Why are Motorhomes so badly built? (1 Viewer)

[uzsnowdrop]

After reading the forums here it is clear that brand new vehicles are being sold with more than just minor snagging and also poor back-up. Why is it so?
I've bought many new vehicles (cars) and would never have accepted the sub standard quality and service that seems prevalent across the motorhome/caravan industry.


These machines are the same value as a top end car, Audi, BMW etc.

To be fair, our new Benimar Mileo is great, but has still had time in the dock getting bits fixed.

My new Skoda Superb (half the price of the motorhome) arrived spotless and trouble free.

Maybe we need real car manufacturers to jump on the leisure bandwagon... whaddya think?

 

[Robert Clark]

If Trabant made Motorhomes

 

[Robert Clark]

Or VW

Or Citroen

Or Landrover

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[uzsnowdrop]

The citroen is pretty cooooool.....

 

[funflair]

I guess the trouble is that they are not built by robots, but by humans who It would seem whatever nationality are not infallible.

Martin

 

[Reallyretired]

I think part of the problem is the law on what people can now drive. If people want permanent beds, huge washrooms and every appliance known to man but still want it to weigh less than 3500kg then obviously the structure is going to be flimsy and pared to the bone. Costs need to be kept to a minimum as people don't want to pay too much, and quality control is expensive but isn't a sellable feature.

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[funflair]

I think part of the problem is the law on what people can now drive. If people want permanent beds, huge washrooms and every appliance known to man but still want it to weigh less than 3500kg then obviously the structure is going to be flimsy and pared to the bone. Costs need to be kept to a minimum as people don't want to pay too much, and quality control is expensive but isn't a sellable feature.

That would be Correct if they got it right on the big heavy mega bucks vans but they don't.

Possibly as a lot f the fittings are shared, but don't think that is the full story.

Martin

 

[tonyidle]

The biggest difference is volume. A car manufacturer can afford to invest heavily in design and development because it will sell, literally in most cases, hundreds of thousands of that particular vehicle. High volume in MH terms is in the hundreds or at best thousands. For the same reason the MH manufacturer will not carry the same weight when ordering from outside suppliers. So there will be an element of the customer being the test pilot. That said there is no excuse for shoddy workmanship and over the last 40 years or so I've seen plenty on both motorhomes and caravans. There is even less excuse for poor aftersales service and yet ....... Given my first remarks about design & development first-class aftersales service would alleviate most problems.

 

[swanseajack13]

@uzsnowdrop ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR ray xx lol still lol m/h problems no fun

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[pappajohn]

Like everything else, if folks grumble then accept it the converters wont do much about it.

 

[pappajohn]

If Trabant made Motorhomes

View attachment 149390

For 'DRY' use only.
Last thing you want is soggy compressed cardboard.

 

[mikebeaches]

Or VW

View attachment 149391

Or Citroen

View attachment 149392


Or Landrover

View attachment 149393

At risk of being pedantic, the last MH pic is based on a Jeep not a Landrover.

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[cookie]

because manufacturers know people will still buy them no matter how crap they are. go see some new ones at a show and see how badly some are knocked together. for 60k you would expect perfection.

 

[andy63]

I think part of the problem is the law on what people can now drive. If people want permanent beds, huge washrooms and every appliance known to man but still want it to weigh less than 3500kg then obviously the structure is going to be flimsy and pared to the bone. Costs need to be kept to a minimum as people don't want to pay too much, and quality control is expensive but isn't a sellable feature.

Would be my view as well... and I often look at motor homes and wonder do the people who build them ever use one...
Of course there are some good design features in most but without exception up to now they are usually let down by lots of lack of attention to details that would make them a functional home..
Andy.

 

[Larrynwin]

With many motorhome producers using few base vehicles types , some problems become common across several different motorhomes eg Fiat reverse judder and faulty instrument panel.
Individual builders have their own common faults but maybe to some degree you get what you pay for.

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[Popeye]

I think your headline should have read

Why are Some Motorhomes so badly built?
or
Why are So many Motorhomes so badly built?
or
Why is MY Motorhome so badly built

Putting it as you have suggests "All" and that simply is not the case, well it isn't with mine and several others I have been aboard.

 

[GEOMAR]

what about rs motorhomes and uk built
GEOMAR

 

[Jaws]

Chatting to someone today with a virtually new top end Hobby ( and it really is a beautiful van )
I thought the rear windows were open.. Nope, they look like they are open but are just a really awful fit !
The van has to be returned to have the windows replaced..

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[Melvin]

I know it's not a MH ,it's a campervan ,but the build quality of the VW California is amazing.

 

[Kool Kroozer]

While at the NEC today, daughter was in a MH and attempted to close shower sliding door - fkin thing came off, and in another a couple were opening the cupboards an one of them came off in his hand too, light switches fixed crooked, mirrors lose as not been tightened up enough, couldnt pull a drawer open in one MH that was under a island bed - asking myself are these really brand new and not been used ? enough to put any potential buyer off !

 

[SpeedyDux]

I know it's not a MH ,it's a campervan ,but the build quality of the VW California is amazing.

The owner of a newish VW California was asking if I had corrosion problems with my elevating roof. Apparently it is a design problem with the T5 and T6 Californias. That did amaze me, to be honest.

The old T4 Californias converted by Westfalia are built like Panzers. I explained to him that the roof on mine is a big lump of fibreglass that cannot corrode.

Progress ...? Hmm. The jury's still out.

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[sedge]

LOL at the broken bits - we went one year and got into the show not 5 minutes after they opened the doors on the first day. Within 3 or 4 minutes we were inside the first van we looked at. There were already things missing and broken - some people help themselves to anything not bolted down and on eg a shower door, where you needed to turn a very simple plastic catch attached to one wall of the bathroom to release the door from its 'stowed' position to close it onto the shower tray, in order to see how big the thing was 'in use' not only was the screw fitting on the floor, it had the lump of 'wall' it had been attached to, still attached thereon. Someone had just wrenched it off, forcibly.

I later commented that I must measure the top drawer of the van we were discussing buying, since we'd need to get a cutlery tray to fit in it. No No, says the salesman - You won't need to buy one - it comes with one. Oh, but there isn't one in it mate! He then replied that 'we automatically remove such things for the duration of shows, since they won't be there much beyond mid-morning on the first day otherwise!'

Who the hell are these folk who do these things?

 

[TheBig1]

i can forsee the time when somebody works out that its possible to 3d print the shell and cupboards etc of a motorhome in one piece. manufacturing tolerances of less than 1mm would mean fit and finish could be guaranteed. pipe and wiring runs built into the design and covered by reinforced plastic panels making servicing quick and simple

manufacturing costs would drop significantly too, with all components standardised across multiple models. remedial works and potential leaks would be minimised due to the one piece body

accident repairs could be carried out using custom 3d printed sections to match using the original design file. so no more unavailable parts or a need for the company to hold stock

but that is in the future as people are only just accepting plastic body parts on cars. it just needs some investment and people demanding better quality

 

[Alistair33]

I've got today this is a worrying thread to someone with their first motorhome in order !

Is there any should look for in particular when collecting a new Hymer Exsis I?

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[PeteH]

Is there any should look for in particular when collecting a new Hymer Exsis I?

I would say that the correct answer is everything!!. Make notes (photo`s?) of anything that looks loose, or damaged, when it should not be. See ALL items working, ensure you get all the Appliance info. The attitude of the "handover" crew is critical to any future issues being rectified in a timely manner. IF you do have issues, record them in writing to the dealership, NEVER accept that there is a "Manufacturer Fault". Sale of goods is quite clear The Seller is responsible!. Go Motor-homing and Enjoy!!. Great way of life.

 

[The Dudess]

The motorhomes at shows get a lot of dispectful handling. I was at the show on Tuesday and had to tell a couple of young lads off for climbing all over the drop down bed with their shoes on!

 

[Tincataylor]

I guess the trouble is that they are not built by robots, but by humans who It would seem whatever nationality are not infallible.

Martin

Spot on. Humans doing boring repetitive work eventually compromise on quality no matter how good their intentions and there is not enough volume to warrant investment in robots who, like it or not, do repetitive work better than humans.

The Tincas

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[Peter JohnsCross MH]

As has been said many times before, motorhomes and caravans are hand built in low volumes, have to be lightweight unlike mass produced cars and vans BUT.................

At the end of the day it is up to the supplying retailer to make sure the finished product has been completed satisfactorily and any known or potential problems sorted before the retail sale and if any faults occur later, to solve them ASAP

If the conversion has known problems or the converters back up is poor then until don't sell it, same as any product

Peter

 

[jezport]

The thing is a motorhome is a house on a van so has all the snagging that a new house can have. Then add that it moves around, goes over speed bumps etc. See what falls apart in your house if you move it

 

[Lenny HB]

I've got today this is a worrying thread to someone with their first motorhome in order !

Is there any should look for in particular when collecting a new Hymer Exsis I?

Wash your mouth out, it's a Hymer.

Generally build quality is good we have only had a few very minor niggles in nearly 3 years.

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