cotswoldman
Free Member
I purchased a new 2006 model Bessacarr E725 from Marquis. Every year I have complied with the conditions by having a habitation service and damp checks carried out. The damp check results have always been OK and there have never been any smells or other indications of a problem.
In December 2011 I had the annual check carried out and some damp was found around the rear offside window. The floor directly below it produced a very high reading too.
I took the van in to Marquis to have it repaired after having had a quote for £400.
The following day I was requested to visit them and they showed me what they had found. The area of floor that produced the high damp reading was far wetter than could be attributed to the leaking window. They dismantled the vehicle and found that the whole offside of the vehicle in front of the rear wheel and below the floor was absolutely rotten. This was the area behind the bathroom and the boiler/wardrobe.
The wood fell to bits when touched - just like a rotten fence post.
The technician investigated and found that a seal fitted when the vehicle was manufactured had NOT been fitted correctly and water had been leaking past it for many years - probably before I purchased it.
Marquis took photographs and contacted Swift on my behalf - they Swiftly replied that the vehicle was out of warranty ...... they just didn't want to know.
I was stuck with a rotten vehicle partly dismantled and was facing a bill far higher than the original quote. It had to be repaired so I had no other option than to authorise the repair. It eventually cost me just under £3000 to complete the necessary repair work.
Marquis had done an excellent job with the repair, but I was very annoyed ( I can't print what I really felt) that I had to fork out my savings to put right a manufacturing defect caused by Swift's employees.
I wrote a long letter to Swift explaining the problem and asking for some assistance with the expenses I had incurred through no fault of my own. I enclosed copies of the photographs taken by Marquis and a copy of the invoice which I had paid.
I had forgotten to include a copy of the Service Record but forwarded that at the request of Swift.
The outcome of my contact with Swift was a complete refusal to make any financial recompense towards my outlay.
So, my warning to all motor-home owners, especially those of you running anything from the Swift factory is:
1. Don't trust your damp checks. There are areas where the damp meters will NOT reach.
2. The Swift warranty and good name does not cover anything that they have done wrong ..... if it is not found within the warranty period.
3. Before your warranty runs out pull your nice vehicles apart to check any areas that are not able to be checked with a damp meter just to make sure that your vehicle is sound. (Sorry! I am just being cynical)
If you have a manufacturing defect like mine - Swift will NOT want to know.
In December 2011 I had the annual check carried out and some damp was found around the rear offside window. The floor directly below it produced a very high reading too.
I took the van in to Marquis to have it repaired after having had a quote for £400.
The following day I was requested to visit them and they showed me what they had found. The area of floor that produced the high damp reading was far wetter than could be attributed to the leaking window. They dismantled the vehicle and found that the whole offside of the vehicle in front of the rear wheel and below the floor was absolutely rotten. This was the area behind the bathroom and the boiler/wardrobe.
The wood fell to bits when touched - just like a rotten fence post.
The technician investigated and found that a seal fitted when the vehicle was manufactured had NOT been fitted correctly and water had been leaking past it for many years - probably before I purchased it.
Marquis took photographs and contacted Swift on my behalf - they Swiftly replied that the vehicle was out of warranty ...... they just didn't want to know.
I was stuck with a rotten vehicle partly dismantled and was facing a bill far higher than the original quote. It had to be repaired so I had no other option than to authorise the repair. It eventually cost me just under £3000 to complete the necessary repair work.
Marquis had done an excellent job with the repair, but I was very annoyed ( I can't print what I really felt) that I had to fork out my savings to put right a manufacturing defect caused by Swift's employees.
I wrote a long letter to Swift explaining the problem and asking for some assistance with the expenses I had incurred through no fault of my own. I enclosed copies of the photographs taken by Marquis and a copy of the invoice which I had paid.
I had forgotten to include a copy of the Service Record but forwarded that at the request of Swift.
The outcome of my contact with Swift was a complete refusal to make any financial recompense towards my outlay.
So, my warning to all motor-home owners, especially those of you running anything from the Swift factory is:
1. Don't trust your damp checks. There are areas where the damp meters will NOT reach.
2. The Swift warranty and good name does not cover anything that they have done wrong ..... if it is not found within the warranty period.
3. Before your warranty runs out pull your nice vehicles apart to check any areas that are not able to be checked with a damp meter just to make sure that your vehicle is sound. (Sorry! I am just being cynical)
If you have a manufacturing defect like mine - Swift will NOT want to know.