PDI checks

[MohoJo24]

Hi everyone. Apologies if this question has been asked before. Are motorhome dealers legally required to carry out a PDI check or can they tick a box to indicate that a PDI check has been carried out (by the manufacturer - in this case around a year prior to purchase)?

We bought a brand new Swift Kon Tiki in November 2024 from a dealer in Northern Ireland and brought it home to Scotland. En route home, the rear view monitor stopped working. Once home, we discovered the tracker wasn't working either which meant that our insurance policy was null and void. It has sat unusable on our driveway for two months. Communication with the dealer was poor to negligible, so we have spent a lot of time and stress, taking up the case ourselves directly with Swift and Sargent.

Sargent have been fantastic and we have been sent and fitted a replacement tracker. They also identified that a software update is needed to enable us to use WiFi, connect remotely with Swift Command, etc. Finally she goes in on Monday to a repair centre in Scotland, to hopefully have these issues sorted out but this has been a great disappointment and uphill battle.

When asking Swift about PDI checks and that it would appear these haven't been carried out by the dealer, there is silence.

To say that our purchase of a £100k+ motorhome has been a disappointment would be an understatement. Time will tell.

I feel that it is shocking, people seem to accept that there are "Friday afternoon vehicles" and to anticipate that there may well be teething problems with motorhomes. There shouldn't be.

I know that people have had problems with European made vehicles also but in hindsight and from research, not so much. Regretting our decision to buy and support a British company.

 

[meanders]

The difficulty is that the PDI is supposed to be carried out by the dealer, and there is no doubt some things get missed or indeed are difficult to spot. The real issue is the QC at the factory. Having had new Eldiss, Bessacarr (Swift) and the the Euramobil, all have developed some problems despite two of those coming from really well regarded dealers.

Your list faults seem quite minor, and I can't see why any of those would put the van out of action for two months. A rear view camera is a nice to have. Our first two vans did not have one. I just used the mirrors. Having a tracker fault also really shouldn't matter if you are using the van. The likelihood of it being stolen while you are using it would be remote. It's when it parked up unattended for days or weeks on end it becomes a target. Ditto with WiFi. It may be there are other more serious problems you haven't mentioned, but if that is the list, I would say you have been very lucky. Even on the Euramobil I had to have the rear picture window removed and reseated properly.. We did not notice until we went to use the blind and it jammed on one side. Of course these are all standard parts. The habitation door was a nightmare and was not properly fixed until we took it back to the factory despite the best efforts of the dealer. It turned out the door frame had not been fitted correctly and that it had twisted the door, but it wasn't possible for the dealer or is to see that.

I still think the general build quality of the Euramobil was much better than the two British vans, but it was far from perfect.

 

[Lenny HB]

No legal obligation for a PDI.
You seem very upset over a couple of very minor faults.

 

[grasscutter]

Sorry to hear your problems.
It does highlight the problem of buying from a dealer a long way from home.

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

I think a key difference between the Motorhome and car market is that there seems to be no obligation nor appetite for warranty repairs to be carried out other than by the supplying dealer. As a fellow Scot, looking at Motorhome prices, I see considerable price and availability differences between Scottish dealerships and those elsewhere, so I can understand why you bought from a remote dealership. Potential savings in excess of £3k are common, but the possibility of hassles with warranty issues could easily write most of that out however.
I’m also realising that QC and minor defects are unfortunately commonplace with new motorhomes, especially it would seem with British builds.
Hope you get on the road to enjoy your purchase.

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[Neil S]

Why buy from a dealership in N. Ireland when you live in Scotland

 

[MohoJo24]

Hi guys. Thanks to those of you who have taken the time to post helpful and constructive feedback. It is much appreciated. Having spent many months researching motorhomes, we narrowed it down to one Kon Tiki model for size, layout and spec to suit our needs. There were none available to purchase in Scotland and we were time limited so we made the call to fly over to Ireland on an afternoon and be home by evening. The alternative was a 10 hour round trip to Derby. Our insurance company made it very clear that the tracker must be operational at all times (yes, including when it is being used), otherwise the vehicle is not covered by the policy. Hence the lack of use as it has taken two months for Swift to take the case on and find a repair centre in Scotland who are able and willing to do the work. Minor issues indeed, however, the headache has been in the protracted experience in getting to this stage. However, hopefully all will be good come next week and we can begin our new adventures in motorhoming .

 

[nicholsong]

No legal obligation for a PDI.
You seem very upset over a couple of very minor faults.

Whilst there is no legal obligation I would expect a manufacturer to specify it in their dcontract with the dealer, including items to be insoected(if fitted)

 

[pappajohn]

No legal obligation for a PDI.
You seem very upset over a couple of very minor faults.

For a £100,000+ van id be furious.

 

[Lenny HB]

For a £100,000+ van id be furious.

My van was quite a bit over £100k still a few minor faults, just have accept it with Motorhomes.

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[Bramidan]

A bit over £100,000 but the purchaser is expected to put up with minor faults?
Why are we expected to put up with it because it’s a motorhome?
Would people expect the same from a brand new TV or similar?
When I had faults in my new motorhome when we purchased it in 2022 my son explained to me I was expecting too much, if thats the modern way, just shrug your shoulders, no wonder we are being treated like idiots.
Rant over but it does burn my ar.e

 

[KevinTuplin]

There are some dealers who add the cost of a PDI onto the purchase price of the motorhome. And I know that it happens as I have the bill of sale for 2 Motorhomes stating this and showing the amount charged.

 

[Barriesimpson]

No legal obligation for a PDI.

There certainly is in Spain, and it needs to be registered on the manufacturers system by the dealer.

 

[chippie]

I have been told of one uk manufacturer of motorhomes that gives the dealers 72hrs from delivery from the factory to do a PDI and report back any faults, after that the factory does not want to know and it's the dealers issue...hence the reluctance for the dealers to find any faults before you drive off the forecourt.

 

[maison]

The question of repairs and warranty work can be a minefield.

However, Swift allow “Approved Workshops” to carry out warranty work so it should not be necessary to worry about returning the motorhome to Ireland or finding a Swift dealer locally who will do it.

We have been motorhoming for 30+ years and had several caravans and motorhomes. Most of our remedial work has been carried out by “Approved Workshops”.

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