NIghtmare experience

[twerly]

Hi,
Firstly sorry this is a very long post !! There is a lot to say !

My wife and I caught the motorhome bug 9 years ago, we self imprted a lovely Hymer B578 from Germany, after a great 9 years and our son going to Uni we decided to down-size like many before to a Van Conversion, did not help to get a great price for Humphry the Hymer! We spent month chosing the right van and what compromise we could accept.
This is where the story takes a dark turn, I am not going at this stage mentioned the manufacture of the Van or the Dealer as we are in conversation. Below is the sorry take of our brand new van ownership -
Note - I hae taken pictures of the nost obvious defects

• During the handover, the air suspension was found to be faulty and had to be replaced which delayed our departure by 3 hours.
• Shower cupboard lock not fitted correctly, causing the door to open and rip out of the wood, lock fixed, and doors secured by local specialist approved by the dealer. Waiting for a replacement door as not sure of the future integrity of the door. The lock should have been checked as part of the delivery pre checks. It should have been found and fixed under manufacturers quality control and dealer pre delivery checks
• Truma Combi Diesel Heater - diesel pipe not connected from main diesel tank to heater - this has been sorted by local specialist. This must have been delivered in this state. The pipe had to be screwed and attached to the diesel tank.
• Potentially lethal fault it appears that not only was the fuel pipe not connected to the main diesel tank, but it was also not securely connected to the Truma Combi Heater. We then went away for the weekend and can only assume as the pipe had been loosely connected to the Truma end, which is a sealed unit, vibration must have disconnected it resulting in Diesel pouring everywhere inside the area around the Truma heater, luckily it did not go up in flames.
• The Truma now is not operational, and we will not try it as risk of explosion. Truma Combi now not functional, obviously the fuel has damaged it.
• Sink drain unit, poorly fitted, secured with sealant which leaked. Local specialist has replaced complete unit, this is now fixed. In the opinion of specialist, the installed unit was poor and was held in place by some sealant. This should have been found and fixed under manufacturers quality control and Dealer
• Lots of water located on top of the freshwater tank, just discovered this one, can only assume the lid not connected properly.
• New leak located in Bathroom - not resolved this should have been found and fixed under manufacturers quality control and dealer
• Grey Water Drain sensor faulty - still not resolved
• I am not able to use the Inet Truma app, the Inet unit is located sealed inside the Truma Heater, you need to press the blue-tooth button to enable this. This should have been carried out at handover. - Not resolved
• We have also had the near side window re-seated, and screws replaced as this had excessive rattles - now resolved by local specialist
• We have had to replace the digital TV aerial, as the aerial provided by dealer was very poor, the new aerial picked up 29 channels at home - Necvox ANT 536, this was via eBay and cost £40 including delivery at our expense.

The fault this weekend with the fuel leakage into the cabin has resulted in us not wanting to use the Van again as it is a potential death trap. As a result, we are rejecting the Van under the 2015 Traded Description ACT, it is being collected next week.


For obvious reasons we will point blank refuse for the van to be fixed, we also will never purchase a van from the said manufacturer again. We are happy for the dealer to sell us a new replacement van with the amount we paid for the rejected van coming off the price, it is reasonable to expect the dealer to also reduce their margin on the replacement Van as prices have risen since we paid for the old Van, I fully expect they will fix it and sell it for a profit as it has only covered 600 miles, some of the defect have been fixed. We have had 6 trips since pickup in August, none without incident, so I would also expect the dealer should pay compensation.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Sorry to hear of of your problems with a new van and a very poor PDI but sadly not uncommon to let the customer carry out the handover quality checks .
Best of luck on your rejection and trust you will keep us all informed of the outcome

 

[twerly]

Fingers crossed the Dealer is professional. Do not think the build was even finished before they shipped it out of the door, not properly connecting the heater fuel pipe at either end is almost sabotage, I expect the odd rattle and even a small leak, we accpeted the first rectifications, but in the end enough was enough.

 

[The Dudess]

What a nightmare experience!! We have just downsized from a huge Frankia A class to a PVC, and although storage is a challenge (especially having two dogs) we are really pleased with how less stressful life is with a smaller van. Hope you get things sorted and that you feel confident enough to continue 'trucking'.

 

[twerly]

Thanks . Yes biggest challenge was losting the huge garage, we have small dog so not such an issue. We could have lived with the new Van, great design just execution was useless. Think we will be spending more for a better product. Still a Van Conversion as loved the smaller dimension (Width) , RHD and auto gearbox.

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[Garratt]

This reminds me of a couple I met in Salcombe harbour, who rafted their beautiful new 44ft yacht next to me on a mooring. They told me that this was a replacement for the original new boat that they had rejected and had replaced. Apparently the diesel filler pipe from the deck hadn't been connected at the fuel tank, and when it was filled for the first time, the bilges filled up with diesel, contaminating the whole boat. The dealer offered to clean the boat out and give them some money back, but they stuck to their guns and got a replacement.

 

[pappajohn]

so I would also expect the dealer should pay compensation.

I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.
Your lucky they accepted a rejection without a fight

 

[LesW]

How awful, this should be an exciting time for you too.. hope things turn out well for you.

 

[rosalan]

Although the dealer should have been more diligent in checking during PDI, vans can always come up with some unseen faults. The manufacturer however has demonstrated negligence of attention to manufacturing standards that borders on dangerous. Perhaps at a later date when all conversation is at an end, I feel sure that there are many of us that would like to be aware of who could produce the vehicle concerned.

 

[twerly]

Hi, under the Trades Description Act of 2015 they must as a minimum refund the full value as we permitted two attempts at fixing the defects, the severity and number of defects also fully meet the stipulation within the act. I agree compensation is different matter, all I would ask is they offer a replacement Van with a slightly reduced margin which I do not think is unreasonable. I am also going to email the manufacturer as I think there is sufficient reason for a safety recall as who knows how many other are potentially driving around with a dangerous defect.

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[twerly]

Although the dealer should have been more diligent in checking during PDI, vans can always come up with some unseen faults. The manufacturer however has demonstrated negligence of attention to manufacturing standards that borders on dangerous. Perhaps at a later date when all conversation is at an end, I feel sure that there are many of us that would like to be aware of who could produce the vehicle concerned.

I will, I will say this much - it is French !. I have told the dealer they should be contacting anyone with the same Van urgently.

 

[PaddyM]

I will, I will say this much - it is French !. I have told the dealer they should be contacting anyone with the same Van urgently.

I truly feel your pain and hope upon hope that the resolution is to your satisfaction . It appears that we are being taken for complete mugs in our chosen leisure pastime……AGAIN .

 

[twerly]

How awful, this should be an exciting time for you too.. hope things turn out well for you.

Thanks, we just want to get out there, we had no MH for 6 months while waiting and was so excited. My wife does not want to sit in it again, the diesel in the cabin and smell has put her off. Our Hymer did not have the bells and whistles, but was solid. Our problem is what else has not been connected or tightended, it just was not finished.

 

[TheBig1]

Just to put your mind at rest, the diesel spill is not an explosive situation. It's not like petrol, as it is actually hard to burn diesel. In the engine, diesel is compressed and sprayed from the injectors as a micro mist to get it to ignite. in fact, you can drop a lit match into a bucket of diesel and it just goes out. Now as for the contamination of diesel in the hab area and soaking into the wood and electrics, it's a big job to sort properly and the smell very hard to get rid of

You are doing the correct thing rejecting the vehicle as it is a very poor example of the manufacturer's build quality and workmanship

 

[twerly]

Just to put your mind at rest, the diesel spill is not an explosive situation. It's not like petrol, as it is actually hard to burn diesel. In the engine, diesel is compressed and sprayed from the injectors as a micro mist to get it to ignite. in fact, you can drop a lit match into a bucket of diesel and it just goes out. Now as for the contamination of diesel in the hab area and soaking into the wood and electrics, it's a big job to sort properly and the smell very hard to get rid of

You are doing the correct thing rejecting the vehicle as it is a very poor example of the manufacturer's build quality and workmanship

Hi, Thanks, thanks, agree that diesal is not as explosive as petrol, it has certainly damaged the Truma Combi PCB, as it no longer worked with Electic as this is what we tried first on the camp site, reverted to Diesal and then opened up and found the damage. It pobably was not a lot of diesel, but anyone with a spill knows a little goes a long way and is difficult to get rid of i think in the rush to meet orders and possible temp staff with Covid-19 they litterally threw it together and rushed it out of the door.

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[CamperManLez]

Stop start supply chain issues will produce lots of vehicles like this. One person picks up another persons unfinished job at the factory.

 

[DumfriesDik]

That is a terrible story and I hope you can have it resolved to your satisfaction. It is very disappointing. Best wishes.

 

[bobnick]

I feel for you and know personally what you have experianced.
We collected a brand new van recently that blew it's engine after 15 miles. We of course rejected it. And of course it was French.

 

[sueandjohn]

Good luck- keep us posted for s good outcome

 

[twerly]

Thanks for everyones replies, the van is being picked up next Thursday, at least the recent change to Trades Descriptuion Act give better protection, we just hope the dealer may offer a small discount on a different van, we want to get back out there ASAP, just not in the same van

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[LouthMick]

It is the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you have a right to reject, not the Trade Descriptions Act.

If within the first 30 days from taking delivery a significant fault occurs, you have the right to reject it and have a full refund or a replacement.

if after 30 days a significant fault develops, they have only one opportunity to repair the fault. If they are unable to repair the fault or it reappears, you can then reject it. However, if you were using it whilst a fault was evident, they may attempt to charge you for fair-wear-and-tear.

Note: if the vehicle was with them for repair during the first 30 days of ownership, the time they had it, is added to the 30 days.

Read this > https://www.clerksroom.com/downloads/697-Consumer-Rights-for-Motorhome-Owners-and-Rejecting.pdf

 

[Hymerboy]

What a nightmare experience!! We have just downsized from a huge Frankia A class to a PVC, and although storage is a challenge (especially having two dogs) we are really pleased with how less stressful life is with a smaller van. Hope you get things sorted and that you feel confident enough to continue 'trucking'.

I have a tag axle and would like to know what you found stressful about yours, and I wonder if there the same as mine. As we are thinking of downsizing,

 

[steve69]

I know you wanted to downsize, but my philosophy is - if you are happy with the van you have, for god's sake don't change it.

 

[SpeedyDux]

Our 2017 Rapido Van (with the Diesel Truma heater) has been close to faultless, only having to replace one push button lock on an interior locker. The FIAT X290 underpinnings have caused a few minor problems, e.g. the airbag ECU failure which also affected many other Funsters, and has nothing to do with the quality of the conversion.

Please don't assume that all French van conversions are tarred with the same brush. The manufacturer that botched the OP's defective van conversion ought to be named as soon as the rejection and refund has been completed. I feel rather sorry for the OP, due to the disappointment and hassle they suffered. Obviously such a shocking catalogue of defects ought not to be present when the van leaves the factory. The dealer ought to identify and rectify them at the PDI stage before handover. In that respect the dealer is morally as well as legally responsible.

Customers having to assume the burden after handover of identifying defects, and having to put pressure on to get them sorted, or rejecting new vans (which seems quite commonplace, not a rare exception) illustrates an ongoing systemic failure of this leisure industry. Directors of companies producing shoddy conversions must be aware of a high level of warranty claims, and the significant resulting cost to the company. So, what are they going to do about improving quality control in their factories? Very little, it seems, as long as this is a sellers' market. Meanwhile, I expect the level of warranty costs is built into the list price, so those who buy a new MH are effectively paying more, and the manufacturers carry on making a profit.

End of rant.

 

[Sapper520]

Thanks for everyones replies, the van is being picked up next Thursday, at least the recent change to Trades Descriptuion Act give better protection, we just hope the dealer may offer a small discount on a different van, we want to get back out there ASAP, just not in the same van

I’m afraid I wouldn’t be buying off the same dealer. I can’t see that all the systems had been fully checked before handover to you. Therefore, In wouldn’t have any confidence in them……..but that’s just me.

Hope all goes well for you.

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[Trout bum]

Hi,
Firstly sorry this is a very long post !! There is a lot to say !

My wife and I caught the motorhome bug 9 years ago, we self imprted a lovely Hymer B578 from Germany, after a great 9 years and our son going to Uni we decided to down-size like many before to a Van Conversion, did not help to get a great price for Humphry the Hymer! We spent month chosing the right van and what compromise we could accept.
This is where the story takes a dark turn, I am not going at this stage mentioned the manufacture of the Van or the Dealer as we are in conversation. Below is the sorry take of our brand new van ownership -
Note - I hae taken pictures of the nost obvious defects

• During the handover, the air suspension was found to be faulty and had to be replaced which delayed our departure by 3 hours.
• Shower cupboard lock not fitted correctly, causing the door to open and rip out of the wood, lock fixed, and doors secured by local specialist approved by the dealer. Waiting for a replacement door as not sure of the future integrity of the door. The lock should have been checked as part of the delivery pre checks. It should have been found and fixed under manufacturers quality control and dealer pre delivery checks
• Truma Combi Diesel Heater - diesel pipe not connected from main diesel tank to heater - this has been sorted by local specialist. This must have been delivered in this state. The pipe had to be screwed and attached to the diesel tank.
• Potentially lethal fault it appears that not only was the fuel pipe not connected to the main diesel tank, but it was also not securely connected to the Truma Combi Heater. We then went away for the weekend and can only assume as the pipe had been loosely connected to the Truma end, which is a sealed unit, vibration must have disconnected it resulting in Diesel pouring everywhere inside the area around the Truma heater, luckily it did not go up in flames.
• The Truma now is not operational, and we will not try it as risk of explosion. Truma Combi now not functional, obviously the fuel has damaged it.
• Sink drain unit, poorly fitted, secured with sealant which leaked. Local specialist has replaced complete unit, this is now fixed. In the opinion of specialist, the installed unit was poor and was held in place by some sealant. This should have been found and fixed under manufacturers quality control and Dealer
• Lots of water located on top of the freshwater tank, just discovered this one, can only assume the lid not connected properly.
• New leak located in Bathroom - not resolved this should have been found and fixed under manufacturers quality control and dealer
• Grey Water Drain sensor faulty - still not resolved
• I am not able to use the Inet Truma app, the Inet unit is located sealed inside the Truma Heater, you need to press the blue-tooth button to enable this. This should have been carried out at handover. - Not resolved
• We have also had the near side window re-seated, and screws replaced as this had excessive rattles - now resolved by local specialist
• We have had to replace the digital TV aerial, as the aerial provided by dealer was very poor, the new aerial picked up 29 channels at home - Necvox ANT 536, this was via eBay and cost £40 including delivery at our expense.

The fault this weekend with the fuel leakage into the cabin has resulted in us not wanting to use the Van again as it is a potential death trap. As a result, we are rejecting the Van under the 2015 Traded Description ACT, it is being collected next week.


For obvious reasons we will point blank refuse for the van to be fixed, we also will never purchase a van from the said manufacturer again. We are happy for the dealer to sell us a new replacement van with the amount we paid for the rejected van coming off the price, it is reasonable to expect the dealer to also reduce their margin on the replacement Van as prices have risen since we paid for the old Van, I fully expect they will fix it and sell it for a profit as it has only covered 600 miles, some of the defect have been fixed. We have had 6 trips since pickup in August, none without incident, so I would also expectar

Hi,
Firstly sorry this is a very long post !! There is a lot to say !

My wife and I caught the motorhome bug 9 years ago, we self imprted a lovely Hymer B578 from Germany, after a great 9 years and our son going to Uni we decided to down-size like many before to a Van Conversion, did not help to get a great price for Humphry the Hymer! We spent month chosing the right van and what compromise we could accept.
This is where the story takes a dark turn, I am not going at this stage mentioned the manufacture of the Van or the Dealer as we are in conversation. Below is the sorry take of our brand new van ownership -
Note - I hae taken pictures of the nost obvious defects

• During the handover, the air suspension was found to be faulty and had to be replaced which delayed our departure by 3 hours.
• Shower cupboard lock not fitted correctly, causing the door to open and rip out of the wood, lock fixed, and doors secured by local specialist approved by the dealer. Waiting for a replacement door as not sure of the future integrity of the door. The lock should have been checked as part of the delivery pre checks. It should have been found and fixed under manufacturers quality control and dealer pre delivery checks
• Truma Combi Diesel Heater - diesel pipe not connected from main diesel tank to heater - this has been sorted by local specialist. This must have been delivered in this state. The pipe had to be screwed and attached to the diesel tank.
• Potentially lethal fault it appears that not only was the fuel pipe not connected to the main diesel tank, but it was also not securely connected to the Truma Combi Heater. We then went away for the weekend and can only assume as the pipe had been loosely connected to the Truma end, which is a sealed unit, vibration must have disconnected it resulting in Diesel pouring everywhere inside the area around the Truma heater, luckily it did not go up in flames.
• The Truma now is not operational, and we will not try it as risk of explosion. Truma Combi now not functional, obviously the fuel has damaged it.
• Sink drain unit, poorly fitted, secured with sealant which leaked. Local specialist has replaced complete unit, this is now fixed. In the opinion of specialist, the installed unit was poor and was held in place by some sealant. This should have been found and fixed under manufacturers quality control and Dealer
• Lots of water located on top of the freshwater tank, just discovered this one, can only assume the lid not connected properly.
• New leak located in Bathroom - not resolved this should have been found and fixed under manufacturers quality control and dealer
• Grey Water Drain sensor faulty - still not resolved
• I am not able to use the Inet Truma app, the Inet unit is located sealed inside the Truma Heater, you need to press the blue-tooth button to enable this. This should have been carried out at handover. - Not resolved
• We have also had the near side window re-seated, and screws replaced as this had excessive rattles - now resolved by local specialist
• We have had to replace the digital TV aerial, as the aerial provided by dealer was very poor, the new aerial picked up 29 channels at home - Necvox ANT 536, this was via eBay and cost £40 including delivery at our expense.

The fault this weekend with the fuel leakage into the cabin has resulted in us not wanting to use the Van again as it is a potential death trap. As a result, we are rejecting the Van under the 2015 Traded Description ACT, it is being collected next week.


For obvious reasons we will point blank refuse for the van to be fixed, we also will never purchase a van from the said manufacturer again. We are happy for the dealer to sell us a new replacement van with the amount we paid for the rejected van coming off the price, it is reasonable to expect the dealer to also reduce their margin on the replacement Van as prices have risen since we paid for the old Van, I fully expect they will fix it and sell it for a profit as it has only covered 600 miles, some of the defect have been fixed. We have had 6 trips since pickup in August, none without incident, so I would also expect the dealer should pay compensation.

This story is shocking but unfortunately not uncommon, personally I would name and shame the manufacturer and the supplier , someone will try and buy this van so best they know it's history , just my opinion.

 

[The Dudess]

I have a tag axle and would like to know what you found stressful about yours, and I wonder if there the same as mine. As we are thinking of downsizing,

Firstly I couldn't drive it as it felt far too big. Secondly, the size of it meant that you were always nervous when tackling narrowish roads or when some huge lorry was thundering towards you, thirdly parking anywhere even in supermarket carparks, and lastly the cost if we needed any repairs. We have had 2 window screens replaced due to stone chips and although these were covered in the insurance (apart from the excess) having to try to get the windscreen replaced when abroad was just a lot of hassle and worry. My husband is in love with our PVC and I am even finding driving it quite easy. Also the cost of fuel, ferries, chunnel and tolls is less. All in all we feel we have made the right decision - just need to get smaller dogs next time. Good luck with your decision.

 

[MacroMad]

One of the reason i joined this group was so that i could learn from others mishaps and post my findings or help.
I really would like to know the vehicle manufacturer and the dealer.
Why hide it from us, we just might be doing the same thing.

 

[Grianan]

We have a PVC and are very happy with build quality. However, some MHF owners have experience of models coming out of the other factory the manufacturer uses and there seem to have been more quality issues with those.

 

[Sasbo]

I know of one mainstream French PVC that is built in the UK by a manufacturer who's build quality is at times questionable. Wonder if the Op has one of these?

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