Not Happy, Autotrail Delaware 1 Year Old Failed Habitation Check - Damp (1 Viewer)

[zac]

Very sorry for all your problems. We have been through the same and few times over the years. After 12 motor homes we decided this time to push all our resource into a quality van so purchased a Carthago. How wrong were we. It's the same as all the rest and is slowly dropping to pieces bit by bit. So in your quest for ANY perfect motor home either in the UK or Europe goodbye luck.
Unfortunately it is very much pot luck.

Thanks for the reply, this has put me back as I was seriously considering a carthago to replace this one. I am currently waiting to get our Motorhome so I can finally see where this damp actually is. Irrelevant of this these vans are of shocking quality.

 

[Teuchter]

Do look at Knaus, German made, excellent quality and the most popular make of MoHo bought by Germans

 

[Judge Mental]

You could buy an imported van, such as a Hymer, from one of the companies in the UK that sources them abroad and imports them to the UK. Edgehill Motorhomes is one such company... they specialise in second hand Hymers that they source from Germany.

Perhaps not as cheap as doing it yourself but they deal with all of the paperwork and convert the plugs and speedo to UK spec. It's also cheaper than using a UK Hymer dealer, and you could do a PX deal.

The downside (for some) is that their vans are all left-hand drive. Not really a problem, especially if most of your usage is abroad.

Mike

why give away a portion of the savings for what is an easy DIY job...

People spend more time worrying about the details when in reality it is very straightforward. You can get cheap flight early morning, and be back home the same day if you want. down to MOT station the next day, send info to VCA, when its back send it to DVLA. Once you get the van on your drive you will wonder what all the fuss was about

If Ifs and buts were pots and pans there would be no need for tinkers

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[Big bus man]

On a similar note, I brought a 1 year old caravan from a dealer, on the first service with said dealer it failed the habitation check on the front panel. Put right under warranty and another year on I was selling it back to them, they reported it had a damp issue around the front panel, seems they don't keep records but that is not the point. As a result I no longer trust dealer service centres and would rather locate and rectify the area of penetration myself but with a new vehicle you do get the warranty and the 'fit for purpose' law backing you up, it is just returning to the dealers all the time that annoys me especially as they are not usually just down the road.

 

[G7UXG]

why give away a portion of the savings for what is an easy DIY job...

People spend more time worrying about the details when in reality it is very straightforward. You can get cheap flight early morning, and be back home the same day if you want. down to MOT station the next day, send info to VCA, when its back send it to DVLA. Once you get the van on your drive you will wonder what all the fuss was about

If Ifs and buts were pots and pans there would be no need for tinkers

I'd agree. The problem for me was finding the time to go abroad and find a suitable vehicle, whereas I just happened to stumble across this one at the Peterborough Show.

The import process would appear to be quite straight forward.

Mike.

 

[mentaliss]

Interesting thought as MHF's here debate purchasing new MH's with an average purchase cost of over £60K!! How lucky we are most of us oldies are of the 'baby boon' generation who were fortunate enough to get a Mortgage when they were affordable many years ago ..(just) which in turn has given equity and wealth . When we go to noddy land who's going to buy MH's then? as our children will as I see it will probably never be able to buy a motorhome.. After all, they will be still working till 70, still paying off the Mortgage, still cursing a useless government who will expect the next generation to sell off their homes to pay for the 'dribble chair' in care homes.....and so on

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[chaser]

I wouldn't say most on here talk those sort of prices, I certainly don't , ours cost £17,000 and way more than I would have thought of spending , usually in the three grand area, but this one is exactly what we wanted and will not be thinking of buying another.
Whereas my son has one worth nearly twice as much and doesn't bat an eyelid, daughters also got one but more in our price range.

 

[ianandkath]

why dont you all,or some of you, look at usa or canada models.
very well made, and large types to look at, from the a class to c class and even built on european chassis now

 

[zac]

Picked up our Motorhome this afternoon and just drove the 180 miles back home. I was hoping to get someone to show me where the damp was but they said he was not in today despite telling me yesterday he would be there. From looks of it it as I said right hand side back garage. I think around the door and where floor meets side skirt inside garage is where it got in. No obvious signs though.

They have fixed it or so I have been told, I did just have to spend another hour when home to get rid of all the extra sealant splattered over the side skirts near the garage door.

Carthago were an option although too expensive really and now hearing from somebody that has one and all the troubles it seems they are all the same.

Might look at the USA ones as you seem to get a lot more for your money.

Will look at the NEC show in a couple of weeks and decide from there.

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.

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[zac]

Do look at Knaus, German made, excellent quality and the most popular make of MoHo bought by Germans

Not heard a lot about knaus, I will look to see who has any over here so I can get an idea of them although I am sure they will be at the NEC so will have a good opportunity then.

My options are open although I spent most of last night searching the Internet for Motorhomes. Hurts the brain after a while.

Thanks

 

[Judge Mental]

Very sorry for all your problems. We have been through the same and few times over the years. After 12 motor homes we decided this time to push all our resource into a quality van so purchased a Carthago. How wrong were we. It's the same as all the rest and is slowly dropping to pieces bit by bit. So in your quest for ANY perfect motor home either in the UK or Europe goodbye luck.
Unfortunately it is very much pot luck.

So you have serious damp issues as well?

 

[Teuchter]

Not heard a lot about knaus, I will look to see who has any over here so I can get an idea of them although I am sure they will be at the NEC so will have a good opportunity then.

Knaus won the "best luxury MoHo" in Practical Motorhome awards of the year 2015 and to quote from their article on quality

"It's easy to see why Knaus sells more motorhomes in Germany than any other maker"

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[zac]

Knaus won the "best luxury MoHo" in Practical Motorhome awards of the year 2015 and to quote from their article on quality

"It's easy to see why Knaus sells more motorhomes in Germany than any other maker"

Thanks for the info i will certainly be taking a look.

I have the damp report and i am concerned that all along the offside starting from the front and going to the rear tyre there are readings of 18% which according to the sheet suggests investigation and recheck in 3 months (nothing said to me when i picked up).Just past the rear wheel towards the start of the garage there is a reading of 94% which is the one for concern and the last one right on the corner of the vehicle says 25%.

Will have to wait till Monday to call them to see why they haven't investigate the 18% readings,perhaps they think this is all down to the same issue!

 

[DuxDeluxe]

Thanks for the info i will certainly be taking a look.

I have the damp report and i am concerned that all along the offside starting from the front and going to the rear tyre there are readings of 18% which according to the sheet suggests investigation and recheck in 3 months (nothing said to me when i picked up).Just past the rear wheel towards the start of the garage there is a reading of 94% which is the one for concern and the last one right on the corner of the vehicle says 25%.

Will have to wait till Monday to call them to see why they haven't investigate the 18% readings,perhaps they think this is all down to the same issue!

Next door neighbour has a Knaus. Too small on the inside for us but very nicely built with some nice touches. Usual payload issues as it is 7.3 m with a big garage on 3.5 tonnes

 

[zac]

I was just researching them and they appear to do a 4t version (Sky I and then past this is a tag axle)

They look very nice.

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[Electraglide]

why dont you all,or some of you, look at usa or canada models.
very well made, and large types to look at, from the a class to c class and even built on european chassis now

We have looked at this, spoke to dealer who a friend knows in Sacramento, spend a year in the States then ship it home

 

[Gellyneck]

From looks of it it as I said right hand side back garage. I think around the door and where floor meets side skirt inside garage is where it got in. No obvious signs though.

I have the damp report and i am concerned that all along the offside starting from the front and going to the rear tyre there are readings of 18% which according to the sheet suggests investigation and recheck in 3 months (nothing said to me when i picked up).Just past the rear wheel towards the start of the garage there is a reading of 94% which is the one for concern and the last one right on the corner of the vehicle says 25%.

We had to get the garage door realigned on our Savannah as it wasn't sealing properly but were fortunate(?) that it was pooling on the "vinyl" covering on the garage floor and not soaking into the structure. This remedial work seems to have fixed the issue.

Could your issue be with the rear wheel throwing up water into a badly fitted wheel arch lining rather than the garage door seal?

 

[zac]

We had to get the garage door realigned on our Savannah as it wasn't sealing properly but were fortunate(?) that it was pooling on the "vinyl" covering on the garage floor and not soaking into the structure. This remedial work seems to have fixed the issue.

Could your issue be with the rear wheel throwing up water into a badly fitted wheel arch lining rather than the garage door seal?

To be honest I have no idea, it would match where the high damp reading was taken. I am hoping this resolves it, but I will call them tomorrow and ask about the other readings as nothing was said about these.

Our van also parks on a slope outside our house which goes down towards passenger side. If it wasn't sealed the rain would run down the back offside and go straight in the garage door. This could in theory then run down the length of the van where the readings are.

Also we have had no sign of water at all inside the garage.

Still better to be safe than sorry so will definitely check this.

Thanks

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[Abacist]

In my experience Autotrails need to be parked with the front end lower than the back end so that water on the roof can drain to the front and off the roof via the channels on either side of the lump over the cab. If water pools on the roof at the back because its parked rear down then theres a risk of it permeating the join between the roof and the rear panel. Always check the roof on a regular basis, both inside and out! Inside, the roof, which is covered in a wallpaper like material, will stain and get watermarks if there is water or damp present.

This may not apply to the OP but its a known issue with AutoTrails so be warned!

 

[DuxDeluxe]

In my experience Autotrails need to be parked with the front end lower than the back end so that water on the roof can drain to the front and off the roof via the channels on either side of the lump over the cab. If water pools on the roof at the back because its parked rear down then theres a risk of it permeating the join between the roof and the rear panel. Always check the roof on a regular basis, both inside and out! Inside, the roof, which is covered in a wallpaper like material, will stain and get watermarks if there is water or damp present.

This may not apply to the OP but its a known issue with AutoTrails so be warned!

This is a motorhome designed and built by the giant Trigano group. If they can't get something that simple right, then what other things do they do wrong?

 

[zac]

Ours is parked with the front lower, the water will drain towards the front passenger cab as it slants that way. I did park the opposite way but noticed after a few days water building up in the corner st the back as this part is raised so cannot drain. Bad design I think but I spotted that early on so didn't cause a problem.

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[funflair]

Thanks for the info i will certainly be taking a look.

I have the damp report and i am concerned that all along the offside starting from the front and going to the rear tyre there are readings of 18% which according to the sheet suggests investigation and recheck in 3 months (nothing said to me when i picked up).Just past the rear wheel towards the start of the garage there is a reading of 94% which is the one for concern and the last one right on the corner of the vehicle says 25%.

Will have to wait till Monday to call them to see why they haven't investigate the 18% readings,perhaps they think this is all down to the same issue!

If they have fixed the 94% area the 18% should sort itself out. if you have a damp meter keep an eye on it over time and seeing how quickly it all dries out will indicate how deep the damp penetration was/is.

ps if you have not got a damp meter it might be a good investment.

Martin

 

[zac]

If they have fixed the 94% area the 18% should sort itself out. if you have a damp meter keep an eye on it over time and seeing how quickly it all dries out will indicate how deep the damp penetration was/is.

ps if you have not got a damp meter it might be a good investment.

Martin

Funny enough I brought one about a month ago non invasive from a post on here. About £60 I think , I will keep an eye on it for sure.

Thanks

 

[zac]

Just spoke to dealer and they have confirmed it needs to be rechecked in the areas that state 18% within the next 3-6 months. I can feel some dejavu coming. Although they wont charge for the recheck it will cost me around £100 to get there and back in fuel.

deep joy

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[knokinonabit]

In my experience Autotrails need to be parked with the front end lower than the back end so that water on the roof can drain to the front and off the roof via the channels on either side of the lump over the cab. If water pools on the roof at the back because its parked rear down then theres a risk of it permeating the join between the roof and the rear panel. Always check the roof on a regular basis, both inside and out! Inside, the roof, which is covered in a wallpaper like material, will stain and get watermarks if there is water or damp present.

This may not apply to the OP but its a known issue with AutoTrails so be warned!

I had water in the garage area near the offside door.
New seals were fitted but it persisted. I actually thought it may be leaking in around the reversing camera.
I always used to level the MH up when I parked up at home, it lives at home, but eventually couldn't be bothered.
Since then I haven't had water in the garage area.

 

[busby]

Autotrail are owned by the same company that makes EuraMobil, Chausson and Roller Team among others.
They are French owned and some say that was when it all started going pear shaped.

And Trigano,,,BUSBY,

 

[zac]

I had water in the garage area near the offside door.
New seals were fitted but it persisted. I actually thought it may be leaking in around the reversing camera.
I always used to level the MH up when I parked up at home, it lives at home, but eventually couldn't be bothered.
Since then I haven't had water in the garage area.

The thing is that i could see no water in the garage and i know this for sure as the week before we went up to drop it off i emptied the garage out to put down some garage mats. Didnt see even a drop of water which is why i need to know exactly where it came in, this will be Thursday apparently when the engineer is back.

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[knokinonabit]

The thing is that i could see no water in the garage and i know this for sure as the week before we went up to drop it off i emptied the garage out to put down some garage mats. Didnt see even a drop of water which is why i need to know exactly where it came in, this will be Thursday apparently when the engineer is back.

It could be running down between the rear outer panel and the garage inner one.
Please let us know the result.

 

[zac]

It could be running down between the rear outer panel and the garage inner one.
Please let us know the result.

I will do.

Thanks

 

[zac]

I couldn't make this up, just gone out to get the van ready for our trip to Taunton this weekend to get the Growler fitted and noticed our Turtle Matt missing that we normally have in the area once in the van to cut down on dirt etc. Dealer at present cannot find it which i am hoping they will as this cost a lot of money from the NEC show last year (my receipt shows £125 but this may of been for 2 matts of different sizes). Didnt notice this when i picked the van up as there were a load of sheeting down and after i checked the van i just picked it all up and put it in the bin and drove home.

My wife is not happy as we specifically cut this to fit and put webbing on the back to ensure it doesnt move, i am hoping they find it. I have checked in all the cupboards under the seats, in the garage and not there.

No idea why they need to move it but i am guessing this was part of the damp check, it is larger than a normal matt as we got a custom size and then cut to fit so not exactly small.

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