind is the the issue of scale of production. The item for the Hobby will in all probability be a small production run for the producer and places Hobby in the position of commissioning a small but very expensive order of spares for an obsolete item. The UK manufactures are fitting items that in the main are not subject to exclusivity agreements and are therefore produced in significant quantities and are widely available. When such popular items are discontinued they are usually replaced by an "improved" compatible version.

[Pampam]

Well graham w that's just what I thought , when I took my van into dealers to have sliding window repaired they couldn't repair it and told me window no longer made : so I thought as most people would aah no problem ill ring Grimsby cut out the middle man save time and hassle........ But no the window is no longer made .so when I phoned auto trail quite willing to pay for new window that is put in new model of arapaho (cos when I looked in showroom it didn't look like they'd altered the side wall any ) no it wouldn't fit : have phoned dealership as suggested by autotrail even though I told them the dealers couldn't repair it sorry it's the dealers you need to sort it with was all I was told thank god it's JUST a sliding kitchen window god knows what they do when they change the type of habitation door they use . I thought I'd buy British and more mass produced just to avoid this sort of scenario..... WRONG ! If it was an older van I'd accept that times move on and parts are hard to find but it hadn't turned 3 years when I first reported it and believe it or not I paid £55,000 for it so should I be phoning around breakers yards to find another? (I know it's not an important issue it's just a non functioning window and for that I am gratefull ) haven't heard back from dealers .... Oh what a surprise lol pp

[grahamw]

Sorry to hear that Pampam - 3 years old and no replacement window available is pretty poor. I wouldn't for one moment think that buying a UK built motorhome would completely negate the problem of spares availability as I have experienced the problem myself over the past 40 years of owning caravans and motorhomes built in the UK. However, in general terms I've always found the availability of spares very good and in some cases extremely good from UK manufacturers. In recent years I have found the service I've had from Swift excellent. Having said that I'm sure it will attract a comment that will cancel out my positive view.

[Pampam]

Grahamw I must admit I expected poor service from dealer as have had major problems with them in past with another van (appalling service) but I thought autotrail being the manufacturers would have at least been able to provide a new window which I would have willingly paid : just leaves that bitter taste in the mouth eh? Pp

[Brian Kirby]

grahamw - 2013-09-05 4:35 AM.................The UK manufactures are fitting items that in the main are not subject to exclusivity agreements and are therefore produced in significant quantities and are widely available. When such popular items are discontinued they are usually replaced by an "improved" compatible version.

Well, yes and no! :-) The component in question is a purpose-designed cab rooflight, and my comments should be read in that context, taking account of the OP's stated intention to sell his van and buy a UK manufactured one to escape that kind of issue.

 

Where manufacturers fit items that have not been purpose designed the supply position will, as you say, be much simpler. However, I am not aware that there are industry standard components for motorhome/caravan manufacture. My impression is that whereas a number of component manufacturers make "standard" components, these tend to be that manufacturer's standard, and not to an agreed format such that any other manufacturer's product can be expected to fit "off the shelf".

 

If the motorhome has windows made by Dometic, for example, and there is an interruption in supply from Dometic, it is likely there will be a delay in delivery. Under those circumstances, I don't think one can reliably assume one can nip across to the nearest Polyplastic stockist and buy a window replacement that will match in size and colour.

 

Toilets, heaters, cookers etc are pretty much used as supplied, and these are (generally) standard products. However, any body damage that results in replacements being required - for example a damaged rear "bumper", where there is no standardisation at all, and each maker, and many of their model ranges, have differing profiles, sometimes of different materials, often of different colours - on past performance seems liable to result in a quite extensive wait. I have read numerous complaints over the years from frustrated owners of waits of several months for such items, and I have not, in general, noticed that manufacturers in any one country fare better than the others.

 

When the supply chain works, it just works, and no-one hears about it. It is when the supply chain falters that the trouble starts, and I don't believe it is possible to say with any certainty that by buying from here or there one will eliminate such failures. One just has to be very careful to only break what is in ready supply. It's a bit like choosing one's parents with care, really. :-D

[grahamw]

Brian Kirby - 2013-09-05 11:06 PM

Well, yes and no! :-) The component in question is a purpose-designed cab rooflight, and my comments should be read in that context, taking account of the OP's stated intention to sell his van and buy a UK manufactured one to escape that kind of issue.

 

In response I did note the context in which you were responded about what is in effect a bespoke component and I agree entirely with your assessment of that situation. I felt it worthwhile though to explore the inferred issue of the availability of spares from UK manufacturers being no better than those from across the water. There is no definitive answer only opinion based on personal experiences and in essence these opinions and experiences will tend to inevitably conflict as you will see from my posting and Pampam's.

 

However, I have experienced a good availability of parts generally here in the UK based on the fact, as you state, that the UK is a very active importer of parts from abroad for use in its own manufacturing. This has established a vibrant and significant trade and gives UK manufacturers a little more clout with some of its suppliers. I have to admit that my experience is limited as I don't have deep enough pockets to change my motorhome that frequently nor have I had many problems to be resolved. I'm sure there is no definitive answer to this issue but I do observe a significant improvement in the situation from a few years back. The pressure on UK manufacturers to improve has come from its customers and I personally have high expectations of them. Swift now state that they will "endeavour to stock spare parts for up to 8 years and should parts be no longer available try to advise of an alternative". Easy to say, a little more difficult to deliver but I watch this space with interest.

[Pampam]

Yes I am sure that some parts are widely used across all different makes of van we had an auto sleeper Palermo and on its first journey out the roof vent blew clean off on the A1 as we had never had it open but had noticed a whistling sound we must assume it was faulty anyhow the dealers could replace it straight away but I think it was a standard type of roof light and they could tell by the remaining fixtures that we hadn't just left the vent open and it was actually faulty : so we used clear duct tape to repair it (marvellous stuff) absolutely watertight lets plenty of light in and doesn't move when driving down motorway. I always carry it now hopefully won't have to use it hopefully mavitbiz has used it on his roof window and is still using his van until hobby send his replacement : pp. .... I just kept applying the tape over the gaping hole that the disappearing roof vent had left and it worked a treat tight as a drum!! Pp

[Pampam]

Mavitbiz haven't heard from you have you got your hobby roof light sorted yet??? As it was a major concern for you I wondered if you got it sorted???? Mine was a relatively mild complaint about my kitchen sliding window , and after dealers saying they'd get back to me in early September guess what?....... Yes I never heard from them again haha they never cease to amaze me! PP

[olive]

Hello from a new member

 

We bought a HOBBY Premium Drive 70GE from the a dealer at the NEC show last February.

Although, overall, we are happy with the van, we also are waiting for new parts.... no delivery date mentioned!

 

We also have a small but irritating problem which neither the dealer nor Hobby seem able to answer.

 

'The MH has running lights....why don't they work? It seems an easy question but still no answer 6 months on. ( If anyone is going to the NEC perhaps they could ask HOBBY if the lights on the FIAT chassis are supposed to work .)

 

Everywhere we have been we have attracted admirers for the look of the van. Every time we talk to these people ( potential buyers?) we end up telling them about the problems ... not the good bits.

 

Having just watched the video on the thread about the leaking Bailey I fail to understand how the motorhome manufacturers treat customers so badly.

 

ps I tried to get FIAT to put the MH on their computer to make sure the lights should in theory work.... but they declined saying it was a MH makers problem...thank you FIAT!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Derek Uzzell]

olive - 2013-10-14 2:33 PM

 

'The MH has running lights....why don't they work? It seems an easy question but still no answer 6 months on. ( If anyone is going to the NEC perhaps they could ask HOBBY if the lights on the FIAT chassis are supposed to work .)...

 

Welcome to the Out&AboutLive forums, Olive.

 

I assume you are referring to 'daytime running-lights'? These would be set into the vehicle's front bumper and would normally come on when the motorhome's engine is started and go out (or dim) when the vehicle's main lights are switched on. If daytime running-lights are fitted to your Hobby, logically they should be operable.

 

It's possible that your daytime running lights can be activated/deactivated via your motorhome's dashboard display-panel. This is mentioned by "Overlander" in his 7 December 2011 posting in this earlier forum thread:

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Euro-5-2012-Ducato-Light-Issue/25828/

 

(What does it say about daytime running lights in your motorhome's Fiat handbook?)