Very unhappy purchasers!

[klaatu]

You have to give dealers a chance to fix things does this apply to boats that have leaks ?

Harland and Wolff weren’t given that chance in 1912.

 

[Motorhome-dude]

Most of those issues would have been sorted with a decent handover.
Its his first van, so for instance anyone that has experience will know that a hob lid is going to rattle and you stick a tea towel under it. The dealer could have sorted the squeaky hinge with a bit of clear grease which should have been picked up at PDI.
Swivelling the chairs, the guy seems to be making a right hash of, just swivel them towards the inside of the van not towards the doors, no need to lower handbrake.
First thing we advise when we do a handover with any new motorhomer is to go to a pound store and get some of the rubber matting/mesh to line your cupboards with which will help with a lot of rattling!

I totally understand where you're coming from and agree with a lot of your points but it does make me wonder why manufacturers/dealers who understand these issues (that a new motorhomer wouldn't)

1. You know cupboards rattle - why aren't manufacturers bulk ordering made-to-measure mesh for every cupboard if it only costs a few pounds?
2. You know cookers rattle - why aren't manufacturers bulk ordering made-to-measure mats or heat mats? As you say, they only cost a few pounds?
3. Door squeaking - that isn't a dry hinge. That's a poorly installed/repaired door. It's out of plumb and forcing the hinge. Should be a very easy fix and I'm surprised it hasn't been rectified. A decent chippy would sort that for twenty quid.
4. Opening grill and oven doors at same time - why on earth would anyone do that!!
5. Oven door not opening fully - I agree it is a hazard. HSE would be on me like a ton of bricks if I let workers use an oven like that. Could the manufacturer not have ordered flat handles or had them made? It seems it's the curved handle that stops it opening fully.
6. Handbrake - seems like it's creating a lot of debate for and against whether he should have to use it a certain way. Again, HSE would say to me if a piece of machinery CAN be used in a way not designed it's down to me to put in measures to ensure I control that hazard (or others stupidity!). Couldn't they have installed a foot brake or dash mount hand pull at manufacturing stage? Like Mercedes and other car handbrakes.

I do sympathise with the guy to a point. New motorhomes aren't cheap. Correcting and solving these issues at manufacturing stage would probably add a few measly pounds to the overall cost which most purchaser's wouldn't even notice if it was added on the price.

Sat Dish - I'd forget every other niggle and refuse the motorhome outright for that. Whoever fitted that should be sacked. Judging by the video they've put on a solar panel then realised the dish won't fit correctly so bodged the sat dish. Disgusting workmanship!

The guy was obviously up for spending extra money on satellite and solar (and probably other things) he would probably have been quite happy to pay a few extra quid and have a motorhome that felt like it had been with care and attention.

I do agree with another poster - I've had a few people like this who struggle to find trades to work for them. I usually find people like this easy to deal with if you're honest and manage their expectations from the outset.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

I think the guy has some points that need fixing such as the screw breaking through the trim, but it is also the case of buyer beware, by this I mean check out the demo / show van you would not be able to fully open the oven door on that, and get a 'feel' for how the draws open/close. Look at the feel and quality of the furnishings.

So does he have a point, yes I think he does, and Marquis should fix the ones they can but some of the special features like the rattling sink/oven you could say 'they all do that sir' Having said that I wouldn't be that happy either.

This chap seems to like the Autosleeper....

if he had checked out a new van at say the NEC And ordered one on the basis of what he had seen and of the quality advertised he wouldn't expect to receive a van with the issues he has found. Ok some are minor, but once you have found a few annoying tiddly things I would expect he has then given it a good going over and found loads more. ok the odd rattle is annoying, some folks accept them , some cover them up , but for the op , everytime he goes in his van he can hear and see the faults, driving him bonkers. 50 k for a van with a squeaky door, surely the dealer should have fixed that at least, wouldn't have cost more than £10 worth of time-result a happier customer.

 

[138go]

Xgo Motorhome Group

Xgo Motorhome Group Xgo Motorhome Group is a group to help Xgo dealers promote new and used Xgo motorhomes. In addition, to provide a place for Xgo owners to discuss any Xgo topics. Ideal, for finding offers on services and helpful tips and information. The unbeatable value for money on X Go...

www.motorhomescampervans.net

The list of Trigano Group is at the bottom of the page. All the Companies are named the same way ....

Found the bit below looks like they were taken over in 2017

 

[138go]

if he had checked out a new van at say the NEC And ordered one on the basis of what he had seen and of the quality advertised he wouldn't expect to receive a van with the issues he has found. Ok some are minor, but once you have found a few annoying tiddly things I would expect he has then given it a good going over and found loads more. ok the odd rattle is annoying, some folks accept them , some cover them up , but for the op , everytime he goes in his van he can hear and see the faults, driving him bonkers. 50 k for a van with a squeaky door, surely the dealer should have fixed that at least, wouldn't have cost more than £10 worth of time-result a happier customer.

I think the problem with the squeaking door is it was warped / is warped. They have tried to straighten it by moving the hinges which has put excessive strain on them so they are now squeaking because they are not lined up properly.

Some of the problems are not problems it's just the way they build them.

I wonder how many nights he has spent in it.

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[Motorhome-dude]

I'm just wondering how a car manufacturer can produce a brand new car that doesn't leak or sqeak and offers a three year/60,000 miles European warranty for under £7,000 and motorhome manufacturers struggle to provide a product that isnt faulty the minute it rolls out of the factory for upwards of £50,000

There's a gap in the market someone could fill.

 

[Servo]

Latest auto-sleeper offering There having a laugh.

 

[Motorhome-dude]

I'm just wondering how a car manufacturer can produce a brand new car that doesn't leak or sqeak and offers a three year/60,000 miles European warranty for under £7,000 and motorhome manufacturers struggle to provide a product that isnt faulty the minute it rolls out of the factory for upwards of £50,000

There's a gap in the market someone could fill.

The car in question -

The cheapest new cars on sale in the UK

Buying a car on a tight budget doesn't have to mean second hand. There are some brand new bargains to be had, even without haggling. Here are the 12 cheapest new cars on sale in the UK right now

inews.co.uk

 

[138go]

The car in question -

The cheapest new cars on sale in the UK

Buying a car on a tight budget doesn't have to mean second hand. There are some brand new bargains to be had, even without haggling. Here are the 12 cheapest new cars on sale in the UK right now

inews.co.uk

Assembled by robots .. MHs are Assembled by craftsman.

With at least two weeks training.

 

[hilldweller]

I'm just wondering how a car manufacturer can produce a brand new car that doesn't leak or sqeak and offers a three year/60,000 miles European warranty for under £7,000 .

Robots.

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[Coolcats]

Most of those issues would have been sorted with a decent handover.
Its his first van, so for instance anyone that has experience will know that a hob lid is going to rattle and you stick a tea towel under it. The dealer could have sorted the squeaky hinge with a bit of clear grease which should have been picked up at PDI.
Swivelling the chairs, the guy seems to be making a right hash of, just swivel them towards the inside of the van not towards the doors, no need to lower handbrake.
First thing we advise when we do a handover with any new motorhomer is to go to a pound store and get some of the rubber matting/mesh to line your cupboards with which will help with a lot of rattling!

In this day and age it is not acceptable to have a hob that rattles, manufacturers can make these rattle free. Installing that oven in the rear so that the door does not fully open may be fine for some but not all. NVH is something that all motor manufactures invest a lot of money in.

Now if you consider that the design of that Oven is acceptable, then little thought will have been given to how the user will actually use it and the risk's that the OP outlined.

If you do a brief search on Dometic you will find a suitable Oven that removes or reduces the "hot Fat" risk as the doors pull downward and if the build of the hob and sink in our van is the same as the domestic Oven I suspect they won't rattle either.

 

[138go]

In this day and age it is not acceptable to have a hob that rattles

Ours doesn't rattle but we don't have the British Spec all singing all dancing COOKER.

 

[adt]

In this day and age it is not acceptable to have a hob that rattles, manufacturers can make these rattle free. Installing that oven in the rear so that the door does not fully open may be fine for some but not all. NVH is something that all motor manufactures invest a lot of money in.

Now if you consider that the design of that Oven is acceptable, then little thought will have been given to how the user will actually use it and the risk's that the OP outlined.

If you do a brief search on Dometic you will find a suitable Oven that removes or reduces the "hot Fat" risk as the doors pull downward and if the build of the hob and sink in our van is the same as the domestic Oven I suspect they won't rattle either.

I have the same layout van for the kitchen and the oven is absolutely no issue. I can remove the shelves and contents easily. Honestly, talk to someone who physically owns one of these as I do. Great little van at 5.7m with a full kitchen. Rattles ? He still leaves the drainer attached to the sink lid when it is a clip on for when you arrive, No idea what he is doing with the hob as it has clips to hold it in place.

Yes, I do believe that oven is acceptable as I accepted the compromises I expected with a small van whilst doing my research before buying it.

 

[Coolcats]

I have the same layout van for the kitchen and the oven is absolutely no issue. I can remove the shelves and contents easily. Honestly, talk to someone who physically owns one of these as I do. Great little van at 5.7m with a full kitchen. Rattles ? He still leaves the drainer attached to the sink lid when it is a clip on for when you arrive, No idea what he is doing with the hob as it has clips to hold it in place.

Yes, I do believe that oven is acceptable as I accepted the compromises I expected with a small van whilst doing my research before buying it.

adt good to hear you have no issue, I'm sure that someone will have a Hymercar like ours and will have issues and every van is a compromise, I guess it is as you say what you are happy compromising on.

 

[Barclaybasher]

The ideal van:

Has a fixed bed, lounge, separate shower, hob, oven, full fridge freezer, central heating, a garage for everything you don't really need, 6 belted seats, under 3.5t and fits into a 'standard' parking space...........all without any rattles...............

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[Bart]

Did I hear or read somewhere that his heating was not working on electric?
If so that and the Sat dish are 2 'real' problems that need fixed. As for the rest, I wouldn't sell him a Mars bar.

 

[bilM]

The ideal van:

Has a fixed bed, lounge, separate shower, hob, oven, full fridge freezer, central heating, a garage for everything you don't really need, 6 belted seats, under 3.5t and fits into a 'standard' parking space...........all without any rattles...............

That's my Hymer

 

[adt]

Did I hear or read somewhere that his heating was not working on electric?
If so that and the Sat dish are 2 'real' problems that need fixed. As for the rest, I wouldn't sell him a Mars bar.

Maybe got the mix set to gas or tripped the electric by running on mix 2 / elec 2 and the site is 6 amps.
I’ve had the error when The electric goes off or I forget to turn the Truma off when disconnecting electric. The NOERR happens when the electric resets and you have accessed the error menu to see it

 

[Coolcats]

Maybe got the mix set to gas or tripped the electric by running on mix 2 / elec 2 and the site is 6 amps.
I’ve had the error when The electric goes off or I forget to turn the Truma off when disconnecting electric. The NOERR happens when the electric resets and you have accessed the error menu to see it

I have had the same error when I had unplugged without turning the truma off as well

 

[Bart]

I have had the same error when I had unplugged without turning the truma off as well

Sounds like his heating is probably working and it's just operator error.

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[klaatu]

I'm just wondering how a car manufacturer can produce a brand new car that doesn't leak or sqeak and offers a three year/60,000 miles European warranty for under £7,000 and motorhome manufacturers struggle to provide a product that isnt faulty the minute it rolls out of the factory for upwards of £50,000

There's a gap in the market someone could fill.

Bear in mind that a new Fiat Ducato costs £30,000 or more.

 

[Allanm]

We bought an Autosleeper, new, in 2013. A lot of the issues he is having, we had too. We tended to use our van a lot though, and in the first year, lots more faults showed up. None that stopped us using the van. The drivers seat also fouled the handbrake, but only just and it never bothered me.
The fact that the oven and hob rattles and the door squeaked ( and our handle dropped off) as well as door catches sticking, was brought to A/S attention by us in 2014, and they haven’t modified anything, infact things don’t seem to have changed, or, looking at the misaligned screw on the OP’s van, have got worse.
We also had all the chrome bathroom fittings fall off the wall on our first trip, the heated towel rail in the bathroom fell apart, the kitchen waste pipe fell apart twice ( flooding the van, twice) the rear mudflaps fouled the body and forced the wheel arch covers off, the shelf under the bathroom sink swelled up with water leaking onto it, the electric elements in the Truma 4 packed up ( after 2.5 years) a crease appeared in the body between the fridge vents, the waste water gauge didn’t work after the first week, the presstuds on the seats fell off and to stop the seat cushion moving about, I fixed anti slip matting onto the wooden battens under the cushion.
On our last trip back from the Pyrenees, just before we sold the van, the front overcab section started creaking every time we went round a corner.......
I fixed a lot of these faults myself as we were way when most of them happened, the rest were fixed by the dealer and A/ S themselves.
We sold the van after 3 years, I decided we wouldn’t have another A/S. We even looked at some last year, but I wasn’t impressed with the build quality.
Anyway, we used the van a lot, covering over 20,000 miles whilst still at work for the first year.
On a good note though, the van had no leaks and was as dry as a bone when it was checked over when we sold it.
In contrast, our new German built Burstner is 10 months old now and we have covered just over 10,000 miles.
Nothing has gone wrong, fell off or stopped working. The sink and hob cover doesn’t rattle either.
The only criticism we have is that the step doesn’t retract when you start the engine!

(Oh, we did have a leak from one of the driveshafts, but that’s the base vehicle and Fiat fixed in in a couple of days.)

 

[Antony bleasdale]

Obviously not happy, dealer will be as unhappy as the owner I am sure, if the dish has not been installed to manufacturers instructions I wouldn't have taken delivery. Hope he gets some peace at some point but doubt it

 

[juwlz]

We're now on our third AutoSleeper out of four Campervans/Motorhomes (the first was a Holdsworth PVC with a hinged side door, and that's the only one that we've sent to the great scrapheap in the sky). We've gradually bought younger (and more expensive) as we've moved on/traded up, but all of them have been "vintage" (our current, new-to-us one is 19 years old, and is probably the youngest and certainly the most expensive that we've had), and we've always been impressed with the build quality of AutoSleepers when we've compared them with many much younger (and brand new) MoHos and 'vans that we've seen at shows.

Our previous MoHo, a 1993 AutoSleeper Talisman required us to rotate the driver and passenger seats to make up the beds. It didn't (to the best of my knowledge*) have an adjustable steering wheel, and we did have to wind the seat back forwards, and slide the seat into the right position to be able to swivel it past the steering wheel, but we learned the knack, and accepted that as one of the compromises of squeezing a quart into a pint pot, as every manufacturer of (small) motorhomes has to do.
*We still have it (it's for sale), so I'll go and check whether we've spent the last 9 years doing it wrong!

We certainly never had to release the handbrake, which was in the same position - by the driver's door - on our Talbot base van.

It's a shame that the dealer only showed him how to swivel the passenger seat (which I can understand - it's much easier to do), as a proper demonstration of the driver's seat would have
a) shown him how to do it correctly with regard to both the handbrake and the steering wheel, or
b) made it obvious to the dealer before it left the forecourt that there was an issue if it's been fitted with a swivel mechanism that will only swivel the "wrong" way. And let's face it: it's always going to be easier to get things fixed BEFORE you part with your cash than afterwards.

An oven with a left-hinged door is a poor choice of appliance given its location with a door / wall to its left, and the issue with it not opening fully could easily have been avoided by using a bottom-hinged or right hand hinged oven door. I'm really surprised that A/S have put a left hand hinged one there. Equally, if he'd done his research before buying, he'd have known that. In a MoHo that size, everything is going to be a tight fit and a compromise.

Part of the fun of Motorhoming is working out your own vehicle's foibles, and the best way (for you) to embrace them. Maybe that attitude is easier to take if you've spent less than £20k than if you've spent over £70k though.

As to the satellite dish, you have to wonder whose choice that particular model was, and whether anybody thought about the fact that it couldn't be fitted as recommended on that MoHo because the wardrobe is in the wrong place relative to other things on the roof for the dish to be able to fit the "right" way round.

A little research on ANY Motorhome forum or Facebook group would have prepared him for the fact that Motorhomes rattle. And how easy it is to prevent rattles if they bother you THAT much.

I actually drove past the car with the banner on it on Wednesday morning last week (after I'd seen a post about it on a Facebook group - which is frankly hugely inferior to this forum!). It was parked just outside Bishops Waltham in Hampshire, maybe a mile or two down the road from the Marquis dealership in Lower Upham. I was looking out for it on my way back (about 2 or 3 hours later), but it had gone. It's difficult to tell, but I'm guessing that that's the one he bought if from as far as I can make out from the forecourt in the video

He does have some genuine complaints, but he's shot himself in the foot by not considering the fact that maybe he's missed something in the "how to" department, and by diluting the significant issues with complaints about a load of easily addressed rattles.

Finally, of course, he's missed the age-old advice that you rarely get it right first time when you buy a MoHo. Buying something old that won't depreciate much to find out whether Motorhoming is your cup of tea, and to work out what will and won't work for you will save you a lot of money in depreciation. A bit of experience in an older MoHo where you expect to find some niggles would have made him a better judge of what to look for in his next one.

The bottom line is that I don't think he's cut out to be a Motorhomer - plain and simple .

 

[Poursay]

I have some sympathy with the op. We too bought an AS, having been motorhoming since 1995, we did expect some rattles etc, however, this one rattled like a can of marbles, window trim starting to fall off etc.
The rattle was so bad that I threatened to return the van as “ “ unfit for purpose “. I copied the manufacturer in, who failed to even acknowledge the letter! To give Marquis their due, they resolved that problem and other minor ones. I had to wait nearly 3 months for a replacement awning light and when Marquis came to replace it, they found rust where the body had been drilled. They advised that it needed the area respraying and would refer it back to AS. AS refused to accept that the fault was theirs as the van had been away from the factory and would not be covered by warranty.... this is a van bought new in March 2019 and disowned 3 months later by the builder! How long does a warranty last, seems only weeks! I emailed AS asking for confirmation that the awning light was factory fitted, but 2 weeks later still awaiting a response, seems standard practice,ignore and hope it goes away. Going through some old MMM mags the other day, I came across an article on the CEO of AS who said quality was good, that they welcomed feedback etc. I then noticed that the article was dated April 2016, presumably, an April Fools joke on customers.

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