Dealer standards

Canalsman

Canalsman

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I am seeking a more modern replacement for my 1999 Elddis Autostratus, so today I made my first ever visit to a major motorhome dealer near Manchester.

I went to look at a couple of used motorhomes that were listed on their website. The first I discounted because I just didn't like it 'in the flesh'.

The second was much more appealing in terms of its layout and its ambience. But this too I have now decided against mostly because of the poor presentation.

In just 15 minutes looking around I found a whole series of defects that in my opinion should have been attended to before offering it for sale. For example:

  • A bodywork seal between roof and body section partially detached and hanging across a window
  • Bathroom sliding door not working correctly
  • Freezer compartment door hinge broken
  • Broken privacy blind between bedroom area and lounge area
  • Overhead locker door concealing microwave failing to hold in the raised position
  • TV aerial lead added by previous owner hanging loose across the wall
  • Bodged repair to the washbasin plughole

I'm sure I could have found other defects had I looked in more depth.

Now this isn't a cheapy, being on sale just short of £30k!

Other newer and more expensive vehicles on offer had clearly visible external defects such as damaged decals ...

I commented on the poor standards of presentation to a sales person, and received the expected platitude: "We'll fix all the problems before it's delivered ...".

I can't say I have confidence that they would!

In conclusion, the slap dash attitude to vehicle sales that I last experienced many years ago when buying a secondhand car from a dealer, is still alive and well! Grrrr!

I think I'll revert to my previous plan to buy privately, and set aside the money saved to carry out any minor repairs that may be needed. At least that way I can make sure they're done properly.
 
Quality control

POI Admin said:
I am seeking a more modern replacement for my 1999 Elddis Autostratus, so today I made my first ever visit to a major motorhome dealer near Manchester.
ll! Grrrr!

I think I'll revert to my previous plan to buy privately, and set aside the money saved to carry out any minor repairs that may be needed. At least that way I can make sure they're done properly.
Click to expand...

They are lazy sods. They rely on the poor customer finding any defects, hoping that some will be overlooked .

From a commercial point of view, why pay an inspector to look for faults and then have him check again that all has been rectified... With the risk that you may have to sack/ discipline him if he is not thorough enough.

I think a lot of us are happy to sell a van,to a dealer, which is starting to show defects, rather that a private sale to a real person.

I'm sure you could trust a WC member, if you advertised your requirements on the Buy/ sell forum !
 
We looked at a new Autosleeper Palermo at Brownhills in 2001, we liked it but pointed out a few faults caused by customers/viewers looking around it, we said we would have it but expected the faults pointed out to be rectified, we went to collect it on the 1st of September but nothing had been done, we had a ferry booked for the 5th of September and it took them until the 4th to fix the faults, one of them was the outside lockers accessing under the bed would not lock, their comment was 'it is only a locker!!!', we were driving down the motorway and when I put the lights on I noticed the rear lights were bright so we pulled in to the next services, I had to rewire the rear lights on a £45.000 vehicle that had supposed to have been checked before being handed over, very simple because it was only the rear light and brake light wires on the wrong connection but these things should be picked up before being handed over, I think buying private and getting a van that has had all the extras fitted and faults sorted is the way to go
 
Don't know if it's too far from you, but I have come across a company based in bridlington. I can't remember their name but if you google bridlington and motorhome they are listed. Every time I have called in their presentation has been spot on .
 
tezza33 said:
SNIP
I think buying private and getting a van that has had all the extras fitted and faults sorted is the way to go
Click to expand...

Whilst I have nothing but praise for the presentation and service provided by Viscount Motorhomes, I would hope that whoever buys Hugo from us will have no complaints! :)
John
 
POI Admin said:
I am seeking a more modern replacement for my 1999 Elddis Autostratus, so today I made my first ever visit to a major motorhome dealer near Manchester.

I went to look at a couple of used motorhomes that were listed on their website. The first I discounted because I just didn't like it 'in the flesh'.

The second was much more appealing in terms of its layout and its ambience. But this too I have now decided against mostly because of the poor presentation.

In just 15 minutes looking around I found a whole series of defects that in my opinion should have been attended to before offering it for sale. For example:

  • A bodywork seal between roof and body section partially detached and hanging across a window
  • Bathroom sliding door not working correctly
  • Freezer compartment door hinge broken
  • Broken privacy blind between bedroom area and lounge area
  • Overhead locker door concealing microwave failing to hold in the raised position
  • TV aerial lead added by previous owner hanging loose across the wall
  • Bodged repair to the washbasin plughole

I'm sure I could have found other defects had I looked in more depth.

Now this isn't a cheapy, being on sale just short of £30k!

Other newer and more expensive vehicles on offer had clearly visible external defects such as damaged decals ...

I commented on the poor standards of presentation to a sales person, and received the expected platitude: "We'll fix all the problems before it's delivered ...".

I can't say I have confidence that they would!

In conclusion, the slap dash attitude to vehicle sales that I last experienced many years ago when buying a secondhand car from a dealer, is still alive and well! Grrrr!

I think I'll revert to my previous plan to buy privately, and set aside the money saved to carry out any minor repairs that may be needed. At least that way I can make sure they're done properly.
Click to expand...


Was it a dealer near Bury? if so they ripped us off with a faulty motorhome that had a warranty that was not worth the piece of paper it was wrote on . any how they lost out in the long run as we have had three motorhomes since our escapade with them and yes we brought from other dealers and have not set foot through their gates again
 
tezza33 said:
We looked at a new Autosleeper Palermo at Brownhills in 2001, we liked it but pointed out a few faults caused by customers/viewers looking around it, we said we would have it but expected the faults pointed out to be rectified, we went to collect it on the 1st of September but nothing had been done, we had a ferry booked for the 5th of September and it took them until the 4th to fix the faults, one of them was the outside lockers accessing under the bed would not lock, their comment was 'it is only a locker!!!', we were driving down the motorway and when I put the lights on I noticed the rear lights were bright so we pulled in to the next services, I had to rewire the rear lights on a £45.000 vehicle that had supposed to have been checked before being handed over, very simple because it was only the rear light and brake light wires on the wrong connection but these things should be picked up before being handed over, I think buying private and getting a van that has had all the extras fitted and faults sorted is the way to go
Click to expand...

After my experience with That particular dealer..... A long and boring story of shifty practices, slackness and absolute ignorance...

I would rather stick forks in my eyes than have any further dealings with them. And we're not the only ones to talk this way !
 
jeffmossy said:
Was it a dealer near Bury? if so they ripped us off with a faulty motorhome that had a warranty that was not worth the piece of paper it was wrote on . any how they lost out in the long run as we have had three motorhomes since our escapade with them and yes we brought from other dealers and have not set foot through their gates again
Click to expand...

Could have been :D
 
`being of a cynical untrusting disposition i wonder if they leave the relatively minor defects on view to be picked up on.then the potential buyer can congratulate themselves on being canny enough to bring them to the dealer's attention, not having noticed the engine oil leak or the serious damp in the roof etc
 
We bought ours from Don Amott (Leisure Kingdom) near to Derby. We spotted a few issues many they had already detailed on their inspection when taking it in. Everything on their and our list was sorted, including a new awning (the old one looked fine to us.)

I also added tyres (got 4 new ones) a window that was delaminating (they had spotted another and in the end we had new windows all around, we had a lot of hassle with the set but when the window manufacturer got involved it resulted in a full manufacturer recall for McLouis in the UK.) Full service on the motorhome and engine including a new timing belt, a clunky gear change and knock on turning resulted in an overhauled gearbox and new steering rack. We found a crack in the shower tray later they fitted a new one.

They were very good and any issues we mentioned afterwards were sorted without issue, I would buy another from them and I did also haggle them down a few grand, the benefits of turning up on a snowy day in February I guess.

And whilst you would think they would sort things before displaying the motorhome the salesman said they did not as some items might get damaged by people looking around so it would have to return to the workshop and the benefit was that they had a list, the customer added to it and also the salesman was expected to inspect the van as well. Several pairs of eyes helped cover everything.
 
Dealer near Bury, could be Emm Bee. If it is I have found them to be a great dealer to buy from, there have been van faults but all rectified in a timely manner. I would recommend them based on my experience.
 
Weston said:
We bought ours from Don Amott (Leisure Kingdom) near to Derby. We spotted a few issues many they had already detailed on their inspection when taking it in. Everything on their and our list was sorted, including a new awning (the old one looked fine to us.)

I also added tyres (got 4 new ones) a window that was delaminating (they had spotted another and in the end we had new windows all around, we had a lot of hassle with the set but when the window manufacturer got involved it resulted in a full manufacturer recall for McLouis in the UK.) Full service on the motorhome and engine including a new timing belt, a clunky gear change and knock on turning resulted in an overhauled gearbox and new steering rack. We found a crack in the shower tray later they fitted a new one.

They were very good and any issues we mentioned afterwards were sorted without issue, I would buy another from them and I did also haggle them down a few grand, the benefits of turning up on a snowy day in February I guess.

And whilst you would think they would sort things before displaying the motorhome the salesman said they did not as some items might get damaged by people looking around so it would have to return to the workshop and the benefit was that they had a list, the customer added to it and also the salesman was expected to inspect the van as well. Several pairs of eyes helped cover everything.
Click to expand...
They are not far from me and one of my friends was a technician for them before he went out on his own, to be honest I have never heard anything bad said about them
 
Weston said:
And whilst you would think they would sort things before displaying the motorhome the salesman said they did not as some items might get damaged by people looking around so it would have to return to the workshop and the benefit was that they had a list, the customer added to it and also the salesman was expected to inspect the van as well. Several pairs of eyes helped cover everything.
Click to expand...

Ex motor trade the sales person makes a valid point. eg I take in px a motor home today service the van sort out any issues It could take months to sell, At which point needs another visit to the workshop a cursory internal charge of £100 out of say 100 units sold means a departmental drain of £10000. futhermore having worked in groups stock gets transferred dependant upon internal practise not always possible to pass the cost on to the receiving branch inter transfers are at book so the cost of recon is a hit again to the profitibility of the dealership.

So there are two options do all the recon and risk a significant loss if forced to trade ( a lot of dealers have a not sold in 120 days the auctions) Leave has is and rectify before delivery, also the dealer doing this cant be accused of gilding liliys !! i.e a potential customer gets a true idea re the state of the van ...acid test is do they trust the dealer to rectify ( one would hope most folk check before handing over a draft !

I am not advocating one policy over the other merely having experience of the motor trade explaining how it works. It is normally this lack of communication and explanation that causes issues in my experience

Channa
 
Thanks for the observations/explanations about why the vehicles may not have obvious defects rectified.

However, for this prospective purchaser, it is very off-putting. That said, perhaps there is a positive ... It points to this particular vehicle having had a multi-owner and lacking-in-care background. This in itself is enough to discourage me from any serious interest.
 
Dealers

Yes,
Can of worms (or should I say snakes).

I bought my MH from a dealer 5 years ago and have had relatively few problems.
in 2010
No 1
I managed to "rip off" the rear light housing (by going too close to petrol pump hoses)
Managed to "gaffer tape it back" whilst on holiday.
I then effected a full repair with fibreglass but noticed that this had onbviously been done before.

No 2The drainage from the kitchen sink is and always has been slow...I simply "live with this" and use coke down the plughole every 3 months or so

No 3 summer 2014
water ingress
Damp inside the top locker so all the trimmings and rubbers where the roof joins the wall were removed cleaned and replaced
20 hours labour =£1200 plus another £100 or so
I will use a damp meter to monitor damp ..The dealer assures me this will not be necessary and has offered me to borrow their damp meter.
Will do but also get my own to retest after heavy rain.
This repair was effected by the dealer who also securely stores my motorhome ( and maybe over 50 others)

Yearly service and MOT
This has been fine
2011 no probs
2012 no probs
2013 no probs
2014 no probs
2015 a few odds and ends and minor repairs replacements
wiperblades
Hazard switch
Labour £190 (including MOT)
Parts £125
Then the "dreaded VAT" My only quibble with this is the cost of oil 8.5 litres @ £7.34 a litre !!!
Any comments on this last item please

The dealership uses a local Renault Garage for MOT and service

Polar Bear

Please I would appreciate your comments and potential costs please as It might make sense for me to drive from maidenhead to your sons garage next April

PS
We made many visits to the dealership and I was always very impressed with the standard of vehicles and indeed prices

In one sense we can be happier to pay a dealership to get a quality vehicle and all the usual safeguards etc
If a dealer does not provide this then no advantage !
 
The worse iseen was at dealers opened the door large stain on the carpet not even a rug to cover it put me right off.now it is even more of a pain to change vechiles with the tax ddebarkle asit take a week to get the tax sorted as i need a form from dwp to tax vechile for first time so what do ido tax it for amont then apply for rebate lol
 
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