Help!!?? Rotten Motorhome

GPW said:
As it was stored in a barn it's possible the person didn't know or forgot it was a leaker. This rot however doesn't fit the descrbed condition of 'nice condition' in any way, shape or form and should not be your problem.

The courts don't like it if you have made no attempt to redress issues so you need to contact the seller and politely point out that the top and sides of the van and rotten, and that you'd like your money back please.

The fact you have had to inspect the damage by cutting the interior is IMO irrelevant because it's already rotten, and any remedial work needs the damage to be assessed.

Good luck, but also you need to stop 'owning' this problem and politely and firmly reject it as 'not as advertised', because no judge in the land is going to describe a van rotten on the top and sides as 'nice condition'. If you need to go to small claims BTW it's pretty quick, cheap and easy these days, but first of all try being polite, notify them of the problems and ask for your money back.

Essentially you bought it on the basis of it being in 'nice condition', but it isn't.
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Thank you..... I'm hopeful that my be the way forward. I've sent the seller a letter, it will be a nervous few days hoping for a response.

Cheers

Matt
 
Hi, sorry to hear of your plight.
If you are adamant about fixing the van up then use Puraflex 40 from Toolstation ?everybit as good as Sikaflex and half the price.Also use Kingspan / Celotex boarding not polestyrene,it comes with a silver paper on the outside edges so you can then use high heat spray adhesive to stick the inner boards on along with the Puraflex .
As you have already been told check that the rest of the van is sound before wasting money repairing the inside ?Consider the value of the van ? And how much it's going to cost to do it and how much it will be worth once done?
If the sums don't add up sell it as spares/ repair and cut your losses ,put it down to experience and move on
Good luck ?
Terry
 
TheBig1 said:
If it is as you say a badly repaired roof skin, then the seller knew it was not in good condition. no doubt kept in the barn before sale to dry out
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Quite possibly.. I don't like to jump to such negative conclusions. But I definitely agree it's a possibility.
 
Is there any chance of knowing exactly what age of MH it is, what you paid and the advert itself? Whilst funsters are willing to give info/help it would be much more specific if we actually knew exactly what we're dealing with.

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When we had a caravan years ago we had pin holes in the aluminium and they stuck aluminium over the top. Admittedly it was a front panel, but they hid one edge under a joint and made a feature of it using a different colour to look like it was meant to be there.
 
Minxy Girl said:
Is there any chance of knowing exactly what age of MH it is, what you paid and the advert itself? Whilst funsters are willing to give info/help it would be much more specific if we actually knew exactly what we're dealing with.
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It's a 2002 model. With 29,000 miles on it. Paid £13,000 for it.
That's the most money I've ever spent on anything. Its genuinely a huge amount of money for our small family. I will be buying things with my eyes wider open from now on!
 
Hi again Taffymat also make sure the fridge,boiler and heating all work ?these cost a lot to replace ....600 for a fridge and the same for a boiler and heater about 500 quid. If it's a combi boiler they cost around £1500.
3mm internal wall boards around £ 20 each x12 ish , spray adhesive high heat is £5 a can x12 Puraflex £4.50 x30 ish ? everything soon adds up ?
 
Terry said:
Hi again Taffymat also make sure the fridge,boiler and heating all work ?these cost a lot to replace ....600 for a fridge and the same for a boiler and heater about 500 quid. If it's a combi boiler they cost around £1500.
3mm internal wall boards around £ 20 each x12 ish , spray adhesive high heat is £5 a can x12 Puraflex £4.50 x30 ish ? everything soon adds up ?
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Thanks Terry, apart from the roof and structure! Everything appears to work fine.
 
Hi. Sorry to hear of your troubles. Before you begin a major renovation, have you had a look at the MOT history? It could indicate if the 'van is worth doing. You can check its history here: -
www.gov.uk

Check the MOT history of a vehicle

Check the MOT history of a vehicle from 2005 onwards, including if it passed or failed, its mileage and why it failed, download MOT test certificate
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk

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Only 29k miles in 17 years is not good news means it's been sitting around for long periods. The brake pad will need replacing they have a habit of crumbling in low mileage vehicles also I wouldn't be surprised if the brake calipers & clutch need replacing as well.
 
I think basically you need to get your money back OR get a large proportion of it to cover the cost of the repairs and your hassle. There's no way on earth the seller didn't know about the water issue or the roof patch so I'd stop doing ANYTHING to it now and get redress before you change the state of it anymore.
 
How long did the previous owner claim to own it,, if they claim they had it a while then I'm sure it leaked on them at some stage and would of been aware of it.
 
Minxy Girl said:
I think basically you need to get your money back OR get a large proportion of it to cover the cost of the repairs and your hassle. There's no way on earth the seller didn't know about the water issue or the roof patch so I'd stop doing ANYTHING to it now and get redress before you change the state of it anymore.
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Bart said:
How long did the previous owner claim to own it,, if they claim they had it a while then I'm sure it leaked on them at some stage and would of been aware of it.
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if the seller didnt know it would point to him being a dealer and maybe a bit more clout in the ops favour.
 
Bart said:
How long did the previous owner claim to own it,, if they claim they had it a while then I'm sure it leaked on them at some stage and would of been aware of it.
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They'd owned it for just over 2yrs. I've not done any work to the motorhome other than remove a large section of the ceiling which was essential to ascertain the cause and damage from the leak.

I'm sorry if I'm being a little vague in places. I'm kind of conscious that the seller my well be a member of this site and reading these posts too!

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the more this thread goes on , the more reason to get rid one way or another, 17 years old , been standing, has the op looked if the damp has got in the floor or come up as well , underneath is likely to want some sort of repair shortly as will the brakes, how old are the tyres , likely needs new ones , another £500, cambelt, , if all this needs doing you are going to be looking at twenty grand total outlay, is it ever going to be worth it?
sorry if this sounds a bit harsh but you have to look at the reality of the situation.
 
chaser said:
the more this thread goes on , the more reason to get rid one way or another, 17 years old , been standing, has the op looked if the damp has got in the floor or come up as well , underneath is likely to want some sort of repair shortly as will the brakes, how old are the tyres , likely needs new ones , another £500, cambelt, , if all this needs doing you are going to be looking at twenty grand total outlay, is it ever going to be worth it?
sorry if this sounds a bit harsh but you have to look at the reality of the situation.
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The floor is extremely solid. The lower half of the van seems in much better condition than the upper.
I've had a good look around the van mechanicals both before and after selling, mechanical areas are very much my day to day works. New tyres too, and in the short term, I've inspected the cam belt which I was planning to renew myself after the summer.

But as you quite rightly say, it isn't a viable investment to repair after spending so much on it in the first place. I can only hope that any legal proceedings that might ensue go very much in my favour. I think I do have a strong case.
Letter should be delivered tomorrow, maybe I'll get a phone call from the seller.
 
just a thought when you purchased your van was it invoiced as sold as seen being a private sale i would have thought it would be very diffficult to get any money back i.e buyer beware
 
Take pictures of the problem areas, get copies of your original advert, and get some legal advice for goodness sakes. to hell with the fact it might be some one on here that sold it to you. its shedloads of your hard earned money that some A***hole now has selling you a rotten camper.
 
boxerdog said:
just a thought when you purchased your van was it invoiced as sold as seen being a private sale i would have thought it would be very diffficult to get any money back i.e buyer beware
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I haven't got anything that implies "sold as seen"
Camping Gaza said:
Take pictures of the problem areas, get copies of your original advert, and get some legal advice for goodness sakes. to hell with the fact it might be some one on here that sold it to you. its shedloads of your hard earned money that some A***hole now has selling you a rotten camper.
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Yes, that's the next step.. I've got copies of everything sorted and ready.

The advice I was given was to contact him myself first before involving a solicitor. I'll be contacting a solicitor next week if I haven't heard anything from them.

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Good approach of seeing if the Vendor will give you something towards the repairs. I’m not sure any Solicitor will do much more than ask to see a copy of the Advert used and unless it has been misdescribed will advise you that you are on a hiding to nothing (actually they may recommend a nasty/shouty letter and just hope that does the trick).
Fingers crossed for you, and hope you get it fixed soon.
Rgds
Jim
 
Thanks for the bump- a sad story for which we look forward to a proper outcome.
I wonder how it's going?
Mike
 
Hey everybody...

Sorry for not posting an update. It was all a bit stressful.

After following advice from here, I took legal advice. Long story short, I have had my money back and the van returned. Last I knew, the original owner was looking around local places to get it repaired.

Thanks again for your help.

I've booked a holiday away down south now, but will restart my search for another motorhome on my return. Most likely from a reputable trader and one with a grp roof.

Cheers

Matt.
 
Glad it’s all sorted with out a lot of court costs or repairs.

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Taffymat said:
Hey everybody...

Sorry for not posting an update. It was all a bit stressful.

After following advice from here, I took legal advice. Long story short, I have had my money back and the van returned. Last I knew, the original owner was looking around local places to get it repaired.

Thanks again for your help.

I've booked a holiday away down south now, but will restart my search for another motorhome on my return. Most likely from a reputable trader and one with a grp roof.

Cheers

Matt.
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Great news. Enjoy your holiday and put all this behind you.
 
Taffymat said:
Hey everybody...

Sorry for not posting an update. It was all a bit stressful.

After following advice from here, I took legal advice. Long story short, I have had my money back and the van returned. Last I knew, the original owner was looking around local places to get it repaired.

Thanks again for your help.

I've booked a holiday away down south now, but will restart my search for another motorhome on my return. Most likely from a reputable trader and one with a grp roof.

Cheers

Matt.
Click to expand...

A happy ending - nice one. (y)
 
That's gotta be one of the best £15 you've every spent! So pleased you've got your dosh back. (y)

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