Adria - a little disappointed. (1 Viewer)

[MannClan]

we took possession of our Adria Matrix 670SL - the anniversary edition - in December 2015 and we were absolutely delighted with it - in fact we still are, its great.

however tried to have a couple of things done to it recently which really opened our eyes.

upgraded the basic radio to a Kenwood all singing all dancing satnav dab etc. the fitter came back to me and said " I thought this was a 2015 van" pardon said I. apparently its got the correct loom for the year but the dash is from a previous year. so to do anything you have to have new items and old fittings - not happy.

tried to get a towbar fitted after buying the bike rack at the NEC show only to find that the rear extensions where the towbar would normally be fitted are actually aluminium !!! So no towbar there then. I now have to get someone to manufacture a purpose built steel adapter and towbar so that I can use said bicycle rack.

looks like Adria where getting rid of old stock items when selling the anniversary van with all those extras - giving with one hand and taking away with the other.

truly disappointed.

 

[ianthebuilder]

Don't worry about it Mann,,,

I fell in love with a 25 yr old,,, it was only on our honeymoon she told me she was 35 with a long history!!

And like your mhome she had old bits modified!!! Xxxx

All you can do is enjoy the ride!!! Xx

 

[Lenny HB]

Check your Certificates of Conformity you should have either 2 or 3, The Fiat one will tell you when the cab was made, the Adria one will give the production date for the conversion and if you have an Al-Ko chassis there will be one for that as well.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[tonyidle]

we took possession of our Adria Matrix 670SL - the anniversary edition - in December 2015 and we were absolutely delighted with it - in fact we still are, its great.

however tried to have a couple of things done to it recently which really opened our eyes.

upgraded the basic radio to a Kenwood all singing all dancing satnav dab etc. the fitter came back to me and said " I thought this was a 2015 van" pardon said I. apparently its got the correct loom for the year but the dash is from a previous year. so to do anything you have to have new items and old fittings - not happy.

tried to get a towbar fitted after buying the bike rack at the NEC show only to find that the rear extensions where the towbar would normally be fitted are actually aluminium !!! So no towbar there then. I now have to get someone to manufacture a purpose built steel adapter and towbar so that I can use said bicycle rack.

looks like Adria where getting rid of old stock items when selling the anniversary van with all those extras - giving with one hand and taking away with the other.

truly disappointed.

No motorhomes are produced where the base vehicle date of manufacture coincides with the date of conversion. They can be more than a year apart. And the converter (unless fitting a custom part) has no control over what parts are used to build the base vehicle. A fact of life for any motorhome owner - it isn't just you .

These people (and no doubt others) can supply a towbar and fittings for your vehicle:

http://www.watling-towbars.co.uk/docs/Motorhome towbars.pdf

 

[Lenny HB]

All 3 Hymers we have had have been converted within a few weeks of the base vehicle manufacture date. By comparision a couple of Carthago owners I know the conversion was over a year after base vehicle was made.

 

[MannClan]

guys thanks for your replies/thoughts they put it in perspective - guess we just expected a new vehicle - how naïve can you get !!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Deleted member 29692]

upgraded the basic radio to a Kenwood all singing all dancing satnav dab etc. the fitter came back to me and said " I thought this was a 2015 van" pardon said I. apparently its got the correct loom for the year but the dash is from a previous year. so to do anything you have to have new items and old fittings - not happy.

Standard.

The motorhome build/conversion would have been 2015.

The base chassis it was built on will be at least 12 months older if not more. Nothing unusual or sinister about that.

When you order a MH that doesn't trigger a chassis build. The converters bulk order those well in advance.

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

And like your mhome she had old bits modified!!!

Where you in Thailand at the time?

 

[DavidG58]

Our Hymer has more dates than you would like

05 chassis

06 build

07 spec

09 registered

08 spent parked up during the recession awaiting purchase (or more likely being trampled through by loads of lookers)

hope you sort out these current items, but don't let the disappointment get in the way, nothing has really changed

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

Our Hymer has more dates than you would like
06 build

07 spec

Must be the only bit about your van thats normal David.
Following years models start production Aug/Sept.

 

[BusyBuilder]

Yes, my B544 although a '62 plate I find stickers on items that are dated late 2011.

How long does it take to manufacture a German A class and ship it over to Travelworld then register to sell.

 

[John Stanton]

All 3 Hymers we have had have been converted within a few weeks of the base vehicle manufacture date. By comparision a couple of Carthago owners I know the conversion was over a year after base vehicle was made.

That's definitely not our experience of our one (and definitely last) Hymer - most MH manufacturers are chasing "bottom line" profit and will use any opportunity to achieve that - I'm pleased you were lucky but we know from very bitter experience that Hymer are no different and are most certainly no "saints"

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[wizzer59]

So no happy anniversary to you then





Sorry

 

[138go]

If it's got an ALKO Chassis then it also has to go and be fitted. So manufactured by FIAT. Shipped to ALKO then Shipped to Converter. Stored while they wait for orders. It all takes time.

 

[MR. FUSION]

This all makes a bit of a mockery of servicing schedules, my MH base was over a year old when bought new. So I have shifted the fluids servicing up a year. The 2 year FIAT engine oil change recommendation is a bad joke, as many of these base vehicles have been sitting around for months/years with contaminated engine oil in them. I changed mine after 800 miles, if I hadn't and followed the recommendations it would have been a 3 year oil change !!!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

This all makes a bit of a mockery of servicing schedules, my MH base was over a year old when bought new. So I have shifted the fluids servicing up a year. The 2 year FIAT engine oil change recommendation is a bad joke, as many of these base vehicles have been sitting around for months/years with contaminated engine oil in them. I changed mine after 800 miles, if I hadn't and followed the recommendations it would have been a 3 year oil change !!!

Not really a problem with modern fully synthetic oils, what is more concerning is if a vehicles has been stored for a year is the damage to the engine on start up when all the oil has drained from the bores. Also I doubt if the battery is kept charged, and what about all the other enginge & brake components that can get damaged/stuck by being left that long.

 

[Gaston aires]

1. My "brand new 2016" had a problem with continental Vanco front tyres. On inspection they were date stamped Nov 2014. This is not unusual for vans and no big deal.
2. Phil

 

[bellabee]

Just happened to have our CoC's to hand . Dates as follows: Fiat 31/1/17, Alko 3/4/17, Hymer 12/4/17 .
Just out of interest, how long does it take for a converter to make a van? Looks as though it took Hymer a matter of days. Do they do factory visits? I'd love to see them being made.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Xabia]

If it's got an ALKO Chassis then it also has to go and be fitted. So manufactured by FIAT. Shipped to ALKO then Shipped to Converter. Stored while they wait for orders. It all takes time.[/QUOT

I don’t know about other manufacturers but at Hymer the Fiat cab sections are joined together back to back and shipped from Fiat to Bad Waldsee in that configuration. They are then parted and married up to the Alko chassis which is delivered on a just in time basis.

 

[Lenny HB]

Just happened to have our CoC's to hand . Dates as follows: Fiat 31/1/17, Alko 3/4/17, Hymer 12/4/17 .
Just out of interest, how long does it take for a converter to make a van? Looks as though it took Hymer a matter of days. Do they do factory visits? I'd love to see them being made.

About 2 hours. Yes they do factory visits not sure if you can do an individual one. I think the HCI organise one every couple of years if there is enough interest.

 

[TerryL]

Surprised about the Kenwood radio - I've just had one fitted to our 2007 Bolero, replacing the Blaupunkt, and fitter had no problems (well there was one but it wasn't his fault and I sorted it myself later). Took him longer to fit the DAB aerial than the radio!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[138go]

If you want to fit a Double Din SatNav into a later model Fiat you have to get a Dremel out so that you can make room for the Double Dim cage. The standard Fiat radio / SaNav is NOT a double din unit although it looks like it. Fiat use a single din holder and their units have a bottom overhang thus giving the illusion of being bigger. Its all a bit of a tight fit but can be done.

 

[Lofty1]

Things sometimes stand a long time, Just bought a Tata safari made in 2010, with 300 miles from new still not been dewaxed, problems ' none so far think the dealer changed the battery and tyres. Why it was cheap for a new 4x4 under half new price.

 

[Allanm]

I was concerned a while ago about how old the base chassis on our Autosleeper was after reading similar stories about length of time to build. We bought the van at the end of May 2013, the conversion was completed a week before we bought it and the chassis cab was completed in April. The tyres were all week 12/2013.
The benefits of a smaller manufacturer?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[deleted-member02]

Just happened to have our CoC's to hand . Dates as follows: Fiat 31/1/17, Alko 3/4/17, Hymer 12/4/17 .
Just out of interest, how long does it take for a converter to make a van? Looks as though it took Hymer a matter of days. Do they do factory visits? I'd love to see them being made.

Not quite the same as a factory visit but interesting nonetheless