Disappointed with New Motorhome Quality Standards

[Clive]

Recently been looking at new motorhomes, especially Auto trail excel range.
However, after popping to a dealer I was really shocked at the build quality.

We all know that these things aren't cheap, why should we accept shoddy build quality on something 65k +.
The fabric window surrounds had fallen off in the first one l looked at the glue had become detached from a crappy bit of wood which was used to attach the surround to the wall.on a brand-new van, checked another and the plastic sheet around the sunroof had also become detached...glue again on another crappy bit of wood.

Seats poppers on a bit of elastic to keep them upright were positioned so that seat fabric was constantly under stress..it will rip the seat material eventually.
Checked under the seat cushion to find cheap bits of wood screwed together to make the seat base.... really.....65k +

Cheap shelves on plastic clips in cupboards.... bits of trim with rough-cut edges.....it goes on.
4 mm thick shelves to hold what....a sock????

These are brand-new vans

Is it me, or do manufacturers just not care as long as they sell and people are left sorting shoddy workmanship.
Look long and hard when buying a new van.

I was really shocked and disappointed at what I found.

 

[Flairy]

Why not look at a used German van ours has lots of quality over 20 years old,and our previous van was still like new with 87000 on the clock.

 

[enark]

Hate to say it, but at that price, it is cheap.

Top quality costs a lot more

 

[TheMachMan]

It’s one of those dilemmas that we have been thinking about recently when we come to change ours. Many new versions and updated models just seem to be about engineering out cost rather than genuine user benefits. I agree about build quality which you wouldn’t accept if it was a car!

 

[Spriddler]

And you haven't yet experienced the inconvenience of taking the m/h many miles back and the lead time and lethargy from some dealers in fixing the additional faults that develop after a few trips.

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[Figaro]

Another vote for looking at second hand German models.
Snagging has been done and usually lots of useful extras added.

And less expensive, so more cash for diesel

 

[vanfan]

We also agonised over buying second hand or budget range new. Our 6 week old Sunlight Cliff was around £63k, it had everything we wanted in a layout and the only one we viewed was a private sale which was a fraction less than the brand new price! We decided the warranty was worth paying the extra for.

Now we have the van and have spent approximately 20 nights away so far we are really noticing the difference in quality compared to our previous much older vans! Fortunately our dealer is only half an hour away and has been absolutely amazing at sorting things out for us, a couple of issues still outstanding but not urgent.

Just to finish our previous vans were: Autosleeper Talisman, VW transporter and Autotrail Excel ( the older Excel! )
This new van was built in Germany!

We don’t want the niggles to spoil our enjoyment of our travels but I must admit we can’t help but feel a little disappointed and are keeping our fingers crossed that nothing else happens as we plan a long over winter trip.

 

[Oldrat]

There are many advantages to having a van conversion.

I oversaw my PCV being converted by a very professional builder, to my own design, every step of the way. Not a piece of ‘knock on’ edging anywhere, solid acrylic worktops, super thick insulation, etc.

We still love it four years later.

 

[Pausim]

Is it me or do manufacturers just not care as long as they sell and people are left sorting shoddy workmanship.

Sadly it is true of some manufacturers who appear to be more interested in turnover and quick financial returns rather than long term business investment.

 

[Dave and Jen]

Scrappy wood screwed together? That's QUALITY!!! usually they are just stapled......
Cheers, Dave

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[repairer]

Hate to say it, but at that price, it is cheap.

Top quality costs a lot more

It’s a shame, but it’s not really about quality in my experience, it’s about workmanship, a bit more attention to detail would improve the “quality” of the vehicles leaving the factory.

My MH had 4 windows that leaked, with a bit more attention to build, and a bit more sealer there would not have been an issue. I personally would not relate this to quality but more to “detail”

 

[slowdriver]

I bought a quality new, German van four years ago, imported from Germany, top spec, heavy chassis, rated at 4,000kg which gave me about 800kg of payload.
It was expensive - £71k on the road in Germany - in 2020 plus you need to add £3k for getting it into the country during Covid and all the paperwork, light and speedo changes. So £74k UK plated.

We have done 36k miles since, and it has developed two faults, both down to operator error.
The first - corrosion around the Piso ignition on the hob preventing ignition - was fixed by a dealer in France, for free, in about 15 minutes, and since I now know how to, I will fix it myself if it recurs.

The second - a cracked tap spout (as a result of not draining properly last winter,) will be fixed this month when we pick up a replacement part on my travels. (cost 50€).
The van itself is built like the proverbial brick building, which is why we need to run at 4,000kg. Proper shelves, strong metal hinges, and really strong framing weigh a lot more than 4mm composite.

Unladen - but with the massive awning, autobox etc - the van weighs 3,050 - 3,100kg.
Put our gear and ourselves in and we are typically around 3,700kg.

I think many British vans are a bit flimsy because they are built down to 3,500k. Our German dealer said they generally recommend their German customers specify the 4,000kg heavy chassis. That comes with various road and speed limitations in Germany, and maybe licence requirements, and what the customer does there in terms of plating the van I am not sure.

Subsequently, I added air suspension on the rear so it's now plated at 4,250kg. which gives us plenty of payload.

It has probably depreciated about £10k tops since the same spec PVC in Germany is now ~ £110k.
We absolutely love it and will probably run it into the ground unless I get there first.

 

[The Wino]

The motorhome might cost £65k but the base vehicle will be a sizeable chunk of that and the rest is built by hand rather than on a robotised production line. I think it's unreasonable to expect anything like the quality of a mass produced car

 

[PDrill]

Our 2024 Hymer wasn't also quite as expected. Must have been at least 5 weekend trips after which I didn't find new fails. Starting from screws coming loose (10mm out!) up to bench seat seat belts of which one was completely unavailable and the other not usable before some warranty work. And the Smart Battery System oh my god. Dead on arrival. Now 3 months waiting for replacement and the latest ETA being 13 weeks from now.

Makes me think one or two years old used one might be closer to a buy & drive than a new one.

 

[Mr porky]

We had a new eura mobile 9m a class tag axle and we where very happy to trade it in for the morelo after two years of snags and cupboards opening going round corners because of cheap fittings, the workmanship was lacking in the finer details and was definitely falling apart after the 2 year mark.
A beautiful looking van though very sleek.
110k on the road.

The morelo is bulletproof in the construction of the furniture and quality of materials used, yet this still had snags which required trips to the dealers. 221k on the road.
I believe some manufacturers are better at a quality finished product, you do get what you pay for but even the top end you will get snags and annoyance at the motorhome.

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[ianp]

........221k on the road.......

 

[Aspenshaw]

I'm not sure motorhomes are getting worse. My first was an Elddis in 1995 which set on fire (fridge and toilet), the next two were Swifts which leaked and had numerous minor faults. An Arto which had 36 faults on delivery because the dealer didn't check the van before delivery - they fixed them all within a week; 5 years followed with little trouble. 2005 was a Hymer A-class that was sound for the 8 years we had it (changed because needed different bed). Our current Hymer 504 is 11 years old with some faults lately but nothing stop us travelling.

Poor build was about in 1995. You won't get a well built Arto for £35k nowadays, a Hymer for £50,000, or one in 2013 for £73,000. You have to pay the increasing costs and find a decent dealer. That was the same in the 90s!

 

[Pausim]

Motorhomes all include elements of hand construction. Most are built into a box that flexes a little bit and gets shaken a lot. Inevitably even the best of makes can suffer from occasional problems.

The difference in quality shows in the materials specified and the construction techniques used but this has cost implications. I think the better value lies in ones that have solid cabinetry construction, robust hinges, springing and ventilation below beds and use good sized screws where appropriate. There are of course many other areas where quality shows, such as upholstery and mattresses.

My first 2 motorhomes were not very well built and with what I know now I would have chosen better built ones even if meant buying older or with higher mileages. I also now know that some manufacturers put more effort into the cosmetic appearance than they do into the quality of construction e.g. pretty trim that is poorly glued on and falls off.

Aspenshaw I agree that poor build quality is nothing new.

 

[Mr porky]

........221k on the road.......

Nearer to 280k on the road now

 

[The Coops]

To quote the only honest salesman we have met * Of course they will leak and fall apart, they are a flexible box on wheels, it all depends on what you pay for how long they will last!* Talking at a Marquis dealership, not any particular make or model.

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[Paul F]

The morelo is bulletproof in the construction of the furniture

I thought that…until my kitchen drawer/cupboard (the one with the bins in it) detached itself from the side of the cabinet!

All fixed under warranty, but no matter how much you pay I think you will always get issues.

The motorhome might cost £65k but the base vehicle will be a sizeable chunk of that and the rest is built by hand rather than on a robotised production line. I think it's unreasonable to expect anything like the quality of a mass produced car

That is the bottom line. The Autotrail Excel is on a LWB Transit chassis which is best part of £35k with nothing on the back of it. At £65k that leaves £30k to build the MH body and equip it with furniture, appliances, electronics, batteries, gas, tanks etc etc…..googling just a few of those components will show that there is not a lot of margin in these vans. Poor workmanship is not what any of us hope for, but we have to be realistic too!

 

[The Wino]

I thought that…until my kitchen drawer/cupboard (the one with the bins in it) detached itself from the side of the cabinet!

All fixed under warranty, but no matter how much you pay I think you will always get issues.


That is the bottom line. The Autotrail Excel is on a LWB Transit chassis which is best part of £35k with nothing on the back of it. At £65k that leaves £30k to build the MH body and equip it with furniture, appliances, electronics, batteries, gas, tanks etc etc…..googling just a few of those components will show that there is not a lot of margin in these vans. Poor workmanship is not what any of us hope for, but we have to be realistic too!

It only leaves 30 k less the dealers margin delivery costs and vat on the uplift in value as well so it's not going to have a lot of love and attention when built

 

[Bramidan]

I wonder if the costs of production, especially labour, is why Adrias are produced in Slovenia?

 

[Pausim]

I wonder if the costs of production, especially labour, is why Adrias are produced in Slovenia?

Many Carthagos are produced there too.

 

[rosalan]

I wonder if the costs of production, especially labour, is why Adrias are produced in Slovenia?

Adria, short for Adriatic, the nearby sea could be why they are called Adria.

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[meanders]

Our Euromobil is much better built than the Eldiss and Bessacarr we had previously but still had a number of issues. End of curtain rail falling down, poorly sealed basin in the bathroom etc, but the biggest issue was the habilitation door. That was finally fixed after two attempts by the dealer by us taking it back to the factory. They also found other things wrong as well and admitted it should never have left the factory like that. Since then, it's been fine. If you spot a loose screw, tighten it with a touch of glue to stop it loosening again. The only outstanding things are 1. We always drive with the overcab bed folded down. If up it rattles badly and nothing I, the dealer or the factory have tried cures it. 2. The radio head unit is a PITA working when it feels like it. Dodgy connection somewhere but finding it has proved impossible to date.

 

[rosalan]

I am genuinely sad that we seem able to produce ‘vans in the UK mostly down to a price. Considering the huge volume of ‘quality’ vans coming out of the rest of Europe at higher prices and being imported with right-hand drives, I feel the need to ask if we produce any ‘quality’ vans here.

 

[gus-lopez]

The Autotrail Excel is on a LWB Transit chassis which is best part of £35k with nothing on the back of it

But unless you are an extremely small builder no one pays that price buying in bulk,

 

[VXman]

We bought a brand new Burstner in 2021. We were a bit naive and thought the Germans built good quality stuff, but alas no - cheap, fragile, poor build etc

 

[Eyeballmike]

Since COVID all manufacturers costs have spiralled, lead time for parts has quadrupled, they are all cutting corners on build quality and design. The general consensus is dont buy a new van, get a good quality pre covid built mh.

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