AutoTrails and Damp (1 Viewer)

[Mark and Mindy]

We've been looking hard to work out which motorhome is going to work best for us and high on our shortlist are the Tribute 620 or Imala 620, however a lot of people talk about the damp and water ingress issues on AutoTrails.

Are they really that bad? Should we steer totally clear of them? If they are this bad, then are there other makes of motorhomes which have this much of a problem?

 

[Speve]

We have previously owned two Auto Trails a 2004 Cheyenne and a New 2013 Tracker FB loved them both never had damp problems with either.

 

[Jim]

We've owned two AT and they were both watertight.

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[DaveandJen]

We've owned two AT and they were both watertight.

Another two AT's owned here and both watertight. Had a few early problems like many vans which got sorted under warranty.

 

[PhilandMena]

Mine has been perfect! But if you have no confidence in this make go elsewhere.

 

[Mark and Mindy]

Mine has been perfect! But if you have no confidence in this make go elsewhere.

Its not a question of having no confidence, but we know so little about motorhomes and wanted to check with people who have/had them.

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[Ivory55]

None of them are perfect, and they will all cost you more money than you thought they would. Yes you will have problems at some stage but if you have an annual service, hopefully you’re catch anything before it’s to bad.

 

[Mikeco]

Once did the Autotrail factory tour, all I remember is noting the amount of mastic that they seemed to be using.

 

[Derbyshire wanderer]

Any manufacturer may build the odd van that leaks but with the big numbers sold of some brands it only takes a few publicised problems to indicate (wrongly) that everything they manufacturer will be a problem.
Obviously this is very unlikely as they would be bankrupt in a year.

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[dbnosey]

Had two new Autotrails a 2007 Cheyenne and a 2009 a 2009 Apache. Both excellent appointed MH’s but sadly both developed serious damp problems within 12 months. My dealer tried to return both of them to the factory for a repair, but Autotrail made excuse after excuse so they had to go.
A friend of mine has a 2014 Traker which has developed damp but the factory are more sympathetic about doing a return repair.

 

[wp1234]

We've been looking hard to work out which motorhome is going to work best for us and high on our shortlist are the Tribute 620 or Imala 620, however a lot of people talk about the damp and water ingress issues on AutoTrails.

Are they really that bad? Should we steer totally clear of them? If they are this bad, then are there other makes of motorhomes which have this much of a problem?

I’ve had two AT,s and damp wasn’t a problem at all.

 

[Jasz]

We have an Imala 720, very happy with it. Marginal damp was detected at its 1st habitation service in the rear lockers. It has recently been repaired under warranty, although the readings were lower at the time it went back anyway.

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[irnbru]

I think AT come in for bad press because they are popular and most probably sell more. We love ours.

 

[RowleyBirkinQC]

We bought a used 2006 AT Tracker and had it for 3+ years, no damp detected in annual hab checks or when tested by dealer when part exchanging for the next van.

 

[MikeD]

My 2012 tracker failed the hab. check in its third year due to damp and was repaired. Fourth year failed again.

Sold it - lost lots of money lost in depreciation.

It was not just this that made me sell it, it was all the other warranty claims and the repairs I had to do myself to keep it operational.

I had a great AT dealer - from what I read on here, god help me if I hadn't.

If I had done the factory tour before I bought it and not after. I would probably have not bought one.

Would not have another AT at any price.

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[tandc]

We have had three autotrail trackers and never had any damp.Terry.

 

[Chris]

Our Scout is coming up to 5 years old and no damp as far as I am aware.

 

[Masman]

I have a Rapido. No damp.But I bet if this forum was in France the response would be similar. Lots of people have Autotrails and have no problems. If you are unlucky to have problems, You can usually get it sorted under warraty. I know it may be an inconvenience but once sorted you probably have a great van .

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[ABZSteve]

We've been looking hard to work out which motorhome is going to work best for us and high on our shortlist are the Tribute 620 or Imala 620, however a lot of people talk about the damp and water ingress issues on AutoTrails.

Are they really that bad? Should we steer totally clear of them? If they are this bad, then are there other makes of motorhomes which have this much of a problem?

New Imala T615 in March 2015 kept it for 2-1/2" years; great van no damp. I have ordered a new Apache for March 18 delivery because I have confidence in the brand. How many vans sold v how many complaints of damp; if the actual true figures are there, I haven't seen them. Forums are full of people telling their stories but I would guess it is the same people on many forums making the numbers look higher. I am not denying that there could be problems with Autotrails but you will get some horror stories with all makes, yes, even Hymer but your investigations should lead you to your choice whichever make that is. If buying second hand, make sure you have all of the up to date hab/cab certification and get an independant damp check done if you are not confident enough to do that yourself. Good Luck

 

[Hazelnut]

We just sold our 11 year Old Autotrail Tracker no damp at all only changed cos we wanted a fixed bed.think it's the newer ones that seem to have more problems.we loved our little Tracker.

 

[PP Bear]

My AT Dakota is heading for its 12th birthday, the last 7 years with me.

Not a single sight of damp anywhere at all and loved every minute of owning it.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re not perfect, but then which ones are 100% perfect.

The odd rattle, misaligned screws etc, but that’s it. Good luck with it all

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[Blue Knight]

We've been looking hard to work out which motorhome is going to work best for us and high on our shortlist are the Tribute 620 or Imala 620,

Mark, Mindy,

I would be very cautious about spending your hard earned cash on an Autotrail 620 Imala as in my opinion it's a dangerous van to drive when it is fully loaded for motorhome adventures.

At 6.34m in length, excluding bike racks, the Imala 620 is quite a useful van for touring (in principle) but in reality I found it to have some quite significant stability issues when traveling on country roads, B-roads and some A-roads.

The big problem with all of the 620 variants (not the 615 I may add), is that all of the weighty items are either on the rear axle or behind it. This inlcudes: Fridge, huge cooker, wooden benches and wooden storage facilities, heating system, TV aerial, wardrobe, shower and wooden cubicle surround, toilet and cassette, bike rack (and bikes) and the dreaded fresh water tank.

That said, if you don't load anything in the van (yeh right) then it drives fine but once you pack it for touring then that's when the real stability problems begin. If you then add water to the fresh tank then all I can say is hold on and hope for the best!! If you want a real Bear Grylls adrenaline-pumping experience then add a couple of bikes to the rack and go for it. Enough said.

We bought a new 66-plate Autotrail Imala DD-format 620 in Sep-16 and by January 2017 we had already part-exchanged it for something else.

All the best,

Andrew

 

[zac]

Only had 1 new autotrail delaware, failed both habitation checks with over 90% damp in garage. I also had numerous other serious faults which although were covered under warranty it was a lot of hassle and stress which is something we can all do without. For me no more AT's but then i now have a new Rapido and although no damp i am still getting a few serious issues which again causes stress so i dont think there are any that wont do this in some shape or form. Just my opinion.

 

[eddie]

We've been looking hard to work out which motorhome is going to work best for us and high on our shortlist are the Tribute 620 or Imala 620, however a lot of people talk about the damp and water ingress issues on AutoTrails.

Are they really that bad? Should we steer totally clear of them? If they are this bad, then are there other makes of motorhomes which have this much of a problem?

My Mother in Law has had three Autotrails (which I look after) No problems with any of them what so ever.

The only water problem encountered was condensation as she will boil a kettle 20 times a day and shuts herself up as snug in a bug in a rug, when it is cold. A Fantasic Vent to replace the kitchen ven sorted that problem

I would happily buy an autotrail or a Kon Tiki (I've had two of them)

My mates Clou Liner leaked like a sieve when he got it and he could of bought several Autotrails with what he paid for that

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[Ivory55]

As said they all have problems, it’s only the name on the front that changes.

 

[Mark and Mindy]

Thanks to everybody for their replies.

We're not rushing into anything as we don't actually have any money yet and won't until later in the year

We're off to the NEC at the end of February, the Peterborough show in April and have rented a Tribute 620 for a week in June which we're going to take into Wales and after that we'll have a sit down and see where we go from there.

I read as much as I can from the forum which is why I asked the question as I have seen various posts regarding ATs.

 

[simbadog]

Mine is dry apart from leaks from the wine & beer storage area, levels seem to go down rapidly!

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[ABZSteve]

Mark, Mindy,

I would be very cautious about spending your hard earned cash on an Autotrail 620 Imala as in my opinion it's a dangerous van to drive when it is fully loaded for motorhome adventures.

At 6.34m in length, excluding bike racks, the Imala 620 is quite a useful van for touring (in principle) but in reality I found it to have some quite significant stability issues when traveling on country roads, B-roads and some A-roads.

The big problem with all of the 620 variants (not the 615 I may add), is that all of the weighty items are either on the rear axle or behind it. This inlcudes: Fridge, huge cooker, wooden benches and wooden storage facilities, heating system, TV aerial, wardrobe, shower and wooden cubicle surround, toilet and cassette, bike rack (and bikes) and the dreaded fresh water tank.

That said, if you don't load anything in the van (yeh right) then it drives fine but once you pack it for touring then that's when the real stability problems begin. If you then add water to the fresh tank then all I can say is hold on and hope for the best!! If you want a real Bear Grylls adrenaline-pumping experience then add a couple of bikes to the rack and go for it. Enough said.

We bought a new 66-plate Autotrail Imala DD-format 620 in Sep-16 and by January 2017 we had already part-exchanged it for something else.

All the best,

Andrew

I don't understand this . The only difference between the 620 and 615 is the dinette right? I had 30 months of hassle free driving even when fully loaded including a full water tank. That is why I don't undertsand, not because I want an argument

 

[Minxy]

I don't understand this . The only difference between the 620 and 615 is the dinette right? I had 30 months of hassle free driving even when fully loaded including a full water tank. That is why I don't undertsand, not because I want an argument

I don't understand it either ...

Imala 620:

Imala 615:

 

[Blue Knight]

I don't understand this . The only difference between the 620 and 615 is the dinette right? I had 30 months of hassle free driving even when fully loaded including a full water tank. That is why I don't undertsand, not because I want an argument

That's interesting indeed. I mistakenly thought that the 615 was a bit like the Apache 634 layout, hence my comment, so that's entirely my fault for having a memory like a brick.

That said, our Imala 620 was a very poor handling van when loaded and I had numerous occasions when the rear end would dangerously sway.

The funny thing about this scenerio is that I'm supposed to be an advanced car driver and motorcyclist so it appears that the 620 beat me hands down.

@Minxy Girl Mel, cheers for the diagrams