Rotten Swift - don't trust damp checks

[Hayleylulu]

you can always sell it to brownhills they dont know how to ues a damp meter

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Hi Peter my above post was taken (and saved by me)from one of the many replies about soggy floors/Swift where Peter who was CEO of Swift,assured everyone (at the time) that even if the soggy vans presented themselves out of the warranty period Swift would stand by there product and sort any/all repairs.This was made to assure people buying Swift vans that they would not be left with a worthless van 4/5 yrs down the line.
I remember at the time you were quite vocal (but guarded) with your comments about Swift where you also assured people buying a Swift product that you would have no problem buying a Swift repaired van as trade in after the repair had been done :thumb: Have you instructed your staff to watch out for soggy floored Swifts now this seems to have changed ?
There is loads on this subject on the dark side.
terry

Any dealer worth his salt should have inspected all vans of this era for the faulty sealing/water ingress on annual hab services and reported it to Swift for rectification. Needless to say we rigorously inspect all vans for signs of damp as a matter of course.

I do not understand why the OP's dealer got a negative response from Swift because this has not been our experience on any occasion.

Peter

 

[scotjimland]

There is loads on this subject on the dark side.
terry

I know the darkside ringleader has a vested interest in Swift ... just wondered.. do you know if Swift have responded to this specific issue or has it been blasted out of the water ? (no pun intended)

 

[buttons]

I know the darkside ringleader has a vested interest in Swift ... just wondered.. do you know if Swift have responded to this specific issue or has it been blasted out of the water ? (no pun intended)

Does he still have the complementary loan vehicle from Swift for testing.

 

[scotjimland]

Does he still have the complementary loan vehicle from Swift for testing.

think it was sent back as it was a leaky kontiki

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[Peter JohnsCross MH]

think it was sent back as it was a leaky kontiki

From trade gossip, Swift took it back and no it did not leak James

Peter

 

[Terry]

I know the darkside ringleader has a vested interest in Swift ... just wondered.. do you know if Swift have responded to this specific issue or has it been blasted out of the water ? (no pun intended)

I have not been on the darkside much since finding fun All I can say is from memory :thumb: To tell the truth I cannot be bothered to look back on the posts from this era,but I may also not be allowed to search because I have not paid any subs for 3 yrs
All I can say is what Swift said at the time -they would repair any /all vans that suffered.As Peter has said he has encountered no probs BUT?oh:
I did ask at the time how many vans suffered -I thought they would know how many they had made like it, but I got blasted for asking such a question from the band of loyal SCARED owners who thought like Swift it could/would make second hand Swifts from that era practically impossible to sell / loose thousands off the value of there vans oh:Hence the promise and the free van
terry

 

[scotjimland]

From trade gossip, Swift took it back and no [HI]it did not leak [/HI]James

Peter

Must have been you that supplied it then Peter ...

 

[Terry]

Must have been you that supplied it then Peter ...

Either that or it was returned for a new floor
terry

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Must have been you that supplied it then Peter ...

No we were not asked, I believe Chelston looked after it when he had it.

In context, the leaky Kontiki was years ago circa 1900's and was a roof join problem, then there was condensation in roof pods circa 2005, very easily cured with insulation and the saga of the ingress on the sides due to no seal on a skirt.

Habitation door problems were common to many converters as they were a standard bought in item.

When you consider the huge volume of vans made and the variety of models and then compare them to the hiccups on other makes and the converters response to fixing them, Swift compare extremely well.

I speak as I find, if Swift were crap, I would not have been a Swift Dealer for 15 odd years.

Peter

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[icantremember]

Well done Swift

I do not usually get involved in such discussions as have been raised by this thread but am now sick of the continued slagging off of the Swift Group.


While I appreciate that all manufacturers and particularly those as large as Swift will have some problems and some disgruntled customers from time to time, it is in my view how these problems are solved that is the most important factor.


As some funsters will be aware we have an Autocruise Augusta, manufactured by the Swift Group, with which we are very happy both with the layout and construction but had a bodywork problem needing remedial work.


Having been given the choice of having the m/h collected and delivered back to us or we could deliver it ourselves to the factory near Hull we opted to both deliver it and collect it again with Swift paying for our overnight accommodation and all expenses each time.


Although originally they said it could take anything up to eight weeks to complete the work, we were kept up to date with progress by regular telephone calls and received a call last week to tell us it was ready, just two weeks after dropping it off.


We duly collected our motorhome yesterday and have to say how pleased we were with the whole business. All the staff at Swift were absolutely charming and could not do enough to please us and apart from the remedial work we had booked they did a complete “heath check” on the van and carried out a number of small jobs we hadn't realised wanted doing.


I fully expect that my response to this thread will attract more replies from the downers on here but in view of the way we have been treated by Swift we would have no hesitation in buying another when the time comes to change and know of many other satisfied owners who feel the same.






WELL DONE SWIFT:thumb:

 

[meanders]

When our van had to be returned to Swift with the lack of insulation in the overcab bed we were treated well,also being offered the option of going to the factory. We also had it returned with other things done that we had not asked about. Excellent service.

 

[motor roamin]

Ok I should perhaps keep my nose out of this thread as I am a dyed in the wool RV owner..........but as an ex motor trader all I can say £3,000.00 or crap publicity on a forum full of motorhome buyers seems like no contest.......then there is the duty of care to a customer and goods being fit for purpose....it is good to read at least two customers are happy......but guess what if I ever lost my HGV licence and had to buy a smaller m/h I know which make I wouldn't look at.......sohow short sighted is that attitude.......and yes I would sue them.

Just my opinion of course.

All the best Rick

 

[haganap]

Can some one help me out please.

Firstly the OP states that for years he has taken it to a dealer for a annual check.

The damp found could of been ingress for years (the OP words)

Yet,
Terry knows all there is to know about this problem and so do millions of others allegedly, which should of course include dealers.

Then why did the dealer not spot it?

If he had, then it would of been within warranty and of course sorted out under such.

Why is no one pointing a finger at the dealer? why is it Swift that are getting the finger pointed at?

Is there not a case to go back to the dealer and say " why did you not spot this potential problem, even though Swift themselves had made you aware of a potential problem?"


It's just the normal "high horse" hit Swift campaign.


Yes I have a vested interest. I own a Bessie, I love it to bits.

I have had two foreign vans that have both experienced damp that required me to fix it, both minor cases, but nethertheless damp.

I think people should be looking at the industry as a whole, and not just Swift, its

This on behalf of my dad again, he has been to view a Burstner Elegance I685 and found some damp on both sides, inside just below the side ...

Horror of horrors, was told today by our dealer that they found some damp on the rear end of our 2005 Adria. They said that it is very rare and ...


Can't find anything major wrong with them (generally) although had a dealer this morning telling me to avoid CI because of damp issues... and ...

I could go on, but I wont.

Also, bear i in mind that British motorhomes make up over 74% of the UK market, meaning 3 out of 4 vans is UK built. The largest of those companies is Swift. More sales will mean more problems reported on forums. (figures quoted most recent I could find)

So, on one side of the house, we have continued grumps about must buy British, then when we do, we slate them as being crap, despite Swift Groups reputation for excellent customer care.

I feel sorry for them, they can;t win, its no wonder they don't reply to posts.

Also, I really love the knockings from those that state "never have and never will own a swift"

And, to the OP, I do feel for you in your predicament, but as said, try with the dealer, and, maybe try a more individual repairer and not part of a group, it could save you loads.

 

[jhorsf]

I do not usually get involved in such discussions as have been raised by this thread but am now sick of the continued slagging off of the Swift Group.


While I appreciate that all manufacturers and particularly those as large as Swift will have some problems and some disgruntled customers from time to time, it is in my view how these problems are solved that is the most important factor.


As some funsters will be aware we have an Autocruise Augusta, manufactured by the Swift Group, with which we are very happy both with the layout and construction but had a bodywork problem needing remedial work.


Having been given the choice of having the m/h collected and delivered back to us or we could deliver it ourselves to the factory near Hull we opted to both deliver it and collect it again with Swift paying for our overnight accommodation and all expenses each time.


Although originally they said it could take anything up to eight weeks to complete the work, we were kept up to date with progress by regular telephone calls and received a call last week to tell us it was ready, just two weeks after dropping it off.


We duly collected our motorhome yesterday and have to say how pleased we were with the whole business. All the staff at Swift were absolutely charming and could not do enough to please us and apart from the remedial work we had booked they did a complete “heath check” on the van and carried out a number of small jobs we hadn't realised wanted doing.


I fully expect that my response to this thread will attract more replies from the downers on here but in view of the way we have been treated by Swift we would have no hesitation in buying another when the time comes to change and know of many other satisfied owners who feel the same.






WELL DONE SWIFT:thumb:

In my opinion with this sort of customer who thinks Swift is brilliant why should they make vans without SERIOUS faults?
Yes I agree they put your van right but they have been building this leaking 2 for years and will continue to build them while people buy them and say oh yes but they were great when my roof leaked ,my floor rotted through,my door fell off,they put insulation in that was missing.ETC.

Peter says

"In context, the leaky Kontiki was years ago circa 1900's and was a roof join problem, then there was condensation in roof pods circa 2005, very easily cured with insulation and the saga of the ingress on the sides due to no seal on a skirt.

Habitation door problems were common to many converters as they were a standard bought in item.

When you consider the huge volume of vans made and the variety of models and then compare them to the hiccups on other makes and the converters response to fixing them, Swift compare extremely well.

I speak as I find, if Swift were crap, I would not have been a Swift Dealer for 15 odd years."

Peter




As someone who is a dealer to make money Peter, and I know you are one of the good guys who keeps customers happy, to say Swift are not crap after the years of serious problems they have turned out in vans and caravans .~~~~~~Just like Swift does not hold water~~~~~:helptitanic:.You sell them because there is a demand for them.You are not as someone who earns a living from them going to say anything else.

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[Chris]

I know naff all about Motorhomes but I do know that I read more complaints about Swift than about all the other manufacturers put together.

That either means they need to seriously up their game in manufacturing quality or I am just reading the wrong articles/ threads.

Smoke and fire come to mind.

 

[chrisgreen]

I know naff all about Motorhomes but I do know that I read more complaints about Swift than about all the other manufacturers put together.

That either means they need to seriously up their game in manufacturing quality or I am just reading the wrong articles/ threads.

Smoke and fire come to mind.

as haggers says! they hold 74% of the uk market,so there is bound to be more complaints about swift

 

[Chris]

as haggers says! they hold 74% of the uk market,so there is bound to be more complaints about swift

I thought that after I had postedoh:

 

[jhorsf]

Its not little minor things though is it Chris that to some extent can be forgiven when sorted its far more serious complaints. As someone who has saved a lot of money for a long time then been sitting in a downpour and it running down the walls inside, do not be surprised if my post is a little biased.I have had one and believe me would not have another one if it was free

 

[chrisgreen]

Its not little minor things though is it Chris that to some extent can be forgiven when sorted its far more serious complaints. As someone who has saved a lot of money for a long time then been sitting in a downpour and it running down the walls inside, do not be surprised if my post is a little biased.I have had one and believe me would not have another one if it was free

i did offer swift a challange when i was a member of the darkside,more as a windup than a genuine challange.(A challenge to swift):thumb:
the challange was that i was going to the show at the NEC and if i could find 20 build fault's 10 inside and 10 outside of a van that had been fully prepared for the show,(should be perfect)would they give me the van
they declined
i have never owned a swift,and have no problem with them.:thumb:

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[Chris]

i did offer swift a challange when i was a member of the darkside,more as a windup than a genuine challange.(A challenge to swift):thumb:
the challange was that i was going to the show at the NEC and if i could find 20 build fault's 10 inside and 10 outside of a van that had been fully prepared for the show,(should be perfect)would they give me the van
they declined
i have never owned a swift,and have no problem with them.:thumb:

Nothing like confidence in your product is there?

 

[chrisgreen]

Nothing like confidence in your product is there?

exactly!

 

[icantremember]

i did offer swift a challange when i was a member of the darkside,more as a windup than a genuine challange.(A challenge to swift):thumb:
the challange was that i was going to the show at the NEC and if i could find 20 build fault's 10 inside and 10 outside of a van that had been fully prepared for the show,(should be perfect)would they give me the van
they declined
i have never owned a swift,and have no problem with them.:thumb:

It would be interesting to know then how many and which other British or foreign motorhome manufacturers would have taken up your challenge and of those which ones you would NOT have won.

Oh......you didn't challenge any others.......
........bit of an unequal test then don't you agree Chris

 

[sue & dave]

In my opinion with this sort of customer who thinks Swift is brilliant why should they make vans without SERIOUS faults?
Yes I agree they put your van right but they have been building this leaking 2 for years and will continue to build them while people buy them and say oh yes but they were great when my roof leaked ,my floor rotted through,my door fell off,they put insulation in that was missing.ETC.

Peter says

"In context, the leaky Kontiki was years ago circa 1900's and was a roof join problem, then there was condensation in roof pods circa 2005, very easily cured with insulation and the saga of the ingress on the sides due to no seal on a skirt.

Habitation door problems were common to many converters as they were a standard bought in item.

When you consider the huge volume of vans made and the variety of models and then compare them to the hiccups on other makes and the converters response to fixing them, Swift compare extremely well.

I speak as I find, if Swift were crap, I would not have been a Swift Dealer for 15 odd years."

Peter




As someone who is a dealer to make money Peter, and I know you are one of the good guys who keeps customers happy, to say Swift are not crap after the years of serious problems they have turned out in vans and caravans .~~~~~~Just like Swift does not hold water~~~~~:helptitanic:.You sell them because there is a demand for them.You are not as someone who earns a living from them going to say anything else.

Hi

I know the "PROBLEM" we had with Swift was slightly different as we had a caravan, I thought I would tell you our story, (the short version)

After having our first new caravan stolen in 2004 we ordered an Abbey Spectrum (made by Swift) in September 2004 waited for it to be made, it was delayed, we were told "due to the backlog". It finally arrived in May 2005.
We noticed several minor things wrong with it the first time we used it, and had to take it on a 40 mile round trip to get it sorted, at the dealers. Stewart Longtons, (who were very good throughout our 18 MONTH ordeal).

We used the van nearly every weekend, and we would find a new "problem" nearly every week. The biggest one being the roof, which had a big "dip" in it where the hekki light was, when we opened it (if it had been raining within the past week or so), the water would drip in all over the bed because the hekki was sat in about 2 inches of water.

After the van had been back to Stewart Longtons several times, and they came out to us a few times (I think they were embarrased at all the problems), and after several e-mails to the Swift group in Hull, they finally took it back to Hull to take a good look at it, and sort out the rest of the "problems". I think we were now in November/December. When we got it back a month or so later, they said the roof was "within tollerance". You can imagine what I said.

We were still finding more things wrong (some re-occuring) like the bottom of the bathroom sink fell in when you put the plug in, we had FOUR new sinks fitted and were told we could not have anymore as I must have been using the wrong product when cleaning it, as I should have used "LEMON JUICE" ! ! !

The final straw was when it went in for a service at Stewart Longtons (I can still see Paul the service managers face, when he told us he had found DAMP in the bedroom) I just burst into tears.

So we took legal advice, we could do several things, which would all take time and money, we thought of writting to Anne Robinson, which I might have done had I not decided on my next step.

I wrote a "story" called "WHY NOT TO BUY A SWIFT CARAVAN". I listed all the things that had been wrong with our £18,500 caravan, including, the bed dropped apart because most of the screws were missing, holes appeared in the floor, (which Swift said was ok because it was where the "bolts" were), there were many believe me.

I photo copied it 100 times, and my husband and I set of for the caravan show in Manchester. We headed for the Swift stand with the intention of handing them out to potential new buyers. We spoke to someone from Stewart Longtons and told him our intentions, he introduced us to a director from Swift, who after listening to us, said he would look into it when he got back and sort it.

After a week or so the e-mail arrived saying there was nothing he could do, everything was within tollerance.

We waited for the Birmingham show and went again, armed with "our story", this time I was prepaired to be carried out screaming. After a meeting with a "very high up" and once she had listened to our story and read all the contradicting e-mails we had recieved from Swift, "a very annoyed" lady, who GAVE US A NEW CARAVAN, the choice was ours, pick which one you want, (unfortunately it had to be a Swift)

The moral of this story, DON'T GIVE UP.

One last thing, when we were taking "CARAVAN FROM HELL" back to Stewart Longtons one of the wheels fell off, ripping the wheel arch off.

Anyone can make a caravan/motorhome that has problems, it's the AFTERCARE service from the MANUFACTURER SWIFT that was our issue.

Sue and Dave

 

[chrisgreen]

It would be interesting to know then how many and which other British or foreign motorhome manufacturers would have taken up your challenge and of those which ones you would NOT have won.

Oh......you didn't challenge any others.......
........bit of an unequal test then don't you agree Chris

i can remember the same reply's as this on the darksideoh:
as i said it was all part of a windup

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[jhorsf]

My whole point they are so 2 we expect to have problems that is just not good enough:shout:. It will not get any better while we keep buying them. If this thread stops one more person sitting in tears in a damp van after spending their savings it was worth it.To all the people with a DRY Swift I say invest in one of these



http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_n...p+meter&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

 

[icantremember]

i can remember the [HI]same reply's as this on the darkside[/HI]oh:
as i said it was all part of a windup

I havn't seen them as I don't ever go there.....maybe I should

 

[Terry]

My thoughts- I was simply pointing out to the OP-cotswoldman- that Swift promised to fix the floors on any vans that presented themselves to them :thumb: even out of warranty :thumb:
It seems that this has changed or that the dealer did not contact Swift and tell them about the wet floor giving them chance to get it in for the fix, Or that Marquis is lying
Would Marquis simply lie and say Swift simply replied "out of warranty" thereby getting themselves 3k worth of work
Swift are well aware of the problem with floors (well publicised) and as such Peter CEO did a excellent PR job in Swifts defence (he needed to) I asked at the time why not recall all the M/Hs and check / fix them once the problem surfaced ? The reply was they did not know how many were affected oh: I did not believe them at the time simply because they know how how many vans they make each year and how many floors/boards they bought It was simple maths :thumb: and I pointed out at the time that it could well come back 4/5 years down the line when out of warranty- hence the out of warranty promise-Then I started to get the usual response from Swift owners do you own a swift ,I am happy with mine etc,etc.
No I do not own one,never have but came very close to buying a Kontiki and a ACE
I think the Swift vans are very nice good looking vans and it is a pity that they got things wrong on such a big scale in this case- bare in mind Swift said that a lot of makers were using the same floor but I only read of 2 Auto trails suffering the same fate ?-
I FEEL SURE SWIFT WOULD NOT WANT THIS TO RAISE IT'S UGLY HEAD AGAIN and as such they should instruct Marquis to refund cotswoldman his money and honour the promise.:thumb:If not I predict they will get a lot more bad publicity plus render a lot of vans virtually worthless
How long are they going to honour the promise ? turns out 4 yrs
I also sent Paul (Hagnap) a PM when I read that he was buying a Swift warning him of the problem and he should check the floor he assured me he had Unfortunately shit sticks :thumb: Swift do the right thing
terry

 

[JockandRita]

Also, I really love the knockings from those that state "never have and never will own a swift"

That'll be the category that Rita and I fit into then Paul, and why do you think that is?

When looking for our first MH, as ex tuggers, we had always admired the Swift styles and designs. Imagine to our horror, that with the aid of a damp meter, our search for our dream MH found four Swifts, all suffering from damp, prevalent in exactly the same place in all models.
One couple had just paid Broonfools for a habitation and damp test before putting their pride and joy up for sale. Isn't is strange how I, a complete novice, (but knew where to look) managed to find damp in their lovingly cared for MH. I felt really sorry for them, when I showed them the reading on the meter, and my wet finger from the source.

Remember Russell's (Rapide561) fiasco with his Swift MH which he was fulltiming in? It wasn't damp related, but the faults were horrendous.
We feel that the above discoveries and knowledge justify us being in the "never have and never will own a swift" brigade.

Best regards,

Jock & Rita ( owners of a 12 year old foreign built MH).

 

[Hayleylulu]

ITS like i told brown hills when i cort them out with the damp van i got of them if i wonted something to hold water id have bourt a bucket and it cost less

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