Habitation check on motorhome we're hoping to buy?

[Peli]

Hello Funsters! Thanks for all your advice and suggestions so far in our hunt for the perfect motorhome. Yesterday we saw what feels like "the one" and we absolutely love it so have put down a small holding deposit. I wanted to ask: would paying for a habitation check be advisable? It is a private sale and the owner had a habitation check a couple of months ago (by an AWS approved service). Damp readings in places were 14%, mostly 10%. They have done some work to the van since that check. The previous habitation check didn't actually pick up a problem in the shower (hairline crack) which the owners are having fixed before we collect the vehicle, so this makes me wonder whether a further one is needed. I am wondering what you would advise? I am leaning more towards paying for another hab check, just to be on the safe side.

Would we go for a "pre-owned pre-purchase inspection" or a full inspection? I am looking at https://www.approvedworkshops.co.uk/find-approved-workshop

What do you think? Thanks!

 

[zac]

If hab was done a couple of months ago and it was by an approved workshop i cant see what another one would do, just wasting money in my opinion. If there was no hab check done then absolutely but not another one after the previous being only 2 months old.
Just my view and i am sure others will differ.

 

[Peli]

If hab was done a couple of months ago and it was by an approved workshop i cant see what another one would do, just wasting money in my opinion. If there was no hab check done then absolutely but not another one after the previous being only 2 months old.
Just my view and i am sure others will differ.

Thanks Zac. My husband is thinking the same as you, but I guess I am more cautious!

 

[zac]

Thanks Zac. My husband is thinking the same as you, but I guess I am more cautious!

Your are right to be cautious as its a big investment but i think that box has been ticked, make sure you check everything is working even if i means them filling it with water and checking boiler/fridge/gas etc etc etc
Easier to get them to fix stuff before you part with your hard earned money than after, dont take their word for it

 

[Sue and Rick]

Agree with he above. Double check everything works. Press every button twice.Take your time. It’s a big investment.

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[Peli]

Agree with he above. Double check everything works. Press every button twice.Take your time. It’s a big investment.

Thank you Sue and Rick and zac ! Good advice. Sometimes it feels a bit awkward taking a lot of time to faff with everything, but we will not put pressure on ourselves.

 

[Dunslow]

There is nothing so picky as a welder looking and criticising another welders work. The same applies to chippies, engineers, chefs, painters, brickies, mobile phone manufacturers.... etc. etc. I could go on. Ask that it be fully inspected by another/ different Motorhome dealer / franchise. You should expect to pay for their time / expertise, but that may well be recouped with negotiating ammo, or let you decide to walk away potentially saving you the whole purchase sum. If they will allow an AA/RAC inspection then they should allow it to happen (and a Moho dealer will know what to look for over the AA/RAC). If not I'd be wary. I'd not got to buy a second hand space shuttle without a space shuttle expert looking at it to see if it was worth the asking money.

 

[Peli]

There is nothing so picky as a welder looking and criticising another welders work. The same applies to chippies, engineers, chefs, painters, brickies, mobile phone manufacturers.... etc. etc. I could go on. Ask that it be fully inspected by another/ different Motorhome dealer / franchise. You should expect to pay for their time / expertise, but that may well be recouped with negotiating ammo, or let you decide to walk away potentially saving you the whole purchase sum. If they will allow an AA/RAC inspection then they should allow it to happen (and a Moho dealer will know what to look for over the AA/RAC). If not I'd be wary. I'd not got to buy a second hand space shuttle without a space shuttle expert looking at it to see if it was worth the asking money.

Hi Dunslow, thanks for this. It is a private seller, not a dealer. It has had an indepedent AWS habitation check two months ago. Would you still recommend a second AWS habitation check (and an AA/RAC check)? Thanks for the advice.

 

[The Wino]

I'd just rely on the existing hab check and put the cost of another towards any repairs if you trust the sellers. We haven't bothered with a survey on the last 4 houses we've bought as in the past we've found issues still often unrelated to the surveys.

 

[Peli]

I'd just rely on the existing hab check and put the cost of another towards any repairs if you trust the sellers. We haven't bothered with a survey on the last 4 houses we've bought as in the past we've found issues still often unrelated to the surveys.

Thank you. The sellers do seem eminently trustworthy and we got a really good feeling from them.

Would an AA / RAC check be recommended for the mechanical side?

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[The Wino]

Thank you. The sellers do seem eminently trustworthy and we got a really good feeling from them.

Would an AA / RAC check be recommended for the mechanical side?

It's up to you if it's been regularly serviced I wouldn't but then I'm not very risk averse!. I've bought secondhand vehicles before and never bothered on the same basis as the house surveys.

 

[Dunslow]

Absolutely. I would want to know it's not a ringer stolen from a drive with a chassis plate replaced, corroded underneath and covered up with underseal, tyre type/ damage/ dates, clutch travel too much/ little, steering rack ok, but also payload/ axle weights etc, etc. The list truly is so massive that as a buyer looking at a Moho to buy is seeing a Moho. A proper inspection could save you hundreds/ thousands of pounds, plus heartache and lost enthusiasm to get out there. A FULL inspection would/ should include a HAB check so all in one.
Like I said, expect to pay but a workshop that knows it way around a Moho should be able to do it in two/ three hours. I think you should ask can you afford to / be ok to lose the money you pay for it or even replace the gearbox or just tyres or a fridge after paying £X ?

I'd just rely on the existing hab check and put the cost of another towards any repairs if you trust the sellers. We haven't bothered with a survey on the last 4 houses we've bought as in the past we've found issues still often unrelated to the surveys.

LOL. The cost of the inspection should save you on negotiating the price accordingly, or if non-negotiable price, allows you to factor the cost of repairs into the purchase price, or walk away. (what if it's been stood for 3 years and needs brake callipers all round? Sales patter, "we've not used it for three years so it's time to sell it as we don't use it")

 

[philann]

I would worry more about whether the mechanicals had been properly serviced, whether the timing belt had been changed etc

 

[Peli]

Thanks everyone. I am certainly leaning towards paying for more checks.

Where to start... are the AA / RAC mechanical checks worthwhile or is it better to go to an independent garage? We live a long way from the motorhome's location so a mobile mechanic would be best. What sort of thing should I be asking them to do?

I got the strong impression there was no further negotiation on price possible (we knocked them down a little).

 

[Nanniemate]

When I bought mine the sellers paid for the Hab check and the updates required (New gas pipes to bottles these were out of date) with my little mechanical knowledge the test drive and every receipt in the van's document case told me it had been well cared for, also the MOT's told me the yearly mileage , yes the claimed 10% on top of the purchase price has been paid over 4 years this included major services, new turbo, tyres but I feel most of this was wear and tear anyway, oh and 2 new leisure batteries last month

I had a good feeling about the sellers and they appeared genuine , I paid a far price for a van of its age, would I have liked some more extras of a newer van yes would I have paid the additional £20,000 to get them NO

Take sensible precautions, but do not be put off by 'horror stories' there are lots of private sales that appear to be better than some of the purchases from some dealers (they seem to get a roasting on here often)

Good luck I hope the purchase is smooth and leads to fun times

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[Pennee]

Your are right to be cautious as its a big investment but i think that box has been ticked, make sure you check everything is working even if i means them filling it with water and checking boiler/fridge/gas etc etc etc
Easier to get them to fix stuff before you part with your hard earned money than after, dont take their word for it

I agree and was just saying to my Mum if I had my time again I’d expect to see every little thing working so that means on hook up, gas on and filled with water and test every working part. They may roll their eyes but they should expect it in my opinion.

 

[Reallyretired]

I would perhaps get a mechanical inspection.
Most hab checks are not worth paying for. Do it yourself and get a damp meter if you haven't got one.

 

[JJ]

Over fifty years of motorhoming and never ever, ever had a habitation check... ever!

JJ

 

[zac]

I agree and was just saying to my Mum if I had my time again I’d expect to see every little thing working so that means on hook up, gas on and filled with water and test every working part. They may roll their eyes but they should expect it in my opinion.

Absolutely and don't take no for an answer as if something does not work ensure it's fixed before parting with money or get a quote to get it fixed and then knock it off the price. If they don't want to do that then a decision will need to be made to walk away or fix it yourself. Around the vehicle side i would definitely get some sort of inspection around the engine if you don't know what to look for (i wouldn't) as again this could cost a lot if something is seriously wrong which would hopefully be picked up on an inspection. The actual vehicle side i would expect any mechanic can do ie AA/RAC.
Again you can never be too careful, I am on my 3rd and final Motorhome and even though i purchased them all new i still had issues where i should of not parted with my money before they had been fixed. Unfortunately excitement takes over and all logic goes out the window, i am sure jim has a section on here somewhere which discusses the pros and cons of buying used and what to look out for.

 

[Puddleduck]

AA / RAC or independent garage / mobile mechanic should be able to do the cab check.

The base vehicle will almost certainly be a standard van engine / mechanicals possibly with an extension chassis so nothing any experienced person hasn't come across many, many times.

It's the timing belt that will cost of if hasn't been replaced. We do our every 5 years without fail.

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[irnbru]

My tuppence worth is buy a damp meter and go round the van yourself getting into every nook and cranny you can. No one will check it as thoroughly as you. Boy oh boy Ivwish I’d taken my own advice a few yrs ago.

Paying for a damp check never picked up my initial damp so best to check yourself.

You mention the shower hairline crack, how is it getting repaired? Speedcoat have a very good reputation , my partner just paid £420 I think to have his repaired.

Good luck!

 

[Nanniemate]

My tuppence worth is buy a damp meter and go round the van yourself getting into every nook and cranny you can. No one will check it as thoroughly as you. Boy oh boy Ivwish I’d taken my own advice a few yrs ago.

Paying for a damp check never picked up my initial damp so best to check yourself.

You mention the shower hairline crack, how is it getting repaired? Speedcoat have a very good reputation , my partner just paid £420 I think to have his repaired.

Good luck!

Problem is when checking for damp we have had such a long dry spell would it show up if it has dried out ? I know a certain car brand is known for leaking so the best time to sell is in the summer as it is not obvious (dont ask how I know )

 

[irnbru]

Problem is when checking for damp we have had such a long dry spell would it show up if it has dried out ? I know a certain car brand is known for leaking so the best time to sell is in the summer as it is not obvious (dont ask how I know )

Very true ! but I guess it would depend on damp or sodden how much would now be dry

 

[Conal]

You haven’t stated if the motorhome is still under warranty. We now use an approved mobile service for our habitat check and will do until the 10 year warranty is up. As the couple who do ours are qualified to carry out gas and electric checks I will probable still have them done afterwards.
Advice from my classic car mechanical is appropriate here, The yearly MOT is no longer needed but it points out present faults and failures and also can predict future problems. He insists on an MOT being carried out before he services the car as he says it is way cheaper than him carrying out the same work. Our motorhome is worth a lot more than my car. I have my house boiler serviced every year, so why not my motorhome boiler especially as I don’t use it all the time? I would carry out a minimum of a damp check and, for under £200 a year, I think the whole check is worthwhile.

 

[Dunslow]

Thanks everyone. I am certainly leaning towards paying for more checks.

Where to start... are the AA / RAC mechanical checks worthwhile or is it better to go to an independent garage? We live a long way from the motorhome's location so a mobile mechanic would be best. What sort of thing should I be asking them to do?

I got the strong impression there was no further negotiation on price possible (we knocked them down a little).

I would ask on here, as it has a huge demographic, of a good reliable Moho experienced workshop near to the current location of the motorhome (possibly as a new thread shout out?). Recommendation is by far the best way to choose any tradesperson/ establishment. With the current owners permission you can get it collected/ inspected / returned or ask that the owners take to the workshop / garage. All can be done remotely, with a video / report/ photos as required. A motorhome savvy mobile mechanic may be hard to find, and any mobile mechanic may struggle to do a brake test with bind results, or a good inspection underneath/ jacked up, or give you axle weights etc.

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[stevewagner]

If nothing else I’d do a HPI check.

 

[Peli]

Thank you all for the further advice! I wasn't getting notifications of new replies so sorry for ignoring you.

It's out of warranty, I was told. 2016 plate. Also, it's not had the cambelt replaced.

I've just booked a "comprehensive" AA inspection for £238 and I got a free full HPI check with that.

Good point about the weather having been very dry. We saw the vehicle in heavy rain. I'll purchase a damp monitor!

 

[CazPaul]

Cam belt should have been replaced last year so that’s a big expense to start with.

Have you researched the make of van and how it’s been constructed, materials used in walls, floor etc? Look at reviews for this make, ask on here whether people have had problems lots will have had the same make.

Has it had damp in the past and work done to rectify it, if it has I wouldn’t touch it.

 

[Peli]

Cam belt should have been replaced last year so that’s a big expense to start with.

Have you researched the make of van and how it’s been constructed, materials used in walls, floor etc? Look at reviews for this make, ask on here whether people have had problems lots will have had the same make.

Has it had damp in the past and work done to rectify it, if it has I wouldn’t touch it.

Cam belt: noted, thanks. I had asked a few garages about this and they said five years also. We will need to factor in this cost in case the vendor won't cover this.

The make of van is Burstner, the Nexxo 690G, Fiat manual base. We have done as much research as we have been able to into its construction and understand the walls are hard foam between exterior metal panelling and interior wood veneer. If anyone has a Burstner and is willing to let me know their feedback, it would be much appreciated.

When reading reviews of this van we did hear about extensive delamination problems with the flooring of Burstners around 2016/17, especially from the Burstner FB group, so were careful to check it in this vehicle. No delamination issues were visible that we could identify. No damp was reported in the recent habitation report and no damp rectification work has been done, according to the sellers. We also have been watching John and Mandy's videos about their van - they have had gearbox issues lately, so we have asked the AA inspector to look carefully at that, as well as the usual checks.

(Side note: We really wanted a double floor but the budget didn't stretch that far - we need a vehicle no older than 2014 due to emissions regulations. We saw a 2015 Hymer which was a depressing vehicle - great Mercedes base but the habitation part had been seriously neglected.)

Thanks everyone for your continued advice and comments!