Damp advice required (1 Viewer)

[Terry]

sorry to seem like i am going against the train of advice, but i say walk away and dont look back

its been altered band badly enough to cause damp. the owner is being slippery about having the van independently examined and the dealers is not telling you the full story.

the dealer wont want to get involved because they have a history with this van and know its been amateurishly modified

anyone can make van look superficially good to sell it. however the details like 12 year old tyres show its been neglected.

save your money for something more genuine:thumb:

Have I missed something how are the tryes 12 yrs old ?I thought it was a 2006 van ?
terry
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[haganap]

Sorry, I disagree .. it's a buyers market .. there is no rush.. and I don't think he is paranoid.. it's a lot of dosh, so has every right to be careful and get it right..

There are plenty of good dry vans out there.. no one need for anyone to buy a damp one .. unless they want a project...

When damp is found.. I tell generally people to walk .. what may look like a small patch can turn into a nightmare.. been there and had to strip out and rebuild the whole end of a caravan.. all that was visible was a damp patch at the window..

quote Stevec
This is a private purchase and it is a good clean van, the best I have seen so far. It is a 2006 Autocruise Starfire.

Jim, I don't think IMHO you will find a 2006 van at starfire money that has not had some work or DIY carried out on it.
Yes your right, it is a buyers market and it always is, but the vans Ive seen today at this vans money make me wonder why people bother.

You can look and look and look and always find something wrong with something, even seen a brand new Bailey today and just thought to myself "who authorised that piece of shit being built like that" The two used Frankias we saw had Nikki running for the loo the smell was so bad and decor so dated, even the new autotrail has crap fabric that only a 90 year old would be pleased with....

Would I own any of them? yes too right I would, it's always compromise on something, if I spent all the time highlighting this little bit here or this little bit there, no serious motorhome buyer would ever buy the crap that;s on offer. :thumb:

 

[Terry]

Steve I know where there's a nice RMB for sale and a newly converted 2008 Transit both free of damp
terry

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[scotjimland]

quote Stevec
This is a private purchase and it is a good clean van, the best I have seen so far. It is a 2006 Autocruise Starfire.

Jim, I don't think IMHO you will find a 2006 van at starfire money that has not had some work or DIY carried out on it.
Yes your right, it is a buyers market and it always is, but the vans Ive seen today at this vans money make me wonder why people bother.

You can look and look and look and always find something wrong with something, even seen a brand new Bailey today and just thought to myself "who authorised that piece of shit being built like that" The two used Frankias we saw had Nikki running for the loo the smell was so bad and decor so dated, even the new autotrail has crap fabric that only a 90 year old would be pleased with....

Would I own any of them? yes too right I would, it's always compromise on something, if I spent all the time highlighting this little bit here or this little bit there, no serious motorhome buyer would ever buy the crap that;s on offer. :thumb:

We are talking about DAMP ..

not the colour of fabric, the dated look, build quality or any other detail.. much of that is subjective.. personal taste..

with DAMP there is no compromise.. if it's damp I walk.. and would always give that advice.

 

[TheBig1]

Have I missed something how are the tryes 12 yrs old ?I thought it was a 2006 van ?
terry
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snip... We went outside to view the rest of the van and he commented that it was a nice tidy van with good tyres. [HI]When I commented that the fronts were 12 years old and full of cracks [/HI]he said that this was ok. At this point I lost all my confidence in him. If he had this sort of gung ho attitude to tyres what had he to the rest of his work. That was when I started to worry. And that is why I am reluctant to believe what he had to say about the integrity of the rest of the van. Also the owner of the dealership would not provide a written moisture reading chart as I had requested. Lots of little things that added into my mistrust.

nowhere near as uncommon as you may think to find that tyres on a converted vehicle are already 3 or 4 years old when its sold to the first owner. then the van never has new tyres over a further 8 years with cracks ignored and idiots at dealerships claiming they are in good condition.

neglecting simple safety points like tyres gives the impression that maintenance has not been a priority for previous owners. then add to that problems with parts being removed and the holes bodged up. its worrying if people dont realise this is painting a bigger picture

 

[Terry]

nowhere near as uncommon as you may think to find that tyres on a converted vehicle are already 3 or 4 years old when its sold to the first owner. then the van never has new tyres over a further 8 years with cracks ignored and idiots at dealerships claiming they are in good condition.

neglecting simple safety points like tyres gives the impression that maintenance has not been a priority for previous owners. then add to that problems with parts being removed and the holes bodged up. its worrying if people dont realise this is painting a bigger picture

Missed that but Swifts are not hung around for 4 yrs before converting -they must have put some second hand tires on As you say bigger picture
terry

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[daisy mae]

After my own experience I say WALK, mine turned out a what I thought bit of a damp patch turned out to be major, and cost near on £2000 to repair 20 plus years ago, I should have followed my instincts but didn`t so paid the price, so I would steer clear, plenty of good vans out there, but obviously it is your choice and it is your money after all.

Good luck,
Margaret

 

[Terry]

Steve out of interest what price are they asking ? -anything under 20 k will be a bargain -much above needs proper investigation
terry

 

[JockandRita]

I'd be walking away too. :Sad:

Before we purchased our MH, we did look at some others, one of which belonged to a very nice couple in Arnold, Nottingham way. It was their pride and joy, and the hubby had carried out little modifications which did enhance the interior design. They had just had a habitation and service done by Broonfools.
Whilst they put the kettle on, with their permission, I started to carry out a damp check on their lovely Swift Kontiki. The wall area where the body meets the cab, and adjacent to the end of the cooker and sink unit was so damp, the meter needle went off the scale, and my finger was wet having gone through the wallboard. Whislt waiting for them to come back, Rita and I pondered over whether to tell them or not, about the damage to their lovely MH.
I bit the bullet, and tested the area again, whilst the owner held the meter. They were genuinely shocked, and asked us, if they had the repairs carried, would we still be interested. Although it really had been looked after in all other respects, we politely declined and walked away.

An hour later saw us at Broonfools for an appointment to look at a Bessacar MH. Close on our heels, was this couple with their Kontiki, who were now demanding an explanation from management, who happily took their money for the habitation and damp check without finding the problem. :Angry:

Regards,

Jock.

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[Minxy]

From what has now been disclosed I strongly advice you to walk away from it.

It has NOT been well cared for, it has been bodged, the dealer who sold it to the chap in 2010 bodged it then with the cr@p patching job which has caused problems. As they are the ones who have supposedly been 'maintaining' it for the owner it would definitely be in their interests to say it is a good van otherwise they would be admitting they've done a cr@p job over the years.

Is there a web page showing this vehicle? It would be interesting to have a look and see if there are signs of what 'other' items have been bodged ...

Even if the van is a stonkingly good price, I suspect there will be a reason, or probably, several for that and you could easily be buying a money pit.

 

[FULL TIMER]

Thanks for your inputs. I think some explaining is necessary. Firstly the dealer and owner. The motorhome (local, about 5 miles away) was supplied by this dealer in 2010 to the current owner. Both are in the same village and have a history i.e owner has had previous MHs serviced by the dealer. So the dealer has personal knowledge of the owner ("a nice old gentleman"). The MH had a speedo fault (sensor in gearbox) and was in to have it sorted so I took the opportunity for them to do a habitation check. The owner was reluctant for me to have an independant inspection done (already looked at it twice...why do you want another inspection?) so I thought this would be acceptable to him. I had no experience of this dealership other than a friend of mine having a habitation report done by them when he sold a MH. Speaking yesterday the owner of the dealership seemed reluctant to get involved in any transaction between myself and the owner and implied that I had put him in an awkward position seeing as he knows the owner. I then said that I would be happy for him to do no further work and I would get the habitation check done by an uninterested party. But it seems they had already done the check anyway. I went out with the inspector to view the area pictured and he showed me the area affected. What he explained seemed plausible. He couldn't show me what the moisture content was in various places but it indicated a high reading near the blanking plate. He had an expensive Sovereign non invasive moisture meter. Looking back I'm not sure if he knew how to use it (I may be doing him an injustice but that was my impression). But he convinced me enough that everything would dry out in time and not to worry. We went outside to view the rest of the van and he commented that it was a nice tidy van with good tyres. When I commented that the fronts were 12 years old and full of cracks he said that this was ok. At this point I lost all my confidence in him. If he had this sort of gung ho attitude to tyres what had he to the rest of his work. That was when I started to worry. And that is why I am reluctant to believe what he had to say about the integrity of the rest of the van. Also the owner of the dealership would not provide a written moisture reading chart as I had requested. Lots of little things that added into my mistrust.

As for the vent, there was a deisel heater fitted there when the dealer took it in in 2010. He removed it and blanked off all the holes (in wall and floor). The MH has an underfloor fresh water tank and the pipe goes directly to this. I've no idea what the device is in the bottom right of the picture. The picture is the correct way round!

I need to speak to the owner today to ask about having an inspection done of the area in question (and probably the rest of the structure) but this time by a local independant service engineer. I am sure he will refuse in which I will walk away. It has already caused me enough stress. He will then sell the van to the local dealer with the associated loss. Shame really as it is a nice clean van. But as someone said earlier, you have to see beyond that. It's a lot of money to risk.

Edit...
Terry the wheel arch is on the right. The gas locker wall is on the left. Floor is at the bottom with wall above. Th area physically affected (i.e soft) is a small strip directly below the blanking plate at the bottom of the wall. Probably 6 inches in total and 1/2 inch high. The high damp readings covered an area about 4 diameters (of BP) wide by 3 diameters tall to the left of the BP.

Personally I would walk away, especially if the owner is reluctant to let you have an independent inspection done, it seems a bodge job to me and the dealer I would think know's more than he is letting on please name them as there are not too many left around Norwich , I fit diesel heaters all the time and service and repair them for East Anglian Ambulance and if that "vent" was through the sidewall as it appears it was there is no logical reason for it at least not with the many types and models I have seen and used.

 

[stevec]

Spoke to the owner tonight. Offered £1250 below what I offered previously. Offer refused although he dropped by £500. Not enough of a reduction to cover any future potential problems. I assume that is the end of it. Thanks for all your inputs. I shall now go out and buy a damp meter!!! Suggestions anyone?

Funster....There was one vent in the wall and also one in the floor which was blanked off. Also a couple of holes in the floor presumably for some sort of pipes...also filled in.

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[TheBig1]

this meter is not really pro grade, but reasonably accurate for the price
Link Removed a sensible addition to anyones toolkit for £9

I recommend you use one of these first and if you get a high reading in a van, have a professional carry out a proper damp survey. obviously if its for looking at buying a second hand van privately, a high reading should ring alarm bells in your head. dont waste anymore time or money and move on to find something better for your money

 

[deleted-member02]

Good motorhomes come up for sale every day, it's just a waiting game until yours comes up. The right layout, condition and price being the main criteria...

To my mind I would be offering many 000s below forecourt price, if at all.

Actually, on second thought, I would just walk away, so many other vans out there...

 

[DP+JAY]

Spoke to the owner tonight. Offered £1250 below what I offered previously. Offer refused although he dropped by £500. Not enough of a reduction to cover any future potential problems. I assume that is the end of it. Thanks for all your inputs. I shall now go out and buy a damp meter!!! Suggestions anyone?
Z
Funster....There was one vent in the wall and also one in the floor which was blanked off. Also a couple of holes in the floor presumably for some sort of pipes...also filled in.

Make sure its a "pinless type" or it wont work on plasticised wallboard unless you puncture the pins through leaving ugly marks, saw one in maplins or somewhere today cheap but didnt take much notice as I already have a good one.I

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