Electrics (1 Viewer)

[johnp10]

You would normally find that any 20 year old van had leaks

Mine is 18 years old, is dry, comfortable and everything works as it should.
It's British built, a Bessacarr, on a very reliable Fiat.

For ever diminishing build quality read on this and other forums reports of leaks, poor build quality and warranty issues of Euro built vans.

I'm trying to figure out how a simple query about electrics can turn so quickly into a cock waving demonstration of unjustified snobbery.
Fun used to be fun.

 

[haganap]

Reference all motorhomes leak. Mine must be a freak. It's German, built by Hymer and in the 6 years I've had her not a whiff of a leak. Thats why I bought European. They are streets ahead in how to build a motorhome. The British makers are slowly catching up with the Europeans but I still wouldn't buy British. My friend bought an English motorhome on a Ford chassis. Rear plastic bumper falling off, Habitation door flew open on a motorway(apparently a known problem, several water leaks in the plumbing system and fifth gear failure. Couldn't find a replacement any where in Europe. Other than replacing an Alternator I've had no problems. Yes mine is now 20 years old but did my homework and bought wisely I think. Have been offered very near what I paid for it so am a happy bunny(still not selling)

sorry I have to disagree. From what I have seen of the new Hymer Cathago stable (the cheaper ones admittedly) the Brits are not catching up, the Germans are lowering their standards

 

[funflair]

I'm trying to figure out how a simple query about electrics can turn so quickly into a cock waving demonstration of unjustified snobbery.
Fun used to be fun.

Well I'm enjoying it I might even join in in a couple of pages time if its still going strong.

Martin

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[bfb]

Reference Richard and Anne. My fridge is not automatic. When driving it's on 12volts by a switch. When stopped I manually switch to gas or 240volt. I can switch off the fridge if I so wish, but use it very regularly. I'm not a once or twice a year warrior so want everything to be ready. I can and do switch the fridge of to defrost and clean but the worst thing you can do is not use your motorhome regularly. It doesn't leak either but when I spoke to a Hymer agent reference windows and skylights and should I reseal them he said Hymer don't use a setting sealant. Don't bother unless you get a leak and use what the Germans use.
I keep hearing about British loyalty. I would but can't afford the potential problems while they come up to the standard of European Motorhomes. As for quality I do know that Hymer of recent have not been up to scratch which is why my motorhome is 20years old, it's solid. I have slept in it without heating overnight, woke next day, cool but I like cool for sleeping. Got up went out to see 1foot of snow on it. The insulation is the best but if anybody looks into the history of Erwin Hymer you would know why. By the way check out the major motorhome manufacturers in Europe. Most of them are owned by Hymer. Would love to have a more modern motorhome with the bells and whistles especially a British one but after my friends experience NO THANK YOU.

 

[bfb]

Johnnp10. I am not a snob. I go for the best I can afford. I also research thoroughly what I am going to buy. SNOB no just a well informed engineer who checks out in this case for over 8 years the history of each manufacturer European and British before committing to buying. I can sit back and listen to the twitterings of the uneducated who have more money than sense and buy what they like cause it looks nice then have problems like my friend has had. For a door to fly open due to flexing of the body whilst traveling makes me think of build quality. Mine may be old with old technology but it does everything I ask. I travel Europe on Parachute competitions. Never misses a beat

 

[Khizzie]

Reference Richard and Anne. My fridge is not automatic. When driving it's on 12volts by a switch. When stopped I manually switch to gas or 240volt. I can switch off the fridge if I so wish, but use it very regularly. I'm not a once or twice a year warrior so want everything to be ready. I can and do switch the fridge of to defrost and clean but the worst thing you can do is not use your motorhome regularly. It doesn't leak either but when I spoke to a Hymer agent reference windows and skylights and should I reseal them he said Hymer don't use a setting sealant. Don't bother unless you get a leak and use what the Germans use.
I keep hearing about British loyalty. I would but can't afford the potential problems while they come up to the standard of European Motorhomes. As for quality I do know that Hymer of recent have not been up to scratch which is why my motorhome is 20years old, it's solid. I have slept in it without heating overnight, woke next day, cool but I like cool for sleeping. Got up went out to see 1foot of snow on it. The insulation is the best but if anybody looks into the history of Erwin Hymer you would know why. By the way check out the major motorhome manufacturers in Europe. Most of them are owned by Hymer. Would love to have a more modern motorhome with the bells and whistles especially a British one but after my friends experience NO THANK YOU.

The older hymers were quality. Can't argue with that, so is my autrocruise stargazer. It has to remembered that there are thousands of British vans now on the road with absolutely no issues at all. Just as there are many German vans on on the road with no issues. But there are many of both new vans both German and British that are not good value . I find that owners of newer hymers never admit problems. Wonder why LOL. Its not as if there are none .. Is it?

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[AXO66]

Our French van now has a second leaking window . All covered by warranty . But shouldn't happen. Oh and a leaky tap..replaced.

It drives with the electric on, otherwise the habitation battery doesn't charge and fridge not working.

We were told to ensure the 240v trip was off when plugging in to ehu, to avoid fuses blowing. So we do ! No problems.

Is the lower quality of traditionally good vans due to getting the weight down to 3500kgs. for younger license holders?

 

[johnp10]

Johnnp10. I am not a snob. I go for the best I can afford. I also research thoroughly what I am going to buy. SNOB no just a well informed engineer who checks out in this case for over 8 years the history of each manufacturer European and British before committing to buying. I can sit back and listen to the twitterings of the uneducated who have more money than sense and buy what they like cause it looks nice then have problems like my friend has had. For a door to fly open due to flexing of the body whilst traveling makes me think of build quality. Mine may be old with old technology but it does everything I ask. I travel Europe on Parachute competitions. Never misses a beat

Never misses a beat..neither does mine.
All doors don't fly open, any more than all German built roof lights leak.
Build quality issues are present in all makes.
Can only speak as I find.
I had a Mobilvetta, now have a Brit van, would have another of either, both sound vans.
I won't slag one off against the other based on what I percieve as best simply on price or because one is German, the other not.
Many do.
Good and bad in all makes.

 

[bfb]

My job for the last 20years was that of Quality Inspector. With a design background for nearly 30 years I was in demand for Aerospace Inspection. 3.5 tonne has been in Europe before it was made law to harmonise in the UK. A lot of European vans have a low payload because of this. As many drivers of motorhomes in the UK hold pre 1997 licenses they are OK to drive over this limit. The quality of materials is still good but I would bring into question the new designs but hey ho. Another point in question is Fiat. Good engines but riddled with problems. Clutches going prematurely, juddering in reverse uphill, various electrical problems and gearbox issues as well. They are used in a high proportion of motorhomes so I would presume they get more than their fair share of problems, and any motorhome can have failures but I chose the older Mercedes Benz 2.9 5 cylinder. The last of the million kilometre engines. Other than a failed alternator no issues at all. You pays your money and suffer the consequences if wrong choice. I'm happy and that's all that matters. The Ayotola says so, got to keep her happy.

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[Minxy]

My mate has had 3 German motorhomes and they have all leaked.
I have had an Italian motorhome =Leaked
A Slovenian motorhome = leaked
A British motorhome swift = Floor rotted
A French top of the range motorhome = Leaked
Now a German classy motorhome, I ain't holding my breath...

You do realise they're not meant to be used as submarines don't you?

 

[bfb]

Haganap. I'll sell you a 20 year old motorhome, Don't leak, runs beautifully and goes as it should. Oldies are the best.

 

[stewartwebr]

I have had motorhomes from an ancient VW Camper to Swifts, Hymers, Burstners, Niesmann & Bischoff and Morelo, let me be very clear in my experience, regardless of builder, country of origin or base vehicle every single one of them have had some form of quality control defect. The more you spend the more you convince yourself the quality will be better, from my experience it is not. No matter what manufacturer I have purchased from the level of quality control and customer service has been shocking in relation to cost. No manufacturer be it British, German, French have mastered the level of quality control the industry badly needs and what the customer should demand, is that the issue, we all accept motorhomes come with defects?
The best example I have around customer care and quality control is between my Smart car and my Morelo, both bought at the same time. Smart dealer called me the day after collection to check if I was happy with the vehicle and if I had any issues, this was followed up 7 days and 14 days later and subsequently followed up by a Mercedes Benz Customer Care phone call to ask how happy I was with the product and how satisfied I was with the dealer who sold me it. Now to the motorhome which cost almost 20 times that of the car (relevant to the point I'm making and in no way intended as a "something waving" competition) I received no follow up phone calls and e-mails took days longer to get answered than they did when I was in negotiations to place an order. When faults were identified, one of them a serious issue, it took 9 e-mails and me venting off at my anger that not one of the e-mails mention any form of regret for the situation I found myself in.
I think from my experience we, as a community need to get away from country of origin and as a collective demand higher standards of manufacture, quality control and customer care. This has been ongoing for years and my personal opinion is we are on a road to no where. Motorhome sales are on the increase and manufacturers are only interested in getting them out the door as quick as they can. Sales at the moment mean they don't really have to worry about reputation. Not really what any of us want to hear but its where we are I'm afraid :-(

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[peterc10]

Says more about the dealer than the maker I suspect.

 

[bfb]

I buy privately. I let the person before me sort out any problems before I buy. And I don't go for any particular make or country but the the motorhome that sits head and shoulders above the rest. I abhor the insulting expression that people use without engaging brain first. SNOB I am NOT. My friend who bought his van new is ruing the day he bought his and still has problems but he can't sell or he will lose a lot of money.
I look at the base vehicle for reliability. Yes even a Rolls Royce can break down, I just want a base vehicle that is LESS LIKELY to so I chose the Mercedes 2.9 engine, last of the million kilometre engines. Then I chose the style and construction of the habitat. The early Hymers had very dark wood and depressing inside but still built like a tank. Then after 94 came the redesign with lighter wood cupboards which is what I plumped for the 1997 BM640.
I was an ISO 9001 AS9102 quality Inspector for the Aircraft Industry. The bodywork of the Hymer is similarly constructed and they where in 1995 the only firm in the industry to hold ISO9001 approval. Yes I have heard from several people that some modern Hymers suffer from plastics and other finishes failing spectacularly but the rest of the vehicle is still OK. If I were to buy a vehicle again I would like a Burstner 821 tag axle or the Hymer with a garage and transverse bed but rare as rocking horse ----. Although there is only me and the Ayatollah I travel through Europe regularly for long periods and don't wish to be tripping over her or vice versa. We all have our own requirements and it looks like I won't buy a Burstner lovely as they are but with a Fiat front wheel drive I don't want to know.
Before somebody jumps to defend them front wheel is not good on wet uphill slopes. The number of times I have driven past motorhomers stuck trying to get out of the field at the Bristol Balloon Festival when it rains when if they used there brains reversing out is the better option astounds me.But Hopefully I won't receive a load of misinformed rhetoric about this post

 

[Khizzie]

I buy privately. I let the person before me sort out any problems before I buy. And I don't go for any particular make or country but the the motorhome that sits head and shoulders above the rest. I abhor the insulting expression that people use without engaging brain first. SNOB I am NOT. My friend who bought his van new is ruing the day he bought his and still has problems but he can't sell or he will lose a lot of money.
I look at the base vehicle for reliability. Yes even a Rolls Royce can break down, I just want a base vehicle that is LESS LIKELY to so I chose the Mercedes 2.9 engine, last of the million kilometre engines. Then I chose the style and construction of the habitat. The early Hymers had very dark wood and depressing inside but still built like a tank. Then after 94 came the redesign with lighter wood cupboards which is what I plumped for the 1997 BM640.
I was an ISO 9001 AS9102 quality Inspector for the Aircraft Industry. The bodywork of the Hymer is similarly constructed and they where in 1995 the only firm in the industry to hold ISO9001 approval. Yes I have heard from several people that some modern Hymers suffer from plastics and other finishes failing spectacularly but the rest of the vehicle is still OK. If I were to buy a vehicle again I would like a Burstner 821 tag axle or the Hymer with a garage and transverse bed but rare as rocking horse ----. Although there is only me and the Ayatollah I travel through Europe regularly for long periods and don't wish to be tripping over her or vice versa. We all have our own requirements and it looks like I won't buy a Burstner lovely as they are but with a Fiat front wheel drive I don't want to know.
Before somebody jumps to defend them front wheel is not good on wet uphill slopes. The number of times I have driven past motorhomers stuck trying to get out of the field at the Bristol Balloon Festival when it rains when if they used there brains reversing out is the better option astounds me.But Hopefully I won't receive a load of misinformed rhetoric about this post

No rhetoric from me I fell asleep.

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[bfb]

I nearly fell asleep writing it but had to reply after being called a SNOB. Why people have to write such rubbish without engaging brain beats me. . If was a snob I would drive in my Rolls and book a hotel and not fraternize with lower life forms but I am most definately not. (I don't have a Rolls just a VW Caravelle 20years old 200000 on the clock + a Land Rover 27years old with over 200000 miles on the clock and a Hymer BM640 with over 100000 miles on the clock). Yes all are old but I can service them myself and all are in tip top condition. My Parachute is 23 years old but as it stops me from hitting the planet I tend to stick with it.
Still have to stop reacting to bear-bating. This blog is getting long winded.
By the way how do you insert what I said into your post?

 

[stewartwebr]

Says more about the dealer than the maker I suspect.

I disagree, both my current van and previous van when back at the factory after travelling thousands of miles to put things right that should have been right in the first place the approach was more of you should be proud to own our product than we are so sorry and embarrassed for all the inconvenience you have had. Even when talking to one of the Managing Directors he was more apologetic about the weather than the fact his product had let me down, he seemed oblivious to the fact.
When he mentioned increased production levels I enquired how he will manage control of quality as more products are made in the same factory with the same staff, something has to give. His reply was they produce a quality product at all times. He went red and remembered he had a meeting when I asked why I had had to drive 1500km to the factory if this was the case...never once did I receive any form of apology.

 

[gwyntaxi]

How are you going to flush the loo with no power on the habitation side.

Martin

Does your missus use the loo whilst you are driving then.

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[gwyntaxi]

Well, talk about digressing, I thought this thread started off about electrics cutting out automatically on starting the engine on british built vans and has digressed to snobbery, my german / french/ british/van doesn't leak, fall to bits, etc,etc, just sayin.......

 

[bfb]

Re Richard and Anne Blog " Eldis bought out Hymer". Please check your facts. Eldis could not afford Hymer who own most the major motorhome manufacturers in Europe. Hymer bought out Eldis. QED
Check out Practical Motorhome!

 

[tonyidle]

Does your missus use the loo whilst you are driving then.

It has happened .

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[funflair]

Does your missus use the loo whilst you are driving then.

Of course

Martin

 

[Bailey58]

I nearly fell asleep writing it but had to reply after being called a SNOB. Why people have to write such rubbish without engaging brain beats me. . If was a snob I would drive in my Rolls and book a hotel and not fraternize with lower life forms but I am most definately not. (I don't have a Rolls just a VW Caravelle 20years old 200000 on the clock + a Land Rover 27years old with over 200000 miles on the clock and a Hymer BM640 with over 100000 miles on the clock). Yes all are old but I can service them myself and all are in tip top condition. My Parachute is 23 years old but as it stops me from hitting the planet I tend to stick with it.
Still have to stop reacting to bear-bating. This blog is getting long winded.
By the way how do you insert what I said into your post?

Click on the "quote" option on the bottom right of the post you wish to respond to and it will appear in your reply.

 

[bfb]

Thank you. Still learning.

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[Khizzie]

Thank you. Still learning.

Yes click on quote and your reply will contain the other person's post.. Sorry meant to tell you that when you asked earlier. Roy .

 

[David and Sally]

We have an Adria 2014 model. IIRC I get a red symbol on the electrics control panel that looks like two batteries under an inverted V.
I always thought red meant danger so have switched off the hab electrics. IIRC again (new to me van) the fridge then goes off. The instructions are in the van and that's at our site right now so can't read up on it all.

 

[funflair]

We have an Adria 2014 model. IIRC I get a red symbol on the electrics control panel that looks like two batteries under an inverted V.
I always thought red meant danger so have switched off the hab electrics. IIRC again (new to me van) the fridge then goes off. The instructions are in the van and that's at our site right now so can't read up on it all.

My guess would be that the inverted V means that the habitation and starter battery are both being charged by whatever source you have available, ours shows something similar and is controlled by the CBE control system that starts to charge the starter battery when the habitation batteries reach the required voltage either from EHU or from solar.

Martin

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[David and Sally]

Thanks Funflair

So OK to keep electrics on and run the fridge whilst travelling? Guess that's why they have 12v supply!!??

 

[bfb]

We have an Adria 2014 model. IIRC I get a red symbol on the electrics control panel that looks like two batteries under an inverted V.
I always thought red meant danger so have switched off the hab electrics. IIRC again (new to me van) the fridge then goes off. The instructions are in the van and that's at our site right now so can't read up on it all.

Why not try the Adria website and download the manual for your van. I went on got plenty of down loads but do not know yours specifically.

 

[David and Sally]

Why not try the Adria website and download the manual for your van. I went on got plenty of down loads but do not know yours specifically.

The online manual shows every control panel except mine! I'll keep trawling.

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