Age of motorhome vs date of registration - Advice please

[RichardP]

We recently bought a 2010 Autotrail Tracker from a "reputable" dealer. Some issues, some resolved and others ngoing
I was a little suspicious and have now found my 2010 (10 reg) Tracker was built in 2007.
I appreciate there may be a few months between build and registration, but a 3 year gap seems excessive!
I thought this motorhome was newer than my 09 plated trade in, but not the case.
Am I right to feel cheated? When challenged the dealer said it shouldn't be a problem - it was still new in 2010 just hadnt been used.
He also said the spec was the same - but I've checked and there are various differences (130 bhp rather than my 100 bhp for one!)
Had I bought from some dodgy ebay site I wouldn't have been too surprised, but should an actual official Autotrail dealer have pointed this discrepancy out to me?
What do you reckon?

 

[delicagirl]

was it imported or made in the UK ?

 

[jennyp19]

That happened to us with previous Burstner- registered 2010, dealer told us it was 2009 vehicle. We didn’t find out until we went to another dealer a couple of years later, to part ex - they showed us on plate that it was actually a 2007 vehicle.

 

[n brown]

this isn't uncommon, but i'd be wondering where it's been stood all that time. leaving a vehicle stood, maybe out in the weather, for years, is never good. and it certainly can't be called ''new'' !

 

[mark61]

I'd certainly feel cheated, although no idea what I'd do about it. I haven't checked the dates, there may have been a change from euro4 to euro5 in that period, if thats the case I'd certainly be looking into taking it further.

 

[molly 2]

That happened to us with previous Burstner- registered 2010, dealer told us it was 2009 vehicle. We didn’t find out until we went to another dealer to part ex - they showed us on plate that it was actually a 2007 vehicle.

we had the same on a new 2011, van one give away was the tyre date mark.not sure if it is still true but vehicles we're sold as ex works not new .also these days you have to wait months for a new van to be built so how can They be a few years old .that is not to say the base vehicle or components are new .

 

[Weston]

The timescale is very strange, I assume it was sat in the back of a workshop somewhere before it was finally first sold.

I can see the above making you feel conned but did the did the dealer say it was a 2010 model or 130BHP? As I see it from first glance they offered a motorhome, you inspected it carried out your checks agreed that is what you wanted and you handed your money over.

The way models change would anyone recall the spec on a 2007 one in comparison to a 2010 one, especially when you start to take into account different models and the specifications. 2010 was seven years ago so I doubt many of the salespeople were even employed by the dealer back then.

I am not sure that the dealer has done anything wrong unless they said it was a 2010 model which it clearly is not. Or did they say first registered in 2010. If they said it was a 2010 model then they may have mislead you, in which case you have grounds for recompense, as I understand it, the law would you return you to the position you started at, but as they have most likely sold your part-ex you would not get that back.

I would suggest you think what you want next, is the new one what you still want? do you feel you have overpaid? If it is not acceptable I would consider legal advice, beforehand you could sit down write a letter and send it to the MD of the dealer. Spell out what happened, how you feel and how you would like it resolved, then give a sensible timescale for them to get back to you.

You have no legal rights to return it if you have changed your mind, but if the dealer has mislead you then you certainly do; good luck.

 

[TeamRienza]

We bought new in late 2015. The van had been sitting on the forecourt for some time. We first looked at it around mid July. I would therefore anticipate that it had been about since August or September of 2014 as a 2015 model. The spec etc seemed to tally with the 2015 brochure as the van had specific add ons and model name. Since we bought in December, the dealer registered it on 2nd January 2016. The tyres seem to confirm this scenario. My dealer is trustworthy in my opinion. My only concern was the number of people who wandered through it during that time as the dealership keeps its stock open for viewing and customers can browse unsupervised. I do keep forgetting to ask at what point a battery was fitted, or how they were maintained during the period 2014 to 2016 in order to try and second guess likely lifespan.


Davy

 

[TeamRienza]

this isn't uncommon, but i'd be wondering where it's been stood all that time. leaving a vehicle stood, maybe out in the weather, for years, is never good. and it certainly can't be called ''new'' !

Probably no different to the acres of ‘new’ cars we see sitting in muddy fields or salty dockside compounds awaiting their eventual transfer to a dealer.

Davy

 

[Deleted user 48797]

If you pull out the ashtray, or any other piece of plastic from the interior, there will be a date stamp on the bottom, this tells you when the chassis/cab was made. Also, if you have the literature from new the appliance books may have a delivery tracking number inside the cover.

 

[wildebus]

Not a MH but an ex-GF bought a "brand new" Ford Escort with delivery miles back in 1991 on a J Plate.
The giveaway to me was it was the model two generations earlier so was built 1985 at the latest!

Was a perfectly fine car, but had a gotcha in 1994 in the first MOT ... between car being built and car being registered, the rear seatbelt law changed, so it failed on no seatbelts at the back (and don't think the Mk.III ever have rear seatbelt fixings either to retrofit?).

A situation similar to the above could possibly await a buyer of a yet to be MOTed MH built on a chassis from years earlier.


Looking at the records of my own van, it was not used for the first 8 months of its life while waiting/undergoing Minibus conversion but in its case was registered first, not when actually ready for use (prob something to do with council budgets I suppose?)

 

[wildebus]

If you pull out the ashtray, or any other piece of plastic from the interior, there will be a date stamp on the bottom, this tells you when the chassis/cab was made. Also, if you have the literature from new the appliance books may have a delivery tracking number inside the cover.

Well, it tells you when that part was made some parts can be in stock for a looong time, but it can give a general feeling.
A maybe more reliable visual indicator is the date code on the cab door glass?

 

[RichardP]

Some useful replies - thanks

Thank you all for your replies on this.
It was sold us as a 2010 motorhome and we did comment to the salesman thet it was a year younger than our 2009 Elddis. Only when we started using it did we find that things didn't quite work as well as on our "older" Elddis, with the silly wind up rooflights which seemed very stiff and age hardened, and stamped 2007 when stripped down. The date tag on the electric box said next inspection due 2008 - so it was actually made and converted by Autotrail in Hull during 2007. I guess sitting around for 2 or 3 years did it no favours!
Having said that we're getting used to it and have just returned from a month tour of Croatia.
I think I'll see if there's any difference in trade in value between a 2010 model and a 2010 built in 2007. I'll be having words with the dealer but can't see me going back to them in a hurry!

 

[delphin]

Well, it tells you when that part was made some parts can be in stock for a looong time, but it can give a general feeling.
A maybe more reliable visual indicator is the date code on the cab door glass?

Vehicles have been built using the 'just in time' method for a long time. A better way to check is to look at a variety of parts. Wiring looms are good, tyres can give a good idea to within a few months. Even carpets can give a good indication (more so for cars than vans).

I bought a new Renault and found out it was 18 months old. I had very little leverage when I complained because car manufacturers are a pack of ********. I got 2 free Services after a lot of complaining. I complained because the exhaust fell apart at a very low mileage and the windscreen (and rear) wipers failed quickly. This was probably because it was stored in a field and covered in bird crap. The Power Steering pump failed in year two of ownership. None of the mentioned parts were fixed under warranty. It was the last Renault I bought (I had been running them for 13 years).

 

[RichardP]

Our previous van was first reg late nov 2011 and the coachbuilt body was built late in 2011 with a 2012 spec. The base vehicle was 2008/09 and had been in stock at hymer and on hold for the dealer as the dealer could not offer payment. Eventually hymer lost patience and sold quite a few vans to a german dealer who then resold as used, to a uk dealer although never owned. There was a massive discount. We were aware and purchased at a fair price. It is quite usual for base vehicles to sit around before having the body added, but I doubt two or three years is normal appoligies as written on phone

First owner may have had a discount but we didn't!

 

[colinm]

I guess this is the Tracker EK if it has the 100 engine, in which case the first thing to check is what payload it has, these where built on the 3.3 chassis and even with no additions has very little payload.

 

[trevskoda]

My iveco is reged 2000 but was made in 1997 and sold to council which sat in a shed 2 years before going for lib bus conversion then back to council to get regestered,then after 5 years on rd was put into storage for futher 5 years until i got her.
It was not uncommon when i was in the m/trade for toyota cars to be 2 years older than there reg date which always lead to problems when customers came in looking parts and got the wrong bits.

 

[Channa]

There is one overriding factor of how the base vehicle is valued date of registration . Glasses, Cap both work this way. On older vehicles a slight variation in valueing on plate the notable exception wqs 1983 could b the old Y suffix or A prefix which dated vehicles. From a motorhome standpoint model years of conversions will affect values within the caravan industry.

Channa

 

[GWAYGWAY]

My Hymer was built on a Mercedes Chassis made in December 2014 held at Hymer for body finished in December 2015 and I bought it June 1016. 18 months waiting. However the Mercedes warranty has a limit on when I was registered after the Birthday in the factory, when the ECU was activated. Nearly lost out on the MB warranty altogether. No problems so far but am a bit worried if something really expensive does go wrong. The tyres were made a bit before the build and the battery the same. If an MOT test, life limit for those tyre was imposed in the future, then I will have lost out..

 

[trevskoda]

My Hymer was built on a Mercedes Chassis made in December 2014 held at Hymer for body finished in December 2015 and I bought it June 1016. 18 months waiting. However the Mercedes warranty has a limit on when I was registered after the Birthday in the factory, when the ECU was activated. Nearly lost out on the MB warranty altogether. No problems so far but am a bit worried if something really expensive does go wrong. The tyres were made a bit before the build and the battery the same. If an MOT test, life limit for those tyre was imposed in the future, then I will have lost out..

Do you know that most ins co and police will hammer you if tyres are found to be over 6 years old in the event of a crash,first thing they look at here.