Damp problem in new van

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

No.……OK.

[Brian Kirby]

Peter James - 2013-12-04 3:48 PM

 

Brian Kirby - 2013-12-04 12:50 PM

On the question of the ruined mattress, if it was spoiled as a consequence of water ingress into the van it should,

 

but is it really 'ruined' by a bit of rainwater?

Well, I did say "spoiled", and I had assumed Roland would not have raised the issue if the mattress merely got wet, and had dried out satisfactorily.

 

However, it seems reasonably possible that the water could have become dirty on its way to the mattress, so staining it, or the mattress became mildewed before the leak was identified (say if stored at the time), or that items placed on the mattress might have leached dye, or that the mattress itself might have contained loose dyes that ran. I think Michele had similar experience when her van leaked?

 

I take your point about spurious and inflated claims, but there was no implication Roland may have done this. I thought his compaint, under the circumstances he reported, was fair.

[Guest Peter James]

Brian Kirby - 2013-12-04 12:50 PM

 

The obvious problem is that one generally only hears of defects, and not of the vans that suffer no problems. Care would be needed in publishing that the results did not unfairly distort the impression of a given manufacturer, for example where a manufacturer has a dominant market share, so is liable to appear more often, or where one model develops problems, but others are generally OK.

 

Very True. Like Tesco seemed to get all the flack for horsemeat, wheras all the majors but Morrisons was selling it. As I understand it Aldi was the only one with 100% horsemeat in some products - far more than Tesco.

[rolandrat]

Peter James. the reason the mattress was soaking in water was because the window was incorrectly fitted at the factory and was found to be so by the supplying dealer Richard Baldwins. Nothing whatsoever to do with leaving the window open. It's a great pity that the odd negative comment can sour positive responses from genuine contributors.

[Guest Peter James]

rolandrat - 2013-12-04 5:11 PM

 

Peter James. the reason the mattress was soaking in water was because the window was incorrectly fitted at the factory and was found to be so by the supplying dealer Richard Baldwins. Nothing whatsoever to do with leaving the window open. It's a great pity that the odd negative comment can sour positive responses from genuine contributors.

 

You are missing the point. Which is would you think the matress needed replacing if it was your fault and you had to pay for it yourself.

 

If you went out in the rain and got your coat wet would you throw it away *-)

[rolandrat]

Totally irrelevant question.

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

Peter James - 2013-12-04 5:20 PM

 

rolandrat - 2013-12-04 5:11 PM

 

Peter James. the reason the mattress was soaking in water was because the window was incorrectly fitted at the factory and was found to be so by the supplying dealer Richard Baldwins. Nothing whatsoever to do with leaving the window open. It's a great pity that the odd negative comment can sour positive responses from genuine contributors.

 

You are missing the point. Which is would you think the matress needed replacing if it was your fault and you had to pay for it yourself.

 

If you went out in the rain and got your coat wet would you throw it away *-)

 

Not that I really care but...................what the feck are you going on about. :-S

[globebuster]

Brian Kirby - 2013-12-04 12:50 PM

 

globebuster - 2013-12-03 10:02 PM...........................so IF you are really concerned and want to push for change why not do an owner survey on the forum? Keep it simple, and there are lots of you with time on your hands to collate it and publish the findings.

 

Let's face it [and I've said this before] all the test reports you read [well intentioned or not] have absolutely no real technical content.

 

In my industry that doesn't happen, magazines will comment on poor products and dubious design, because those testers are [in the main] qualified to do so.

 

I bet the great John Hunt [for those who remember him] would be fighting your corner with MMM on some of the issues being debated.

 

:-D :-D

I think this is a really good idea. However, I think it might carry more weight if the results were published in MMM than on this forum, albeit they could be gathered via the forum. Individual comments would probably have to be excluded from what was published - though I can't see why they shouldn't be revealed privately to the manufacturers if requested.

 

The obvious problem is that one generally only hears of defects, and not of the vans that suffer no problems. Care would be needed in publishing that the results did not unfairly distort the impression of a given manufacturer, for example where a manufacturer has a dominant market share, so is liable to appear more often, or where one model develops problems, but others are generally OK.

 

However, a continuous reader survey, asking specific questions against the various makes, with the results published annually, could be a very valuable way to inspire manufacturers to up their games.

 

It is fortunate in the extreme that motorhome manufacturers do not build boats - or the lifeboat service would be stretched beyond imagining! :-) Maybe that is part of the problem. Leaky motorhomes are merely a nuisance (albeit for some a devastating one), leaky boats are liable to kill. That liability doubtless sharpens boatbuilders' minds somewhat.

 

On the question of the ruined mattress, if it was spoiled as a consequence of water ingress into the van it should, of course, have been replaced during the remedial works. The spoiling was not the fault of the van owner: had the van not leaked, the matress would not have been damaged. I honestly can't see a reasonable basis for doing otherwise.

 

Of course warranty work increases the costs of vans: if manufacturers want to control their warranty costs - build fault free!

 

Well Brian, as I said in the outset - MMM and its siblings would be the ideal place for exposure, although the forum is best placed to glean information. I'm not suggesting it is biased towards doom and gloom - more of a buyers guide with owner feedback.

Market share should not distort the facts, as with any range of products, there are acknowledged faults with certain models not necessarily the manufacturer in general - but information would need to be balanced. Practical Motorhome do an annual customer satisfaction survey, which is interesting, but only gives a general market overview really.

 

It won't get around the short-comings on new products though - I would be intrigued to know just what the NCC does in terms of approval and the guidelines laid down to builders - if that is even the case.

 

Disappointing there is little interest from other forum members thus far - as the saying goes 'seemed like I good idea at the time' - even if I say so myself!

 

I think they're all too pre-occupied with moist mattresses and raincoats at the moment :-D Oh! matron 8-)

[Rayjsj]

Peter James - 2013-12-04 3:48 PM

 

Brian Kirby - 2013-12-04 12:50 PM

On the question of the ruined mattress, if it was spoiled as a consequence of water ingress into the van it should,

 

but is it really 'ruined' by a bit of rainwater?

 

Yes, Water stains are VERY hard to get out, and if it isn't noticed in time, it smells and goes mildew.

So, YES, if I were in a similar situation, I would INSIST on a new mattress.

And I agree with Brian, it isn't Customers Claiming against their warranties that are the problem here.

The Problem is Poor quality control during manufacture, whether that is because the staff aren't properly trained, or are being asked to work too quickly to be able to do the job properly? either way it cannot go on, otherwise they will go Bust. A bad name travels like wildfire... a good name is 'hard earned' and can be lost very easily. Autotrail are skating on thin Ice. (and yes, I do own a 'New' one). Ray

[rolandrat]

There's a thread running on motorhome facts about Auto-Trail problems. Very interesting reading.

[rolandrat]

There's a thread running on motorhome facts about Auto-Trail problems. Very interesting reading.

[sshortcircuit]

rolandrat - 2013-12-08 4:26 PM

 

There's a thread running on motorhome facts about Auto-Trail problems. Very interesting reading.

 

Do you mean the "fun" forum? I thought that forum was for the RV nobs but agree it does make interesting reading.

[derek pringle]

Hi,

On a general note it would be interesting to know the percentage of motorhomes per manufacturer that HAVE to go back to get some warranty work carried out during warranty period, whether major or minor repairs. I would think the number that leave the showrooms with no cause to return are miniscule.

 

good luck Badger

derek