Autotrail fittings

In some ways it the customer demographics that have changed 50 years ago motorhomes were virtually bespoke builds for afluent customers with high standards Now they are almost a mass produced item
 
Unfortunately a lot of these faults are also found in houses by supposedly skilled labour. It's certainly not uncommon to find cables with no grommets to protect them saving around 1d each.:(
 
Don't want to tempt fate, but I've had two Swifts from new and the current one like the first one no probs.
 
What happens if you are lucky enough to be able to afford the next level of Motorhome like the Concorde etc I was sitting in a £270k one on Friday dreaming about it so what's the finish like in that price range of vehicle as if you by a rolls Royce or a Bentley the build quality is far superior to a Renault

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I often shop at Screwfix, Wilko or Boyes to get my small bits n' pieces for DIY jobs and I've always found that if I measure, align and fit everything to the letter of the destructions then it'll work properly and almost never fail.

IMO the word 'cheap' does not mean poor fit or substandard quality. There are a few exceptions but for the most I can complete a tip-top job on a small budget using my refined DIY skills to achieve success.

The many failures of my previous 66-plate AT were all down to shoddy workmanship plus a total absence of any quality control during the various stages of assembly.

I have a few pals who work in McDonald's and I've got to admit that Macs has the most comprehensive set of quality, service, cleanliness and general operating instructions that I've ever seen. The only problem is that some of the staff aren't up to the job of following said instructions and therefore the product is often poorly prepared mush. Enough said - A bit like my previous Autotrail van.
 
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The greater the production volume of a product in theory the greater the budget and resources that can be devoted to R&D and subsequent quality control. And if you can sell it for a larger amount you can also spend more on that R&D and quality control.

So the likes of IKEA which even though products are cheap have mega proportionate budgets for their R&D and quality control due to the number of sales of each product line.

You get to a motorhome manufacturer, and the budget is small. How many of each vehicle type is made at any factory per year? They will try and assemble standard components, but small margins means that even the funds for those components may be limited, squeezing the supplier's resources. But the real point is the small MH volumes means each is often handbuilt. We want quality then we need automation but that needs real mass production, and MH production isn't. You might compare luxury car marques such as Rolls, where there is almost hand build, but their volumes and pricing allow a far higher quality control.

And if you think a MH is badly built, just look at the average house. There are reports that silly things like brick mortar mixes aren't even correct. But the house isn't subjected to the vibration and movement of a Motorhome.

There isn't an excuse for corners being cut and poor attention to detail on worksmanship, but it affects every industry.

Meanwhile my fingers are crossed that the Autotrail V-line I have on order will arrive perfect :)
 
Bart said:
@Spanner you might want to read the whole thread again.
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@Bart Apologies I couldn’t see the replies from @Neckender my mistake, instead of following I’d ignored Neckender in my settings, fat fingers !
No van is without fault when they leave the factory, including ours.
 
We have a new (January 2019) PVC – built by Auto-Trail in Grimsby.

It’s been back to Marquis 4 times for repair (who have been very good btw) - including

Water push fit connections not made off properly (massive leak)
Washroom sealant(!) not applied correctly – looked like a right handed child had applied it with a paint brush. Using his / her left hand.
Lights hanging loose

I’ve been over the ‘van and tightened every single furniture fixing screw. Every one. Not just nipped them up but a couple of turns.

Hardly any screws were installed straight. All angled.
Uncovered wires (cores not not copper) on show
Solar power switch wired the wrong way round
Light fitted so close to the socket that the socket can’t be used
Small table at the front – when it’s in use the cupboard can’t be opened.

Auto Trail really do need to do something about this. Each time there’s a charge from the dealer under warranty for fixing these things.

But then – it’s just a money-go-round as they are both owned by Trigano…
 
Lanerboy said:
What happens if you are lucky enough to be able to afford the next level of Motorhome like the Concorde etc I was sitting in a £270k one on Friday dreaming about it so what's the finish like in that price range of vehicle as if you by a rolls Royce or a Bentley the build quality is far superior to a Renault
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Last year we met a couple that had bought a top of the range Concorde, fantastic looking motorhome but not without it's problems, they were actually driving it back to the factory to have a whole new back panel fitted, apparently it had been fitted without any sealant.
So all that glitters certainly isn't gold.
 

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