Dealer leaves us in the lurch
- Thread starter Makingtrax
- Start date
OP
OP
Think it needs to be in a covered area and dried thoroughly, before resealing, as I understand it.
Flook
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- Jan 1, 2015
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To my mind any job like this, if you seal it up before it is allowed to dry out, your sealing in the damp so allowing it not able to dry out quickly/sufficiently.
Yes it would have to be under cover so the weather ie; damp air or foul weather we have been experiencing could jeopardise the insulation further.
Similar to what others have said here, I would go with the company you trust, of course notify Lowdens accordingly as to your position, inform them any financial costs you incur you would look to them for re-imbursement on provision of supplying/producing a receipt of the work carried out (make and keep a copy of any receipts for your self and let them know that as well), and some % of that for your own time to pursue this etc.
All the best my MHF friend, may you be successful in your pursuit of total satisfaction.
Flook.
Yes it would have to be under cover so the weather ie; damp air or foul weather we have been experiencing could jeopardise the insulation further.
Similar to what others have said here, I would go with the company you trust, of course notify Lowdens accordingly as to your position, inform them any financial costs you incur you would look to them for re-imbursement on provision of supplying/producing a receipt of the work carried out (make and keep a copy of any receipts for your self and let them know that as well), and some % of that for your own time to pursue this etc.
All the best my MHF friend, may you be successful in your pursuit of total satisfaction.
Flook.
Jim
Ringleader
To be honest sealing around the camera is a 5-minute job. I would have done that straight away just to stop it getting worse. I appreciate it might have clouded the issue initially, but once the source of ingress was known. Adding a bit of silicone would have been my first priority
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I think I would have tried to fix a bit of plastic over the area with tape as a temporary fix while it was being investigated. I bet if it had been siliconed over lowdhams would deny all liability (and I bet they still try to) saying someone else had bodged it.l
Remember the op had been told that they needed a rear wall replacement.
But SMC are saying its not the camera but the bike rack.
My 4d Makingtrax is that I think you could be pushed back and forth between them for ever. Having seen it are Lowdhams going to admit it that they misdiagnosed and it was the bike rack they fitted? I would get a detailed quote from SMC for doing what they consider needs doing. I would then write to Lowdhams giving them a reasonable time to respond and give them the opportunity to fix it and see what happens. In the interim I would put the smallest amount of sikaflex you can on it to stop it getting any worse.
OP
OP
Yeah. stuck now. Lowdhams saying it's the factory fitted camera leaking but can't repair it because they're not a Knaus dealer anymore. And the whole back wall needs changing.
SMC won't repair it because they're saying it's not the camera but the Lowdhams fitted bike rack that's leaking and therefore not a Knaus dealer warranty job.
A bit Catch 22.
Will see what Lowdhams have to say about SMC's diagnosis before deciding what to do.
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OP
OP
I haven't touched anything Jim (apart from covering the camera in clingfilm), playing it by the book and complying with all the warranty rules. Not that it's got me anywhere now SMC disagrees with Lowdham's assessment of where the damp's coming in.
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Jim
Ringleader
I don't think you are stuck, but its going to take a bit longer, I think if you can get SMC to confirm their belief that its the bike rack thats causing the problem and you then give Lowdhams the opportunity to repair it and give them a timeframe, then they have two choices, rectify the faulty workmanship or fight it. If you re not asking them for a new backwall its not really a big deal so they could decide it would be better to offer a goodwill gesture. And if they don't then pay SMC to do it and chase after Lowdhams in the small claims court. I'm no expert ( obviously) but this doesnt look like one worth fighting for them and they would do better to just settle. If having done all that then (god forbid)its still leaking then SMC will have taken ownership and will be required to rectify it.
Silver-Fox
LIFE MEMBER
Sound advice IMHO and the route I’d take.
Getting SMC to do the job would be a good move forward.
That's not a catch 22. If Lowdhams supplied the vehicle they are responsible, Knauss agents or not for the leaking camera. If the fault is with the cycle rack Lowdhams are responsible.
Lowdhams have admitted it needs a new back panel, its up to them to sort. Frankly I'd suggest not making any threats but write a formal letter requesting them to either get the van repaired within a reasonable time frame if that is your wish, otherwise reject the van, and ask for your money back, less of course some reduction for use (this will be a much lower loss than the trade in value). Its all in the Consumer Rights Act. I would also start talking to a solicitor- this is when that legal cover you have on the house or mh pays for itself.
Forget any warranty issues, that's simply a red herring. The CRA is a very powerful act and as in this case gives you far better rights than any warranty. Having said that, the 5 year water ingress warranty does provide a clear guideline as to the minimum timeframe for the van to be leak free. There are no time limits on the CRA as to life expectance, each item is different, but in terms of a motorhome it should last considerably longer than 3 years.
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Except trying to get your money back will be extremely difficult. Dealers will fight it as my own experiences have shown. Personally I would not go down this route until a specialist solicitor has given his advice.
Silver-Fox
LIFE MEMBER
I take your point but I believe the op wants to keep the van.
SMC are saying they can dry the van out and fix the problem, as I understand it, then all is good.
Any future issue is then the responsibility of SMC and if the issue turns out to be a warranty issue they could deal with it as a Knaus dealer.
Just my thoughts and fortunately not had this kind of issue to deal with.
Sadly I have, and if the OP wants to keep the van the CRA is the way to go. It is down to the dealer to fix, and if that means sub contracting to elsewhere so be it. Trying to get money back through the small claims court is fraught with problems, with nothing guaranteed.
Sadly I have, and if the OP wants to keep the van the CRA is the way to go. It is down to the dealer to fix, and if that means sub contracting to elsewhere so be it. Trying to get money back through the small claims court is fraught with problems, with nothing guaranteed.
OP
OP
Another update. After 6 months Lowdhams have finally agreed to take responsibility for the damp in the back wall of our 3 year old Knaus, now SMC have diagnosed that the problem was with Lowdhams fitted bike rack from new.
After all the inconvenience, they agreed for a driver to pick up the van on March 30th, and take it to Lowdhams to have the bike rack taken off, the bolt holes dried out, then replaced and resealed properly.
We were pleased with this outcome, but now the Coronavirus has struck, they're not answering my emails and today it appears they've shutdown.
With the current lockdown, I'm guessing we're stuck with the damp in the back wall. It would have been nice for Lowdhams to have contacted us!!
As we have no undercover dry area, was thinking of running a bead of silicon across each of the two horizontal struts on the bike rack to stop further ingress. But whether the area underneath would dry out of it's own accord, I'm not sure.
After all the inconvenience, they agreed for a driver to pick up the van on March 30th, and take it to Lowdhams to have the bike rack taken off, the bolt holes dried out, then replaced and resealed properly.
We were pleased with this outcome, but now the Coronavirus has struck, they're not answering my emails and today it appears they've shutdown.
With the current lockdown, I'm guessing we're stuck with the damp in the back wall. It would have been nice for Lowdhams to have contacted us!!
As we have no undercover dry area, was thinking of running a bead of silicon across each of the two horizontal struts on the bike rack to stop further ingress. But whether the area underneath would dry out of it's own accord, I'm not sure.
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obanvanman
Free Member
May I suggest you contact MSC for their thoughts first, and maybe even Knaus before you start playing with anything.
By the sounds of it Lowdhams sound like the sort of company that would argue that you have possibly made things worse and that they are no longer liable.
Assuming they have only shut down because of the coronavirus.
By the sounds of it Lowdhams sound like the sort of company that would argue that you have possibly made things worse and that they are no longer liable.
Assuming they have only shut down because of the coronavirus.
OP
OP
True. But it maybe 9 months before they reopen and all that time the bike rack might be leaking into the back wall. A real dilemma.
OP
OP
Contacted SMC yesterday afternoon, they are still open. The body shop manager said that they were contacting motorhomers to cancel upcoming work. Which is more than Lowdhams have done. Had no reply or confirmation from them about the work they said they'd do in drying out the back wall on March 30th.
He said that a bead of silicon across each of the horizontal bars of the bike rack would stop further ingress and would be worth it under the circumstances. It may dry out underneath of its own accord.
So thats what I'll do, little choice really.
Hope it’s sorted eventually,on another more upbeat note how’s the hound doing ? 
OP
OP
Never knew having a pup would be so knackering Rob. It's been a long time since our last dog, so you forget.Hope it’s sorted eventually,on another more upbeat note how’s the hound doing ?
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They certainly keep ya fit .
Probably best not to use silicon, it will stop any other sealant sticking, very difficult to remove completely. As a temporary measure you could run some sticky tape over it, even old fashioned window glazing putty would be better than silicon.
OP
OP
Greenhouse repair tape is very strong and sticky, look it up on ebay.
OP
OP
It uses an acrylic glue I see. How hard will that be to clean off after x months, compared to a small bead of silicon.
Also I'm wondering if a small bead of silicon will provide a permanent fix for the problem rather than removing the bike rack and resealing it.
Thanks.
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