The Globecar Warranty - Any Experiences

[CazPaul]

Good heavens that does really sound like a tale of woe
Hope they all get fixed promptly and professionally

 

[Minxy]

3. A leak from the shower tray but, thankfully; if I'm on a rearward angle then the water can flow from the tray - then under the loo casset housing, over the floor base and out through the rear left wheel arch. How cool is that!!!!!

Oh heck, has the tray cracked?

8. The freeze control valve doesn't work properly.

Not sure what you mean by this, please explain.

10. One of the rear bed spotlights has fallen apart.

They are a bit fragile and hang just where you are most likely to catch them if you're not careful - I moved the rail on the offside bed nearer the wall where it should have been in the first place!

 

[Blue Knight]

What is your course of action - if they do say... " that's just how they are"... and point to wonky windows on their demo vans?
Everything is built down to a price point, not up to a quality standard.

I'm not under any illusion than anything will come of the the windows-thing but in respone to your question regarding a future COA (in no particular order):

1. PX the van.
2. Sell-up because I'm getting a bit bored of motorhoming.
3. Keep it on the drive and use it as storage.

 

[Blue Knight]

Good heavens that does really sound like a tale of woe
Hope they all get fixed promptly and professionally

Cheers Paul, it will be interesting to see how they address the ever worsening floor issue.

 

[Blue Knight]

Oh heck, has the tray cracked?

Not sure what you mean by this, please explain.

They are a bit fragile and hang just where you are most likely to catch them if you're not careful - I moved the rail on the offside bed nearer the wall where it should have been in the first place!

No, not cracked Mel but they've not sealed the shower tray to the wall(s) and so the water can escape from any side. We only wild camp these days (I'm normally dead-on level) so heaven knows what I would do on a C&MC site with all of their irregular sloping pitches to deal with. The shower tray itself does not have much depth to it either.

P.S. 'Truma Frost Control Valve' but the red wine last night wouldn't let me think of that, lol.

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[Blue Knight]

A very big hats off to SMC today for the way they've supported me with the whole warranty-thing.

They've seen the windows in the flesh for the first time and will now speak with Globecar and Dometic to investigate the problem further.

The other issues have also been logged by the lead service manager and I have no doubt that they'll follow through with their repair schedule.

A proper tip-top experience if ever there was one so I'll be sure to enjoy my red wine tonight without any worries

Well done SMC.

 

[Minxy]

A very big hats off to SMC today for the way they've supported me with the whole warranty-thing.

They've seen the windows in the flesh for the first time and will now speak with Globecar and Dometic to investigate the problem further.

The other issues have also been logged by the lead service manager and I have no doubt that they'll follow through with their repair schedule.

A proper tip-top experience if ever there was one so I'll be sure to enjoy my red wine tonight without any worries

Well done SMC.

... you might want to lay off the vino until they've actually sorted it all out ... my experience was that they are very good at 'talking the talk' but not so good at much else ...

 

[Blue Knight]

... you might want to lay off the vino until they've actually sorted it all out ... my experience was that they are very good at 'talking the talk' but not so good at much else ...

I've already opened the bottle. The whole trip took just over 9-hours so it's not exactly an easy task to get things fixed

 

[Blue Knight]

Update:

We collected the van today after our usual 300-mile trip to the dealer but the shower door repair has already failed (after 48-hours in the repair shop) so we'll need to return the van again to the dealer to have the full door replaced in the New Year. We've had a problem with this bl○○dy door since we collected it a year ago from new so I'm not best chuffed.

The floor has now been injected with resin and it provsionally seems solid but only time and use will tell if it's OK.

It was interesting to see that the new Summit 640 Prime in the showroom today had the same dodgy floor structure as ours so the Globecar H-Line factory is clearly having huge problems with its build quality control.

The leaky toilet hatch, warped cupboard doors, dodgy locks and crappy shower door will be done in a few months once Globecar has accepted the claims and dispatched the items.

The dealer chaps are resubmitting a claim to both Globecar and Dometic as they are shocked by the poor standard of the wonky windows; the likes of which are also fitted to their current showroom model.

All I can say is avoid the Summit range for now and buy a D-Line instead.

That said, if all goes to plan and we get everything fixed by the 18-month point of ownership then we should have a tip-top van.....

.........ready to sell!

 

[klaatu]

We haven’t had any of the problems that you’ve had, Andrew. We’ve done 5600 km, and spent about 50 nights in the van, and can’t find a single fault. We’re very happy and think this will probably be the last van we buy for a very long time (but things change!).

Yes, our windows have a slightly odd appearance from the outside from certain angles, but this is not visible at all from the inside, and more importantly they work perfectly, so I’m happy with them.

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[Blue Knight]

We haven’t had any of the problems that you’ve had, Andrew. We’ve done 5600 km, and spent about 50 nights in the van, and can’t find a single fault. We’re very happy and think this will probably be the last van we buy for a very long time (but things change!).

Yes, our windows have a slightly odd appearance from the outside from certain angles, but this is not visible at all from the inside, and more importantly they work perfectly, so I’m happy with them.

Does your floor not go "squeaky-squeaky-squeaky-squeaky-squeak" or "bouncy-bouncy-bouncy-bounce" like mine did Steve.

They must supply better quality gear to the French market as they certainly aren't sending the good stuff over here to the UK.

Footnote: If I ever miss the sound and the feeling of the bouncy floor and the continuous squeak underfoot then I can always visit the Summit 640 in the showroom as it bounces and squeaks as good as mine did.

I assume that you've not got warpy-warpy-warp or leaky-leaky-leak either?

 

[Minxy]

Does your floor not go "squeaky-squeaky-squeaky-squeaky-squeak" or "bouncy-bouncy-bouncy-bounce" like mine did Steve.

Perhaps he's not such a 'fat-fat-fatty' ...

 

[Blue Knight]

Perhaps he's not such a 'fat-fat-fatty' ...

You may have something there Mel

I always used to wonder why my parachute fell faster than everyone else's.

 

[Blue Knight]

Negatives and challenges aside, I've got to admit that SMC has been very good with its help and support.

The garage manager, Warren, is a first class bloke and has been incredibly helpful, supportive and proactive; just the type of chap that any good dealership needs to tick over efficiently.

 

[klaatu]

Does your floor not go "squeaky-squeaky-squeaky-squeaky-squeak" or "bouncy-bouncy-bouncy-bounce" like mine did Steve.

No, no bounces or squeaks, or warped doors. We’re currently one week into a two to three month trip to Spain and Portugal, so maybe something will turn up - I’ll be sure to report back as soon as it does.

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[Blue Knight]

No, no bounces or squeaks, or warped doors. We’re currently one week into a two to three month trip to Spain and Portugal, so maybe something will turn up - I’ll be sure to report back as soon as it does.

Have a good trip Steve - it sounds like a fab trip.

 

[Blue Knight]

I wonder if they fix the wonky floor before the new owners pick it up, probably not!

 

[Blue Knight]

I forgot to post-up a pic of my 'repaired' shower door:

 

[Blue Knight]

A quick update guys. We're now at the 15-month point of ownership.

1. The Globecar warranty claim in respect of the wonky windows was rejected for the second time today. We are now approaching Dometic to see what they have to say.

2. The warranty claim in November-19 (as it transpires) was lost when being translated into German so all the various issues have been resubmitted in the last fortnight.

3. The outside Dometic toilet hatch remains taped-up as it's still not watertight. If the tape is removed then it allows water into the lower shell - which you'll never get out.

4. The doors are still warped and the swinging shower door is still delaminated so we're hoping to get this done when the rest of the warranty work is signed off.

All said, and excluding the window problem, we're hoping to have the various issues sorted by month-18 of ownership.

This may be the first Summit 640 in the UK but it has been a right pain in the arse.

All the best,

Andrew

 

[CazPaul]

Good heavens Andrew most people buy a PVC to get away from problems. It just shows you any van can have issues

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[TinaLes]

And there was me thinking Minxy Girl had enough warranty issues with her shower tray, small beer compared to your list, so I feel for you.
Its enough to stop anyone considering buying a Globecar if their warranty decisions & attitude in getting them resolved is so poor.
But then again that can happen with many makes, Carthago is also very slow on parts & warranty issues if the dealer is not on top of things.
LES

 

[CazPaul]

And there was me thinking Minxy Girl had enough warranty issues with her shower tray, small beer compared to your list, so I feel for you.
Its enough to stop anyone considering buying a Globecar if their warranty decisions & attitude in getting them resolved is so poor.
But then again that can happen with many makes, Carthago is also very slow on parts & warranty issues if the dealer is not on top of things.
LES

I agree fully after minxy and Andrews experience Globecar wouldn't be at the op of my list.

 

[Blue Knight]

Good heavens Andrew most people buy a PVC to get away from problems. It just shows you any van can have issues

Hi Paul, good to hear from you sir.

I've joined the German Possl Forum and it appears that a load of people have had issues with their Summit 640s.

There has been a whole load of happy folk too but when one guy tells me that his local dealer had two vans rejected only a fortnight ago then you know there's an issue somewhere.

One of the common problems is Spongy unsupported floors and the shower walls that split from top to bottom; i.e where the whole shower cubicle needs to be removed.

The German guys are a real nice bunch and very helpful but, that said, it's nice to see what goes on over in Germany in Possl-land.

All the best,

Andrew

 

[Blue Knight]

And there was me thinking Minxy Girl had enough warranty issues with her shower tray, small beer compared to your list, so I feel for you.
Its enough to stop anyone considering buying a Globecar if their warranty decisions & attitude in getting them resolved is so poor.
But then again that can happen with many makes, Carthago is also very slow on parts & warranty issues if the dealer is not on top of things.
LES

Hi Les, I've left 'Carthago-Girl' Minxy Girl for dead when it comes to warranty claims, lol.

You just have to look at the new 2020 Summit 640 6D Prime in Newark to see that the floor and windows are wonky; some great quality control by the new H-line factory eh!

I would have no hesitation in buying a Campscout or Revolution from the D-Line Factory but the Summit range and the H-line products would be a different matter.

It's a shame as the shine has dissipated from our MoHo adventures.

All the best,

Andrew

 

[TinaLes]

Hi Andrew, its horrible when after doing so much research in "finding the right one" as one can only really do with a fair degree of experience in either caravaning or Mohoing, that dreams can be shattered by little niggles that should/could be fixed so easily.
Manufacturers, via their authorised dealers, should have a legal obligation to fix all warranty issues where owner negligence cannot be proven, inside a certain timeframe.
Customer satisfaction should be key, and not involve any legal entanglement/expense between client, dealer, or manufacturer to get things resolved quickly.
Unfortunately its beyond my understanding as to why it should be the customer that suffers to extent we read about.

One Close to home Example for us both:
Remember Andrew Dittons passion for Airstream Caravans?, well his chassis has rusted through making it unroadworthy after only 7 seven years of ownership.
Bearing in mind he was heavily promoting sale of Airstreams in The UK,(regardless of cost & Towability by UK cars) covering all aspects of Airstream ownership, with so much enthusiasm via continual Vlogs on You Tube.
Everything from the "superior build quality", and niech "iconic" looks of them, plus how they hold their money and can be traded for the sale price in later years.
He even went to the US visiting the Airstream Plant & Sales Ground, covering all the new 2019 models to have their interiors fitted out here in The UK by Swift To make them UK compliant, with decors that would suit the uk market
I can see even though Marmite to some, that interest was raised, and many people would have considered raising their budgets to attain one, even being prepared to wait for well over a year maybe if any bespoke items were required.
Well as you may know, his has been off the road with his Airstream for 2 years now, with no help from any dealer in The UK, he was then advised to ship it to Airstream Germany for them to repair it , and even with his media clout, supported by the CMC, he has got absolutely no where, with getting a firm up repair date to IMO getting it back on the road.
He has been IMO shafted by all accounts, makes you wonder what chance the average punter has these days, doesn't it.
Hope you get things sorted very soon Andrew, happy travels.
LES

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[Blue Knight]

Hi Andrew, its horrible when after doing so much research in "finding the right one" as one can only really do with a fair degree of experience in either caravaning or Mohoing, that dreams can be shattered by little niggles that should/could be fixed so easily.
Manufacturers, via their authorised dealers, should have a legal obligation to fix all warranty issues where owner negligence cannot be proven, inside a certain timeframe.
Customer satisfaction should be key, and not involve any legal entanglement/expense between client, dealer, or manufacturer to get things resolved quickly.
Unfortunately its beyond my understanding as to why it should be the customer that suffers to extent we read about.

One Close to home Example for us both:
Remember Andrew Dittons passion for Airstream Caravans?, well his chassis has rusted through making it unroadworthy after only 7 seven years of ownership.
Bearing in mind he was heavily promoting sale of Airstreams in The UK,(regardless of cost & Towability by UK cars) covering all aspects of Airstream ownership, with so much enthusiasm via continual Vlogs on You Tube.
Everything from the "superior build quality", and niech "iconic" looks of them, plus how they hold their money and can be traded for the sale price in later years.
He even went to the US visiting the Airstream Plant & Sales Ground, covering all the new 2019 models to have their interiors fitted out here in The UK by Swift To make them UK compliant, with decors that would suit the uk market
I can see even though Marmite to some, that interest was raised, and many people would have considered raising their budgets to attain one, even being prepared to wait for well over a year maybe if any bespoke items were required.
Well as you may know, his has been off the road with his Airstream for 2 years now, with no help from any dealer in The UK, he was then advised to ship it to Airstream Germany for them to repair it , and even with his media clout, supported by the CMC, he has got absolutely no where, with getting a firm up repair date to IMO getting it back on the road.
He has been IMO shafted by all accounts, makes you wonder what chance the average punter has these days, doesn't it.
Hope you get things sorted very soon Andrew, happy travels.
LES

Hi Les,

That's a bloody good write-up sir and in all honesty I think the content of your post deserves its own thread by which others can take example from.

You really do make an excellent point in terms of what, if anything, can be done by the humble bloke-in-the-street when the likes of Andrew Ditton has been well and truly fobbed off.

One thing is for certain: I wouldn't be buying a Swift-based Airstream after his appalling treatment from the company......

.......while some may be out off from buying a Globecar Summit H-line after my experience too.

All the best,

Andrew

 

[Blue Knight]

A quick update guys:

I'm still trying to follow-up on the relevant claims in respect of our Summit 640 and things are not going well to say the least!

It's a total struggle and I'm fed up.

I am estimating a further 3-4 months to get things sorted, excluding the windows, as being 'wonky' seems to be the Summit 640's intrinsic feature, according to my good associates in the German Globie forum.

Also, the ordering process for Globecar parts is a total joke; it's no wonder that Mel Minxy Girl had such a shocking experience with her Globecar warranty claims. The process FYI:

1. The UK dealer submits a form to Globecar requesting the part numbers of the faulty equipment etc.

2. Globecar send the part #'s back to the UK dealer. It's done this way as the Globecar dealers don't have any direct access to the official parts list (or so I have been told). Note: If there is a language or translation problem at this stage of the parts ordering process then you won't make much progress beyond this point.

3. The UK Dealer then submits the warranty claim to Globecar alongside its newly acquired parts #'s.

4. Globecar either accept or decline said claim(s) or scrutinise it further. Note: This can take a couple of months to resolve.

5. If there are no parts in stock then Globecar just ignores the order (or so it seems) until the dealer follows things up.

6. If the dealer hasn't got his ducks in a row and doesn't follow-up on the various claims then the warranty claim just gets lost in the system (this happened to me) and you find yourself back to Serial-3 above for a resubmission of the warranty form(s).

What a load of twonk.

I'll post updates as they come in.

Andrew

 

[TinaLes]

Hi Andrew
Feel for you, that is shocking state of affairs for any major player in The PVC market, we dont expect to see flawed windows in a van at their prices, or anything else really.
Is there any chance of cutting out the middle man so to speak, by driving the van to Globecar in Germany?, thats what another funster had to do to get his van sorted although it was not a Globecar, it was a Euro Mobil.

I know others will point out that your contract for warranty issues is with the dealer, which is correct, but even they cannot get anywhere with Globecar in a sensible time frame.

Sending replacement parts out to the dealer and then entering a warranty fight to get reimbursed is total madness, its like they cannot trust their dealers to identify a manufacturing problem, even with Photo Evidence.

I would not want to have any future dealings with Globecar, or be a dealer/distributor for them, as they clearly dont care about after care or customer service.
As I said before, customer service needs to be key for any business to survive let alone expand into new markets.
Good luck, I hope theses issues you are having can be resolved before the summer season starts, you have places tom go and things to see.
Best wishes.
LES

 

[jezport]

Hi Andrew
Feel for you, that is shocking state of affairs for any major player in The PVC market, we dont expect to see flawed windows in a van at their prices, or anything else really.
Is there any chance of cutting out the middle man so to speak, by driving the van to Globecar in Germany?, thats what another funster had to do to get his van sorted although it was not a Globecar, it was a Euro Mobil.

I know others will point out that your contract for warranty issues is with the dealer, which is correct, but even they cannot get anywhere with Globecar in a sensible time frame.

Sending replacement parts out to the dealer and then entering a warranty fight to get reimbursed is total madness, its like they cannot trust their dealers to identify a manufacturing problem, even with Photo Evidence.

I would not want to have any future dealings with Globecar, or be a dealer/distributor for them, as they clearly dont care about after care or customer service.
As I said before, customer service needs to be key for any business to survive let alone expand into new markets.
Good luck, I hope theses issues you are having can be resolved before the summer season starts, you have places tom go and things to see.
Best wishes.
LES

Unfortunately most manufacturers of motorhomes seem to be as bad.

 

[Minxy]

Its a shame you are still having to battle to get your issues sorted, we did get very, VERY, p'd off with it all and if we were looking for a PVC in the future I'm not sure I'd go for a Globecar again unless it was second-hand and out of warranty as I could then go anywhere to get things sorted (or do them myself). It really is a shame as they do make lovely vehicles but I prefer to use them rather than have to fix or fight to get stuff sorted.

The dealer we bought our last Globecar from informed us that the parts supply/back-up/support was one of the reasons they got out of being an official dealer for them and changed to another brand of PVCs with no relation to Globecar or the parent company.

Oh, nearly forgot ... the windows! We saw quite a few newer MHs and PVC on our last holiday in France/Spain with the same issue, this was from other manufacturers, some of them VERY expensive MHs, so it's down to how they are being made and consequently I doubt if anything can/will be done about them, sorry.

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