Hab check on 2 year old Globecar Campscout

[Neckender]

Our Campscout will be 2 years old in 4 weeks time and will be due for its second hab check. I am quite capable of doing this myself as I have a damp meter and a manometer.
All my other vans were coach built with seams and wooden floors so I had the checks done every year and books stamped.
Seeing as our van is a PVC I’m wondering whether or not to get it dealer checked or not.
What do other PVC owners do?

John.

 

[TinaLes]

Good question
Ask the Globecar expert @Minxy Girl , she will defo know.
Les

 

[Cal54]

I also have a PVC and only had the hab check done initially to maintain the warranty. I now just arrange a gas check every 2/3 years - which reminds me it is due!!

 

[CazPaul]

Certainly not, waste of money in a pvc , you need to know the gas/boiler system is safe that's all.

 

[Blue Knight]

The Globecar has a 2-year hab warranty so my tendency would be to get the dealer to conduct the 2nd hab check within the last few days of the warranty period to ensure that if any faults had developed in the 2nd year then they would be officially recorded and covered.

I may be wrong with the warranty T&Cs John but I'm assuming that if a problem is officially discovered in any part of the 2-year period then the warranty will still be honoured even if the actual work itself is done outside of the warranty timeline.

All the best,

Andrew

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

I've never had a hab check done on any van, normally not required on German vans for the warranty. I always have the damp check done but that is questionable if it's worth while on a PVC. It would protect you from the risk of furniture damage from leaking rooflight/window seals etc., but thats about all. Also depends on what silly money that want out of you, we pay £60 for a damp check on our A Clas, we get it done in Belgium UK prices are just a rip off.

 

[Minxy]

Good question
Ask the Globecar expert @Minxy Girl , she will defo know.
Les

Thanks for your confidence but I'm no expert, just a 'user' of them with some knowledge!

 

[Minxy]

@Neckender - our camper is coming up to it's 1st birthday in a month's time and we've been pondering what to do ourselves as PVC's don't suffer the same fate as some coachbuilts do with water ingress from 'seams' on roof, body panels etc (leaky skylight etc accepted as a possible risk factor) so the water ingress warranty doesn't particularly bother us. However, our's has just developed a fault with the control panel which will be covered under warranty at the present time but obviously if it hadn't happened now and we hadn't had the hab check done it wouldn't be covered by Globecar but 'might' be by the company who made it, Schaudt I believe.

I'm going to get in touch with our dealer (250 miles away) to see if the panel can be sent to me to fit and at the same time ask about having the hab check done locally by an independent chap who we've used many times without a problem and see if the dealer will then accept this and enter the info on the Globecar system. This may well make our minds up whether to have a check done or not.

With our previous Globecar we had the first one done by Ash (£90 all in) at Peterborouth show as Dethleffs were part of the AWS then, but they're not now. As for the second year ... we didn't bother but then we had the 'shower tray' issue (remember that!) but as it was a 'fault' which was there from the start due it it not having the sub-frame support fitted they eventually replaced it ... after a battle.

At the end of the second year, if you're content that everything is okay and working as it should, there's little to be gained by having it done unless you want to 'keep' the water ingress warranty and then you'll be in the situation of having this discussion with yourself every year!

 

[Lenny HB]

However, our's has just developed a fault with the control panel which will be covered under warranty at the present time but obviously if it hadn't happened now and we hadn't had the hab check done it wouldn't be covered by Globecar but 'might' be by the company who made it, Schaudt I believe.

Normally German vans don't require a hab check to keep the warranty but a lot of UK dealers will try to tell you otherwise.
When we bought our first Hymer I asked our dealer about hab check his answer was "Why, don't worry about it. If you want have one done at 5 years".

 

[Minxy]

Problem with Globecar though Lenny is that if you try to ask them direct they just refer you back to their UK agent, aka SMC ... so you can never get an 'aus dem mund des pferdes' answer.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[jezport]

A gas safety check is highly advisable, joints can start to leak over time.
I had SMC do my habitation service just before my warranty expired and they did a good job

 

[Neckender]

Problem with Globecar though Lenny is that if you try to ask them direct they just refer you back to their UK agent, aka SMC ... so you can never get an 'aus dem mund des pferdes' answer.

@Minxy Girl Would that be from the horses mouth then Mel.

John.

 

[Lenny HB]

A gas safety check is highly advisable, joints can start to leak over time.

Not hard to do yourself.

 

[Neckender]

No problem with gas tightness and boiler performance as I’m a retired gas and heating engineer.

John.

 

[Minxy]

@Minxy Girl Would that be from the horses mouth then Mel.

John.

Yup!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[mitzimad]

No problem with gas tightness and boiler performance as I’m a retired gas and heating engineer.

John.

where do you test from im yet to see a test nipple anywhere

 

[Neckender]

where do you test from im yet to see a test nipple anywhere

I haven’t really looked but if there’s no test nipple you could possibly use a hob burner injector.

John.

 

[Neckender]

I’ve booked a hab service with SMC and they’re that busy that I’ve got to wait 7 weeks before they can do it.
This will deffinatly be the last time as the warranty will have run out and as I’ve said I’m quite capable of doing it myself.

John.

 

[Minxy]

... and how much are they charging for it now John?

 

[Neckender]

... and how much are they charging for it now John?

Didn’t bother to ask Mel, will let you know when it’s done.

John.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[gerry mcg]

i didn't bother in the end.
I am working on the premise that a PVC is inherently more watertight than a Coachbuilt / A class, so damp is much less likely to be an issue, except around roof lights, which i can check.
I have the contact details of a mobile MH service ghap who does gas checks, so i will get him out to check the gas appliances out and i'll buy a damp meter.