I purchased a motorhome this year it was made from a VW transporter van. It was sold as a camper but i have found it has no insulation and cannot be slept in. The temperature inside is like an oven and it got up to 49 c. The dealers response is tough and try opening a window. I have had it 3 months I had a Maxx Air vent fitted to try to resolve the situation but this hasn't helped and the installer said there is no insulation in the van. What can i do?
insulation not there at all??
- Thread starter Steph3910
- Start date
Jim
Ringleader
Hi and welcome to the fun.
Sounds awful. If there is no insulation, your van will be full of 'cold spots' and in the Autumn you'll swim in condensation, and you'll swim in the same in winter but only after it melts!
Was it sold as a camper, or a "Day Van", upload a pic or two, that will help
Sounds awful. If there is no insulation, your van will be full of 'cold spots' and in the Autumn you'll swim in condensation, and you'll swim in the same in winter but only after it melts!
Was it sold as a camper, or a "Day Van", upload a pic or two, that will help
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In my view, you have been well and truly shafted. Who in there right mind would build a motorhome without insulation ? Someone who has no experience of motorhome builds, and/or looking to build one as cheap as possible then dump it when they realise their basic mistake.
I suspect it was a private sale and insulation was never discussed prior to the sale. It will be an ice box in the winter and you have already experianced the summer effect. The only solution is to fit insulation.
I suspect it was a private sale and insulation was never discussed prior to the sale. It will be an ice box in the winter and you have already experianced the summer effect. The only solution is to fit insulation.
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it was purchased from a dealer as a motorhome. when he was spoken to he told us that the lack of insulation is not a reason to reject the vehicle and we should open a window.?? It has been up to 49 C inside and even today when it is 21 c outside it was 25 inside. The Maxx Air Vent I had fitted doesn't help
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Do you have documentation of the vehicle description I.e. motorhome. I would think if it isn't habitable how can it be a motor HOME.
Not fit for purpose I would think.
Good luck
Not fit for purpose I would think.
Good luck
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We had a max Air Vent cut into the roof there is nothing in the roof. it was nicely covered in carpet. The sliding and rear doors have nothing. the covering of the walls is showing ribs so I presume there is none anywhere
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- Feb 22, 2011
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That's shocking, are we talking cheappie budget camper c10-15k or something more substantial ?
If it's from a trader it's not suitable for the intended purpose, tell him you want a full refund as it can't be used.
If it's from a trader it's not suitable for the intended purpose, tell him you want a full refund as it can't be used.
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- Jan 3, 2008
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What make and model please
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approx 3 times the price. it looks lovely quite professional finish with furniture board and the like.
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DBK
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Unless you want to go down the route of rejection and probably taking the dealer to court I guess the only answer is to investigate what it would cost to have insulation added.
A friend of mine built a campervan and used the expanding foam insulation which comes in cans but he did this a panel at a time as he built the vehicle. With a completed vehicle I fear it might be very risky. Could house insulation be blown in?
How easy would it be to remove the interior panels including the roof lining? You could ask the person who converted if that who you mean as the installer in the quote above. An alternative approach would be to look at adding internal insulation panels but of course this will make it smaller and won't be easy.
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funflair
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If "the covering of the walls is showing ribs" as the OP states then it was pretty obvious that the sides were not insulated so the manufacturer was hardly hiding anything and unless they said that the roof was insulated what reason would there be to assume that it was when they had not bothered with the sides.
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Sold ‘not fit for purpose’ it surely cannot be sold as a campervan, ie. For camping in , which means sleeping overnight , if there is no insulation, which serves 2 purposes, keeps van to a reasonable temperature in summer and helps to retain some heat in winter. Speak to your local CAB who will let you know what your rights are and if there any local authority departments still about (after all the cuts) can help you such as Trading Standards.
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I have seen quite a few vans done with just sticking carpet on but they are really just that, a van with carpet on the walls not a motorhome, as Jim says it sounds more like a day van for going to the coast or fishing or festivals or something not a home, is it your first van as I'm sorry but it really should have been very obvious if you had looked around a few.
I can't see the dealer doing much about it I'm afraid.
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Is it a camper van or a motorhome? A camper would not have heating and not be used much when it's cold. I had a Bongo converted as a camper, no hot water no heating and no toilet, I looked at it as an upmarket tent. If it's a motorhome then it will have heating and should have insulation although when I had a PVC converted by Auotsleeper the insulation was not much more than a blanket in the void and nothing in the doors.
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golly
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It may be possible to retro-fit insulation, but it would entail removing internal fittings, but better than having a van you cant use. what is the base vehicle ? Just noticed its a VW transporter.
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- Dec 24, 2014
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'VW Transporter' covers a multitude of conversion possibilities. Is it a proprietary commercial/professional conversion or a home/one-off conversion? Is it a true motorhome design or a PVC (Panel Van Conversion)? What year is it? Is the dealer the person who converted it?
We're just wasting breath by guessing wildly if you can't provide the exact model description or a link to the original advert or seller's description against which you bought it.
At the very least a couple of photos showing the outside and inside would help.
All motorhomes/PVC's will become hotter inside than the ambient temp if parked in full sun as the sun will also be beating in through the windows and roof skylights regardless of any insulation.
We're just wasting breath by guessing wildly if you can't provide the exact model description or a link to the original advert or seller's description against which you bought it.
At the very least a couple of photos showing the outside and inside would help.
All motorhomes/PVC's will become hotter inside than the ambient temp if parked in full sun as the sun will also be beating in through the windows and roof skylights regardless of any insulation.
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Coolcats
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Really sorry to hear this, if the company advertises Conversions you probably need some advise if your insurance has legal cover or if you subscribe to something like RAC legal advice you want to speak with them
This may come under Misleading and aggressive selling https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...d-aggressive-selling-new-rights-for-consumers
You may also want to call citizens advice and have a look at https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/consumer-rights-refunds-exchange/
Also check out some of the VW converters such as Visiontech they would be able to advise what you would reasonably expect on a conversion within a certain budget. https://www.visiontechautomotive.co.uk
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I don’t think many VW Campervans are insulted. I previously owned a 2019 VW California which wasn’t insulated. I’ve attached a random thread from a VW forum that might be of interest to you.
vwcaliforniaclub.com
Question - Insulation.
The California does not have any Insulation behind the internal body panels or furniture, just Sound Deadening material. Most, if not All conversions have sound deadening matting, insulation material in the form of Rockwool and other materials and then a carpet covered plywood panel. Why the...
vwcaliforniaclub.com
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- Feb 22, 2011
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....... and rot out the steel bodywork and timber furniture boards. Plus smell, mould, ruined soft furnishings etc.
It really is unfit to be called a camper.
Steph3910 do you have a copy of the advert when it was for sale. It would be interesting to see how it was described?
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I wish it was.
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I’m really shocked I would have thought a quality conversion like the California would have good insulation.I don’t think many VW Campervans are insulted. I previously owned a 2019 VW California which wasn’t insulated. I’ve attached a random thread from a VW forum that might be of interest to you.
Question - Insulation.
The California does not have any Insulation behind the internal body panels or furniture, just Sound Deadening material. Most, if not All conversions have sound deadening matting, insulation material in the form of Rockwool and other materials and then a carpet covered plywood panel. Why the...
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- Dec 24, 2014
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Well we'll never know if you don't provide more info as requested in my post #20 (and you'll need to subscribe to do it now as you've used up your 5 free posts).
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We always had condensation on most surfaces, inside the cupboards and on the windows. An open window helped but was never enough to stop it completely. It’s not the end of the world, you just have manage as best you can.
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- Dec 24, 2014
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In the very sparse info that has been given you'll see that the OP originally said (in post #1) that they bought a motorhome which the dealer described and sold as a camper. Later (post #4) the OP wrote that the dealer described it as a motorhome when they complained about the insulation.
We don't actually know what it is.
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Terry
LIFE MEMBER
I'm afraid lots of manufacturer's call sticking carpet to walls/boards insulation.Without more info we are all guessing. I have seen vans with 3 mm polystyrene/ tinfoil stuck on walls with carpet stuck to that. Just how much insulation it gives I have no idea but I suppose it's better than none 
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