Warranty question…… (1 Viewer)

[Where to next?]

I currently have a dispute with the dealership we bought from 2 years ago. We have a September 20 Dethleffs owned from new. It had its annual water ingress check in October 21 but we missed year 2 last October. (The dealer advised me they’d contact me each year to arrange (which they didn’t) and I was out of the country for 2 months so it slipped my mind). As a result of not having had the year 2 water ingress check, they advise me that my warranty is no longer valid.
I have 4 faults I want them to look at and rectify under the warranty so that’s where the stand off starts. The first fault is a continuously draining cab battery which goes from fully charged to dead after 5 days of not driving. I looked at replacing the battery but was advised by a professional not to because the issue is to do with a constant drain and the same issue will arise even with a new battery. The dealer fitted an immobiliser and alarm when we purchased the MH and I wonder if they’re causing the battery to drain. Question - would the annual water ingress check have detected the battery charge issue and ensured it was covered by the warranty? Second issue (which I posted a thread on a month ago) is that the central locking on the cab and hab doors has stopped working. Again, why is this not covered by the warranty just because I didn’t have the year 2 water ingress check? Third issue is that the kitchen sink tap leaks when in use (and continues to leak after turning off until I drain the fresh water tank). The MH was fully winterised and there are no issues with the shower or bathroom tap. This kitchen tap was replaced after 4 months (under warranty) due to it having exactly the same leak. Would the water ingress check have detected this (I thought they only took measurements and applied a fresh coat of sealant) and therefore ensured it was covered by the warranty? And finally, the window above the cab has started leaking when it rains. Would the water ingress check have detected this and they would have arranged for it to be replaced under warranty?

Am I missing something? I was advised at the end of year 1 that I only needed to have a water ingress check to maintain the warranty. Are they correct in stating that the issues described above are no long covered by the warranty? I’m going to get a legal opinion but thought I’d start by asking all you knowledgeable Funsters for your thoughts.

 

[pappajohn]

Losing battle.
You missed a damp check
interval so the warranty is void.
It's not the dealers fault you missed it even though they said they'd remind you and didn't.

 

[Lenny HB]

Most of those faults are not nothing to do with water ingress by not having the check you voided your 6 year water ingress warranty.
As for the tap, battery & central locking you are outside of the two year warranty so it's down to you to get it fixed.

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[Where to next?]

Most of those faults are not nothing to do with water ingress by not having the check you voided your 6 year water ingress warranty.
As for the tap, battery & central locking you are outside of the two year warranty so it's down to you to get it fixed.

Thanks Lenny. That’s the clarity I was seeking. Even though they’re nothing to do with water ingress, they’re not covered because the standard warranty has expired? I thought the MH came with a 3 year warranty hence why I was still expecting them to be covered. At least that means I can now go to a dealer that may actually have some customer focus skills and may actually want to genuinely help rather than see me as an opportunity to make money! Every cloud has a silver lining! Farewell to **********. I’m sure you all know who I’m referring to!

 

[Lenny HB]

Being a German conversion the base vehicle will have been supplied by Fiat Germany so will only have a two year warranty, on the conversion Dethleffs like most converters only give a two year warranty.

 

[royandsharont]

Lenny will be right re the warranty span for a German built van, and many others, but just for clarity some U.K. manufactures do give longer warranty on certain aspects of the fitted equipment, my mates Auto Trail had various lengths for different things over the standard 2 years.

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[Spriddler]

The first fault is a continuously draining cab battery which goes from fully charged to dead after 5 days of not driving. I looked at replacing the battery but was advised by a professional not to because the issue is to do with a constant drain and the same issue will arise even with a new battery.

That's correct. The solution is to switch off/disconnect whatever is causing the drain when not using the vehicle. Obviously it's not convenient to switch off the alarm/immobiliser system.
Or arrange a charging method for the battery via home charger, EHU or perhaps solar panels if the winter sun is sufficient.

 

[Where to next?]

I’ve read that Dethleffs introduced a 6 month delay allowance (initially due to Covid) meaning that they would accept one of the checks drifting by a maximum of 6 months from their due date. All future checks need to be back to the usual anniversary date. I’ll see how they answer that policy (no doubt they’ll advise that’s no longer valid!)

 

[Lenny HB]

I’ve read that Dethleffs introduced a 6 month delay allowance (initially due to Covid) meaning that they would accept one of the checks drifting by a maximum of 6 months from their due date. All future checks need to be back to the usual anniversary date. I’ll see how they answer that policy (no doubt they’ll advise that’s no longer valid!)

If the same as Hymer that was for 2020.

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[Wee Bold Davy]

Our water ingress warranty is for 10 years. Our contract states that we HAVE to have the hab check done up to 60 days either side of the anniversary of purchase, and it's our responsibility to arrange it. In 2020 we couldn't make the appointment because of Covid restrictions, so it was almost 2 months late getting done.
In 2022 the dealer contacted me to say my warranty was void because we'd missed a hab check. Apparently they'd lost the record of the check, but I hadn't, which resulted in a heated phone conversation.
The annoying thing about it was that we had an engine service done the same day, not to mention the cost of getting there. An expensive day out which would have affected the resale value of the van if the issue hadn't been sorted