Ford Warranties

[Derek Uzzell]

Hi Mike,

 

I found another MMM report (February 2007) dealing with two Renault Master-based Continental motorhomes - an Adria and a Pilote - and both are also said to have a 3-year base-vehicle warranty.

 

On the other hand, the Hobby(Ford)-v-Knaus(Fiat) report in MMM April 2008 mentions a 2-year warranty on both. Perhaps there's something subtle in the specification that causes the Adria and Pilote to be considered to be to 'full UK spec', but not the Hobby and Knaus, even though all four vehicles are RHD.

 

Beats me - it surely can't be that you get 2 years on a Burstner unless you moan and then you get given an extra year?

[Mike Chapman]

Derek Uzzell - 2008-04-20 7:25 PM

 

Hi Mike,

 

Beats me - it surely can't be that you get 2 years on a Burstner unless you moan and then you get given an extra year?

 

Hello Derek,

 

That is exactly what happened I moaned and was given the extra year and then I found out that Burstner should have notified Renault and I would have then received the third year warranty anyway.

 

The discrepancy between makes and models may be due to who supplies the vehicle to the coachbuilder and from where. In the case of the Renault it also depends on whether the vehicle is registered with Renault Trucks or Renault Cars, mine is with Renault Cars and was supplied by a Renault Cars dealer in Germany. Not sure what the position is with Ford, there may be a similar situation.

 

Regards,

 

Mike.

[Derek Uzzell]

I've now looked through all the 2007-onwards MMM test reports on new motorhomes whose 'conversion' had been in Continental Europe. As far as the duration of the base-vehicle warranty is concerned, the Renault-based motorhomes were said to have 3 years, the Fords 2 years or 3 years, and the rest 2 years.

 

The following link confirms the 3-year warranty duration of a Ford Transit marketed in the UK:

 

http://www.ford.co.uk/ie55/warranty_comm/warranty_comm/war_comm_intro_new/-/-/-/-

 

and this link to a Belgian website indicates that a Transit sold in Belgium has a 2-year base warranty. (As the Ford warranty for my Germany-converted LHD Hobby is also 2 years, I'm prepared to believe that all Transits marketed throughout Continental Europe have a 2-year Ford base warranty.)

 

http://www.cegeac.be/services/FP-Extra.asp

 

Assuming the warranty-related data in the MMM articles are correct, it's perplexing that a Germany-converted RHD Burstner Nexxo marketed in the UK apparently has a 3-year Ford warranty, whereas two Hymers and a Hobby - also RHD, Germany-converted and employing a Transit platform chassis - are said to have 2 years only.

 

I would expect that, when a vehicle manufacturer sells a chassis to a motorhome converter, the 'value' of the warranty will be taken into account price-wise. So, if Ford sells a Transit RHD chassis with a 3-year warranty to (say) Auto-Sleepers, I'd expect the price to be higher than if an identical RHD chassis with a 2-year warranty were sold to (say) Hymer. In John's case, if Transit chassis are sold to Dethleffs with a 2-year warranty, it's understandable that Ford may be unprepared to increase the warranty duration to 3 years.

 

This seems to be a more complex situation than I first thought, making it even more important for buyers of new motorhomes built overseas to confirm exactly the warranty terms and conditions from the onset and (as has been emphasised several times in this thread) to check the warranty start-date/duration ASAP after purchase.

 

When I was browsing around, I chanced upon the following discussion on the MHF forum that indicates that there is plenty of room for confusion and misunderstanding on this subject:

 

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/forum-printtopic-1-11574-0-0-asc-viewresult-1.html

[Guest JudgeMental]

contacted Ford customer relationships.....they said it was the dealers problem.

 

contacted Belgian EuraMobil dealer and they have asked for a copy of my registration document to forward to EuraMobil HQ...

 

will keep you posted :-D

[handyman]

thats what my dealer wanted, and it all went tits up after that...........dealer blaming euramobil, euramobil blaming the dealer, and both then blaming ford

 

O the fun i had..........thank god its over, hope it works out better for you JM........fingers crossed

[jasnelgrove]

Talked to our Ford garage today and the van now appears as having a 3 year UK warranty!

 

So a result, but not without a great deal of communication with Dethleffs.

The lady there was very helpful indeed and was determined to sort it out.

Communicated in perfect english by email, unfortunately my german would not have been up to the job...

 

The dealer did not do much to help other than put me in contact with Dethleffs - not too happy with them.

 

Ford customer services in the UK were helpful, but not able to do much - they said. They were receiving a lot of communication from Ford Germany though.

 

It is clear from all this and the posts above that we should have written detail from the dealer before purchase that states the warranty and that this is checked with a garage to confirm dates and period etc etc.

 

Good luck...John

 

[handyman]

how do you know its a 3 year warranty.

 

What i seen with my one was the van was bought in germany (by euramobil, bought new by me in uk, a full uk spec van), and the start date of warranty........with no end date. The dealer says that means its 2 years.

 

Is it the ford dealer telling you this, or is it in a printout? (and if a printout, which one)

[handyman]

so, as far as i have been reading on this thread, a german euramobil, full uk spec rhd, bought new from a uk dealer (ie, first registration in uk) should have a 3 warranty on it?

 

is the answer............mabye (lol)

[Guest JudgeMental]

handyman - 2008-04-23 3:51 PM

 

so, as far as i have been reading on this thread, a german euramobil, full uk spec rhd, bought new from a uk dealer (ie, first registration in uk) should have a 3 warranty on it?

 

is the answer............mabye (lol)

 

Not maybe - the answer is YES

 

you should have a 3 year warranty

 

if you bought an identical (LHD) van in Germany it should be 2 years

[handyman]

bonus.............i thougth i would have a 2 year warranty.

 

wheres the proof of this? My local ford dealer tells me its 2 years as the vin links it to being bought in germany (by euromobil) :'(

 

although i suspect they tend to make things up as they go along. Last contact with them was to ask for a price for 2 front snow tyres. They were in 'talks' for a while, and then insisted that the fronts must be the same size as the backs.............

 

 

.............hit them with the killer blow of the ford manual which states the front tyres should be thinner when you intend to use snow tyres/snowchains (lol)

[Derek Uzzell]

Out of curiosity I contacted Auto-Roller(UK) and a Dethleffs UK dealership - both confirmed that their Ford-based motorhomes have a 3-year Ford warranty. I've also contacted a Burstner dealer, but I've yet to receive a reply.

 

Just because Auto-Roller and Dethleffs Ford-based UK-marketed motorhomes currently carry a 3-year warranty, I don't think it's necessarily safe to assume this holds true for other Continental European marques. The Transit-based Hymers reported on in MMM 09/07 and 11/07, and the Hobby test-reported in 04/08, were all said to have a 2-year warranty.

 

handyman:

 

Your local Ford dealer was correct about the winter tyres. The need to use narrower tyres on the front axle applies only to FWD Ford Transits equipped with 215/75 R16C tyres if snow-chains are to be fitted. If the intention is to use 'proper' snow tyres (eg. Michelin Agilis Snow/Ice), but not chains, then there's no need to reduce the width. Tyre manufacturers would normally advise that snow tyres be fitted on both front and rear axles.

[handyman]

"Your local Ford dealer was correct about the winter tyres"

 

as i stated to them, it would (or should i say could) be used with snowchains. I have no idea why you have stated point above, they were wrong (the opposite to what your saying)

 

Is there anything other than 'proper' snow tyres :-S

 

i cant see anyone investing in snow tyres, and not think they might use snowchains with them :-S

[handyman]

and another thing,

 

obviously it was that tyre/van i'm talking about, as it was in the handbook

 

and, where did i say the tyres are not fitted to the front and back, all they recommend is to reduce the front tyre, not the back, so you have wide on back and narrow on front. The handbook doesnt recommend all snow tyres. But i have snow ones for front and back

 

 

[michele]

Craigy its the way you tell em !!!!

Even I'am confused and thats saying something the way my mind reads words . Poor Derek .

 

 

8-)

[handyman]

michele - 2008-04-23 10:03 PM

 

Craigy its the way you tell em !!!!

Even I'am confused and thats saying something the way my mind reads words . Poor Derek .

 

 

8-)

 

Read it again *-)

 

"front tyres should be thinner when you intend to use snow tyres/snowchains "

 

 

[michele]

and then insisted that the fronts must be the same size as the backs.............

 

 

.............hit them with the killer blow of the ford manual which states the front tyres should be thinner when you intend to use snow tyres/snowchains

 

 

lost now !!!!!!!! vnever mind

[handyman]

michele - 2008-04-23 10:09 PM

 

and then insisted that the fronts must be the same size as the backs.............

 

 

.............hit them with the killer blow of the ford manual which states the front tyres should be thinner when you intend to use snow tyres/snowchains

 

 

lost now !!!!!!!! vnever mind

 

you missed pasting the 'they'. The 'they' where the apparant specialists at ford

 

 

ie, they said the tyres should be the same width front and back.

 

Its very simple to understand :-S

[JohnP]

I too have had warranty problems with a Renault Master.

 

Took delivery and first registered in June 2007 so it is soon coming up for first service. Or so I thought.

 

However, I now find that it does not appear to be registered on Renaults database. From the VIN number the chassis has been identified as leaving Renault in December 2006, which is when their warranty is said to start.

 

I am now fighting for Renault, Knaus and the dealer to get things sorted out and start the warranty from June 2007.

[handyman]

michele - 2008-04-23 10:03 PM

 

Craigy its the way you tell em !!!!

Even I'am confused and thats saying something the way my mind reads words . Poor Derek .

 

 

8-)

 

What confuses me is when you need to know everyones real name (which isnt shown on the thread, and sometimes not on their profile either) and their user name (shown on the thread), before you can actually understand who's talking to who *-) *-) *-) *-) *-) *-)

[jasnelgrove]

Just a couple of items that someone might comment on:

 

What in the 'Factory mode' that a Transit can be set in?

This was on the display and the garage have set it to 'Normal'.

 

Also, has anyone noticed a very strong unpleasent smell if you have to 'slip' the clutch - like when reversing into a very steep parking place.

I noticed this commented on here and there on some forums.

 

I can confirm, by the way, that the warranty is definately now 3 years UK on mine. I had another call from Ford customer support to say they were wrong (!) and that it was possible for van's of my type to have a three year UK warranty - and that mine now has this.

 

Thanks, John

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

"I' ve send it to Frau Diegel - at Eura Mobil, she will solve this."

 

Thus spoke by Belgian dealer recently.....

 

So currently, I have a one year old van and no warranty :-D

[Derek Uzzell]

For my own education I've done some research into the Ford warranty duration on Transit-based motorhomes.

 

My conclusion is that, if you obtain a Transit-based motorhome and you are the first retail buyer of that vehicle, then the Ford Base Warranty (FBW) should be the same duration as that of a 'commercial' Transit model marketed in the country where you purchased the motorhome.

 

So, if you are the first retail buyer of a Transit-based Auto-Sleepers, Burstner, Chausson, Dethleffs, Hymer, Hobby, etc. and you have bought the motorhome in the UK, then you SHOULD get a 3-year FBW because that's the what a Transit 'commercial' vehicle gets in this country. If you buy the motorhome in (say) Germany, then the FBW will have a 2-year duration as that's what Germany-marketed commercial-vehicle Transits get.

 

Now, that's a simple enough concept, but I received a wide variety of answers when I contacted UK motorhome dealerships. The reasons for this disparity seem to be:

 

1. UK dealers are seldom (if ever) asked about base-vehicle warranty duration by UK customers, so there's nothing to imprint the information in their minds.

 

2. If you buy a UK-converted Transit-based Auto-Sleepers motorhome in this country, the Ford documentation that accompanies it will clearly state the FBW duration (3 years). If you do as I did and trek over to Germany to buy a Transit-based motorhome, the Ford documentation that accompanies that vehicle will also state the FBW duration (albeit in German).

 

But, if you are the first retail buyer of a Transit-based motorhome 'converted' outside the UK and you purchase the vehicle in this country, then the Ford documentation that accompanies that motorhome is likely to contain FBW information on the lines of "The warranty period applicable to your vehicle depends on which country you bought it in, please contact your Ford dealer for more details."

 

You can't really blame Ford for being less than precise as, if Ford sells a Transit 'chassis' to (say) Hobby, even if that chassis is in RHD form there's no certainty that it will be retailed in the UK. The German dealer from whom I bought my motorhome told me he could obtain RHD models for UK customers and, if I had bought one from him, it would have had a 2-year 'Germany duration' FBW.

 

The snag with the open-ended Ford FBW-duration advice is that, if you trot down to your local UK Ford dealer and ask about the length of the FBW on your just-purchased Burstner Nexxo, the chances of getting a simple correct off-the-cuff answer are approaching zero. What the Ford dealer will do is look up the vehicle on the Ford database and tell you what is recorded there. At this point you may get a nasty surprise (as earlier comments in this thread prove), as your motorhome's FBW may be inactive, or start long before you bought it, or be shorter than you anticipated.

 

3. As far as I can make out, the administrative procedure for activating the FBW on new motorhomes comprises the retailer providing the vehicle's national registration number, owner details, date of sale, etc. to the motorhome manufacturer, who passes this information to Ford, who inputs it into appropriate databases. A multi-step bureaucratic computer process involving humans includes endless scope for cock-ups and it should be immediately obvious that, if anyone breaks the input chain, inputs data wrongly, or selects wrong options, or if the machine system glitches somewhere down the line, your new Transit-based motorhome's FBW can easily be affected.

 

While I don't have any difficulty envisioning how purchasers of Transit-based motorhomes, bought 'first retail' in the UK, could end up with an 'un-activated' FBW, I do have trouble understanding how their motorhomes might end up with a 2-year rather than a 3-year duration FBW, but I suspect that the answer lies at the stage where the data about the vehicle is transferred by the motorhome converter to Ford. It's possible that the manner in which the converter provides the data to Ford doesn't make it evident that the vehicle was purchased in the UK (so should get a 3-year warranty), perhaps because the converter deals with a relatively small number of UK-purchased motorhomes. Dunno - I'm not psychic, but I do know that people are red-hot at screwing up anything relating to computers and data.

 

It's worth highlighting that some respondents to my enquiries told me categorically that the FBW on the new Transit-based motorhomes they marketed in the UK was 3 years long, while others said it was 2 years. In the latter cases I wasn't sure if there was a valid reason why the FBW duration should be 2 years - like the motorhomes were marketed in the UK in such a manner that the UK purchaser wasn't somehow the 'first retail buyer' in Ford's eyes - but (at least with RHD motorhomes) I couldn't really imagine how that could be. It seemed common sense to me that, if some makes of Transit-based RHD Continental European-built motorhomes sold in the UK had a 3-year duration FBW, and the reasoning behind this was straightforward and logical, then the KISS conclusion was that the other makes should have a 3-year FBW too.

 

It's also worth saying that, if your UK motorhome dealer believes your new Transit-based motorcaravan should have a 2-year FBW, and the motorhome manufacturer also thinks this, then I wish you well trying to get Ford to extend the warranty for the extra year.

 

 

Jasnelgrove:

 

I suggest you contact a Ford Transit dealer about the meaning of the 'Factory mode' message on your vehicle's display. I'm sure I could find out, but you'd be better off getting the information directly from a Ford dealer, just in case there's something important about it you should be aware of (unlikely, but you never know). It may have something to do with the vehicle's software settings.

 

Regarding your "very strong unpleasant" clutch-smell question, I suggest you ask a Ford Transit dealer about this characteristic too. It's just possible this is not uncommon when the Transit clutch is bedding in, but it's definitely not something to be ignored. If you are using lots of revs when moving from rest (particularly when starting from rest on a hill), then you'll need to be very careful not to overheat the clutch-assembly. Mk 6 (2000-2006) and Mk 7 (2006 onwards) Transits need to be given some revs from a standing-start to ensure the motor doesn't stall, but there a big difference between SOME revs and LOTS of revs. As has been mentioned on previous forum threads, the Transit clutch-assembly is expensive to replace and there is circumstantial evidence that it doesn't take kindly to the type of 'heavy footed' treatment that might have been tolerated by Transit Mk 5 (and earlier) clutches.

[Guest JudgeMental]

Derek Uzzell - 2008-05-02 9:38 AM

As far as I can make out, the administrative procedure for activating the FBW on new motorhomes comprises the retailer providing the vehicle's national registration number, owner details, date of sale, etc. to the motorhome manufacturer, who passes this information to Ford, who inputs it into appropriate databases.

 

I presume this is why my Belgian dealer requested a copy of my Registration document to forward back to EuraMobil HQ for them to sort it out with Ford.....

 

my situation: purchased April 2007. brought for first service April 2008. and was told warranty had started December 2006 (when EuraMobil took delivery of Chassis cab) So out of warranty .... *-)

[Mel B]

We've had confirmation today that our Italian built Rimor on a Ford Mk 6 base (registered Feb 2007) has definitely, unequivically, certainly and most importantly specifically ... a THREE YEAR BASE VEHICLE WARRANTY!!!!!

 

:-D

 

Now all we need to do is sort out the habitation side .... :-(

[Guest JudgeMental]

Mel B - 2008-05-02 8:59 PM

 

We've had confirmation today that our Italian built Rimor on a Ford Mk 6 base (registered Feb 2007) has definitely, unequivically, certainly and most importantly specifically ... a THREE YEAR BASE VEHICLE WARRANTY!!!!!

Now all we need to do is sort out the habitation side .... :-(

 

yeah but... LHD or RHD chassis

 

habitation warranty should be OK as long as you have had yearly checks by authorised dealer and book stamped....