Do all Auto Trails leak? (1 Viewer)

Chris

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My experience so far:

2008 Burstner Aviano from new . Owned for 5 years - leaky.

2013 Autotrail Scout from new. Owned for 4 years - no leaks yet.

I think it is fair comment to say a British van is more likely to leak than a continental van but you can't just generalise and say all Swifts or Autotrails leak, because they self evidently don't.

I liked our German van but the layout just didn't suit us ( well didn't suit me actually)
 

Brian and Jo

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We ha an 06 Cheiftain and had trouble with the heiki roof light leaking,but once that problem was rectified it was a great motorhomeBrian & Jo
 

Jim

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German van but the layout just didn't suit us

Its rare to find a decent Modern German Motorhome layout, they are around, but most makers today seem to be stuck with the notion that motorhome owners can't have a nice time in a van unless they're so close their knees are touching. Thats a weird teutonic fetish I reckon. :D

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John Stanton

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Its rare to find a decent Modern German Motorhome layout, they are around, but most makers today seem to be stuck with the notion that motorhomeowners can't have a nice time in a van unless their so close their knees are touching. Thats a weird teutonic fetish I reckon. :D

I'm sure many cope admirably with the common "euro" layout that most of them stick with but we totally agree that it does often make for a very cosy living area that we just cant get on with - what is it with the huge fixed tables ?

Anything with a living / kitchen area where we can't pass each other (or the dog) without doing something resembling the "hokey cokey" is off our list. The Rapido line up (yes I know they aren't German :)) includes non "euro" layout living areas if anyone out there has the same aversion and doesn't mind supporting the French economy.
 
Jul 5, 2013
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I'm sure many cope admirably with the common "euro" layout that most of them stick with but we totally agree that it does often make for a very cosy living area that we just cant get on with - what is it with the huge fixed tables ?

Anything with a living / kitchen area where we can't pass each other (or the dog) without doing something resembling the "hokey cokey" is off our list. The Rapido line up (yes I know they aren't German :)) includes non "euro" layout living areas if anyone out there has the same aversion and doesn't mind supporting the French economy.
We don't just "cope" with a Euro layout, we prefer it. It enables us to have a reasonable sized moho (7.5m) with room for comfortable sprung fixed beds which means we can use fitted sheets and duvets without faffing about fitting them every night, which is the same as we have at home. A good night's sleep, and the ability to get up during the night without waking the other, is important to us.

Our table is not fixed, it slides in all directions and rotates and can also be extended to be made it larger if we want to. There are only two of us and we can both get comfy in our lounge. In reality with more than two there is not much more "knee rubbing" involved than an average British U shaped lounge, just a bit more "breathing in" to get past the table. And we can easily pass one another in the kitchen area without doing the hokey cokey or any other dance.

All motorhomes require some compromises. We all just prefer different compromises. That is why there are so many different layouts on the market. None are more "decent" or "better" than the others, just different. C'est la vie.
 

Chris

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I think I could have coped with the layout if it had just been two of us. But it was usually 3 or 4 and it drove me bonkers, especially winter camping.

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John Stanton

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We don't just "cope" with a Euro layout, we prefer it. It enables us to have a reasonable sized moho (7.5m) with room for comfortable sprung fixed beds which means we can use fitted sheets and duvets without faffing about fitting them every night, which is the same as we have at home. A good night's sleep, and the ability to get up during the night without waking the other, is important to us.

Our table is not fixed, it slides in all directions and rotates and can also be extended to be made it larger if we want to. There are only two of us and we can both get comfy in our lounge. In reality with more than two there is not much more "knee rubbing" involved than an average British U shaped lounge, just a bit more "breathing in" to get past the table. And we can easily pass one another in the kitchen area without doing the hokey cokey or any other dance.

All motorhomes require some compromises. We all just prefer different compromises. That is why there are so many different layouts on the market. None are more "decent" or "better" than the others, just different. C'est la vie.

Yep, fully accept it is all down to personal taste so wouldn't dream of "dissing" what others choose, but we have (or rather will have when the damn thing arrives !:)) an island bed in a 7.4 m MH with large garage and parallel seating with a movable table that folds in half and definitely doesn't dominate the living area. Our Auto Trail was the same but without the tall garage, and we do genuinely miss her as she served us so well. As for knee rubbing in the living area, well it can be quite good fun on a rainy evening but unfortunately we won't be able to join in the fun with our layout. :D
 
Feb 15, 2016
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Also lets not forget condensation. This rots a lot of vans and causes numerous "damp issues" from the inside out. I had a cold corner in a van that attracted so much water that a hole in the roof and parked in Wales would have seen less water within!

This is also an interesting consideration, after a couple of cold nights we discovered a cold metal plate under the dinette table was really wet. There has been no sign of problems after driving in the rain though (this is an Autotrail).

I would be interested to know where people have had leaks in new or nearly new Autotrails, we don't think that we have any problems other than condensation.
 
Feb 9, 2008
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This is also an interesting consideration, after a couple of cold nights we discovered a cold metal plate under the dinette table was really wet. There has been no sign of problems after driving in the rain though (this is an Autotrail).

I would be interested to know where people have had leaks in new or nearly new Autotrails, we don't think that we have any problems other than condensation.
One can stop condensation by cracking open a couple of vents to introduce air flow. the wider apart the vents the better.

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tonka

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I would be interested to know where people have had leaks in new or nearly new Autotrails, we don't think that we have any problems other than condensation.

Main areas that i have seen mentioned..
There were some issues with garage and rear locker seals. Was a mention / rumour at one time of some sub standard sealant been used / supplied to Autotrail. Never admitted but they re-sealed mine and i never took it in for that.
Offside Dinette area have been mentioned, this was the issue on mine.
Heki roof lights, mine had to be re-sealed at 12 months.
Windows are maybe the most common area but thats pretty standard on a lot of makes not just Autotrail.
Seen damp in comanche vans under the side bench seats.
Around pull out battery lockers.

Get a meter and just keep a watch, My issues (fingers crossed) seem to have been sorted now..
 

Mack100

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My main concern would be not that any motorhome can leak, that's a given, but how easily and efficiently it is rectified. Our Swift was damp within a few months of purchase (new in 2013) and was repaired by Swift in 2014.
It is now back with Swift for yet another go as more damp was discovered earlier this year.

Swift have bent over backwards to find a lasting solution, the repairs were beyond the scope of the dealers repair facilities. I've heard of other constructors being unavailable and unhelpful to owners struggling with damp vans under warranty.

In a nutshell:
motorhome construction=rubbish
motorhome manufacturer after sales service=good. Would have been excellent if they'd managed to fix it first time round...grrrr.
 

Jim

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motorhome construction=rubbish
motorhome manufacturer after sales service=good. Would have been excellent if they'd managed to fix it first time round...grrrr.

Bloody French..

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Blue Knight

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I would be interested to know where people have had leaks in new or nearly new Autotrails, we don't think that we have any problems other than condensation.

There was a thread on a different UK forum this year which mentioned the point about a number of 2015 and 2016 vans (Delaware-size vans) had suffered internal flooding from poor quality internal water couplings.
 
Feb 15, 2016
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Interestingly, having just come back from 4 weeks away in the van, I have just emptied both the rear lockers. In the one where the water heater is there were damp areas in 2 places - 1 was under a bike warning board that had been lying flat on the floor the whole time and the other was under a plastic bag that had also been on the floor the whole time.
The rest of the locker tested fine. Looks like a good idea to have an air gap under anything that's not breathable.
 

joka250

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There was a thread on a different UK forum this year which mentioned the point about a number of 2015 and 2016 vans (Delaware-size vans) had suffered internal flooding from poor quality internal water couplings.
Our 2015 Navajo suffered from leaking internal couplings. Not a great issue and I think more poor fitting rather than poor quality. Easily and quickly sorted. Also some damp via an awning mounting bolt. Self inflicted condensation problems were also an issue but amendments to our ventilation solved this.

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soreeyes

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My last AT Scout at ten years old had a £10 k estimate to repair the damp ..


Took a £15k hit and p/e . Not impressed .
 

Blue Knight

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My last AT Scout at ten years old had a £10 k estimate to repair the damp ..


Took a £15k hit and p/e . Not impressed .

That's not good at all but then again the Autotrail Water Ingress Warranty is a bit wishy-washy once you get to the 5-year point.

I've read loads of threads where a 10-year warranty is applicable but I was under the impression that AT would only reimburse any water ingress repair to the value of 50, 40, 30, 20 and 10% at the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th year respectively. I would hate to think that I received a £10,000 bill in the second half of the warranty period.

It sounds good on paper though - 10 years!
 
Nov 23, 2015
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Main areas that i have seen mentioned..
There were some issues with garage and rear locker seals. Was a mention / rumour at one time of some sub standard sealant been used / supplied to Autotrail. Never admitted but they re-sealed mine and i never took it in for that.
Offside Dinette area have been mentioned, this was the issue on mine.
Heki roof lights, mine had to be re-sealed at 12 months.
Windows are maybe the most common area but thats pretty standard on a lot of makes not just Autotrail.
Seen damp in comanche vans under the side bench seats.
Around pull out battery lockers.

Get a meter and just keep a watch, My issues (fingers crossed) seem to have been sorted now..
I've had my comanche in autotrail (grimsby ) for the last three weeks , last habitation in may found damp issues in garage area and offside dinette. Thanks autotrail they have replaced rotten wood dinette area with pvc andI've got the latest design garage floor. my motorhome is 5 year old now and i still have 5 years left on the ten year water ingress warranty, Pleased i kept my habitation checks up to date , this would have been a very expensive. VERRY HAPPY WITH AUTOTRAIL. ☺

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Jim

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i still have 5 years left on the ten year water ingress warranty,

Yes but read the warranty, I think (not absolutely sure) but from now on, if there are any leaks you start paying a percentage of the repairs. So in the next couple of years you will pick up most of the bill as they will "charge" the "public recommended price to fix it" (even though it doesn't cost them that) and you pay an ever growing percentage of that RRP.
 

tonka

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Yes but read the warranty, I think (not absolutely sure) but from now on you start paying a percentage of the repairs if there are any leaks, in the next couple of years you will pick up most of the bill as they will "charge" the "public recommended price" and you pay an ever growing percentage of that.

Your right o' great leader...(y):notworthy2:

Year 6 is 20%
Year 7 is 30% and so it goes up.

However from what i was told if its an issue relating to a past problem or repair then it should be covered free.
At least it's something and could assist people when buying a used van. Buy a 2011 van and find an issue your stuffed with the whole bill. A 2012 onwards van will at least have a bit of cover..

The dinette and garage locations do seem to come up as common areas.
 
Nov 23, 2015
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Jim post: 2572161 said:
Yes but read the warranty, I think (not absolutely sure) but from now on, if there are any leaks you start paying a percentage of the repairs. So in the next couple of years you will pick up most of the bill as they will "charge" the "public recommended price to fix it" (even though it doesn't cost them that) and you pay an ever growing percentage of that RRP.
Yes i do realise this ,and im hopeing this will be the last issue with damp on my motorhome.

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Bart

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The only way to be sure of having a MH that does not suffer from damp is to only use the MH in sunny climates :LOL::LOL:
 

soreeyes

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Only AT I have had was a 97 Scout in 2007 that leaked . Which resulted in a £10 k estimate to repair and a £7k loss on trade in .
 

Doug Reme

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I have had six motorhomes since the early 80. 5 CBC and 1campervan Rapido .no leaks but did suffer bad condensation.the autotrail had a large garage.with bed above.the rapido was the worst van If it rained it was as wet inside as out
 

Jonno1103

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We have a 2012 Tracker EKS which, as she sits plugged in on the driveway, I check every month with a damp metre. Highest latest reading was 0.02% in the low line cupboards above the cab.

The readings do rise to 0.10% if we leave bedding in there after a trip.

We tend to leave all the lockers open plus the cushions get a regular airing. The heater is on '5' above the hab door and about '3' on the blower over the winter.

All gas use, dirty laundry, bedding, cushions, carpets, atmospheric humidity and of course bathrooms produce moisture it's just as important to let it out as it is to stop it getting in.

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ABZSteve

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We have a 2012 Tracker EKS which, as she sits plugged in on the driveway, I check every month with a damp metre. Highest latest reading was 0.02% in the low line cupboards above the cab.

The readings do rise to 0.10% if we leave bedding in there after a trip.

We tend to leave all the lockers open plus the cushions get a regular airing. The heater is on '5' above the hab door and about '3' on the blower over the winter.

All gas use, dirty laundry, bedding, cushions, carpets, atmospheric humidity and of course bathrooms produce moisture it's just as important to let it out as it is to stop it getting in.

Hola, which damp metre do you use?
 

DuxDeluxe

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We have a 2012 Tracker EKS which, as she sits plugged in on the driveway, I check every month with a damp metre. Highest latest reading was 0.02% in the low line cupboards above the cab.

The readings do rise to 0.10% if we leave bedding in there after a trip.

We tend to leave all the lockers open plus the cushions get a regular airing. The heater is on '5' above the hab door and about '3' on the blower over the winter.

All gas use, dirty laundry, bedding, cushions, carpets, atmospheric humidity and of course bathrooms produce moisture it's just as important to let it out as it is to stop it getting in.
0.02% or 20%? The former is probably impossible outside a laboratory so it may be a question of the readout being misleading by a factor
 

Jonno1103

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0.02% or 20%? The former is probably impossible outside a laboratory so it may be a question of the readout being misleading by a factor

Your right... Spending too much time typing financial figures. It's 02%.

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