Foreign vehicles better than British made? (1 Viewer)

[Robert Clark]

Many just take things at face value, your money your choice..

I think that observation just about sums it up. Our British built van looked great on the inside, so we thought the build quality would be of the same standard of the Euopean vans.
It was only when we bought a German van that the differences in construction methods became blatantly obvious.
I'm pretty sure that if British MH owners tried a German built van they'd probably not but a British one again.
Snobbery? No, it's about putting quality before beauty which is only skin deep

 

[Paddywack]

What an earth are you talking about, you must be seeing things these posts that I can't.
And for the record Hymer's are only a mid range van, just because they have been hyped up by the previous sole importer to make them out to be something they aren't doesn't make them any better, in Germany they are quite low down the tree.
Also they are not expensive they cost less than most Swifts & AT's providing you buy sensibly (i.e. self import).

Please can you give me the pecking order, at some point I'm going to go A Class, bought "over there" and wouldn't want to look like a pleb to our continental cousins

 

[Judge Mental]

Please can you give me the pecking order, at some point I'm going to go A Class, bought "over there" and wouldn't want to look like a pleb to our continental cousins

I published the list a year ago on another forum (similar sort of thread) I got it from Promobil. Not a clues how to find it or an updated version which I doubt it is much different.

edit: here you go..google is your friend

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(copy Url into google translate)

There are members on here that know about the high end vans... just start a thread. Concorde seem to win ...

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[Mack100]

Apparently Knaus is the best selling motorhome in Germany, although I've seen only a relative few in my travels compared with other brands. Any ideas what this is due to? Possibly build reputation?
I would imagine the average German buyer to be pretty canny about their homegrown products.

 

[ceejayt]

Personally (and I mean personally) I didn't like the interior changes to the Concirde this year. But definitely a great bit of kit.

 

[Chris]

Please can you give me the pecking order, at some point I'm going to go A Class, bought "over there" and wouldn't want to look like a pleb to our continental cousins

I went in the opposite direction , ie from German to British.

That was 2 1/2 years ago and I haven't regretted it one bit.

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[haganap]

Can't be assessed to read all the threads as these have been done to death a 100 times and people will answer without knowledge as they own a "superior" van or model. I've lost count of snobby Hymer owners telling me how great there vans are yet I know plenty of honest ones who've had trouble...
I've owned one British van and 3 continental vans including my very expensive Rapido a class at on my drive.

The British van wins hands down in terms of useabilty .comfort . Layout and flashness and equipment..

You can not make a comparison on build quality as the makes people go on about are top end brands.


The thing that made me laugh was someone saying that his door lock on his brit van was terrible and poorly made and singing the praises of German vans.

Err they use Hartal doors....where's hartal doors made? Oh god on err Germany... classic .

 

[EuroTrotters]

I have only one experience of a British Van, My brother's ACE (Swift). I sat on the Sofa the day he got it Brand new and it collapsed, I was 12 stone at the time.

We have had three German made ones. our 2001 Eura Mobil probably being the best

But,

This one

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Takes a lot of beating

 

[scotjimland]

The British van wins hands down in terms of useabilty .comfort

but I seem to recall pictures of you crawling around underneath a Brit van Paul, installing pipe lagging, spray foam and insulation on tanks so you could go skiing ?
I bet you don't need to do that with the Rapido.. certainly don't need to on a Hymer..

sadly our British manufacturers don't seem to understand the Alpine winter.

as I said earlier..

if you want a three season holiday van buy British, if you want an all weather all season motorhome .. buy Continental..

flashness

yes, I agree there.. if you want bling.. buy British

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[Chris]

I must admit that my Autotrail has a lot of bling on the inside but none on the outside.

My old Burstner was more of a head turner

 

[Charlie]

Was posting this tread designed to start a fight ?

 

[haganap]

but I seem to recall pictures of you crawling around underneath a Brit van Paul, installing pipe lagging, spray foam and insulation on tanks so you could go skiing ?
I bet you don't need to do that with the Rapido.. certainly don't need to on a Hymer.



yes, I agree there.. if you want bling.. buy British

your right Jim and I don't need to do that with the Rapido, but how many people go 2300m high in the depths of winter to temps that will suck down to -20? We knew it would only be for a couple of weeks per year but not many choose a MH and try our lifestyle.
I'm not knocking euro vans, I've owned 3 of the things, It's just when build quality is compared people have to look a little further in terms of what your needs are. There are many that still swear by March- October MHing and never venture out of the UK,
my only point is people shouldn't get so hooked up on it, I still believe the most important thing should always be making the lay out correct and work,

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[scotjimland]

I still believe the most important thing should always be making the lay out correct and work,

yes, of course that is important.. and should never be compromised just to buy a continental van.. that would be foolish

but there is no need to.. .fortunately we can have both layout and top quality

 

[Judge Mental]

Being an insulin dependent diabetic was what concentrated my thought processes regards construction and weight, as could find nothing that worked at 3500kg here (up until then had panel vans and demountables)

Found a 4 berth Euramobil, fully winterised, double floor and it worked well even with 4 of us, 4 bikes and all our stuff. Could have bought the same van here from brownills for over £15,000 more and got crap service.. instead got 1st class service in Belgium which is nearer to be honest.

 

[Teuchter]

Apparently Knaus is the best selling motorhome in Germany, although I've seen only a relative few in my travels compared with other brands. Any ideas what this is due to? Possibly build reputation?
I would imagine the average German buyer to be pretty canny about their homegrown products.

We sold our Rapido and bought a new Knaus this year - soooo pleased with it!!

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[GWAYGWAY]

Lots of comment about build but the weights on some vans go right up to the maximum and no payload, there is going to have to be a real difference in design to get the weight down with a GOOD payload, as more younger people come into MH they will not have the licence to drive anything heavier than 3500.Then us older gits lose out licence rights. There needs to be a materials rethink to get it down to a decent payload.

 

[vwalan]

5th wheelers are the way forward. big payloads etc .
its strange really that many cant see its the way forward. 11ton trainweights are available . even the b+e for new drivers can give quite nice outfits .at 7 ton.
use what ever material you like but its still fifth wheel is the best option.

 

[MR. FUSION]

Can't be assessed to read all the threads as these have been done to death a 100 times and people will answer without knowledge as they own a "superior" van or model. I've lost count of snobby Hymer owners telling me how great there vans are yet I know plenty of honest ones who've had trouble...
I've owned one British van and 3 continental vans including my very expensive Rapido a class at on my drive.

The British van wins hands down in terms of useabilty .comfort . Layout and flashness and equipment..

You can not make a comparison on build quality as the makes people go on about are top end brands.


The thing that made me laugh was someone saying that his door lock on his brit van was terrible and poorly made and singing the praises of German vans.

Err they use Hartal doors....where's hartal doors made? Oh god on err Germany... classic .

I think you can have variable quality of items from any country!!! The Germans are not infallible, Porsche built the Elephant tank, even the British tank industry could not manage to build such a piece of spectacularly useless crap!

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[Big bus man]

My van is German built, when new it was a premium quality van, now 10 years old all the interior fittings still work like new, it does however have a roof leak coming from the rear end of a roof rail but will be simple to sort out, composite panels making it light and rigid and I am very pleased with it so far.

I do worry that some of the comments placed on here are going to turn people away from this forum. The fact is many will buy a motorhome then join this forum only to be told that because it's British built it is rubbish - how would you feel.

If I change my van I will consider the Layout; the mechanicals; the construction and the size, I would not care if it is British or German.

 

[jonandshell]

Quality Motorhome is an oxymoron.

Im my opinion, most motorhomes do not reach the standard dictated by their price.
It is design concept which is more important to the buyer just because it isn't winterised doesn't make it lower quality, it just makes it different.
What is wrong is manufacturers making false claims of their product aided by a trade association. The NCC's insulation grading system is a perfect example.
A Brit 'Grade 3' van, the highest spec, wouldn't last 1 day in the Alps.
Having said that, not everyone wants to take theirs skiing, so owning such a van is fine if you personally like what you have bought.

Most motorhomes and most dealers are still crap though!

 

[Judge Mental]

Lots of comment about build but the weights on some vans go right up to the maximum and no payload, there is going to have to be a real difference in design to get the weight down with a GOOD payload, as more younger people come into MH they will not have the licence to drive anything heavier than 3500.Then us older gits lose out licence rights. There needs to be a materials rethink to get it down to a decent payload.

Spec'd up an AT on their website once it left a payload of 40 kg. Here with an ageing demographic its not the choice of the young. Motorhoming a far more popular family activity in Europe... Hence why they build lighter better value vans .

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[GWAYGWAY]

When my Chausson Oddesee model, first came out it was limited to 3500 kgs and one person who bought one refused it as un-merchantable quality, because it's payload that didn't allow for a passenger or fuel tank full let alone anything else. It is built like the proverbial brick shXXXXuse but the weight is not justified. The table is alone 20 kgs and thick chipboard the bits and pieces in the interior are the same. It has a wonderful garage space that cannot be used as such, as it puts the rear axle over the limit , with my little bike in it, It needs 4000 kg at least, but by putting the weight up it gets caught in the over 3500 kg trap, licence restrictions LEZs etc. Some of the makers give misleading weights that are the basic model weight with nothing added, but the then give the bits to make it better and end up with a one person van that is still over the weight, but still claim the lower limit as applying. The lovely van I looked at buying I dropped because of the weight problem,for unless it is allowed the 4000 kg upgrade(special springs air suspension etc )
The secondhand one that was also now for sale was dropped by the first owner with a huge drop in value after a few months,
I suspect they got caught out on the weight problem and possibly prosecuted.

 

[Lenny HB]

Im my opinion, most motorhomes do not reach the standard dictated by their price.
It is design concept which is more important to the buyer just because it isn't winterised doesn't make it lower quality, it just makes it different.

IMO it would not be fit for purpose, when spennding £50-£100k on a van it .would be reasonable to expect to be able to use all year round.

 

[The DATeam]

What is it with this continental/UK manufactured motorhome nonsense, they all have faults. We had a Hymer caravan. OK it was built like a tank, and never leaked but, the cutlery draw was of such a bad design that you had to remember to remove it before every journey or the draw and cutlery would be all over the floor when you got to a site. The heating thermostat was situated above the hob/oven, so no heating when using the kitchen (who in their right mind thought "great place to put a thermostat, THE KITCHEN, yes German engineers). There was no heat guard above the grill, so when you wanted toast for breakfast you melted the trim above the grill. The main habitation lights looked very nice, but travel along the road and the glass shades would fall out, as did the glass reading light shades fall off, again great German engineering. The main habitation roof light fell apart. All the sealant around the bathroom fittings came away, It had electrical faults, oh, and a window fell out.

Our £1000 Miele dishwasher, was guaranteed never to leak. When it did leak Miele argued with me that it was impossible for it to leak and the water must be coming from another appliance. When the Miele Engineer turned up, again, "no Miele's don't leak", but I will check. Guess what, IT LEAKED. Another Germany design fault, which the Manufacture failed to recognise.

Volkswagen?

Our Rapido, when it was built, someone forgot to put any sealant around the bedroom roof light. Guess what, it leaked and ruined the bedroom ceiling.

Come on everyone, Motorhomes are built by people, whether British, German, French, Italian etc and they are all going to have faults. It's only by luck if yours doesn't have any faults.

There that's got that off my chest.

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[The DATeam]

Nooooooooooooo! I just thought I had all my Continental/UK motorhome thoughts off my chest when GWAYGWAY mentions motorhome payloads. Motorhome payloads must be the next biggest consumer scandal, second only to PPI's. I'm sat here waiting for the phone call, "dear sir I believe you've been sold a motorhome recently and we think you've been miss sold on the vehicle payload". It's coming, just you wait.

 

[Judge Mental]

Nooooooooooooo! I just thought I had all my Continental/UK motorhome thoughts off my chest when GWAYGWAY mentions motorhome payloads. Motorhome payloads must be the next biggest consumer scandal, second only to PPI's. I'm sat here waiting for the phone call, "dear sir I believe you've been sold a motorhome recently and we think you've been miss sold on the vehicle payload". It's coming, just you wait.

course its important and anyone that buys without recognising this pretty foolish, your not buying a studio flat..you have to load it and drive it. The way they are built and what with contributes enormously to trouble free longevity and usability.

Ill repeat myself. Yes I think we all agree they can all have faults but its the way the company respond to this and how worthwhile the warranty is. its all about risk and frequency. I know from reading the expensive bills that many have ended up with only after a few years of ownership where my money better spent. I would never touch an insurance backed warranty. Rapido not the lightest vans around either but they have a reputation for 1st class customer support. so count yourself lucky.

 

[The DATeam]

Cannot fault Rapido's customer support. The support from Rapido's Head Office in France was first class and Brownhills made an excellent job of repairing the damaged ceiling. The vehicle is now looked after by our local Rapido Dealer, Wokingham Motorhomes, who again, offer an excellent service. Our vehicle was up rated to 3880kg when we purchased it, so our payload is OK. It's the unknowing people you see buying 3500kg motorhomes and then expecting to carry more than one passenger, bikes and all the other paraphernalia associated with motorhoming you have to think about.

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[Judge Mental]

Cannot fault Rapido's customer support. The support from Rapido's Head Office in France was first class and Brownhills made an excellent job of repairing the damaged ceiling. The vehicle is now looked after by our local Rapido Dealer, Wokingham Motorhomes, who again, offer an excellent service. Our vehicle was up rated to 3880kg when we purchased it, so our payload is OK. It's the unknowing people you see buying 3500kg motorhomes and then expecting to carry more than one passenger, bikes and all the other paraphernalia associated with motorhoming you have to think about.

I know that from reading the european forums..very good feed back.

Not many vans work well @ 3500. for this you really need a MIRO of 2800'ish. (= 500 kg payload) allowing 200 kg for partner, (let alone passeengers) awning, second battery whatever. While remembering spec'ing larger engines, automatics and all the attractive extras & goodies, come of your payload. Plus the weight can be + or - 5% out?
That and a MIRO of around 3000 kg makes for a very unsatisfactory situation. 7 metre vans don't have a chance IMO. there are a few of the new lightweight A class that work at 3500 but not many and certainly only ones below 7 metre.

 

[Paddywack]

allowing 200 kg for partner

Big lass your missus?

 

[Judge Mental]

Big lass your missus?

Indeedy....in the right places!

Near perfect if not for the snoring

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