Flooded MH advice? (1 Viewer)

[namwaldog]

We are currently at Puerta du Duquesa, just S. Of Estepona. Our daughter flew out to Malaga on Friday so we booked an apartment for a week. We parked the MH on the car park at the back right next to the A7/N340. Weather here has been awful for over a week so we were keeping an eye on the MH. Checked this morning at 0730 and water was about 2-3 inch deep on the tyres. Got a knock on the door at 0800 saying that we had better check again. Checked and found that the retaining wall had collapsed pushing the MH about 6 ft forward and the water was about 4 ft deep but receded very quickly. As an indicator, there is water in the headlights.(2004 fiat ducato) My query is will the engine have been damaged?
The water has run right through the Hab area at about 6" depth. Just waiting for Allianz to get back to me.

 

[jezport]

You can check that the air filter is dry. However, its the electrics that may be more of an issue, but either way I think you can say that its a write off. The owner of the land may be responsible as it was his wall that collapsed causing the vehicle to be damaged.

 

[pappajohn]

Engine SHOULD BE ok but the exhaust silencers will be full of dirty water.
Depends where the water came from but it could include foul water (sewers) and would need a very deep clean.
Then you have the problem of on going damp.
I would leave it where it is and let the insurers to sort out

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[Geo]

If you were to research the contents of flood water you wouldnt want the motor home salvaging.
The engine should survive

 

[DavidG58]

I would think write off as well, hopefully your insurers will agree quickly, then I guess you have the nightmare of what to do with the contents if you don't have the MH

My greatest sympathy to you and best of luck sorting it

 

[DiggerJon]

I think that the technical term is "b**g**d" and I wish you well with your insurance company. Good job you were not in it at the time and you are safe; at the end of the day, it is only a MH and can be replaced........

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[jumartoo]

Sorry to read this. If possible push for a write off if it's not offered. We had a caravan that had water inside to about the same depth. The manufacturer told us to get it written off as they built caravans not boats.

 

[Lenny HB]

Sorry to see your problems, certainly a right off. Engine will have survived providing no water gets into the bores.

Be careful what you say to the insurance company if you were staying in the apartment. Most insurers won't cover you if the vehicle is unoccupied for more than 36 hours when away from home.

 

[Mikey RV]

What a horrible situation to be in. Hope you get it sorted as soon as poss and the insurance don't mess you about. Good luck.

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[Minxy]

Be careful what you say to the insurance company if you were staying in the apartment. Most insurers won't cover you if the vehicle is unoccupied for more than 36 hours when away from home.

That was my initial thought too Lenny ... be very, very careful what you tell the insurers however if you've actually been in the MH, even if not sleeping it, it should still be covered. If you are a member of CC/CCC then it might be an idea to contact them for advice so you are forearmed if needs be!

 

[CWH]

Oh wow what a shock for you, thank goodness you weren't in it and nobody got hurt.
Best wishes for Allianz getting it sorted soon, and as you'd hope.

 

[tonyidle]

Agree with all the above re write-off. Mechanical damage will be minimal but all oils need changing (at 4 feet it's over the gearbox breather and crank and drive-shaft oil seals) all hubs need stripping and re-greasing and the brake & power steering fluids need a close look if not changing. I would not start it until, at the very least, engine & gearbox oils had been changed.

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[Minxy]

DO NOT even attempt to start it ... if you do the insurance company could try to claim that you added to the existing damage by doing so!

Personally I wouldn't want it back, whether they say it's been repaired or not, as you will now have damp timber in the framework/floor which will only cause problems in the future ... sorry.

 

[jockaneezer]

Bloody hell Barry when I mentioned the snow here earlier in the month, I thought you'd escaped all the bad weather. Something else to consider is that a lot of electrical connections will have got wet and problems with them may only manifest a few months down the line.
On the plus side, it would be a good time to dump your grey waste.

 

[jumartoo]

Bloody hell Barry when I mentioned the snow here earlier in the month, I thought you'd escaped all the bad weather. Something else to consider is that a lot of electrical connections will have got wet and problems with them may only manifest a few months down the line.
On the plus side, it would be a good time to dump your grey waste.

Funny for the last sentence only.

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[TheBig1]

most definitely a write off, only fit for salvaged parts. have seen a few flood damaged motorhomes and caravans at auctions. none were habitable

 

[iandsm]

Sorry to see your problems, certainly a right off. Engine will have survived providing no water gets into the bores.

Be careful what you say to the insurance company if you were staying in the apartment. Most insurers won't cover you if the vehicle is unoccupied for more than 36 hours when away from home.

Thats interesting, are you saying that if someone parks their motorhome for 48 hours in the car park of a hotel they may have used it to drive to and may be staying at it is not covered by insurance and that the same applies if parked other than at home address for the same period?

 

[namwaldog]

Thanks for all your help and support. Allianz have said the claims team will contact us am tomorrow.
Managed to get quite a bit of personal stuff out of the MH but will probably have to pay XS baggage if we fly home. Best solution for us would be a write off asap and then a hire car to Calais but I can't see that.

Anybody any practical experience of a situation like this?

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[MikeD]

Comfort insurance - If I read it correctly - give 48 hours

http://www.comfort-insurance.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Horizon-Motorhome-1st-July-2016.pdf

If I understand it correctly you are either using it or storing it. If you are storing it then it should meet their section 1 criteria.

Exclusions:
Loss or damage covered under section 1 if your motor caravan is stored for a period in excess or 48 hours anywhere other than the storage location disclosed to us in your statement of fact.

Section 1 - cover

• If your motor caravan is in storage, this policy section will continue to apply when

1. a) Yourmotorcaravanisstoredatyourprivate
   
   address; or
   
   
2. b) Yourmotorcaravanisstoredontheprivate
   
   driveway of a close friend or relative, provided that it forms part of their property (subject to acceptance of postcode)
   
   
3. c) Your motor caravan is stored at a CASSOA storage facility
   
   
4. d) Yourmotorcaravanisstoredatanon- CASSOA storage location that has been approved by us.

 

[mikebeaches]

Very sorry to hear about your misfortune - a horrible experience. Hope sorting the matter out isn't too painful and you can recoup your losses OK.

Regards insurance, I quizzed Comfort (our insurer) on this topic, because we regularly stay in other accommodation (Holiday Property Bond) when touring in the van. I explained the situation that sometimes the vehicle would be on private property (HPB) and other times might be on the road. Provided I could state honestly that we'd been inside the van each day (not necessarily sleeping) then it would NOT be classed as 'stored', and we'd be covered.

It appeared that in their view, 'stored' = completely unattended.

 

[Xabia]

Message sent.

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[iandsm]

Comfort insurance - If I read it correctly - give 48 hours

http://www.comfort-insurance.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Horizon-Motorhome-1st-July-2016.pdf

If I understand it correctly you are either using it or storing it. If you are storing it then it should meet their section 1 criteria.

Exclusions:
Loss or damage covered under section 1 if your motor caravan is stored for a period in excess or 48 hours anywhere other than the storage location disclosed to us in your statement of fact.

Section 1 - cover

• If your motor caravan is in storage, this policy section will continue to apply when

1. a) Yourmotorcaravanisstoredatyourprivate
   
   address; or
   
   
2. b) Yourmotorcaravanisstoredontheprivate
   
   driveway of a close friend or relative, provided that it forms part of their property (subject to acceptance of postcode)
   
   
3. c) Your motor caravan is stored at a CASSOA storage facility
   
   
4. d) Yourmotorcaravanisstoredatanon- CASSOA storage location that has been approved by us.

So if a persons home address is the storage location, its covered but anywhere else is not if parked for more than 48 hours. Conversly, if the storage location is given as a commercial storage site and you park your motorhome on your drive in excess of 48 hours its not covered. If thats right I am glad I am not insured with Comfort insurance. I just read the condition on the link and I think you do understand it correctly.

 

[TheBig1]

motorhome insurance terms are pretty sneaky with some parts

if this happened to me, i would parcel up all my belongings from the van and send them home via courier, same day I flew home. hopefully claim it back under reasonable costs from the insurance

 

[TerryL]

Think there's maybe a difference between stating to the insurance company your M/H is stored at home or at a storage facility. We're with Comfort and when we moved the storage a couple of years ago we had a series of correspondence which, to cut a long story short, would have involved a change in the policy and quite a bit of money. Fortunately after a bit of pressure it all got sorted amicably and we're now very satisfied.

Yes, there is a limit on how long we can "store" it on our drive (36 hours) but frankly, given our particular location, we wouldn't want to leave it there any longer anyway so it's also a bit of an incentive to take it back to the storage yard. It's only 15 mins away and is a Gold Cassoa site.

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[gus-lopez]

If you have to fly back. Pack the stuff up & ship it back .
I use parcels2go. 24€ for 20kgs suitcase ( 76cm x 60cm x 25cm) last week. Far cheaper than excess baggage. Pity I am so far away as you could have left a lot here/or shipped it from here.

 

[iandsm]

Just read through my Caravan Club policy, it does not contain any condition as to leaving it parked anywhere for a certain period other than a storage facility so if I want to leave in parked somewhere I can, it appears for as long as I want. Interestingly it does state specifically that the motorhome will be covered if left in custody or control of a garage for maintenance, repair, servicing or testing and when in the custody of a hotel, restaurant, car parking service or similar where the motorhome has been parked by you.

 

[gus-lopez]

Comfort insurance - If I read it correctly - give 48 hours

http://www.comfort-insurance.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Horizon-Motorhome-1st-July-2016.pdf

If I understand it correctly you are either using it or storing it. If you are storing it then it should meet their section 1 criteria.

Exclusions:
Loss or damage covered under section 1 if your motor caravan is stored for a period in excess or 48 hours anywhere other than the storage location disclosed to us in your statement of fact.

Section 1 - cover

• If your motor caravan is in storage, this policy section will continue to apply when

1. a) Yourmotorcaravanisstoredatyourprivate
   
   address; or
   
   
2. b) Yourmotorcaravanisstoredontheprivate
   
   driveway of a close friend or relative, provided that it forms part of their property (subject to acceptance of postcode)
   
   
3. c) Your motor caravan is stored at a CASSOA storage facility
   
   
4. d) Yourmotorcaravanisstoredatanon- CASSOA storage location that has been approved by us.

It has got to the point of being ridiculous now ,UK insurance.
All you want is a vehicle insured , 24/7 ,365/year wherever it is ,whatever time of day/night & regardless of whether someone is in it, using it , It is just parked.
Like I get here, & what used to be the case in the UK.

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[namwaldog]

If you have to fly back. Pack the stuff up & ship it back .
I use parcels2go. 24€ for 20kgs suitcase ( 76cm x 60cm x 25cm) last week. Far cheaper than excess baggage. Pity I am so far away as you could have left a lot here/or shipped it from here.

Thanks for that. How do you arrange this?

 

[gus-lopez]

I just started here.https://www.parcel2go.com/

click on "get a quote" ,change 'pick up' country to Spain & it will redirect you to the spanish site where you can input details ,size, weights etc.

 

[TheBig1]

pack really well and include inside a sheet with delivery address if the label comes off

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