New Motorhome has been delivered - Yipee - except I think I am disappointed....

[BigDean]

Hi all,

We ordered our first brand new MoHo in March, and with all that has been going on, have just had it delivered by the dealer to my home. Obviously in the excitement on delivery, everything looks great!

On closer inspection after a couple of days, there are a few things that I am a bit dissapointed about. I would appreciate your thoughts. It could be just me being pedantic.....

So, first thing is that the majority of the silicone on the roof is mouldy (very), see picture. Would you expect this on a new MoHo, or would you have thought their prep team should have made it spotless? Should I have to spend hours trying to get it clean?

Secondly there are 4 stone chips on the bonnet and a scratch on the passenger door. Now, they did deliver it to me FOC, but not on a low loader, they drove it here. So their argument could be that it happened on the way. Our last MoHo was 5 years old and only had a couple of stone chips!

A little more minor, but there is a blemish on the bumper and the lens built into the side mirror is cracked.

I just feel deflated after waiting so long for our first brand new Motorhome, it doesn't feel like it should.

Feel free to tell me I am being unrealistic, or, should I pass all this back to the dealer to sort? They have been sort of responsive so far on a few other missing items, so have no reason to think they wont sort it, but I don't want to be one of "those" customers.

Thanks in advance
Dean

 

[BobtheBass]

When we took delivery of both of our brand new, straight from the factory Baileys they had areas of grubby sealant that we couldn't do anything about. Our dealer explained that Bailey used a sealant that didnt quite dry so attracted dust and dirt. True to his word the sealant on both Van's got grubbier over time and couldn't be cleaned. The roof was worst.

 

[ambulancekidd]

Our van is now over 25yrs old & the sealant is gleaming & original, complain to the seller.

 

[Peter Goadby]

Not acceptable. Tell the dealer to sort it out

 

[Wabs]

As far as I’m aware, every “ new vehicle” has to go through a rigorous PDI,and all of your points should have been picked up and dealt with,,I would be telling the dealer to come and pick it up and redeliver it when the issues have been sorted,you have the law on your side,,good luck,,,ps don’t let them fob you off.

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[Ingwe]

Not uncommon to find faults on a new motorhome. Sadly, this is the state of our m'home industry. The sealant might be an issue and I would want to know when the motorhome was built ? Ordered in March and delivered yesterday means in my book the motorhome was already built. Agree 100% with Lenny HB . However, I wonder what your legal rights would be if the motorhome is a couple of years old, yet you are the first owner ? Might be worth checking you have a good warranty cover over leaks. A bit of mould on the sealant may be insignificant providing the seal itself is 100%. I would be interested to hear the dealers response. Safe Travels.

The legal position depends on what the OP was told he was buying. If the dealer was advertising a new model or 'This year's model' and it was 2020, then it should be a 2020 manufactured van. S13 Sale of Goods Act-goods must match their description. So it depends on what the dealer was selling and the buyer was expecting to buy. If the dealer was selling a 2019 van as new but making clear that it was a 2019 van but had never been sold then it would seem the buyer accepted he was getting new van even if it was a year old. But in any event, goods must be of merchantable quality and fit for purpose and by the looks of it, the quality isn't of satisfactory quality for a new van. The OP can reject the van and get a refund or accept it and require the dealer to put the issues right.
The OP might feel that the faults are of a sufficiently minor nature to keep the van and get the dealer to put things right.
A lot depends on what the dealer does and it will be interesting to see their response. But it really is a pisser, as others have pointed out, when you buy a van, wait for it and then it arrives with faults, missing manuals etc, all of which show little care by the dealer!
p.s. I'm aware of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 coming into force but the SofG Act 1979 hasn't been repealed and the implied terms into contracts such as description etc are effectively the same.

 

[mjs911]

Hi all,

We ordered our first brand new MoHo in March, and with all that has been going on, have just had it delivered by the dealer to my home. Obviously in the excitement on delivery, everything looks great!

On closer inspection after a couple of days, there are a few things that I am a bit dissapointed about. I would appreciate your thoughts. It could be just me being pedantic.....

So, first thing is that the majority of the silicone on the roof is mouldy (very), see picture. Would you expect this on a new MoHo, or would you have thought their prep team should have made it spotless? Should I have to spend hours trying to get it clean?

Secondly there are 4 stone chips on the bonnet and a scratch on the passenger door. Now, they did deliver it to me FOC, but not on a low loader, they drove it here. So their argument could be that it happened on the way. Our last MoHo was 5 years old and only had a couple of stone chips!

A little more minor, but there is a blemish on the bumper and the lens built into the side mirror is cracked.

I just feel deflated after waiting so long for our first brand new Motorhome, it doesn't feel like it should.

Feel free to tell me I am being unrealistic, or, should I pass all this back to the dealer to sort? They have been sort of responsive so far on a few other missing items, so have no reason to think they wont sort it, but I don't want to be one of "those" customers.

Thanks in advance
Dean

View attachment 394199

 

[mjs911]

Hi Dean,

The mould looks very aged, the 15 year old motorhome we traded in last year was much cleaner.

I can understand your frustrations, we had similar last year when we picked up our new Hymer. You would expect that parting with the amount of money these things are that everything would be pristine. We had missing parts for additional extras that took almost three weeks to resolve

Good luck with your discussions with the dealer, if they are reputable they will resolve your problems.

 

[MikeManning]

NO WAY in the world is that acceptable for a New van, even if it is last years model!

Zoom in to the picture and see how the sealant is actually pulling away from the cross piece.
A 10 year warranty means nothing if the rot caused by the ingress of water is beyond one or more panels.

Make a stand otherwise this dealer will walk all over you. Many (not all) caravan/motorhome sales people are worse than the worst used car sales people.

Been there sadly and got a few T shirts!

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Try Elbow Grease. Get it in £1 shop or Tesco’s

Not sure if I'm correct in this, but a bit of surface dirt I do clean, but as for putting any type of cleaning product on the sealed joints they are there to do just that, i.e seal and keep any water out, I don't mess about with.
Just my opinion folks .

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[BigDean]

Thanks all,

Just to clarify, I knew it was a 2019, and the price was totally acceptable. I have checked it out and I am happy that I have had delivered what I ordered.

My ONLY queries were whether the state of the sealant and stone chips/blemish were to be expected or not. Based on the comments, they are not.

The dealer will be given the chance to rectify, which I fully expect they will, otherwise I will take it further.

Zoom in to the picture and see how the sealant is actually pulling away from the cross piece.
A 10 year warranty means nothing if the rot caused by the ingress of water is beyond one or more panels.

Thank you for that Mike, I will inspect carefully and see if there is an actual separation.

Will report back.

Thanks
Dean

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Very sorry to hear of your situation and what perhaps has took the edge of your new possession.
Stay calm, list the faults, contact the dealer and have a professional and cordial discussion to put thinks right as you, the customer ,see them.
Knee jerk reactions and getting all steamed up will only lead to you possibly not approaching the dealer in the right manner, and that will then put the dealer in a negative frame of mind and it's then a head to head, and the problems still are not sorted.
Think how you would like to be approached and the attitude you would respond to favourably , if you were the dealer and this van and its unfortunate issues was being returned to you.
Just my thoughts on how I would like to deal with the situation.
Wish you the best outcome in your approach.
Iain

 

[thebriars]

If its a brand new van, I believe that you have up to 30 days to ask for a full refund if you are not satisfied, after 6 months the dealer is only liable to refund you minus depreciation and current condition of the van. I think this is correct but best to check, Im sure others will confirm one way or the other.

This is not correct. The 30 days bit is correct, but there is no 6 month figure. It is far more complicated than that, and depends on the type of goods. There is a 6 month time limit when you can get a full refund for faulty goods (other than motor vehicles) and there is no requirement for you to prove that it was faulty from new.

 

[thebriars]

Very sorry to hear of your situation and what perhaps has took the edge of your new possession.
Stay calm, list the faults, contact the dealer and have a professional and cordial discussion to put thinks right as you, the customer ,see them.
Knee jerk reactions and getting all steamed up will only lead to you possibly not approaching the dealer in the right manner, and that will then put the dealer in a negative frame of mind and it's then a head to head, and the problems still are not sorted.
Think how you would like to be approached and the attitude you would respond to favourably , if you were the dealer and this van and its unfortunate issues was being returned to you.
Just my thoughts on how I would like to deal with the situation.
Wish you the best outcome in your approach.
Iain

Just bear in mind, from bitter experience many dealers are utter cowboys, and often you have to go in all guns blazing to get a resolution. Hence why I asked who the dealer was.

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

When we took delivery of both of our brand new, straight from the factory Baileys they had areas of grubby sealant that we couldn't do anything about. Our dealer explained that Bailey used a sealant that didnt quite dry so attracted dust and dirt. True to his word the sealant on both Van's got grubbier over time and couldn't be cleaned. The roof was worst.

But did it stay dry?
Personally I would sooner have a dry slightly grubby exterior in parts, and a completely dry habitation area than a nice shiny box on wheels with wow factor that you need to wear flippers in due to a damp water ingress problem caused by poor or insufficient sealant.
Only my opinion though, so don't shoot me!

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[Deep Owl]

How does one ACTUALLY CLEAN the sealant so it looks better? mine is getting a bit tatty on the roof and some side bits. I have tried various but not successfully .

I used a toothbrush with the same Halfords wash-and-wax that I cleaned the motorhome with last week, and the 2013 van almost looks new!

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Just bear in mind, from bitter experience many dealers are utter cowboys, and often you have to go in all guns blazing to get a resolution. Hence why I asked who the dealer was.

That's a shame on the dealer front , but surely, when you are considering where to buy a van from, you also asses the dealership and the salesperson as well as the van.
Or does the excitement and thrill of getting a deal somehow overrule all rationale and cloud judgement when instinct may have led to perhaps more caution in considering how you will continue your relationship with that dealer in the future.
People buy from people.

 

[lorger]

What make of van is it. BigDean

 

[thebriars]

That's a shame on the dealer front , but surely, when you are considering where to buy a van from, you also asses the dealership and the salesperson as well as the van.
Or does the excitement and thrill of getting a deal somehow overrule all rationale and cloud judgement when instinct may have led to perhaps more caution in considering how you will continue your relationship with that dealer in the future.
People buy from people.

Not in my experience. You only really know the quality of the dealership when things go really wrong. Same as insurance. Might all look brilliant on paper, but you only find out how good they are when you claim.

 

[funflair]

Look on the bright side, you know the age of the van, well you know it's not brand new and you got a few quid off and you know that it has been stood outside as the sealant is a bit dirty not sure "mouldy" is the correct description, if it's dry inside it's had a B----y good test so the sealing is all OK stone chips and cracked whatever are not right and I am sure you will come to an arrangement with the dealer.

Enjoy.

Martin

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[Minxy]

Just another comment. The vehicle was covered in bugs on delivery, so couldn't have seen the scratches/stonechips until I cleaned it the following day. And of course, from down low, couldn't see the sealant on the roof.

Also, we did get a deal because it was last years model; but it is brand new.

Thanks SS, will go out and find the date to check it is correct.....

It sound like it's done the rounds of shows etc which to some extent isn't a bad thing as at least the wheels have moved, engine turned, brakes etc used but the chips/damage are NOT acceptable IMV and should definitely be put right. Make sure you have a really good check of everything inside too in case there has been some damage from those viewing it.

It sounds like you've got a good deal though if you got that much off so don't let the 'faults' take the shine off ... it can't be any worse than happened at our dealers workshop when the technician put a big scratch into the side of ours with the tip of a drill bit as he walked by!

As for the date ... you do have to be careful with what you are 'told'. We were buying a 'new' Carthago last September, it was one the dealer had at a show and we paid a deposit on it, but the following day we were in another one they had which was longer model (working out where stuff would go as 'ours' had been moved off the display stand) and discovered that despite it also being sold as a 2019 model it had actually been built in early 2018. We weren't overly happy so asked them about ours as we were led to believe that it was actually built early 2019 or very late 2018 but they couldn't prove it had been. They wanted us to wait until they went back to their base after the show so they could check the info in the 'pack' and then, if it turned out not to be a 2019, built one they'd refund our deposit, we weren't happy as obviously by then we wouldn't be able to view any others at the show so, after a bit of 'too-ing and fro-ing' we got our deposit back. When they did check it afterwards and rang to see if we were still interested it turned out to be on a base vehicle produced in February 2018 ... 19 months old!

Ultimately we saw another at the show and bought that one instead which was still a 'stock' model but definitely built in November 2018 so less than a year old when we bought it. We got loads of bits and bobs thrown in as part of the very good deal so well happy.

Oh heck ... yet another very, VERY expensive show ...

I have something to tell you all ... we're not getting it now! :crying1: Today quite by accident we discovered there isn't something 'quite right' about the age of it ... we immediately spoke to the dealer who was unable to show us details of when it was actually built and signed off by...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[BigDean]

Thanks folks. It would appear I am not as het up about it as other people

I am happy with my purchase, just dissapointed.

I am absolutely confident that the dealer will resolve the issues.

For info, it is an Adria.

Thanks
Dean

 

[Captain Yoghurtpot]

Not in my experience. You only really know the quality of the dealership when things go really wrong. Same as insurance. Might all look brilliant on paper, but you only find out how good they are when you claim.

Sorry to hear that on your experiences, have been less than positive on some occasions, but not all dealers are the same.
Only my view though, and to be fair, I have not bought a van through a dealership, and that's because I could not find what we were looking for, at a price we could afford in a dealership, and some of the dealerships we approached were less than professional, in my opinion, and some I just didn't like or trust, and neither did my wife.
Some however were very helpful and I would return to them if we were looking to change our van.
We bought privately in the end, as that's where we found what we wanted within our budget ,without using finance and yes, I have had to do a few jobs that needed doing, and yes they have cost money, but we knew this could be a scenario for us, but we are happy with our lot at present, and hope it continues.

 

[lorger]

Don’t know where you’re based but if the dealer was in Scotland that might explain it, one dealer here bought about 40 or 50 vans when another dealership went bust and was selling them with good discount.

 

[beachwomble]

So, Ducato chassis is 2018, which makes sense as the Motorhome is a 2019 model which I knew about.

namwaldog told you how to find the year of build of the chassis & cab. Here's a trick which is used by dealers to find the conversion build model year. Windows are made by Pilkington who then send them to Fiat for example who then send the vehicle to Adria to be converted into a motorhome. The time between the windows being made and completion of the MH is usually 3-5 months. On each window you will see some etching. Look at the bottom line and you will see a number of dots followed by a number. Let's say 5 dots and No.8.
This will tell you that the windows were manufactured in May 2018 (could be 2008 of course but you will know that). Just be aware that a build of May 2018 could be a model year 2019. This is a good technique when looking at much older MHs for sale when a dealer will have to contact the converter to find out the model year, which could take up to two weeks and then the MH you were after will have been bought by someone else.

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[Clipgate]

I have read most of the feedback and see justice in most replies, one observation worthy of note I believe is that many dealers are in a fragile financial position, not just due to the lock down, few have any financial reserves and operating costs are high, this is if course not our problem as consumers, however taking acting quickly with a clear plan maybe the best option, as leaving an unpalatable choice now could result in no resolution at all.

 

[StephandJohn]

I have read most of the feedback and see justice in most replies, one observation worthy of note I believe is that many dealers are in a fragile financial position, not just due to the lock down, few have any financial reserves and operating costs are high, this is if course not our problem as consumers, however taking acting quickly with a clear plan maybe the best option, as leaving an unpalatable choice now could result in no resolution at all.

Thinking about this comment and thought maybe you should just be a bit careful. If they are struggling (which is highly likely) you don't want them taking it back to 'fix' and then going bankrupt while it's there.
If that did happen the dealer goes in to a sort of lockdown while the insolvency firm sort out who owes what and to whom.
When Discover Leisure went bankrupt a few years ago a lot of people had their vehicles stuck for weeks/months behind closed gates until it was all sorted out. Even those who's vehicles were there for servicing!
It goes against the grain for me to say this but maybe you'll need to just be pragmatic about it if they are being difficult and, as long, as the problems aren't that big just sort it out yourself. I know this feels wrong but just a thought in the current circumstances.

 

[gpat]

Don't let it spoil the experience. The dealer will sort it I am sure. Let them do that and then enjoy it.

 

[rod_vw]

Personally I feel that you were 'done', you have a 2019 model van that is probably two years old (2019 models would have been into production in 2018).

Even if it were pristine it has two years depreciation which I guess is around the 20% discount that you have been given. However you seem to have a vehicle that is by no means pristine.

If it were my purchase I would be corresponding with the dealer (all in writing) to at least get the vehicle professional valeted inside and out and the stone chips & scratch repaired at absolutely no cost to me.

After all you did buy a 'new' vehicle and despite its age should be in 100% new condition. You may be even more disappointed when you come to sell your camper only to find that it is considered to be two years older than you feel it is.

As you see from my signature I build my own campers thus I buy a new vehicle to build on. In every case I request a photograph of the build sticker from which I can decode the exact build date and specification before I purchase. I am also lucky in having diagnostic gear that enables me to check that there are no faults showing when I collect the vehicle.
Admittedly I often buy from dealer stock but that way I know what I am buying regardless of what the salesman tell me. They are often disappointed when I tell them more about the vehicle than they want the customer to know!

 

[Minxy]

Personally I feel that you were 'done', you have a 2019 model van that is probably two years old (2019 models would have been into production in 2018).

Even if it were pristine it has two years depreciation which I guess is around the 20% discount that you have been given. However you seem to have a vehicle that is by no means pristine.

That's very harsh, we've bought MHs in the past that have been around for a while and knew at the time so got a good discount, we even got one at cost price - we were happy, the seller was happy.

If it were my purchase I would be corresponding with the dealer (all in writing) to at least get the vehicle professional valeted inside and out and the stone chips & scratch repaired at absolutely no cost to me.
After all you did buy a 'new' vehicle and despite its age should be in 100% new condition.

That would certainly be a good solution and ensure that the repair was done to MY satisfaction by a local repairer rather than one near the dealer.

You may be even more disappointed when you come to sell your camper only to find that it is considered to be two years older than you feel it is.

In all the years we've bought/sold MHs we have never had this come up at all as they only ever ask the registration year ... even when we had one that was clearly an older model (cab change) it was still accepted as the registration year.

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[gwyntaxi]

Hi all,

We ordered our first brand new MoHo in March, and with all that has been going on, have just had it delivered by the dealer to my home. Obviously in the excitement on delivery, everything looks great!

On closer inspection after a couple of days, there are a few things that I am a bit dissapointed about. I would appreciate your thoughts. It could be just me being pedantic.....

So, first thing is that the majority of the silicone on the roof is mouldy (very), see picture. Would you expect this on a new MoHo, or would you have thought their prep team should have made it spotless? Should I have to spend hours trying to get it clean?

Secondly there are 4 stone chips on the bonnet and a scratch on the passenger door. Now, they did deliver it to me FOC, but not on a low loader, they drove it here. So their argument could be that it happened on the way. Our last MoHo was 5 years old and only had a couple of stone chips!

A little more minor, but there is a blemish on the bumper and the lens built into the side mirror is cracked.

I just feel deflated after waiting so long for our first brand new Motorhome, it doesn't feel like it should.

Feel free to tell me I am being unrealistic, or, should I pass all this back to the dealer to sort? They have been sort of responsive so far on a few other missing items, so have no reason to think they wont sort it, but I don't want to be one of "those" customers.

Thanks in advance
Dean

View attachment 394199

If it’s a brand new Motorhome then you’ve every right to expect it to be perfect, which doesn’t mean mouldy sealant scratches anywhere or cracked lenses, doesn’t sound like a very reputable dealer who would hand over a new van like that and expect you to be satisfied, shudder to think what their customer service will be like when you get problems at 7 months old, I would tell them to come and collect it PDI it properly and not to deliver it unless it’s 100%perfect, otherwise tell them you’ll reject it, if you paid 20grand for a new car you would expect it to be perfect, you have probably paid 3X that now tell them to sort it or refund you