New motorhome issue
Discussion
Sorry, I forgot to update this one.
I highlighted a few issues with the construction of the bed base that didn't help matters (larger than ideal gaps in the lats at vital points, slightly raised steel cross members where the bed base hinges, a V-shaped cut-out in the mattress at the hinge point) when looking closely at the design of the bed.
These were addressed by me with a few adjustments/adaptations to adjust lat position/bridge a couple of over-sized gaps/insert a foam wedge and the bed is now much batter.
Along the way, I have just found out that (surprise/surprise) these things are built to a budget, I have to say along with other findings about the motorhome I will NEVER be able to recommend the brand as many of these are just ridiculous!
Failing to bother with a handful of "screw-hiders" to enhance looks, using a bit less (AKA. Not enough) velcro to hold trims in place, over-screwing screws in so that I have had to use match-sticks etc to be able to tighten screws up properly, scrimping on mains sockets, poor quality control, cheapest possible sub-components, amongst the biggest issues.
We are shortly at the 1 year into our ownership & since buying it we have yet to go away without already having a warranty fix booking in place. If it weren't for the fact that we absolutely love the van & have found that it does absolutely everything with basically zero compromises for our usage we would have given up on it many months ago.
Yes, all of the issues were relatively simple fixes, but when you spend £80,000 on a motorhome, I never expected to have these issues.
Can't/won't name/shame obviously (so don't ask me to) but we are on the verge of a strongly worded letter to the manufacturer & dealer.
I highlighted a few issues with the construction of the bed base that didn't help matters (larger than ideal gaps in the lats at vital points, slightly raised steel cross members where the bed base hinges, a V-shaped cut-out in the mattress at the hinge point) when looking closely at the design of the bed.
These were addressed by me with a few adjustments/adaptations to adjust lat position/bridge a couple of over-sized gaps/insert a foam wedge and the bed is now much batter.
Along the way, I have just found out that (surprise/surprise) these things are built to a budget, I have to say along with other findings about the motorhome I will NEVER be able to recommend the brand as many of these are just ridiculous!
Failing to bother with a handful of "screw-hiders" to enhance looks, using a bit less (AKA. Not enough) velcro to hold trims in place, over-screwing screws in so that I have had to use match-sticks etc to be able to tighten screws up properly, scrimping on mains sockets, poor quality control, cheapest possible sub-components, amongst the biggest issues.
We are shortly at the 1 year into our ownership & since buying it we have yet to go away without already having a warranty fix booking in place. If it weren't for the fact that we absolutely love the van & have found that it does absolutely everything with basically zero compromises for our usage we would have given up on it many months ago.
Yes, all of the issues were relatively simple fixes, but when you spend £80,000 on a motorhome, I never expected to have these issues.
Can't/won't name/shame obviously (so don't ask me to) but we are on the verge of a strongly worded letter to the manufacturer & dealer.
TBH, all of those issues could relate to almost any make of mh. We had a German one, bought new in '22, that suffered from a good many of those, and more.
It's one of the reasons I'm building my own campervan now. At least I can ensure everything is as it should be, and I only have myself to blame if it isn't.
It's one of the reasons I'm building my own campervan now. At least I can ensure everything is as it should be, and I only have myself to blame if it isn't.
I'm always surprised to hear of the issues people have with newer motorhomes. My parents bought themselves a 10 year old Hymer A class and it hasn't needed anything done to it aside from fixing a small oil leak when they first serviced it and upgrading the leisure batteries.
Seemed like a far better bet at ~£55k than anything newer. As ever with something out of warranty it's worth having some money available in case it blows up but so far it seems rock solid and really well built.
Seemed like a far better bet at ~£55k than anything newer. As ever with something out of warranty it's worth having some money available in case it blows up but so far it seems rock solid and really well built.
E-bmw said:
Sorry, I forgot to update this one.
I highlighted a few issues with the construction of the bed base that didn't help matters (larger than ideal gaps in the lats at vital points, slightly raised steel cross members where the bed base hinges, a V-shaped cut-out in the mattress at the hinge point) when looking closely at the design of the bed.
These were addressed by me with a few adjustments/adaptations to adjust lat position/bridge a couple of over-sized gaps/insert a foam wedge and the bed is now much batter.
Along the way, I have just found out that (surprise/surprise) these things are built to a budget, I have to say along with other findings about the motorhome I will NEVER be able to recommend the brand as many of these are just ridiculous!
Failing to bother with a handful of "screw-hiders" to enhance looks, using a bit less (AKA. Not enough) velcro to hold trims in place, over-screwing screws in so that I have had to use match-sticks etc to be able to tighten screws up properly, scrimping on mains sockets, poor quality control, cheapest possible sub-components, amongst the biggest issues.
We are shortly at the 1 year into our ownership & since buying it we have yet to go away without already having a warranty fix booking in place. If it weren't for the fact that we absolutely love the van & have found that it does absolutely everything with basically zero compromises for our usage we would have given up on it many months ago.
Yes, all of the issues were relatively simple fixes, but when you spend £80,000 on a motorhome, I never expected to have these issues.
Can't/won't name/shame obviously (so don't ask me to) but we are on the verge of a strongly worded letter to the manufacturer & dealer.
Thanks for the update. Our current camper van (bought new in 2024) has had quite a few niggling problems that should not be present in a £85k van, but TBH the build quality of most current motorhomes and campervans is pretty poor for such high prices.I highlighted a few issues with the construction of the bed base that didn't help matters (larger than ideal gaps in the lats at vital points, slightly raised steel cross members where the bed base hinges, a V-shaped cut-out in the mattress at the hinge point) when looking closely at the design of the bed.
These were addressed by me with a few adjustments/adaptations to adjust lat position/bridge a couple of over-sized gaps/insert a foam wedge and the bed is now much batter.
Along the way, I have just found out that (surprise/surprise) these things are built to a budget, I have to say along with other findings about the motorhome I will NEVER be able to recommend the brand as many of these are just ridiculous!
Failing to bother with a handful of "screw-hiders" to enhance looks, using a bit less (AKA. Not enough) velcro to hold trims in place, over-screwing screws in so that I have had to use match-sticks etc to be able to tighten screws up properly, scrimping on mains sockets, poor quality control, cheapest possible sub-components, amongst the biggest issues.
We are shortly at the 1 year into our ownership & since buying it we have yet to go away without already having a warranty fix booking in place. If it weren't for the fact that we absolutely love the van & have found that it does absolutely everything with basically zero compromises for our usage we would have given up on it many months ago.
Yes, all of the issues were relatively simple fixes, but when you spend £80,000 on a motorhome, I never expected to have these issues.
Can't/won't name/shame obviously (so don't ask me to) but we are on the verge of a strongly worded letter to the manufacturer & dealer.
I think it became worse post-pandemic, when sales soared and manufacturers rushed to cash in to meet demand, cutting corners and neglecting quality control. The build quality of our previous motorhome (a 2016 Burstner) was excellent, and better than our current van.
Hopefully you’re still enjoying yours despite the setbacks
Escort3500 said:
Hopefully you re still enjoying yours despite the setbacks
100%, if it weren't for that we would have bailed by now.Just booked up another warranty visit for flooded light clusters!
We were without a reliable heating system from October last year until very recently despite repeated attempts. If it weren't for the fact that we specced air con that also heats we would have been lost.
E-bmw said:
Escort3500 said:
Hopefully you re still enjoying yours despite the setbacks
100%, if it weren't for that we would have bailed by now.Just booked up another warranty visit for flooded light clusters!
We were without a reliable heating system from October last year until very recently despite repeated attempts. If it weren't for the fact that we specced air con that also heats we would have been lost.
The flooded light cluster sounds grim too
Escort3500 said:
E-bmw said:
Escort3500 said:
Hopefully you re still enjoying yours despite the setbacks
100%, if it weren't for that we would have bailed by now.Just booked up another warranty visit for flooded light clusters!
We were without a reliable heating system from October last year until very recently despite repeated attempts. If it weren't for the fact that we specced air con that also heats we would have been lost.
The flooded light cluster sounds grim too
The issue was (as with many other issues we have had) shoddy workmanship, one of the connections (van side) was poorly made off & either didn't make contact correctly or made such a poor contact that it didn't flow enough current to keep it going.
The light cluster are the cheapest of the cheap (probably from Temu-tat) round LED clusters.
I bought a brand new caravan in 2019. First trip away the the bathroom sink leaked into the cupboard below as the waste pipes hadn't been fitted correctly. Same happened with the kitchen sink. I replied them myself as it otherwise meant having to tow the caravan back to the dealer and leave it with them, for a simple job I could do myself.
Seats bases were so thin and uncomfortable I took them to Regal Upholsters in Ilkeston to get them re-foamed,
Mattress was awful so had a new pocket spunk mattress made by Jonic.
They really are made to a budget.
Seats bases were so thin and uncomfortable I took them to Regal Upholsters in Ilkeston to get them re-foamed,
Mattress was awful so had a new pocket spunk mattress made by Jonic.
They really are made to a budget.
The Gauge said:
I bought a brand new caravan in 2019. First trip away the the bathroom sink leaked into the cupboard below as the waste pipes hadn't been fitted correctly. Same happened with the kitchen sink. I replied them myself as it otherwise meant having to tow the caravan back to the dealer and leave it with them, for a simple job I could do myself.
Seats bases were so thin and uncomfortable I took them to Regal Upholsters in Ilkeston to get them re-foamed,
Mattress was awful so had a new pocket spunk mattress made by Jonic.
They really are made to a budget.
Agree. When we were buying, the build quality of most of the motorhomes we looked at was appalling (and sadly many were British). We ended up with a Burstner, which was largely trouble free. Talking to a couple with a new Niesmann + Bischoff at a campsite last year, we were amazed when they told us they’d had lots of problems with it. On a £140k motorhome Seats bases were so thin and uncomfortable I took them to Regal Upholsters in Ilkeston to get them re-foamed,
Mattress was awful so had a new pocket spunk mattress made by Jonic.
They really are made to a budget.
Escort3500 said:
The Gauge said:
I bought a brand new caravan in 2019. First trip away the the bathroom sink leaked into the cupboard below as the waste pipes hadn't been fitted correctly. Same happened with the kitchen sink. I replied them myself as it otherwise meant having to tow the caravan back to the dealer and leave it with them, for a simple job I could do myself.
Seats bases were so thin and uncomfortable I took them to Regal Upholsters in Ilkeston to get them re-foamed,
Mattress was awful so had a new pocket spunk mattress made by Jonic.
They really are made to a budget.
Agree. When we were buying, the build quality of most of the motorhomes we looked at was appalling (and sadly many were British). We ended up with a Burstner, which was largely trouble free. Talking to a couple with a new Niesmann + Bischoff at a campsite last year, we were amazed when they told us they d had lots of problems with it. On a £140k motorhome Seats bases were so thin and uncomfortable I took them to Regal Upholsters in Ilkeston to get them re-foamed,
Mattress was awful so had a new pocket spunk mattress made by Jonic.
They really are made to a budget.
The make, I will be glad to see the last of the dealer interventions though as they haven't been brilliant TBH.
We will be in touch with the manufacturer when all is done as IMHO their quality control was pretty much non-existant.
I will admit it is an Autotrail & although I can't recommend them for the above reason, the van is (aside of the issues) absolutely perfect for our wants/needs & now most things are working as they should & stuck on properly we are enjoying it all the more, but maybe our experiences have just been typical rather than extreme.
I had to reject a brand new £140k Dethleffs last year.
I had everything from leaks from onboard water tank through to gearbox lunching itself, exhaust manifold parting company with the turbo, driveshaft shaking itself out of the hub, failed hydraulic levelling rams and lots more.
I've ended up back in another one (for my sins!), albeit a more premium model but so far so good and I'm convinced I was just unlucky with a "Friday van" rather than it being a systemic issue within their manufacturing process.
I had everything from leaks from onboard water tank through to gearbox lunching itself, exhaust manifold parting company with the turbo, driveshaft shaking itself out of the hub, failed hydraulic levelling rams and lots more.
I've ended up back in another one (for my sins!), albeit a more premium model but so far so good and I'm convinced I was just unlucky with a "Friday van" rather than it being a systemic issue within their manufacturing process.
Spuffington said:
I'm convinced I was just unlucky with a "Friday van" rather than it being a systemic issue within their manufacturing process.
TBH, I have had that thought myself several times.I was given a delivery date, then Autotrail said it was going to be late, but it arrived at them just in time & then I got it from the dealer a day after it should have been & I have wondered how "rushed" they might have been to get it out in time.
Spuffington said:
Snow and Rocks said:
Assuming that was a Ducato based van?
Yes - it was not the most recent but a MY23, so 2.2, 180bhp with a 9spd ZF box. Have the same in this latest one and so far so good.
Off on a 3 month trip on Tuesday and im debating whether to get a new battery. Not bothered about the money, but being Spain it's a pain to get things sorted.
Spuffington said:
Yes - it was not the most recent but a MY23, so 2.2, 180bhp with a 9spd ZF box.
Have the same in this latest one and so far so good.
Ah OK, how do you find the gearbox?Have the same in this latest one and so far so good.
The weird automated manual Comfortmatic in my parents Hymer is the only thing I can really fault - takes absolutely ages to change gear and is really slow off the mark. On a steep hill, it almost comes to a halt before it takes up drive again on the change from first to second! I tend to just lock it in first and let it rev on properly steep mountain passes but it's not obviously not great!
Has thrown a few random warning lights over the years too but touch wood hasn't broken yet.
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