Brownhills Now Selling New LHD Swift Range

Blue Knight

Blue Knight

Free Member
Joined
Aug 7, 2017
Posts
5,232
Likes collected
5,705
Location
Durham
Funster No
49,879
MH
Globecar Summit 640
Exp
2016
Five vans for sale so far:

Swift Toscane Motorhomes | Brownhills Motorhomes Limited

New Swift Toscane motorhomes for sale at Brownhills motorhomes. View our full range at great prices, all available with after sales services.
www.brownhills.co.uk www.brownhills.co.uk

Screenshot_20191125-174529_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
One of the very few foreign dealers must have cancelled an order.
If anyone buys ones it would need to be very cheap as I would think a LHD Swift would be very difficult to move on. Doubt if any UK dealers would take one in part ex, it's not even a model they sell in the UK. I also doubt if foreign dealers would touch one.
 
I parked next to one of these at Ferry Meadows in August. Had never seen a LHD Swift before. The guy who owned it said it was built for the Scandinavian market!
 
maz said:
I parked next to one of these at Ferry Meadows in August. Had never seen a LHD Swift before. The guy who owned it said it was built for the Scandinavian market!
Click to expand...
Ah but will it be winterised enough to cope up there, somehow I doubt it. I think if I was spending time in Scandinavia I’d need at least a double floor, and preferably alde heating (which some swifts have I believe).
 
We saw a quantity of LHD at Brownhills 3 years ago, it was a cancelled Export order that Brownhills snapped up from swift and were doing deals on the selling prices.
 
Point of order | Fact Check :D

Ten years ago there were serious moans here about Swift motorhomes. In fact, things were so bad Swift had an employee monitor our forums all day, every day. Nowadays, here at least, there are no more complaints about swift vans than any number of vans made on the continent.
 
Jim said:
Point of order | Fact Check :D

Ten years ago there were serious moans here about Swift motorhomes. In fact, things were so bad Swift had an employee monitor our forums all day, every day. Nowadays, here at least, there are no more complaints about swift vans than any number of vans made on the continent.
Click to expand...
Well said.

Look at my signature line.... ten years ago I was in my first motorhome, a Bessacarr (Swift) and loving it. No problems at all with it and it actually came from Brownhills when they still had a branch in NE England. I had no problems with Brownhills either.

Perhaps I just got lucky, but I had no hesitation going back to Swift in 2012, when I bought a new Bolero. A few issues with that one, that were quickly sorted, but many fantastic trips away before a ‘divorce forced sale’.

Perhaps I just got lucky twice ;)

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Issues with Caravans and motorhomes are IMV pretty general across the sector. Co-incidently I just posed this on another post.:-
It`s not Just Elldis (Sidlle, was the original makers name! BTW). ALL the UK caravan and motorhome manufacturers, operate a De-Facto "pay by results" system. There are variations in how it works. but for most it is creating an atmosphere of "push Push push" to keep the "line moving" regardless. Where faults are found. the rectification process (if it exists at all) is discounted from the "reward" system. Therefore NO ONE is incentivised to make sure the job is properly done. and the "crap" is "nodded through".

And there Ladies and Gent`s, is the issue with much of manufacturing, and to some extent why "robots" where introduced, especially in the car industry, to try and mitigate. (as well as the reduced labour costs).

EDIT:- BTW. any one remember when the first robots where introduced at Fiat?. The Joke was:- "Designed by computer, built by robots, driven by morons":D
 
maz said:
I parked next to one of these at Ferry Meadows in August. Had never seen a LHD Swift before. The guy who owned it said it was built for the Scandinavian market!
Click to expand...
If they were for Scandinavia how would they be different in construction and insulation, and how would you find out the differences? I don’t think you could rely on the word of the selling agents and I can’t seem to find any info on any possible differences, but they don’t seem bad value for money (yes I know about all the shortcomings of Brit vans, I’ve got one, but remarkably mine seems a great van, I just want a garage and left hand drive?)
 
WESTY66 said:
If they were for Scandinavia how would they be different in construction and insulation, and how would you find out the differences? I don’t think you could rely on the word of the selling agents and I can’t seem to find any info on any possible differences, but they don’t seem bad value for money (yes I know about all the shortcomings of Brit vans, I’ve got one, but remarkably mine seems a great van, I just want a garage and left hand drive?)
Click to expand...
I don’t know - I wasn’t that interested! I just parked next to what I thought was a continental van as its hab door was on the ‘wrong’ side, then I realised it was a Swift.

Apparently Swift started selling in Sweden in 2015:
https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/news/off-to-a-swift-start-to-the-motorhome-year
 
PeteH said:
ALL the UK caravan and motorhome manufacturers, operate a De-Facto "pay by results" system.
Click to expand...

I don't think that is a true statement at all.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Jim said:
I don't think that is a true statement at all.
Click to expand...

So what is a "Bonus" system, based on production and sales?. The bigger the turnover and profits the bigger the bonus?. Cranking out more "product" (assuming of course it sells?) equals a bigger "slice" for those involved?

When I was "on the tools", as a "journeyman". More years ago than I care to remember, we where paid a "Basic". The rest was made up of "bonus" calculated by the number of "widgets" we produced. And overseen by "Rate fixers". Who stood by your bench / machine and timed how long each took to produce and then gave a "price" per item or operation. I`ve had some "ding dongs" with the rate-fixers, and more than one got "fixed" himself behind the pub, (not me guv!).
The quality control was down to the Q-C guys. If you got one back, the rectification came off your time. which adversely affected your wages.

Those systems largely disappeared, many due to automation of line production. But the lines still exist in the likes of Caravan manufacture. And they are not exactly suitable for "full robotic assembly".

Any one who is interested in watching just how they are assembled, some of the manufacturers actually conduct visit`s. Mainly for Magazines etc; but sometimes Groups? (like Funsters?).

In the USA, we actually got a full tour of the Winnebago plant, and got to camp "on site" full hookup!. (free). Watching those babies roll off the line makes you envious!!.:cry:

I saw a lot of "Statics" being assembled, One of my "jobs" when I was doing Agency driving. Was a regular run to Swift, Willerby, and several others. With the painted aluminium panels already pre-cut on special stillages 6 a side on the wagon and similar on the trailer. We often had to wait for them to clear a line before we could get "tipped".
 
Jim said:
I've been in most of the motorhome factories in the UK and I just don't recognise the culture you describe
Click to expand...

A Journeyman, is what used to be known, in a time when apprentices where properly trained, as the apprentice who, having completed his 5 or in some case 7 year apprenticeship, was often known as in his first couple of years after qualification.

Viz:- A journeyman is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that field as a fully qualified employee. ... The term "journeyman" was originally used in the medieval trade guilds.

Acknowledgement to Wikki.

With the utmost respect, Jim. To find what I describe, you would have had to be an employee.

This area, you must be aware, makes the Majority of Caravans, and very large numbers of Motorhomes. As a result "I" over the years have come to know or have contact with many who worked in the "tin shed" industry, some even related. The conversations are interesting to say the least. It goes on, most are on "bonus`" of one sort or another. The structure varies from maker to maker, but it does exist. But the bottom line is a form of "incentiviseation".
 
Yeah OK Jim, I take your point. Short of doing an "audit" of every caravan maker. But IF there is no incentive. then there is no need for the "Friday" van to exist?. The workforce can take as long as necessary to make a Perfect job. No time constraints. Gonna get paid anyway. So why are there "complaints" about "shoddy workmanship" on this and other forum(s)?, which over the years have encompassed all those I can think of, at one time or another?

I think I said in another post some (years) back, that Bailey once had such a bad reputation for water ingress they built a purposed facility to test each and every `van as it left the assembly line. That was forced on them because they had to prove a point or cease to exist!. Substantial numbers of the early Swift Kontiki and Bellaire Motorhomes, where put back on the line and completely re-sealed, Some had been out in ownership, some found on PDI. We where on site near Beverley once with 2 owners. The "Suits" from Swift and the "techs" spent several days looking at them on and off. eventually the owner of one of them actually said to us it was down to go back and be stripped.

It`s not an issue for me personally. I only speak what I am sure of. Having never bought a M-H from Brwnhills I would not speak about them. BUT there are largish number about who would not give them time of day. Yet I found A dealership I would go back to to-morrow, and the one I actually bought off whose After Service where Not even fit to be called "cowboys". "Crooks" would be a better word.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
PeteH said:
With the utmost respect, Jim. To find what I describe, you would have had to be an employee.
Click to expand...

You weren't an employee. And as you say, with respect you would have had to be an employee to rubbish them ALL like you have.

You are tainting ALL British products. (The caps are yours) when you have no idea about the current working practices of most of them, if any.
 
Jim said:
You weren't an employee. And as you say, with respect you would have had to be an employee to rubbish them ALL like you have.

You are tainting ALL British products. (The caps are yours) when you have no idea about the current working practices of most of them, if any.
Click to expand...

Quote:-
But IF there is no incentive. then there is no need for the "Friday" van to exist?. The workforce can take as long as necessary to make a Perfect job. No time constraints. Gonna get paid anyway. So why are there "complaints" about "shoddy workmanship" on this and other forum(s)?, which over the years have encompassed all those I can think of, at one time or another?

Sorry for copy and paste. But I think it is time we agreed to disagree. BTW the ALL only refered to the Caravan and motorhome industry. not all industry.
 
PeteH said:
Sorry for copy and paste. But I think it is time we agreed to disagree. BTW the ALL only refered to the Caravan and motorhome industry. not all industry.
Click to expand...


It's the "ALL" that is wrong with your statement.
 
I've often wondered one thing in the whole Brit-Continental debate: If the likes of Swift, Autotrail, Elddis and Bailey were to swap their hab doors and drivers seats over to the continental side of doing things then what would the German and French folk think of them in terms of their quality, value and reputation?

Would LHD Brit vans just sit lonely and unloved at the back of a German forecourt or would they be flying off the shelves?
 
Blue Knight said:
I've often wondered one thing in the whole Brit-Continental debate: If the likes of Swift, Autotrail, Elddis and Bailey were to swap their hab doors and drivers seats over to the continental side of doing things then what would the German and French folk think of them in terms of their quality, value and reputation?

Would LHD Brit vans just sit lonely and unloved at the back of a German forecourt or would they be flying off the shelves?
Click to expand...

It's a difficult market as there are just so many vans. So not sure where they would fit. The Brit budget van that has always fared well on price now has to compete with the likes of Adria's Sun Living, which from what I have seen is really good. The mid to high end is really saturated so getting a bite of that cherry would be hard too.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
I've got a 2008 Autocruise Augusta, British built. Bought it new, never had damp, never had build quality issues. Water pump packed up after 8 years.... Alde heating going in for it's first service next month. Thermostat in the oven packed up after 10 years..

100,000 miles...… Problem free

Am I lucky or just careful?

I consider all mechanical things need care and consideration, change the oil and filters, use items with reasonable care and with luck, you'll be rewarded with longevity.
 

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!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top