Autotrail woes (1 Viewer)

[joner8888]

I think all dealers when taking £££££££`s for a motorhome, ought to acually have a c c site nearby.

They can hook up, use the appliances ect, how it will be used by the customer.

Spray water all over for leaks.

Not just PDI /polish and deliver .

I have new cars/vans sometimes and the only part the dealer has to do is fix the number plates on STRAIGHT - it can`t be that difficult can it?

 

[Jaws]

Thank you, John, for volunteering to take on all the trials and tribulations of every Funster. I'm sure that we will all ensure we are not bored by discussing your troubles whilst happy in the knowledge that we shall have trouble free lives

No problem Graham :thumb:

As it happens.............................

A good many of the folk who visit the sun for winter will actually testify that I do more or less wander round looking for stuff to work on !! ( I get bored easily !! LOL !! )

 

[knokinonabit]

I think all dealers when taking £££££££`s for a motorhome, ought to acually have a c c site nearby.

They can hook up, use the appliances ect, how it will be used by the customer.

Spray water all over for leaks.

Not just PDI /polish and deliver .

I have new cars/vans sometimes and the only part the dealer has to do is fix the number plates on STRAIGHT - it can`t be that difficult can it?

I decided to lift the carpets the other day to give the floor a good vacuum and sweep to get rid of bits of stray grass etc.
Imagine my face when I discovered that the floor was filthy. It hadn't been cleaned prior to delivery and all of the people who had viewed it whilst it was on the forecourt had certainly left their mark(s).
An hour on my hands and knees with hot water and Flash and it was a different colour.
So if a dealer can't be bothered to clean a new MH what else can't they be bothered to do ? :Angry:

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[Jaws]

When we bought our present van, we arranged collection for 10 days after the payment as I wanted various changes, such as the boiler ( wanted gas and electric ), a ladder, roof rails etc, and the guy said they needed at least a full day to go through the van and clean it properly

Imagine my absolute disgust at finding ( and sorry, no nice way to put it ) the shower plug hole still full of pubic hair ( proly CLEAN pubic hair but still !! )

I pointed it out and they wanted to keep the van for another SEVEN days to redo the cleaning

I said nope, I want my money back ( whole lot had been paid ) unless we could collect it within 2 hours

Amazingly 2 hours was long enough !!

Returned and inspected it and all was well

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

I think all dealers when taking £££££££`s for a motorhome, ought to acually have a c c site nearby.
They can hook up, use the appliances ect, how it will be used by the customer.
Spray water all over for leaks.
Not just PDI /polish and deliver .

We actually recommend to all our customers that they stay locally to us for two or three days so that any teething problems can be sorted out immediately.

They can come back and go straight to the workshop manager and get it sorted there and then, (subject to parts not being required) No booking in required.

Peter

 

[whingyraindrop]

We have bought an Autotrail Comanche 3 weeks ago and traded in our 2011 Elddis 155.
The Comanche is also 2011 but has been unsold until we came along.
We did get it for a very reasonable price and to be fair 2 of the faults were pointed out to us with the promise of repair.
One was a crack in the habitation door handle mounting caused by people tugging at the door (allegedly) and the other was the drivers door blind mounting coming adrift. It has now come so adrift that if you open the drivers door the blind falls out.
Both the leisure battery and the vehicle battery have died (both replaced straight away).
The gas bottle locker catches are secured by plastic cable ties. one snapped at the first time of using and I had to grovel around with a long screwdriver to open the door from under the MH. Apparently this is the way they are all fastened !!!!!!!
The fresh and grey water taps are leaking (waiting for new ones).
The fresh water tank had a lot of plastic swarfe, from where the holes were cut for the pipes to fit, and I had to flush them out.
Reversing camera cuts out intermitantly when reversing (needs new camera head)
The water pump was exceptionaly noisy because the filter bowl was rattling off the pipes and its mounting points (rectified).
The light switch for the main hab lights only works when it feels like it (worked in the workshop, so they can't find a fault !!!!!).
Various info books are missing so I am downloading them from the appropriate web sites as I can't wait for the dealer to "find" them.

Just to add insult to injury, the Fiat reversing judder is very prominent, so this will mean a visit to my local Iveco dealer and more delays.

Other than that, we are very pleased with it, the one time that we have been able to use it. Hopefully all the bits will arrive from Autotrail and we can have a fully functioning MH to enjoy.

Please excuse my ignorance here, I may be missing something...

If I buy ANYTHING that is unfit for purpose and / or isn't what I expected to receive in return for the agreed payment, I ALWAYS reject the goods. Depending on the circumstances I can make a very loud noise about it too!

I have done this with electrical goods, furniture, carpets, clothing etc. I would certainly not hesitate to do this with something costing the amount of a MH! My thoughts are that if I have found something wrong, then how much is wrong that I haven't found? Its because people generally accept poor service that we get so much of it. By accepting the unacceptable I am taking ownership of someone elses problem, and I have enough of my own.

I really hope that it works out well for you and that this experience will soon be a distant memory.

Lorraine x

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[davanne]

We actually recommend to all our customers that they stay locally to us for two or three days so that any teething problems can be sorted out immediately.

They can come back and go straight to the workshop manager and get it sorted there and then, (subject to parts not being required) No booking in required.

Peter

I can vouch for your service Peter you were exceptionally good with us last week when we bought the Autotrail Miami.

 

[FULL TIMER]

At the end of the day this is very true! (although it does depend on what the fault is and how it was caused and by whom!)

Peter

Believe me Peter, the list was never ending I don't think 2007 was the best year for quality at Swift, but the worst of the warrenty stuff was the constantly delaminating floor, leaking awning rail causing damp in the rear of the washroom the fridge freezer cooling unit failed within a month the interior light never worked properly and in 5 years I had to fit 4 240v elements, shower tray was fitted with a sharp edge protruding into it causing a split, as was the washroom sink , kitchen worktop replaced three times due to water getting into it via the useless seal around the sink despite me asking the dealer to seal the edge before refitting the sink in the new worktop. I will aso add that I found the damp and delamination within a week of it being in for a service and damp check. as for PDI that was a joke Our first night I had to re plumb the water system due to leaks and it being plumbed up incorrectly hot water coming through cold tap and no non return valve in cold supply to boiler. I have to say I'm glad I'am in the trade and was able to get through a muddle when I needed to as I would have had to wait weeks at a time for the dealer to get things done , and it appalls me to dee how some dealers treat customers, I know when we build motorcaravans or specialist vehicles for customers we very rarely have problems having said that we are not mass producing but our customers also know that if they turn up at our workshop the matter is dealt with there and then most of the time, I assume you are much the same as you also seem to have a good reputation amongst fellow forum members......Mark (Huntsman Conversions)

 

[journeyman]

As someone who is still at the research stage of a purchase, I read all threads on here avidly. Through the site I have gained a much better idea of the market, the dealers and the pitfalls. I now know which dealers(within reasonable travelling distance) constantly overprice their vans, which dealers fail to provide proper PDI's, which dealers fail miserably in customer service and of course which dealers make a decent job of selling a product at a fair price and provide the required customer service when things go wrong.

If I was a dealer, I would certainly be on this forum and the dark side, engaging with the community. John Cross does this to their credit, i'm sure it means extra and repeat business to them. Lots of the issues customers have could easily be rectified by listening to the community and adopting procedures that prevent poor handovers. SIMPLE STUFF DEALERS! I aim at the dealers, because thats who we buy the product directly from. You pocket the cash, you take the responsibility for product...simples.

Im still amazed that Lowdhams as an example have made no attempt to repair their reputation. If I was managing that concern, it would have been a priority to get someone on here, engaging. We are a small community, reputation is everything. The big companies are very vulnerable at this time....wise up guys. Remember Discovery Leisure? The customer is always king....eventually.

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[Jaws]

When we bought our present van, we arranged collection for 10 days after the payment as I wanted various changes, such as the boiler ( wanted gas and electric ), a ladder, roof rails etc, and the guy said they needed at least a full day to go through the van and clean it properly

Imagine my absolute disgust at finding ( and sorry, no nice way to put it ) the shower plug hole still full of pubic hair ( proly CLEAN pubic hair but still !! )

I pointed it out and they wanted to keep the van for another SEVEN days to redo the cleaning

I said nope, I want my money back ( whole lot had been paid ) unless we could collect it within 2 hours

Amazingly 2 hours was long enough !!

Returned and inspected it and all was well

I should have mentioned in the above post...

Since that incident Stowmarket Caravans have given absolute top notch customer service, and in all honesty I would happily recommend them.

And to be fair, I later found out they had 'got someone in' to clean the van.
From what I later gathered, the 'proper' clean it had after my moan was done by an employee and the original cleaners never had any more work for them..

 

[WhiteCheyenneMan]

We moved from looking at caravans in 2010 (because our Volvo wasn’t big enough to tow the vans we liked!) to motorhomes in 2011. We found a lovely 2010 Cheyenne 740SE with less than 1,000 miles, but it was rather overpriced. In addition, whilst having 4 berths, it only had two belted seats and we wanted our adult daughter to come on some trips. The very friendly and helpful dealer said that he could quote for fitting a belted Captain’s chair and we eagerly accepted his offer and supplied our contact details………………..and that was the last we heard. Don’t think it has sold yet, although the price has been reduced
We gave up waiting for the quote and immediately found another 740SE at Kent Motorhome Centre, near Maidstone. It was a 2008 model, 4000 miles, 3 berth but with 4 belted seats. Habitation aircon, heated water tanks, additional electric hot water tank, 2 leisure batteries, safety bar and tow bracket etc………….. Much cheaper than the previous find and in excellent condition :thumb:
We bought it because we like the KMC staff as well as the vehicle, negotiation was quick and easy. Our first ‘round the corner’ test camp never happened and we set off on a three week tour of Europe as complete novices! Whilst staying with relatives in Vienna (in their garden that is!) the water pump failed and the control panel went beserk. With the help of my nephew we zapped the water pump back to life (it failed again later) and KMC talked us through sorting the control panel’s epilepsy over the phone.
Soon after we returned home, two windows sprang serious leaks. KMC’s response to all this was, ‘No problem, we’ll sort it’. And they did. The pump and control panel were caused by a poor earthing contact behind the main control and fuse box and, because we were going away again quite soon, they siliconed the windows and they haven’t leaked since. That was a year ago but, now out of warranty, KMC have promised that when the silicon starts to degrade, and it surely will, they will remove the windows and completely refit them at no charge. And I know that they will.
Since then we’ve had three problems: 1. Two of the three roof lights failed to lock, despite KMC adjusting and lubricating and saying ‘bring it back if you’re not satisfied’. They have replaced the mechanisms on both under KMC’s own warranty; 2. They cleaned the filters and dismantled the electrics on the Dometic when the habitation aircon ceased to cool. They found no fault, but must have moved something as it works now! No charge; 3. Habitation door handle broke. They asked if I would mind ordering the parts from Auto Trail as they were very busy (there’s only four of them, but up to 25 vans at a time) and their parts guy was away. I was happy to do that because we have a good relationship with them and buying parts from Auto Trail is a doddle (It’s questions and claims that they seem to have a problem with oh. In the end, with help from the forum, I fitted the replacement handle myself in an afternoon
So, if you’re in the region, I can’t recommend Kent Motorhome Centre too highly. We deal with the original sales man but he frequently brings Tom, their technician, in to talk over the details. No, I’m not connected with their business and, so far as I know, they don’t visit this forum :thumb:

 

[knokinonabit]

We moved from looking at caravans in 2010 (because our Volvo wasn’t big enough to tow the vans we liked!) to motorhomes in 2011. We found a lovely 2010 Cheyenne 740SE with less than 1,000 miles, but it was rather overpriced. In addition, whilst having 4 berths, it only had two belted seats and we wanted our adult daughter to come on some trips. The very friendly and helpful dealer said that he could quote for fitting a belted Captain’s chair and we eagerly accepted his offer and supplied our contact details………………..and that was the last we heard. Don’t think it has sold yet, although the price has been reduced
We gave up waiting for the quote and immediately found another 740SE at Kent Motorhome Centre, near Maidstone. It was a 2008 model, 4000 miles, 3 berth but with 4 belted seats. Habitation aircon, heated water tanks, additional electric hot water tank, 2 leisure batteries, safety bar and tow bracket etc………….. Much cheaper than the previous find and in excellent condition :thumb:
We bought it because we like the KMC staff as well as the vehicle, negotiation was quick and easy. Our first ‘round the corner’ test camp never happened and we set off on a three week tour of Europe as complete novices! Whilst staying with relatives in Vienna (in their garden that is!) the water pump failed and the control panel went beserk. With the help of my nephew we zapped the water pump back to life (it failed again later) and KMC talked us through sorting the control panel’s epilepsy over the phone.
Soon after we returned home, two windows sprang serious leaks. KMC’s response to all this was, ‘No problem, we’ll sort it’. And they did. The pump and control panel were caused by a poor earthing contact behind the main control and fuse box and, because we were going away again quite soon, they siliconed the windows and they haven’t leaked since. That was a year ago but, now out of warranty, KMC have promised that when the silicon starts to degrade, and it surely will, they will remove the windows and completely refit them at no charge. And I know that they will.
Since then we’ve had three problems: 1. Two of the three roof lights failed to lock, despite KMC adjusting and lubricating and saying ‘bring it back if you’re not satisfied’. They have replaced the mechanisms on both under KMC’s own warranty; 2. They cleaned the filters and dismantled the electrics on the Dometic when the habitation aircon ceased to cool. They found no fault, but must have moved something as it works now! No charge; 3. Habitation door handle broke. They asked if I would mind ordering the parts from Auto Trail as they were very busy (there’s only four of them, but up to 25 vans at a time) and their parts guy was away. I was happy to do that because we have a good relationship with them and buying parts from Auto Trail is a doddle (It’s questions and claims that they seem to have a problem with oh. In the end, with help from the forum, I fitted the replacement handle myself in an afternoon
So, if you’re in the region, I can’t recommend Kent Motorhome Centre too highly. We deal with the original sales man but he frequently brings Tom, their technician, in to talk over the details. No, I’m not connected with their business and, so far as I know, they don’t visit this forum :thumb:

What a pity they aren't all like that.

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[knokinonabit]

Newest update

I have a date to have two of the faults sorted. The 25th of October.
The new blind and control panel have finally arrived, but nothing else.
I have had to take pictures of the crack in the habitation door catch to e-mail to the dealer, so they can e-mail them to Auto-trail, who will then make a warranty decision.

Eventually I had to sort out the V5 myself by gathering up the proof of the vehicle type and going to the local DVLA office. I'm still waiting for it's return from Swansea.

Everything else is pending, as "they" say.

One day it may all be sorted out and we will feel confident and proud of our MH. Until then we will continue to feel let down by the dealer and Auto-trail.
We have a factory tour booked in at Auto-trail at the end of November, so if all is not put right by then, sparks will fly in full gaze of the public attendees.

The drivers door blind has now been replaced, as has the control panel.
Unfortunately, the new control panel lasted 24hrs and the screen has gone blank (no readouts at all) so I am waiting for yet another new one.

I am still waiting for the V5 from Swansea, even after numerous e-mails.

Also, I am still waiting for the fresh and grey water taps and the reversing camera to be replaced.

Auto-trail asked for pictures of the cracks in the hab door catch to be sent to them, which I have done, and I am still waiting for the outcome on that.
This is though it was clearly marked down on the purchase documents by the salesman at the time of collection.

The saga goes on :Angry:

 

[knokinonabit]

Update

After our visit to the factory (see thread Auto-Trail visit) we took advice from them re faults.

Basically, I sent an e-mail to the dealer listing all of the outstanding faullts and complaints and expressing my dissatisfaction with the service we had recieved so far, and stating that if asked I would not recommend Auto-Trail to anyone. I also copied in the Auto-trail factory.

Result. I have just had a phone call from the dealers after-sales manager, who had just had a phone call from Auto-Trail, and I am taking the MH in to them on Saturday morning to go through everything with him and get it sorted.

Needless to say there were all sorts of excuses and apologies, but at last I feel that I am getting somewhere. We will see.

Faults listed, in no particular order:
Gas bottle locker door fouls on gas bottles and won't close properly. Correct gas bottles are fitted.
The main habitation light sometimes won't switch on, and sometimes won't switch off.
The habitation door handle surround has a crack in it (from new) and was supposed to have been replaced as a matter of urgency.
Both the fresh and grey water drain taps leak (from new) and were supposed to have been replaced.
The nearside side facing seat is starting to fall apart. It has never been used as a bed and has only been sat on by "normal" sized people, not giants.
It would appear that at some time whilst the MH was in the dealer show room the hob glass cover has been broken and replaced as we keep getting glass appearing on the hob.
The reversing camera has only worked intermittantly from new and has been identified by the dealer as a faulty camera head. Still waiting for replacement.
I asked the factory if they could confirm that the water tanks had heating elements fitted, and gave them the build number so they could check their records. They suggested that I should crawl under the MH to see if I could see any wires poking out. I asked if they could tell me which are the level sensor wires and which the heating element wires. Still waiting for an answer.
Finally, the V5 has gone back to Swansea for the 3rd time as it still has the wrong weight down for the MH.

Other than that, everything is wonderful :Angry:

 

[f6c]

Lets hope you get it all SORTED

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[GJH]

Lets hope you get it all SORTED

I'm sure we all agree.

 

[Chris]

After reading this thread I can't tell you how glad I am to have an Autotrail on orderoh:

 

[knokinonabit]

After reading this thread I can't tell you how glad I am to have an Autotrail on orderoh:

I'm sure it'll be ok for you. Just make sure you give it a thorough going over when you collect it, and don't be hurried through the hand over. Ask as many "stupid" questions as you want, until YOU are satisfied that all is well. It's your hard earned, so you are entitled to be looked after. The dealers/manufacturers wouldn't exist if it wasn't for us.

Ours is now called Van Friday, cos it must have been a friday afternoon job. The factory closes early on fridays so the staff can have a long weekend, bless 'em.

Remember, be picky and be a bloody nuisance until it's right. I wasn't.

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[Chris]

I'm sure it'll be ok for you. Just make sure you give it a thorough going over when you collect it, and don't be hurried through the hand over. Ask as many "stupid" questions as you want, until YOU are satisfied that all is well. It's your hard earned, so you are entitled to be looked after. The dealers/manufacturers wouldn't exist if it wasn't for us.

Ours is now called Van Friday, cos it must have been a friday afternoon job. The factory closes early on fridays so the staff can have a long weekend, bless 'em.

Remember, be picky and be a bloody nuisance until it's right. I wasn't.

Good advice but I am a bit clueless to be honest

Fingers crossed.

 

[knokinonabit]

Good advice but I am a bit clueless to be honest

Fingers crossed.

Try and book yourself a visit to the factory before you collect your MH. you never know, you might even see yours being built. It's happened before.

Go to www.auto-trail.co.uk and scroll to the bottom of the page where you can click on factory tours. :thumb:

 

[rolandrat]

Auto-Trail woes

I once had a look at an Auto-Trail on the forcourt of Discover Leisure at Copull, although it was brand new it had been robbed for parts by the service guys so you couldn't blame Auto-Trail for delivering it in that condition. I walked away. Regarding transmission judder all the x250 post 2009 models have a later gearbox fitted, not modified, so there shouldn't be any judder at all. No matterwhat modifications have been done to the pre 2009 models i would avoid them like the plague but there again that is only me being cautious. During the period of juddergate there was a lot of assumptions being made as to what the cause was and what modifications were being done, and as I knew the local Fiat dealers senior fitter he explained to me the sort of remedial work that was being carried out and it was quite involved. Anyone considering buying an early x250 should take the chassis and registeration number to their local Fiat dealer and ask if any modifications or recall work has been carried out, that way you can decide whether to go ahead before you put a signature on a sales order form.

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[Chris]

Try and book yourself a visit to the factory before you collect your MH. you never know, you might even see yours being built. It's happened before.

Go to www.auto-trail.co.uk and scroll to the bottom of the page where you can click on factory tours. :thumb:

I might just do that.

I can sort of guarantee mine will be made on a Friday

 

[knokinonabit]

I once had a look at an Auto-Trail on the forcourt of Discover Leisure at Copull, although it was brand new it had been robbed for parts by the service guys so you couldn't blame Auto-Trail for delivering it in that condition. I walked away. Regarding transmission judder all the x250 post 2009 models have a later gearbox fitted, not modified, so there shouldn't be any judder at all. No matterwhat modifications have been done to the pre 2009 models i would avoid them like the plague but there again that is only me being cautious. During the period of juddergate there was a lot of assumptions being made as to what the cause was and what modifications were being done, and as I knew the local Fiat dealers senior fitter he explained to me the sort of remedial work that was being carried out and it was quite involved. Anyone considering buying an early x250 should take the chassis and registeration number to their local Fiat dealer and ask if any modifications or recall work has been carried out, that way you can decide whether to go ahead before you put a signature on a sales order form.

Mine's a 2011 (verified by Fiat) with a 3ltr engine and a judder.
It's only the latest Euro spec engines that have the new gearbox fitted, about two months after mine was made oh:.

 

[maxsdad]

After reading this thread I can't tell you how glad I am to have an Autotrail on orderoh:

No need to worry our 2011 Cherokee has been Ok apart from the radio and a few very minor niggles easly rectified myself no judder although i still feel the revers gear is to high ratio.
Changing it next month for a Rapido would have bought another Autotrail if they still built on a mercedes chassis.

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[Stewart J]

We bought a Tracker new in 2010, had loads of small niggley faults that a factory pdi should have sorted as should the dealer prior to delivery. Its a trek to return for fixing (some of the snags think diesel price) so sorted most myself, many were simple DIY stuff and I like to think I've probably done a better job than a fitter would, hell I hope so its my pride and joy.

We have just purchased a new Mohawk for delivery 1st March, luckily dealer received it couple of weeks ago so we have managed to spend a couple of hours going over it and are impressed at the improvements AT seem to have now implemented in their pdi. No readily identifiable problems hope it bode's well for our future ownership.

Must also say the dealer seems to have gone the extra mile to hear of our views and feedback so perhaps AT are finally listening to their customers and taking note.:thumb::thumb::thumb:

 

[Southampton]

I collected my Commanche in November and apart from one dodgy fuse have not had any problems at all, the build quality is good and I am very pleased with it. If asked I would recommend Autotrail to anyone. I suppose no matter what marque you get there will always be the odd rogue, it doesn't mean the brand is bad. I hope you get your problems solved and then you can start enjoying it.

 

[pablomc]

Always insist on doing the handover and inspection before parting with your money. That way you hold the power if you find any issues. :thumb:

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[Pikey Pete]

My 2011 Autocruise on a Boxer 3 has Judder.

Hartwell Peugeot "Fixed it" after keeping it for almost 5 weeks. Except of course they didn't, fix anything, they just gave it back to me with a grabbing clutch, notchy gear change and a rumbling noise from the gearbox.

It's currently in Peugeot Marbella having the gearbox removed for investigation.

To think I went from a Merc. to a Pug! What was I thinking of?oh:



Pete:Cool:

 

[rolandrat]

Auto-Trail woes

the 3ltr x250 has never had any modifications regarding Juddergate, according to my source at Fiat none are necessary. My previous Auto-Trail was a 3ltr and was no trouble at all, it was only when the 2.3's problems were sorted that I decided to get one. The 3ltr was very thirsty but sound.

 

[MitchandJenny]

Autotrail TRACKER EKS SE MARCH 2010

Hi KNOCKINOABIT. We do really feel for you as you struggle to get yours sorted, but it WILL be worth it mate... We were away in ours last year, doing the whole coast of France Spain and Portugal for over 3 months and doing 5,000 miles in slow time and the good news ? ? ?
It did'n't miss a beat and not a single problem except the hab door handle snapping off inside.
and a bit of a leaky kitchen tap which I swapped to the toilet sink so it was'n't as critical.. SO, it WILL be worth it... Very good luck... Mitch and Jenny.. :thumb:

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