hab check -what price? (1 Viewer)

2dogs

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Hi all,

we're coming up to the end of our first year:cry:

a year gone already.

anyway, what should I expect to pay for a habitation check on a panel van conversion?

Cheers
2dogs
 
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2dogs

2dogs

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Thanks Tonka,

handy site to know, I have been quoted £150 from dealer I bought from
so will still look around

Cheers
2dogs
 
Mar 29, 2011
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Habitation checks are a money maker for dealers, just had mine done at home for £80
 

Peter JohnsCross MH

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Thanks Tonka,

handy site to know, I have been quoted £150 from dealer I bought from
so will still look around

Cheers
2dogs

Now if ypu had bought it from me you would have got FIVE years FREE hab services :thumb:

Peter

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rikfos

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Hi all,

we're coming up to the end of our first year:cry:

a year gone already.

anyway, what should I expect to pay for a habitation check on a panel van conversion?

Cheers
2dogs
I would suggest mobile engineers roughly £90 for a 4 hour check
 

autoswan

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i`m a newbie
Ive got fully qualified gas safe plumber and part p sparky & mechanic mates who are familiar with mh`s plus ive a top notch moisture meter i use for work to check for damp. But is there anything else needing specialist knowledge or equipment that prohibits me from sorting it all out myself to the required standard ?
 

Minxy

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Since 1996, had Elddis/Swift/Rapido/Rimor/Chausson MHs. Autocruise/Globecar PVCs/Compactline i-138
BEFORE you go to anyone other than the dealer who sold you your van (assuming they are an Autocruise/Swift approved workshop), check that you are permitted to do so without invalidating your warranty! :Eeek:

It is a bit of a grey area as to whether Swift will guarantee you will still have a warranty with them if you go to someone outside their 'approved' workshop scheme - and I don't mean the 'general' approved workshops scheme members, I'm talking specifically about the SWIFT approved ones.

This is something I've been trying to get an answer to as I too don't want to end up paying extortionate prices to go back to my supplying dealer but as my habitation isn't due until the summer I haven't pursued it fervently as yet.

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autoswan

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Alas my mh is not under warranty any longer 04 model so i think its ok to sort it myself ? one less expense off the list of costs to keep it on the road . :Smile:
 

jonandshell

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Alas my mh is not under warranty any longer 04 model so i think its ok to sort it myself ? one less expense off the list of costs to keep it on the road . :Smile:

There's no law that says you have to take it to a dealer and have someone look at it who is less technically proficient than you and your mates!

We look after ours with my transferable technical knowledge and experience and a good dose of common sense.

Whay pay someone else if you have the kit and knowledgable mates?

If your warranty is up, whats the problem? A motorhome warranty isn't worth much even if you did have one! See the Lowhams protest thread..........

Of course if you do feel you aren't up to it then professional services are what you need. I would gravitate towards a quality indepantant such as CLS, Ash or Dave Newall
 

haganap

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BEFORE you go to anyone other than the dealer who sold you your van (assuming they are an Autocruise/Swift approved workshop), check that you are permitted to do so without invalidating your warranty! :Eeek:

It is a bit of a grey area as to whether Swift will guarantee you will still have a warranty with them if you go to someone outside their 'approved' workshop scheme - and I don't mean the 'general' approved workshops scheme members, I'm talking specifically about the SWIFT approved ones.

This is something I've been trying to get an answer to as I too don't want to end up paying extortionate prices to go back to my supplying dealer but as my habitation isn't due until the summer I haven't pursued it fervently as yet.

Swift will honour their warranty if the check is carried out by one of their Swift approved engineers. Fortunately, these can also be mobile technicians like CLS or Ash (members here).
It is in any mobile Engineers interest to do teh course and be Swift approved, there are simply so many Swift made vans out there. :Smile:

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GIBLA53

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I spend long periods abroad and over a period of time 2 of the vans that i had owned required a habitation test . Both were done in France at dealers that were in the manufacturers handbook

Dethleffs - hab. test done in Brittany

Rapido - hab. test done nr. Perpignan

Total cost for both tests = 0 euro

rip-off at home , as per usual ( I exclude you Peter)

Alan
 

darklord

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There's no law that says you have to take it to a dealer and have someone look at it who is less technically proficient than you and your mates!

We look after ours with my transferable technical knowledge and experience and a good dose of common sense.

Whay pay someone else if you have the kit and knowledgable mates?


Because if i come to buy your motorhome, and you dont have a copy of the hab inspection for each year after its manufacture,......I,ll buy one that does!

Its VERY important to have the gas checked by someone WHO IS PREPARED TO STAND BY THE RESULTS OF THE INSPECTION if someone dies as a result of a problem in that area, and more importantly, carries enough public liability insurance to compensate.
The same goes for the electricity, especially on RV's where 240/110 and 12v may be used, and as for damp testing, when done properly, you will get a print out of areas checked and readings gained,....whoever does this, needs to know what they are doing, and be avble to spot a problem.
Just getting a high reading in one particular area, may prompt a load of unesscacary investigative work, when a pro will know the brand and possibly point out a minor fault causing the problem.

If you cant afford to look after it, dont buy it..! The more people that use either mobile or dealers, the better price for all of us, and the better resale value of your van.:thumb:
 

jonandshell

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I have all the equipment I need and 28 years experience in related automotive/industrial disciplines.
Why would I trust my van to a person who has passed a 2 week course with no previous engineering experience?
Sorry I put peace of mind and my families safety above a stamp in the book.

The dealers don't even look at the habitation service history at trade in anyway.

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Last edited:

aba

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There's no law that says you have to take it to a dealer and have someone look at it who is less technically proficient than you and your mates!

We look after ours with my transferable technical knowledge and experience and a good dose of common sense.

Whay pay someone else if you have the kit and knowledgable mates?


[HI]Because if i come to buy your motorhome, and you dont have a copy of the hab inspection for each year after its manufacture,......I,ll buy one that does![/HI]

Its VERY important to have the gas checked by someone WHO IS PREPARED TO STAND BY THE RESULTS OF THE INSPECTION if someone dies as a result of a problem in that area, and more importantly, carries enough public liability insurance to compensate.
The same goes for the electricity, especially on RV's where 240/110 and 12v may be used, and as for damp testing, when done properly, you will get a print out of areas checked and readings gained,....whoever does this, needs to know what they are doing, and be avble to spot a problem.
Just getting a high reading in one particular area, may prompt a load of unesscacary investigative work, when a pro will know the brand and possibly point out a minor fault causing the problem.

If you cant afford to look after it, dont buy it..! The more people that use either mobile or dealers, the better price for all of us, and the better resale value of your van.:thumb:

if you wanted it you would buy it regardless just the price would be re-negotiated to suit.

anyway previous checks are worthless the only one i would be interested was the last one done or i would get someone like CLS or ASH to check it before parting with the cash.
 

jonandshell

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Further to my last post, whats the use of an annual damp check if your van starts leaking the next day? That'll be 364 days of damp to rectify at the next habitation check!

Even if you have your hab service done every year, I would urge all funsters to buy and use a damp meter regulaly. It will save a small fortune if you pick up a leak before it causes problems.

I check ours every month. Also examine the exterior of your coachbuilt. If you have some peeling sealant, the chances are if it isn't leaking, it soon will!
 

darklord

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"if you wanted it you would buy it regardless just the price would be re-negotiated to suit."

I would not! I would not buy a MH, belonging to a motohome owner who 1) could not afford to maintain it 2) could,nt be bothered to maintain it.

If you knocked the price down, say...£500, then found out it needed a lot of remedial work...your £500 would soon get eaten up, especially as BY LAW, YOU would be responsible for repairs to gas/electrical being done by the professionals you put so little worth on.
There is now, and always has been, stories of normal sensible people who have spent all their lives doing all manner of trades (some "allied") who end up with a major battle over the condition of their motorhome, which generally can respresent a life savings.
If you went to a garage/workshop, and they offered to do your hab check, for £50, using unqualified staff...would you pay it?

I bought a MH off a dealer which had a problem, he took it back. If I had bought it privatly.............I would be in trouble. If you advocate self assessing of the hab area including the gas and electric and damp test, why bother MOT or servicing it?
Its human nature, to haggle for the highest wages possible in our own fields, but want to pay derisory amounts to our equals.:thumb:

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jb0371old

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Well you have to MOT as its the law, and I will only get my hab test done while mine is under warranty, as soon as its not then I am doing it myself, if you came along to buy my motohome and saw the inside of my garage etc then I think you would have piece of mind.

I have installed and fixed quite a few things on my van I have all the eceipts and I am happy to show a prospective buyer where I routed cables, problems I had in doing some jobs and solutions, if there not happy then there would be plenty of people that would be.
 
Jan 27, 2013
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Ive got fully qualified gas safe plumber and part p sparky & mechanic mates who are familiar with mh`s plus ive a top notch moisture meter i use for work to check for damp. But is there anything else needing specialist knowledge or equipment that prohibits me from sorting it all out myself to the required standard ?

Sadly if you have a vehicle still covered by a manufacturers warranty this won't do (even if you are capable of doing a more thorough and competent job). :Sad:
 
Jan 27, 2013
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"If you went to a garage/workshop, and they offered to do your hab check, for £50, using unqualified staff...would you pay it?

Yes.

Why? I like to use my mh all year. That's a full 365 days that I could be driving down a road at 70mph or sleeping in a confided space with gas devices, a couple of bottles of LPG and a spiders web of high and low voltage electrical circuits. I always keep my eyes open, look for potential issues and undertake maintenance and improvements on regular basis.

Do I need anyone greasing door hinges or checking blinds work?
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A gas engineer is going to undertake a more comprehensive test on a boiler than what is normally done in a hab check. This gives me real peace of mind.

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Last edited:

magicsurfbus

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Our local mobile fitters don't charge more than £100 for doing a hab check on the drive.

I'd strongly recommend getting an extended warranty on new vehicles for as long as you can - ours more than paid for itself when the roof leaked.
 

Terry

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"if you wanted it you would buy it regardless just the price would be re-negotiated to suit."

I would not! I would not buy a MH, belonging to a motohome owner who 1) could not afford to maintain it 2) could,nt be bothered to maintain it.

If you knocked the price down, say...£500, then found out it needed a lot of remedial work...your £500 would soon get eaten up, especially as BY LAW, YOU would be responsible for repairs to gas/electrical being done by the professionals you put so little worth on.
There is now, and always has been, stories of normal sensible people who have spent all their lives doing all manner of trades (some "allied") who end up with a major battle over the condition of their motorhome, which generally can respresent a life savings.
If you went to a garage/workshop, and they offered to do your hab check, for £50, using unqualified staff...would you pay it?

I bought a MH off a dealer which had a problem, he took it back. If I had bought it privatly.............I would be in trouble. If you advocate self assessing of the hab area including the gas and electric and damp test, why bother MOT or servicing it?
Its human nature, to haggle for the highest wages possible in our own fields, but want to pay derisory amounts to our equals.:thumb:

Horses for courses ::bigsmile:I have seen some jobs done by so called professionals :Eeek:::bigsmile:I would not let some inside my van to look at it never mind do any work on it :Smile:
I knew of one place that did hab checks and issued gas certs that actualy had no staff that had been trained to work on gas :Eeek:The guy had left them above a year ago :Eeek:Another who said no problem to fitting a roof light only to cut through all the vans wireing and when he did that he simply spent about an hour joining all the cut wires together only to find he had not allowed enough wire to go around the roof light :ROFLMAO: so had to do it all again using longer wires ::bigsmile:Then one that promptly drilled a hole in the van floor to feed wires through but did not check that under the seat was the water tank so ended up drilling that :ROFLMAO::Eeek:
Sorry but every time I use the van if anything is not right ,it gets fixed,if not on the spot,then as soon as we get home.Not that anything has needed fixing on this van but I am quite handy with spray silicon /grease etc ::bigsmile:
terry
 
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2dogs

2dogs

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Thanks all for your input.

The van is still under warranty so I do want it done by someone approved,

I have family/friends that could do the work professionally and will use them once the warranty expires.

Cheers
2dogs

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ubuntu1

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swift vans

I just want to clarify matters. Any "approved workshop" can carry out a habitation check on Swift motorhomes. There is no clarification needed, Swift are members of the cheme and if you ring their customer service team they will confirm this. Some people also say NCC approved which is the same thing. See http://www.approvedworkshops.co.uk/scheme-supporters/

When it comes to warranty its more complicated than it seems because things are warranted by different companies. So your fridge will have a warranty with Thetford or Dometic, heating system by Truma or Alde.

So if you have a Swift van you can select any Approved Workshop with the motorhome certification to carry out your habitation check.
 
May 21, 2008
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£90 - £300..
Depends if you get a mobile company and have it done at home, which strangly can be the cheapest !! Or travel to a dealers and pay top whack....

You can find an approved agent here.

http://www.approvedworkshops.co.uk/search/



For some reason TalkTalk won't let me look at this page - it says it's a virus threat, never happened before.

Catherine
 

samany

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hab check

Just paid £120 at local Motormedics am told that is reasonable.:Smile:

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2dogs

2dogs

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Thanks for the clarification ubuntu1:thumb:

Cheers
2dogs
 

JJ

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We are all different personalities.

Many get stressed if they don't have maximum levels of insurance. Others are content without anything more than the bare minimum.

Obviously if your "warranty" demands one then a habitation check is a must but as I have always owned more mature vans in my forty years plus of vanning I have never ever, ever had one.

Indeed I did not know what one was until I joined Fun.

Now some Funsters, depending on their personalities, will think that it is dangerous/inconsiderate/irresponsible to hold this view whilst others will be of the same mind.

I believe that some people need their devices checking because they are not happy to rely on their own checks but for practical folk I suggest learning how to do your own...

It is not rocket science, it is Motorhome science, far easier and well worth learning.

JJ :Cool:
 

darklord

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"dangerous/inconsiderate/irresponsible" you forgot "illegal", in respect of working on gas appliances.

I agree that many will never bother with a hab check, or a check of any safety related items, I doubt that the travelling community do, thats not the main issue, the main issue is those that feel they are competant to do the work themselves , and the effect that has on potential purchasers.
Some will not give a toss, I do.:thumb: If you never have a hab check, thats just a reflection of your prsonality as you have said, if you DO, then some aspects of it are best left to people qualified to do it.

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