Motorhome warranty duration?

[Derek Uzzell]

It has become apparent that the Ford warranty on new Transit-based motorhomes sold 'first retail' in the UK should be 3-years duration irrespective of where the motorhome is constructed. This fact does not seem to be universally appreciated by dealerships, importers, motorhome manufacturers or UK buyers. As a result, it is likely that a number of brand-new Transit-based motorhomes sold in this country have been awarded a 2-year Ford warranty rather than of a 3-year one. In fact, it might well be the case that motorhome buyers have paid, in the 3rd year of ownership, for 'chassis' repairs the cost of which should have been borne by Ford. (See link below for more details.)

 

http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=11285&posts=53

 

When I was looking through recent-ish MMM motorhome test reports, I noticed that the base-vehicle warranty duration stated in the reports varied peculiarly. The pattern seemed to be that Renault-based motorhomes usually (but not always) had a 3-year warranty, Ford-based models were said to have a 3-year or 2-year warranty on about a 50:50 basis, but the rest always seemed to have a 3-year warranty if the motorhome had been converted in the UK, but only a 2-year warranty if the motorhome had been converted in Continental Europe.

 

If it's genuinely the case that new Ford- and Renault-based motorhomes marketed in the UK should all have a 3-year base-vehicle warranty, then it makes one wonder about the remainder. As all motorhomes (excluding USA-built RVs) based on non-Ford/Renault chassis and converted in the UK are stated in MMM as having a 3-year base-vehicle warranty, perhaps all those converted in Continental Europe should too.

 

(Over to you, owners of Continental European-converted motorhomes based on Citroen, Fiat, Iveco, Mercedes, VW, etc. underpinnings.)

[fred grant]

derk

 

3 yer warranties are percoolier (sorry about spellin me ansum) to the uk. it was brought in as a sweetener for car buyers who pays more then there counterparts in europe. warranties are normally 2 yers, with an extra yer added to those vehicles supplied to official outlets through the uk arm of the suppliers. that means hymer etc are only two years as the converters is not supplied by a official uk outlet.

 

dus that make sense derk. freds lambo only as two yers despite it costing an arm and a leg my luvvers.

 

frugalfred

[colin weston]

Derek

My understanding is that Peugeot, and presumably Fiat and Citroen vans bought in the UK have the additional one year warranty, giving a total of three years. This applied to my last van and hopefully to my current one.

[Derek Uzzell]

Based on the links I've quoted below, for UK-supplied vehicles the 3-year warranties for Fiat Ducato (and presumably for Citroen Relay/Peugeot Boxer too) and for Mercedes Sprinter are essentially 2-year +1-year duration, with (in the case of Fiat at least) the 3rd year being a 'dealer warranty'.

 

http://fiat-ducato.sgpetch.co.uk/pages/warranty

 

http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/content/unitedkingdom/mpc/mpc_unitedkingdom_website/en/home_mpc/vans/home/aftersales/warranty/sprinter.html

 

Fred:

 

If you buy a new RHD Fiat- or Mercedes-based Auto-Trail motorhome in the UK, then it will have a 3-year base-vehicle warranty. If you buy a new RHD Fiat- or Mercedes-based Hymer motorhome in the UK, then it will (apparently) have a 2-year base-vehicle warranty. This is despite the fact that the chassis for all these motorhomes will have rolled off the same Fiat or Mercedes factory-line.

 

I guess what you are suggesting (Time I think for you to dispense with the pseudo-Cornish drivel as it just irritates when you are making a valid point) is that - as far as the book-work is concerned - the chassis don't transfer directly from the factory to the motorhome converter, but are 'officially supplied' to Auto-Trail by Fiat(UK) or Mercedes(UK), or to Hymer by Fiat(Deutschland) or Mercedes(Deutschland), and it's the nationality of this 'supplier' that defines the warranty. This seems fair enough as an explanation, but the supply-chain is similar for Ford- or Renault-based motorhomes and the base-vehicle warranty duration for Continental European-built versions of these increases from 2 to 3 years when they are sold brand-new in the UK.

 

Not my problem, but it would be interesting to ask Mercedes to explain why RHD Mercedes-based Auto-Trail motorhomes and RHD Mercedes-based Hymer motorhomes have different length Mercedes warranties when sold in this country. (Doubt if there would be any point asking Fiat!)

 

Colin Weston:

 

Please could you say which manufacturer (ie. which 'converter') made your present and previous motorhomes?

[fred grant]

us think you is gettin the message, derk. Autotrails is made in the uk, hymers is not. suttle difference my ansum. note our point about car warranties, commercials is just an extensionn of that. if you do your research on car warranties in great britain u will see fred is rite. how long as uk car warrabties bin 3 years, and why is that?

 

derk, if you dus your research thro salesmen, warranties will be as long as your arm anyway. promises promises.

 

and please refrain from makin racial comments please.

 

findusfred

[colin weston]

Derek,

My previous and current converter was Autocruise.

[Derek Uzzell]

Colin Weston:

 

Thanks for the reply. The fact that Autocruise is a UK converter tallies with the information provided in MMM - Fiat- and Mercedes-based motorhomes built by UK converters get an extra year's warranty compared with their non-UK-built counterparts.

 

Fred Grant:

 

So what's your explanation (preferably in intelligible English) for non-UK-built Ford- and Renault-based motorhomes sold in the UK getting a 3-year warranty?

[fred grant]

if youd worked on a farm all your life derk my biddy u would not think in terms of everything as to be in black or white. take it from fred me ansum, life (and often death) is never a black or white situation and some things in life (if operated by the human race) is very grey indeed.

 

Just don ask penberthy to join the forum as things cood be very much black and white indeed.

 

friendlyfred

[Derek Uzzell]

Fred Grant:

 

Thanks for the simplistic home-spun rural wisdom, though it beats me what this has to do with the length of motorhome warranties.

 

I've contacted Mike Chapman (who contributed to the earlier Ford warranties thread). Mike has confirmed that his Trigano Tribute, based on a recent Fiat Ducato chassis, converted in Italy and imported to the UK via Auto-Trail, received a 3-year warranty after he had telephoned Fiat. This appears to contradict what you said earlier (I think!) and seems to strengthen my suggestion that all Fiat-based motorhomes bought new in the UK should qualify for a 3-year base-vehicle Fiat warranty.

[fred grant]

so me ansums, as anyone out there got a two year warranty (as oppossed to a 3 yer one) on there fiat motorhome baught in the uk.

 

speak please my luvvers or fred'll send denzil to seek you out!

 

f

[Derek Uzzell]

Yes, Fred, that's exactly the right question to ask.

 

I've got this sneaking suspicion though that buyers of new motorcaravans generally don't bother to check details of their motorhome's base-vehicle warranty unless something goes wrong. Then, if the warranty is screwed up, or its terms and conditions are considered overly restrictive, they moan like hell about everybody else's inefficiency and maliciousness. (Anyway, that's what the motorhome dealers tell me!)

 

(I now realise I made a mistake with the heading of this thread. If I had titled it "Fiat and Mercedes - are they defrauding you of your hard-earned cash?", I'm sure it would have got a better response.

[rupert123]

Just checked my warranty. It comes in two parts, the first is the standard two year Fiat base vehicle one, the second part, one further year, is still a Fiat warranty but has Ace/Bessacar/Swift on the cover, they call it the motorhome mechanical warranty. It covers all engine components, all gearbox componets, all differential and driveline components, as clutch is a driveline component and it does not exlude it would assume this is covered, steering, steering pump and rack, electrical/electronic control units, air flow meter, printed circuit boards, relays, starter motor and alternator. Limit of cover is 100,000 miles from date first registered with no claim limit.

[colin]

This is part of standerd disclaimer on Suzi warrenty note last section 'friction materials' Fiat proboly have similier in there somewhere, most manufacturers do.