Renault Master Coachbuilt Owners Beware!! (1 Viewer)

[wiljoy]

After purchasing a Renault Master Coachbuilt motorhome in 2011 I was assured that full UK and European recovery was included as standard for the first three years, it' not.
After several very long phone calls to Renault UK to clarify my cover they have now admitted a very BIG mistake regarding the recovery scheme. NO Master Coachbuilt Motorhome from either the UK or Europe is covered for ANY recovery if the 3.5 tonne limit is exceeded. This applies to all the big brands who convert on this popular Renault chassis, Hymer, Hobby, CI and early Lunar and Autotrail models. Even if the Alko chassis is fitted Renault DO NOT agree with these modifications and 3.5 tonne is ALL they allow on there vehicles. This is potentially a big can of worms ready to exit.
I explained everything I know regarding weights and other manufacturers limits but he is adament these are the rules from Renault.
The manager that I have talked to admitted that this oversight was only discovered when I asked for written proof of my cover at 3.85 tonne. He has now had to liasse with Renault in France to try to sort out this mess which could effect thousands of owners.
So don't assume you are covered until your policy arrives and the small print is fully digested. I have always believed small print was designed to allow the company a cop out clause and not cover you whether recovery, insurance or whatever.

 

[Jaws]

Soooo...
Given that the full recovery cover may well have been something that swung the del when you bought the van, are the suppliers now going to compensate you or, me being bloody minded, what happens if you decide without the cover you do not want the vehicle at all ? After all, it has been sold you under VERY false pretences to say the least ....

 

[rainbow chasers]

It is due to recovery costs - the main stream 'light' recovery will happily do up to 3.5t with the clubs blessing. They can go over, and do if they have a vehicle that can take the weight.

Go over that golden 3.5t and they like to cover their rears and use Heavy Recovery. The costs are very, very different!

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[flatpackchicken]

To be honest here, if the manufactorer plates the chassis cab at 3.5t as the Renault master is as shown on the inside of the door frame, then what is the problem, 3.5t is 3.5t, not 3.8 or anything else above this weight, as most recovery companys only recover all over europe a max 3.5t vehicle because of the vehicles that they use, so this is 1 reason that Renault and other makers only do a 3.5t maximum mass vehicle, also the axle weights are well within safety limits when max 3.5t limit leaving maybe about 300kgs spare. If body builders put on different max weights then that is there problem not the vehicle maker,,,, So to sum up Renault and other makers that plate at 3.5t, do it for safety and no other reason really, but any vehicle over 3.5t will have a problem being recovered from anywhere to anywhere as the AA RAC and some other breakdown companys only offer breakdown and recovery up to max 3.5t on personal membership, although they will do bigger vehicles if insured through companys like safeguard/AA and c&cc/RAC Arriva. On a personal note i have just purchased a 2nd hand 06 plate Renault master based m/h, last November 2012, with 3.5t on the inside of the door but 3.8t on the logbook????? so i am trying to get the dealer to get the logbook downplated to 3.5t, dont know who registered m/h at 3.8t but it clearly shows it is a 3.5t on door, so i cannot use until new log book is issuied as most breakdown companys check with the dvla when you breakdown as to the weight of your m/h and all the other details it may need, and if dvla say 3.8t then breakdown company dump your arse and leave you there and then in the mire as they only do 3.5t on private membership except ADAC who recover up to 7.5t, 10m long and 3.2m high so i am also with ADAC just to be on the safe side and at €97 per year for full breakdown and recovery and many other benifits you cant really go wrong. Regards Garry flatpackchicken

 

[stcyr]

... and ADAC ...

 

[darklord]

"generally" recovery company's get taken by surprise!

" Fiat ducato campervan, 3.5t, collect j28 M25 n-bound, recover to Peterborough"

So the company send a 7.5t slide bed truck out there, to find,......not only is it 23ft long, but the plate does,nt just say 3.5t, the converters plate says 3.825.

This MAY exceed the capacity of the tow truck, needing a class 2 hgv with a more expensive driver, and bigger truck. It will CERTAINLY require driver who knows what he is doing, ie that without using plenty of wood , your vehicle will not go up the bed, and depending on length...a low loader or specialist vehicle may be required....and last but by no means least,....if you are in Ockmanulty, and need the vehicle recovered to your home address in Lands End, a driver with sufficient driving hours under the tacho regs, (sometimes two) will be required.
The above paragraph would mostlly only be recovered at commercial rates.

I seem to remember jockandrita being recovered by an unsuitable vehicle, it cost them (and i hope later, the operator) two front tyres. The company I work for, and many others I know, will always err on the side of caution, taking into account the cost of a MH, if in any doubt, they will opt for lowloader.........at £85 per hour base to base ( payment starts when i leave, and finished when i return to our depot), much better than getting a bill for a £60.000 MH......................all this costs someone money, if you aint paying a lot,.. I would be reading the small print with a BIG magnifying glass.

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[stcyr]

except ADAC who recover up to 7.5t, 10m long and 3.2m high so i am also with ADAC just to be on the safe side and at €97 per year for full breakdown and recovery and many other benifits you cant really go wrong. Regards Garry flatpackchicken

Woops, didn't read your post right to the end! oh:

 

[Pikey Pete]

I was recovered, in 2011, in France by the RAC recovery, via Comfort Insurance. They sent out a standard recovery truck.
My Hymer 630 was plated at 4.6 Tonne and fully loaded. Their only concern was the height, as I had a top box.
The recovery truck visibly sagged, under the weight, but they were undaunted and happily took us to the nearest Mercedes garage, checking carefully as we passed under 2 low bridges.
So if there was a weight limit of 3.5 Tonne, then I didn't know about it and they didn't care.


Pete:Cool:

 

[scotjimland]

except ADAC who recover up to 7.5t, 10m long and 3.2m high so i am also with ADAC just to be on the safe side and at €97 per year for full breakdown and recovery and many other benifits[HI] you cant really go wrong[/HI]. Regards Garry flatpackchicken

Woops, didn't read your post right to the end! oh:

but it did go wrong for Jock

Broken Link Removed

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[darklord]

Yup, ADAC appear to suply the cover most MH owners need,I WAS with them, but apart form getting the mag ecvery month in german, so was any letters from them, plus what i suspect was the renewal notice, so I found another supplier through the C&C club.

The RAC quote £900 to get a CAR from Paris to calais, stick at least 50% on for a MH, and you can see why cover may be costly...but so is the alternatve.
Like insurance companies, breakdown groups will find a way NOT to give recovery if you hand it to them on a plate, ie not notifying of a change is size, weight, use, modification (bike rack.scooter rack, roof box etc) , height is surprisingly important,...did you know that the Blackwall tunnel is 13ft from Kent to London, but 15ft 6" the other way, and did you know that one of the Dartford tunnels is lower thatn the other?..........if your motorhome is 2ft six or three ft up on a truck, and is 9ft six high, and you add a rack and roofbox to the top...the sensors MAY go off !!!!
All info that recovery firms NEED, and MAY be fodder for stroppy breakdown associations when we contact them to tell them (sorry, we cant go via blackwall tunnel, need to divert via dartford, too high)........"How is it too high, OUR info says under 3mtrs?".............."Sorry, but its 3.5mtrs, it has a top box fitted"..................................:thumb:

 

[flatpackchicken]

but it did go wrong for Jock

Broken Link Removed

Yes but this was a contractor acting on behalf of ADAC and could have been acting on behalf of any breakdown company, ie AA RAC etc,so AA OR RAC would be the villian here, so ADAC was not at fault at the time, 100% the contractors fault using the wrong type of breakdown truck, as proven by contractor replacing Jocks tyres at the gge at there cost, and Jock not understanding the ADAC €200 limit only from point of breakdown to nearest gge, and gge charging Jock i think extra €300 for towing and using 2nd tow truck, although cant remember if Jock got compensated from ADAC or not know. I Would like to hear from anyone who has had a bad time with ADAC as scores have no problem when calling out ADAC and seems that ADAC GET bad press for 1 or 2 items that may go wrong out of 1000's of breakdowns everyday, but i think overall ADAC offers a fantastic service for the money you pay, Regards Garry Flatpackchicken

 

[Traveller_HA5_3DOM]

We are with ADAC and have a Master plated at 3.85 I think the only difference from the standard chassis is the rear air suspension and tyre size.
I agree about the information from the ADAC and the mags that arrive every month, it would be much clearer to us Brits who do not understand any other language than English, if they produced the conditions that you are insured under in English. The problem for them must be that the policy does say it operates under the German law, so to translate legal terms into the correct legal context in other languages would be a nightmare. By and large things in Germany run according to rules, everyone knows and observes them and they rarely need policemen because society takes responsibility for their rules. They think it is their civil duty to inform you if you are out of line with their rules.
I agree with the comment about Jock's experience in so much as the French agents who damaged the tyres could have been acting on behalf of any of the British Breakdown Agencies as none of them keep their own fleet of recovery vehicles throughout the continent.
It is just as well that the Breakdown Agencies, having recovered most of the 3.5 ton motorhomes do not weigh them because one or two more claims could be rejected!

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[Snowbird]

As some of you will remember a couple of years ago whilst on my way to the Newark show in my 32 ft RV I came to an abrupt stop not far from the showground with a shattered brake disk. This was on a Friday lunchtime, and after phoning ADAC and locating a replacement disk in Cannock ADAC told me they would recover me to Cannock for repairs. The problem being that they could not get a suitable lowboy to me until Saturday morning. I contacted a friend some 60 miles away with a lowboy who agreed to come and collect me and take me to Cannock. I phoned ADAC back and told them this and they replied to get a receipt and they would pay. This I did and managed to get the job done on the Friday afternoon and night and was back at the show Saturday morning. True to there word ADAC refunded my costs in full for the recovery. In my opinion ADAC like any other large company gets it right MOST of the time, but occasionally things do go wrong. Another instance was in Spain where I had a diesel return pipe leak. After ringing ADAC explaining I only required a short length of return pipe bringing and I could repair the job myself, they sent a recovery truck to load me up and take me to a main agent. I rang them back and explained the problem again and they said it was against Spanish law to repair at the side of the road. A £2 fix turned into a £200 fix for them oh:.

 

[wiljoy]

We are with ADAC and have a Master plated at 3.85 I think the only difference from the standard chassis is the rear air suspension and tyre size.
I agree about the information from the ADAC and the mags that arrive every month, it would be much clearer to us Brits who do not understand any other language than English, if they produced the conditions that you are insured under in English. The problem for them must be that the policy does say it operates under the German law, so to translate legal terms into the correct legal context in other languages would be a nightmare. By and large things in Germany run according to rules, everyone knows and observes them and they rarely need policemen because society takes responsibility for their rules. They think it is their civil duty to inform you if you are out of line with their rules.
I agree with the comment about Jock's experience in so much as the French agents who damaged the tyres could have been acting on behalf of any of the British Breakdown Agencies as none of them keep their own fleet of recovery vehicles throughout the continent.
It is just as well that the Breakdown Agencies, having recovered most of the 3.5 ton motorhomes do not weigh them because one or two more claims could be rejected!

Very interesting topic. Do you know if roadside wheel changing (punctures) are covered with the ADAC motorhomes policy?
Thanks

 

[Snowbird]

Wheel changing is covered by ADAC as long as you have a serviceable spare.

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[Reallyretired]

I was recovered, in 2011, in France by the RAC recovery, via Comfort Insurance. They sent out a standard recovery truck.
My Hymer 630 was plated at 4.6 Tonne and fully loaded. Their only concern was the height, as I had a top box.
The recovery truck visibly sagged, under the weight, but they were undaunted and happily took us to the nearest Mercedes garage, checking carefully as we passed under 2 low bridges.
So if there was a weight limit of 3.5 Tonne, then I didn't know about it and they didn't care.


Pete:Cool:

Love the French attitude to things, I'm sure there's no French word for Jobsworth.