DAMP FROM DAY ONE

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Baden87

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Hi I took delivery of my new 2019 Autotrail July 18th 2019
There were some scratches on the decals which the dealer agreed to fix I was notified yesterday that the decals had arrived and the inner offside rear inner locker door was still outstanding, I told them I was unaware there was anything wrong with it , she told me she would check the file
I could have fell on the floor when she told me it’s because it’s got a damp problem in the door
I’m gutted that no one mentioned this at the time of sale or on collection day
I don’t want a van that is Damp from the word go
Help me please
 
Someone will come along and give advice but I think you have 30 days to reject the van. I wouldn't buy something out of the factory with damp problems.

Edit
Best wishes for resolving the problem.
 
10 year warranty on water ingress with a new Auto-trail. May be worth having an independent damp test done ? How experienced was the damp tester that tested the van? May be someone just left the door open when it was raining perhaps. I do understand your concerns though. A good dealer should go the extra mile to put your concerns to rest.
 
Here's a thread to which I've posted with some info on your legal rights to reject the van.
www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Legal rights to reject.

Can someone briefly give me the details regarding the title of this post. As I seem to remember it, can you give a dealer one opportunity to correct a defect and then reject the vehicle if it is not satisfactory within 30 days of purchase. Thanks for any advice. Norman.
www.motorhomefun.co.uk www.motorhomefun.co.uk

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I have rejected it by email today to be on the safe side , so I’m waiting for there response on Monday
It doesn’t install confidence in there product or the dealers attempt to smudge the fact tha it was damp the day I paid for it and took delivery and incidentally I asked the salesman on the day of collection ,seeing he gave my px a thorough damp test , does this new one get a damp test ?, he replied “ it’s brand new there won’t be any damp in this “
 
How do they test for damp? with one of those two pronged meters used to test plaster in houses?

Makes you wonder about the accuracy with so many autotrail vans having a damp problem. used to be swift vans, then some other make, can't all be damp can they?
 
I had a conversation with a former dealer who told me that a lot of AT's were damp as they came off the transporter.

I also spoke to a couple earlier this year who now had a Cathargo having succesfully rejected two AT's in less than 2 years.

I know that there are some happy customers out there but you don't have to go far to find unhappy ones there's even a facebook group unhappy autotrail owners https://www.facebook.com/groups/569051023302494/

I just wish people would do their research before buying then Trigano would have to sort AT out.
 
I have a friend who found water collecting inside an external locker door, on a newly imported motorhome. I believe it was simply a fault on the locker door and easily rectified. As long as there is no damp in the main structure I would not get too excited about it but I would want some thorough testing and reassurances.

New Carthago motorhomes are given a drenching test before handover and again after 6 weeks. Presumably they only do this because they want to make sure there are no problems but it does suggest that even constructers with very good reputations recognise that there can be early problems. I would take some comfort from the dealer finding the fault early on, though I would be very annoyed they had not told me and would want to know why.
 
I can't give any specific advice re the damp but I can re THAT conversation you had on handover.
Write down and date that conversation as best as you can remember it.
If it comes down to legal fisticuffs, your notes may be significant (It may be some time in the future)
For those non legal beagles out there, "contemporaneous recordings of events, ie notes, made at the time, or as soon as possible afterwards may be used as a aide in proceedings"
God! The stuff that's stored that my brain won't let go, even 20yrs into retirement. Good luck. For me, its one of those no brained. Send it back. They should not have sold it to you when, at point of sale, they KNEW it was damp.

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*Machzoneman* said:
10 year warranty on water ingress with a new Auto-trail. May be worth having an independent damp test done ? How experienced was the damp tester that tested the van? May be someone just left the door open when it was raining perhaps. I do understand your concerns though. A good dealer should go the extra mile to put your concerns to rest.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure its a 5 year warranty and then on a sliding scale to contribute to the repairs.
Something like this, but needs to be confirmed.....
year 6, 20% toward the cost of repair
year 7 , 30%
year 8, 40%
year 9, 50%
 
Hi, the guy that does bits and pieces for me works for one of the main caravan/mh dealers in Scotland.
Having spoke with him previously he tells me that new MH`s are regularly back for water ingress, Elddis being one of the main offenders.
When I buy I steer away from how smart/modern a Mh looks and keep to the base vehicle and MH construction build.
The Bailey Alu-Tech construction is such that ingress is unlikely but even if there is, there is nothing in the construction that can rot, oter than the floor.
However, look at the manufacturers warranty. Bailey will not honour any warranty if the annual habitation check is not done within 6 weeks prior to or post the annual anniversary of the vehicle registration.
When I bought my current MH I checked with the private seller who had had the habitation check done, but was 3 weeks past this date. Bailey would not honour the warranty. This was the 2nd annual habitation check, the vehicle was just over 2 yrs old. The previous owner had been out of the country at the time and the check had slipped her mind.
I knew this prior to purchase, had my own damp/gas/electric checks done on the vehicle and all was fine so i decided to go ahead. My decision.
Goes to show even the manufacturers do not have faith in themselves, with absolutely no movement on peramiters on conditions of the warranty.
 
I got special permission to have my hab check done a month early. They allowed it as a one off occasion 'gesture of good will' and stated the times when the next hab check must be done to maintain the warranty.

If I don't have the hab check done within their dates, the warranty will end, they were clear about this.
 
Pausim said:
New Carthago motorhomes are given a drenching test before handover and again after 6 weeks. Presumably they only do this because they want to make sure there are no problems
Click to expand...

This makes a lot of sense because the cost increases each step down the line. Cheapest to do the design and manufacture correctly, then next cheapest to fix it before it gets shipped, then expensive to pay a dealer to bodge it, most expensive to lose the sale and other sales.
It makes zero financial sense to not build these things properly, let alone the stress for the sucker who ends up paying for it. it's baffling.

Swift is I think a good example of a firm who recognised this - their latest stuff has no wood to rot and looks far better built than the rubbish they used to make: I detect the presence of someone with a brain at Swift. Autotrail must still be looking for theirs - if they are smart enough to notice they need one.

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7
Cliffdale said:
I got special permission to have my hab check done a month early. They allowed it as a one off occasion 'gesture of good will' and stated the times when the next hab check must be done to maintain the warranty.

If I don't have the hab check done within their dates, the warranty will end, they were clear about this.
Click to expand...

They make you think they are doing YOU a favour. I told our Dealer we would be out of the Country so they just said " Come in before you go and we will stamp and date the book for the appropriate date " .. It's not rocket science.
 
GPW said:
Swift is I think a good example of a firm who recognised this - their latest stuff has no wood to rot and looks far better built than the rubbish they used to make
Click to expand...
Pleased to hear that one UK manufacturer is trying to keep up with the continental competition.
 
they have obviously sold me a van that is damp at the point of sale , and the fact that no-one told me, can only be described as dishonest , deceitful, call it what you will,
I have no confidence or trust now with them
 
Yeah Swift very good and thought Autotrail was aswell. I think you have to be extremely thorough yourself with each individual van.
G

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The term "Fit for Purpose" comes into play with any new sale. Try going down that line
 
I can understand your disappointment and annoyance. However I suspect you will find it much easier to resolve if you try to keep on reasonable terms with the dealer. By my calculation your 30 day period ran out yesterday and if this is the case you may have to give them a chance to put things right. If the problem is confined to just one faulty door you may find full rejection a difficult route. I would love to know who this dealer is but you might do better not to announce this yet, wider publicity of their failings could be one of your bargaining points.
 
I am not legally qualified but my understanding is that the 30 days halts, when a complaint is made, until it is fixed, when the 30 days to reject starts to countdown again
 
Euro330 said:
The Bailey Alu-Tech construction is such that ingress is unlikely but even if there is, there is nothing in the construction that can rot, oter than the floor.
Click to expand...

Bailey are to be commended for making some investment in developing their product but Alutech is not a rigid PU sandwich construction it actually refers to the jointing system, AFAIK they have replaced the wooden frame with pieces of plastic and are re still using loose polystyrene for the infil and for insulation. Its hard to see how it is any less permeable than traditional and I do question the rigidity of it having heard that some Baileys have been having issues with stress fractures.
 
Pausim said:
Pleased to hear that one UK manufacturer is trying to keep up with the continental competition.
[/QUOTE


I visited the Autotrail factory in April 2018 and the motorhomes were being constructed using bonded panels excluding the floor without any wood.
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Emmit said:
You MUST of course date that written evidence conversation on the day you write it.
Click to expand...
I would suggest that you need some way to show that it was made on that date other than just writing the date ? :)
 
Body construction integrity warrantyBody Construction Integrity
The Body Integrity Warranty covers any defect resulting in water ingress through any fixed seam or seal joints. Auto-Trail will, through its large dealer network, cover the costs of the basic repair work (namely, labour and materials) to repair any defects with the habitation body fixed seam or seal for 10 years from the date of purchase, subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions (including customer contributions). More information on conditions and exclusions surrounding our motorhome warranty can be found under our terms and conditions page.

Auto-Trail

www.auto-trail.co.uk www.auto-trail.co.uk
 
Baden87 said:
just a thought should I name and shame the dealer ?
Click to expand...

You need to pm Jim but I think if you give a honest factual review it should be ok.

I would keep a record of everything said and written between yo and the dealer.
 
Emmit said:
You MUST of course date that written evidence conversation on the day you write it.
Click to expand...

Would this thread count as evidence of date etc.?
 
My understanding of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is that you have 30 days from purchase to reject an item.

If you are outside the 30-day right to reject, you have to give the retailer one opportunity to repair or replace any goods which are of unsatisfactory quality, unfit for purpose or not as described.

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