Quality of new motorhomes.

ontheroadagain

ontheroadagain

Joined
Apr 20, 2020
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Northern Ireland.
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MH
Adria Compact SC.
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Since 2017
Has there been a further reduction in the build quality of new motorhomes?
There appears to be an alarming number of people posting about serious quality issues with relatively new vehicles.
Surprisingly, continental motorhomes now appear to have just as many issues as British motorhomes.
 
I sincerely hope not our new motorhome was supposed to be started to be built this Monday 🤞
 
You never said which Tuesday afternoon 😂

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3rd new van in 2 years , 2 German ( both rejected ) my current one is french , not that bad to reject it but , front window delaminating, a hole in the floor you could put your hand through , cupboard surround 25mm of level , bed headboard falling off wall because it’s fouling the rear cupboard which is 10mm off Center , ladders for front bed in The wrong place (unusable) to mention a few 🤕
 
ontheroadagain said:
Has there been a further reduction in the build quality of new motorhomes?
There appears to be an alarming number of people posting about serious quality issues with relatively new vehicles.
Surprisingly, continental motorhomes now appear to have just as many issues as British motorhomes.
Click to expand...

I think the same.

The only difference between you and I though is the fact that I'm not brave enough to buy any motorhome or PVC built during CV19 times.

I think we'll see some ever deteriorating/shocking quality reports coming to the fore soon, especially with some of the UK makers such as Autotrail, Autosleeper and Bailey.

If they can't build them to a good standard during normal times then we have no hope now.

2020 to 2022 will not be a memorable period in the motorhome quality stakes.
 
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Scotch mist said:
3rd new van in 2 years , 2 German ( both rejected ) my current one is french , not that bad to reject it but , front window delaminating, a hole in the floor you could put your hand through , cupboard surround 25mm of level , bed headboard falling off wall because it’s fouling the rear cupboard which is 10mm off Center , ladders for front bed in The wrong place (unusable) to mention a few 🤕
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Those are truly shocking statistics but at least you've done the right thing by rejecting them. It's the only way that dealers and manufacturers will learn.

That said, I bet it has taken a toll on your health and mental state as these things bring so much stress.
 
Blue Knight said:
Those are truly shocking statistics but at least you've done the right thing by rejecting them. It's the only way that dealers and manufacturers will learn.

That said, I bet it has taken a toll on your health and mental state as these things bring so much stress.
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But that’s the problem the manufacturers dont care as long as they are shifting them. Dealers are caught between a rock and a hard place. The whole sorry saga is because the dealers shouldn't have to do quality control for the manufacturer. It should be a quick once over to make sure nothing has been missed not having to rebuild it. Unfortunately they do need rebuilding and the PDI is just a quick once over using rose tinted glasses.

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Scotch mist said:
3rd new van in 2 years , 2 German ( both rejected ) my current one is french , not that bad to reject it but , front window delaminating, a hole in the floor you could put your hand through , cupboard surround 25mm of level , bed headboard falling off wall because it’s fouling the rear cupboard which is 10mm off Center , ladders for front bed in The wrong place (unusable) to mention a few 🤕
Click to expand...
Same statistics as us, first autosleeper pvc needed a complete respray, amongst various other niggles so rejected, 2nd one a dethleffs, after 13 months the side pulled away from the floor and cupboards due to failed glues, so part exed for current van, a French lv, which has had no major problems and feels far better built than anything else we've seen.
 
I took a look round a 99k Carthago, (not for me I hasten to add) a brand which I’ve always looked up to but could never afford a later one, anyhow I was asked to look at a Hymer 678 exsis but that had sold the day before so I asked to look round this Carthago 2020 model and I have to say I was underwhelmed, it reminded me of another lesser make of motorhome, I was sorely disappointed, I was expecting quality wood and fittings but it seemed so flimsy!
I said to the Mrs that I wouldn’t have straight swapped my 2013 Sonic for it, but that said, I bet a 2013 Carthago would probably have a far superior build quality!!
I guess the bean counters are now running everything🤷‍♂️😞
 
Although no excuse for poor build quality, I suspect many conversions suffer from being much more flimsily built because manufacturers are trying ever harder to keep the plated weight below 3,500kg - even for larger vans. A symptom of a fast growing customer base without the C1 category on their driving licence.

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Our previous van was a late 2009 model , which we kept for around 7 years. . When our touring style needs and wants changed , we decided to look around for a replacement van . That was when our eyes got opened , really opened , to the van quality we had accepted as ok , in our early years of motorhoming.

We finally opted for a van 5 years older than the previous, but a hundred years away in "" for the better"" build quality, fittings etc. We still have that van and have decided to simply spend cash on it for upgrades etc , when we fancy doing so . Rather than hunt around for a newer possibly poor quality van .
 
We bought a 2014 Dethleffs in March and had lots of problems, so traded it back in. We looked at new, but the dealer actually told us that we were more likely to get problems with a new van than a used one, as first owners take the pain. So we opted for a 20 month old Pilote G781. Already done NC500 going down some roads we probably shouldn't and fingers crossed no problems so far - so we are pleased with our choice.
 
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Stealaway said:
You can't beat a Burstner.
Three minor problems with the new van in two years all with non Burstner made fittings.
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Our friends have a Burstner with the drop down bed and it does drop down. Even when he was sitting in the drivers seat and it wouldn't go back up. The garage door fell off too, some are good and some are bad in all makes but they seem to be getting worse recently.
 
unfortunately, it makes me a little comfy having an old one,,,feeling a bit miffed for the people that have ordered new,,I certainly wouldnt like it.

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I can’t believe the horror story’s about new mohos It’s absolutely shocking 😳 From being tuggers to Moho owners we’ve had two. A ‘54 plate Autocruise Wentworth and apart from a hab door catch spring breaking and the mastic seal drying out on a rooflight we didn’t have a single problem. Our present one is an ‘06 plate Hobby 700 on a Ducato chassis and in five years we have had a cracked exhaust and an indicator stalk contact fault, nothing else. We have decided to keep it and spend money on what needs doing as and when. We’re in the process of replacing the mattresses right now, money well spent I think.
 
Ours is a 20 yr old Hymer. We did debate selling and having something newer but we’ve decided now to just keep the old van going as the quality is fantastic and the layout is what we love with loads of space!
 
Blue Knight said:
I think the same.

The only difference between you and I though is the fact that I'm not brave enough to buy any motorhome or PVC built during CV19 times.

I think we'll see some ever deteriorating/shocking quality reports coming to the fore soon, especially with some of the UK makers such as Autotrail, Autosleeper and Bailey.

If they can't build them to a good standard during normal times then we have no hope now.

2020 to 2022 will not be a memorable period in the motorhome quality stakes.
Click to expand...
Could not agree more! I think vans built and registered in 2020/2022 will end up being known as COVID vans and there will be a lot of sucking in air by the Sales or Parts departments when it comes to trade in time or you are trying to source spare parts.
Think I would be putting my money into a quality used 2 or 3 year old van.
Just my thoughts 🤔🤔
DJT
 
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Shrimp said:
Ours is a 20 yr old Hymer. We did debate selling and having something newer but we’ve decided now to just keep the old van going as the quality is fantastic and the layout is what we love with loads of space!
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Don’t sell it,,it may be the worst move you’ve ever made,,you wouldn’t sell your wife for a younger , less well built model? ( actually, that came out as I was thinking, not the most appropriate sentence,,,but you get my drift,,(y)(y)(y)
 
tomm said:
Our previous van was a late 2009 model , which we kept for around 7 years. . When our touring style needs and wants changed , we decided to look around for a replacement van . That was when our eyes got opened , really opened , to the van quality we had accepted as ok , in our early years of motorhoming.

We finally opted for a van 5 years older than the previous, but a hundred years away in "" for the better"" build quality, fittings etc. We still have that van and have decided to simply spend cash on it for upgrades etc , when we fancy doing so . Rather than hunt around for a newer possibly poor quality van .
Click to expand...
Way to go👍

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WESTY66 said:
I took a look round a 99k Carthago, (not for me I hasten to add) a brand which I’ve always looked up to but could never afford a later one, anyhow I was asked to look at a Hymer 678 exsis but that had sold the day before so I asked to look round this Carthago 2020 model and I have to say I was underwhelmed, it reminded me of another lesser make of motorhome, I was sorely disappointed, I was expecting quality wood and fittings but it seemed so flimsy!
I said to the Mrs that I wouldn’t have straight swapped my 2013 Sonic for it, but that said, I bet a 2013 Carthago would probably have a far superior build quality!!
I guess the bean counters are now running everything🤷‍♂️😞
Click to expand...
I am very happy with the quality of my 2019 Carthago, after 2 years it is still rattle free and nothing has fallen off. Wood finishes are too heavy for a modern motorhome and wooden structural components would be an absolute No No for me. The doors, cupboards and drawers are lightweight but very well built and nothing has needed adjusting. I have previously owned a 2015 Hymer, a 2007 Knaus and 3 older Auto Sleepers. None of them were as well built as the Carthago, though the Hymer was close.
 
Due to the immense pressure of sales caused by covid no doubt. They must be working flat out.
Also parts used and made by other manufacturers not being up to scratch. Everything is automatic these days, much more to go wrong, remember when you had to manually put a step out ?
Phil
 
We called in at Brownhills last week. They are almost sold out of all stock. They only seem to have a stock of Eldis PVC and the odd MoHo. As one of their model was similar to my Burstner but 13 grand cheaper I thought I would compare it to mine. I was shocked by the fit and finish. Everything was shockingly fragile. So much was left unfinished and ragged. I now know why I've bought three Burstner vans. If your only experience of MoHos is this brand there's no wonder you would think that they are all crap.
 
March 2018- New AT Imala....started to fall to bits inside 3 months

June 2018- Traded AT back in with Spinney, bought a new Swift Escape. Roof delaminated inside 5 months went back to factory for repair, but the electrical gremlins drove us mad

April 2019- Traded Swift in for a new Adria Twin Supreme.....brilliantly screwed together and faultless PVC, I just couldn't cope with the overall lack of lounging space....not the vans fault- sold in Dec19 to a funster

Van-less for 9 months then Sept 20 bought an Elddis 175 fully loaded.
Bought on price and with eyes-wide-open "knowing" from reviews how shite Elddis were. However so far it has been great other than a broken catch that dealer replaced without blinking. It is a country mile better than the AT or Swift but not a patch on the Adria
Tried to be candid with this
 
Gaston aires said:
Due to the immense pressure of sales caused by covid no doubt. They must be working flat out.
Click to expand...

Yep, totally agree, good point Phil.....but who is working flat out?

Is it a team of highly qualified, skilled and time served fitters or is it some McDonald's burger flipper who they've just dragged off the street because they need the numbers....

....in lots of cases I would say that your burger builder is now constructing this year's motorhomes.

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