Servicing and Habitation costs

[Vennwood]

I've just had my annual service and habitation checks carried out and just wondering what everyone else's views are on this.
Do you have the habitation checks done every year or only when its under warranty and what would you think a typical cost would be?
Fiat chassis/engine service - do you stick to the recommended mileage or do you go for annual service irrespective of mileage?
Is the Hab service record just as important as the service history record in your view.

 

[Speve]

I personally don’t bother with habitation check as I look after that myself however I do try and stick to regular service schedule of our Fiat Ducato based Hymer B678DL.
Just had cam belt changed and four year service. I was advised when I bought my first Ducato by a transport company owner who ran lots of them that it was a good idea to change the oil every year irrespective of mileage?
IMHO that was good advice and has worked for me over three Ducato’s and over 70000 miles between them that we have owned

 

[PP Bear]

Can’t comment as I do it all myself and save ££££’s in the process.

Would only get a hab check done inside warranty, as to me, they’re not worth the paper that they’re written on, but just my personal opinion.

I have my own damp meter and check the readings out more often than a hab check would. If there was a problem, then I wouldn’t be waiting until the next check to find it and get it sorted. What might be a small issue, could well be a serious one in say 8 months time or so.

 

[Mr porky]

We do it whist under warranty.After august we have a 10 year damp warranty so I will enquire the difference in price and will probably just get a damp check done.

 

[Lenny HB]

Have the damp check done but never bother with a hab check perfectly capable of doing that myself.
The Ducato side I get done by an independent every 2 years, normally have the first service done at the end of 2 years so it's out of warranty.

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[Vennwood]

I agree with these opinions. I never had a Hab check done in our 10+years of ownership with our N&B but decided that this time I would as it was under warranty until next month and thought if there had been any issues then I may have had a legitimate claim.
We have always had an oil and filter change every year even though the mileage didn't call for it and in times gone by I did this myself. Sadly as I get older it becomes harder to get underneath etc. so for the first time this year I have had it done by the dealer (again as a safeguard for warranty purposes)

 

[Steve and Denise]

Funny enough ours is in Camper UK today for damp check and habitation I woul not normally bother with the Hab but it is part of our warranty t&cs £399 this will be the last one as it’s a waste of money after warranty runs out .
Chassis servicing as per Iveco schedule at 65 I’m not getting under any van

 

[kelv]

My carthago is coming up to a year old and the cost for hab check is £400 not sure if it is worth spending £400 for someone to tell me everything is working as for damp I have a meter and no damp.

 

[Lenny HB]

Funny enough ours is in Camper UK today for damp check and habitation I woul not normally bother with the Hab but it is part of our warranty t&cs £399 this will be the last one as it’s a waste of money after warranty runs out .
Chassis servicing as per Iveco schedule at 65 I’m not getting under any van

Carthago's don't need a hab check for the warranty despite what some dealers will tell you, same with Hymers and most German vans.

 

[Lenny HB]

My carthago is coming up to a year old and the cost for hab check is £400 not sure if it is worth spending £400 for someone to tell me everything is working as for damp I have a meter and no damp.

You can't do a damp check with a meter on a Carthago the inner wall is aluminum, all you can do is a visual inspection and put a hose on the windows and seals.

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[Steve and Denise]

Carthago's don't need a hab check for the warranty despite what some dealers will tell you, same with Hymers and most German vans.

You are correct Lenny but in this case I have a two year Mb&g that does require a habitation check to comply to t&cs or I would not be doing it

 

[Tonks]

Interesting how many anti-hab check comments get posted, or comments only relating to damp. The habitation checks cover far more than just damp checks. I have one done every 2-3 years on my van since it's a pretty basic 'camper' setup. As well as checking all elements of the gas work - that's pressure etc as well as the basic 'does it light' (even I can answer that myself) and the electrics, it covers EVERYTHING else in the van relating to the 'camping' side of it, even stuff like checking the fixings are still solid and correct. No point in having a crash tested bed if it's not actually properly fixed to the van. My last habitation checklist ran to two pages of A4. The check picked up stuff I'd not even realised was not working properly, such as the water pump which was operating at reduced pressure, and the chaps fixed a couple of small issues which I was so used to working around that I'd forgotten even to mention them.
I acknowledge that some owners are fully capable of doing everything on a good habitation service list, but lots of other aren't - or won't do those things. I own a 13-year-old camper. That's not old in classic VW terms, but it's quite a few years of regular use which creates regular 'wear and tear'. I like to be sure that everything in my van is working, and working to its optimum.

That said, £400 (as quoted by a couple of folk in this thread), seems a lot to me for a hab check. I pay considerably less than that.

In terms of the base vehicle servicing, I get that done on the nose and comprehensively and I budget for a big service annually. My van has an engine known to need proper maintenance and especially the correct oil grade. If there are problems, they are often very expensive to fix. So my view is to spend out on good regular care and hope this avoids or at least reduces 'major incidents' involving much larger bills. It's looked after by a widely recommended VW specialist, rather than a main dealer.

 

[lorger]

We only get the damp check and base service done as it doesn't state on our warranty that a hab service needs done to keep warranty, the hab is made up of different parts from different manufacturers and i wouldn't think they all require a service every year.

 

[kelv]

Carthago's don't need a hab check for the warranty despite what some dealers will tell you, same with Hymers and most German vans.

very informative the dealer has said I need hab check for warranty
How do i find out this info is it on there web site.

 

[Lenny HB]

very informative the dealer has said I need hab check for warranty
How do i find out this info is it on there web site.

Talk to Go European they are the main UK Carthago dealer they don't insist on it, or Reliance they are not dealers but autherised to do Carthago warranty work.

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[kelv]

Talk to Go European they are the main UK Carthago dealer they don't insist on it, or Reliance they are not dealers but autherised to do Carthago warranty work.

Nice one you have made up my mind I will keep my £400 and have a few beers

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

I have an annual hab check ,cost is £180 pa .but it keeps my van under warranty for 10 years,
It's a pain in the ar*e but necessary..

 

[Lenny HB]

Nice one you have made up my mind I will keep my £400 and have a few beers

You will still need the damp check to keep the water ingress warranty.

 

[Vennwood]

All good coments and useful. Just goes to show different dealers/manufacturers have different requirements. In my case I had all three checks done - Hab service, Engine/chassis service and MOT as my warranty was coming to an end. I got a several page report (thankfully all good) and nothing needed doing that would have been called "warranty". It will all go towards the service history of the vehicle. In my case it cost £570 in total so I can't grumble (well I always grumble but that's natural) The MOT cost was £54 and the oil and filter, bulb bits and bobs etc. cost another £70+ with the service around £200 (just a guess as it was all lumped together) leaving the Hab service at around £200+ as I say I won't complain at that.

 

[Chris Laing]

Talk to Go European they are the main UK Carthago dealer they don't insist on it, or Reliance they are not dealers but autherised to do Carthago warranty work.

Hi Lenny is this same with Deffleths? The dealer said it will cost the best part of £400 for habitation check but it includes the underside of vehicle which I assume is a floor damp check.

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[TR5]

With Autotrail (and maybe others) it is a requirement to maintain the water ingress warranty. I too have a damp meter, and carry out checks periodically, but also have the annual 'official' habitation check, to maintain the warranty cover. It costs me a little under £200 + vat, and I did have one claim fully covered, following a damp report. Luckily not a major issue, but would have been if not discovered, and left.

 

[Lenny HB]

Hi Lenny is this same with Deffleths? The dealer said it will cost the best part of £400 for habitation check but it includes the underside of vehicle which I assume is a floor damp check.

For the underfloor check they just spray around the cable & pipe entries with an underseal & charge you £35 for the can of it. Hymer used to do it but they dropped it a couple of years ago, unnecessary on a GRP floor.

 

[kelv]

Just rang Go European they confirmed what LENNY HB said I only need the water ingress at a cost of £180 nice saving on what I was told by the main dealer

 

[IRHP]

Be careful with what dealers are telling you. I know some Adria dealers who have told their customers that they must have the hab check done by an Adria dealer. This isn’t the case. Adria recognise the AWS and are happy with a hab check for warranty upkeep done by any member of the scheme.

 

[Reallyretired]

I have base vehicle servicing done by our independent mechanic who does all our vehicles, would never consider letting a dealer do it. Hab checks I do myself.

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[Ninjabob]

I am in a real dilemma with this at the moment as my annual fleecing is booked for next week. On my Bailey (5 years old) to keep up the water ingress warranty you have to have the hab check done within six weeks of the registration date of the vehicle. The cost of this is likely to be £240-280. I have just returned from a week away and everything worked as it should. I am now faced with paying this money for someone to tell me what I already know. I am quite capable of replacing batteries in the Smoke and Co2 alarms and pressing a button to test them. The Bailey has no wooden structures other than the floor so the only damp check that is carried out is on the floor. The rear axle needs a couple of squirts of a special but easily obtained grease with the wheels off the ground which is easy for me with E&P and a couple of axle stands to prevent me getting squashed. As far as selling the vehicle goes I would simply offer the prospective purchaser to have a hab check done at the time of the sale, after all the last hab check is the only one that counts when it comes to vehicle condition. I just hate wasting money and this hab check lark seems to be a nice bonus for the dealers as a sort of sweetener from the manufacturers for carrying out their warranty work at reduced labour rates.

 

[Wack]

My carthago is coming up to a year old and the cost for hab check is £400 not sure if it is worth spending £400 for someone to tell me everything is working as for damp I have a meter and no damp.

£400 ! How on earth do they justify that