Are we stupid?

Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Posts
217
Likes collected
195
Location
Addingham, West Yorkshire, UK
Funster No
40,104
MH
Rapido 7099f
Exp
Veteran
Based on information I reveived today anyone who has bought a new motorhome is stupid. Hear me out please.

I need a new lock mechanism for the hab dor on my Rapido 7099F. Looking on Ebay I found hundreds that are similar but not the correct one. Average Price £50? See below.
IMG_0331.webp

I called Brownhills for a price for the correct part and based on the quote a new motorhome priced at equivalent ebay similar lock price would be about £7000. 10% of actual cost as the quote was £316 plus VAT! Its the principle not the maths
I wonder if that sort of mark up by Rapido borders on criminal but it mesns that trade in mohos will come bodged or with incorrect parts.
If nobody bought a new motorhome for 2 years these daft orives would come down. We have the power to get prices on a par with reality but I doubt we have the will. Thats why we are stupid.
This is the required part if anyone has any better idea to solve the problem than using a 6“ nail.
IMG_2500.webp
 
Many years ago I had a friend worked in a multi franchise workshop which serviced Ford, VW, Audi and Mercedes. In those days petrol engines mostly had an ignition distributor with contact breaker 'points' and a condenser, there was a version of all of those marques with a four cylinder engine and a Bosch distributor which all used the same 'points'. Dependent of which marque the service invoice was for defined the price of the 'points'. Needless to say if you drove a Ford the price was much less than if you drove an Merc!
 
Upvote 0
I used to ride a 900 Honda Hornet some years back and a friend worked for a Honda main dealer. At the time the price new for a Honda VFR800 was £3,800, but he did a print out of the full parts list and to build the bike from new spare parts was just over £80,000!!
Blimey, I was massively ripped off with my year old VFR800 then, paid way more than £3800...... (In around 2001 (when the 900 hornet came out) the VFR was c £8000.)
 
Upvote 0
Blimey, I was massively ripped off with my year old VFR800 then, paid way more than £3800...... (In around 2001 (when the 900 hornet came out) the VFR was c £8000.)
Yes that should have been £8,300! I paid £5k second hand for my Hornet!
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
M
Blimey, I was massively ripped off with my year old VFR800 then, paid way more than £3800...... (In around 2001 (when the 900 hornet came out) the VFR was c £8000.)
My Kawasaki ZX6R was £6000 in July 2001, what a mental motorcycle that was, coupled with me being 33 and stupid it was frightening 😑 sold it in 2005 😎 I've calmed down a little nowadays enough to have a bike again 😇
 
Upvote 0
I thought my Hornet was pretty fast (lots of low down grunt but not much top end, which was fine as it was a naked bike) until one of my brothers bought a Repsol tuned Fireblade and I had a go on that. Absolutely bonkers and how he rode it was beyond me.

My friend still has his ZX6R, which only comes out in the summer and is mint. Lovely bike.
4cde6bd4-ba54-4ee2-a7ec-ba10e3d7dc5f.webp

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
I needed two tiny O rings for the Aircon condenser on my Hyundai.
Tried all local repair shops, anywhere that's serviced Aircon and the main dealer.
No luck, even the main dealer had to order for next day.
Cost for one 9mm and one 12mm rubber O ring .....£9.
I could buy from Amazon, eBay, a box of 50 assorted Aircon suitable O rings for ten quid, but no guarantee it contained the exact sizes
There's only a few sizes for cars so I bought a box of 240 assorted sizes for about £8 a few weeks ago. An 8.8x1.9mm and 12x2mm worked a treat so I've now got 238 spares 😂
 
Upvote 0
You need an engineer friend to look at it and come up with a repair using metalwork skills or 3D printing. In theory if it is possible to make something it must also be possible to repair it
 
Upvote 0
Based on information I reveived today anyone who has bought a new motorhome is stupid. Hear me out please.

I need a new lock mechanism for the hab dor on my Rapido 7099F. Looking on Ebay I found hundreds that are similar but not the correct one. Average Price £50? See below.View attachment 1069785
I called Brownhills for a price for the correct part and based on the quote a new motorhome priced at equivalent ebay similar lock price would be about £7000. 10% of actual cost as the quote was £316 plus VAT! Its the principle not the maths
I wonder if that sort of mark up by Rapido borders on criminal but it mesns that trade in mohos will come bodged or with incorrect parts.
If nobody bought a new motorhome for 2 years these daft orives would come down. We have the power to get prices on a par with reality but I doubt we have the will. Thats why we are stupid.
This is the required part if anyone has any better idea to solve the problem than using a 6“ nail.
View attachment 1069786
At least dick Turpin wore a mask
Wb
 
Upvote 0
Unfortunately, that often means starting wit German engineering.

Although even that is no longer guaranteed.
Agree not a guarantee
So many components come from other suppliers.
We have a Globecar which has been very good but there was still a couple of minor glitches in the early days.
Nothing big but still need a trip back to the dealers.

The more builders use their own custom equipment the more the cost down the line.

Headlights on some Hymers come to mind :oops:
 
Upvote 0
I thought my Hornet was pretty fast (lots of low down grunt but not much top end, which was fine as it was a naked bike) until one of my brothers bought a Repsol tuned Fireblade and I had a go on that. Absolutely bonkers and how he rode it was beyond me.

My friend still has his ZX6R, which only comes out in the summer and is mint. Lovely bike.
View attachment 1070101
This was mine 🥰
Screenshot_20250611_210310_Photos.webp

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Upvote 0
Based on information I reveived today anyone who has bought a new motorhome is stupid. Hear me out please.

I need a new lock mechanism for the hab dor on my Rapido 7099F. Looking on Ebay I found hundreds that are similar but not the correct one. Average Price £50? See below.View attachment 1069785
I called Brownhills for a price for the correct part and based on the quote a new motorhome priced at equivalent ebay similar lock price would be about £7000. 10% of actual cost as the quote was £316 plus VAT! Its the principle not the maths
I wonder if that sort of mark up by Rapido borders on criminal but it mesns that trade in mohos will come bodged or with incorrect parts.
If nobody bought a new motorhome for 2 years these daft orives would come down. We have the power to get prices on a par with reality but I doubt we have the will. Thats why we are stupid.
This is the required part if anyone has any better idea to solve the problem than using a 6“ nail.
View attachment 1069786
It may well be Brownhills own mark up, they are reknowned for their prices. As an example they charge non 'members' well over £400 to fit an additional twin CBE socket - the parts cost less than £20. Another? They charged a friend of mine £100 to deliver a Remis shower screen.
 
Upvote 0
And we all have something was bought cheaply half a century ago and still going strong, like our ironing board.

I remember reading a similar time ago that if you bought all the parts to build a Ford Cortina it would cost you 20 times the price of a complete car. I am sure the same is true for todays models, Parts have to be held in appropriate conditions, sometimes for donkeys years. When you order a part, you order one, The manufacturer will have ordered a large quantity, so shipping cost per items is significantly less. As already said, the volume produced of a single model motorhome is low, but we are fortunate that many use standard parts giving at least some options for replacing windows etc.

Not sure how the impacts of Brexit can be blamed on overseas dealers. We democratically voted to leave Europe, and in doing so created the various problems frequently complained about here. A significant minority thought that it would not be a good thing, but have generally accepted the impacts of that democratic result. (In many cases I know of with better grace than those who voted to leave who are now whinging about pet passports, Schengen travel rules, cost of imports etc etc).

Also unsure how a Saab issue is Rip off Britain when they were Swedish!!!
I’m not blaming EU dealers it’s not their fault I’m complaining of extortionate pricing of spares from UK Hymer dealers😊
 
Upvote 0
Rolls Royce used air cushion suspension and each sphere was over £500......... Unless you bought them from Citroen for £40
Sorry, just me nitpicking, citroens suspension was hydrolic not air, my understanding was that it was also not strong enough to support the whole weight of a RR so was used to supplement conventional suspension.

Having said that, it doesn't invalidate the point of your post, of them being over 10 times the price.

I dont know about the later years, Originally RR were very quality control conscious, and may well have re-tested the parts to a higher standard than came from the citroen factory, rejecting parts that they didn't feel were up to their standard.

I guy i had the privilege to know when I was young, was an apprentice at RR, at that time all the engines were run-in on testbeds before being fitted to the cars, one of his jobs was to go along and listen to each engine while it was running I believe with a peice of wood acting like a stethoscope, the noiser ones went into the Bentleys.
But I am talking about a very long time ago.
 
Upvote 0
It was not air or hydraulic, it was Hydropneumatic suspension. Oil, and air.
I stand corrected, I ought to know better to comment without double checking, no excuse I have owned two Citroëns with hydropneumatic suspension, I blame it on the jet lag, just got back off holidays 🤣
 
Upvote 0

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top