Warranty Issue - Refused

[PaulAndSam]

Has anyone had a warranty issue refused for no good reason?

We have a body work issue which appeared no long after we had the MH but just thought it was a heat spot, we spoke to the dealers at the next 2 had checks and they did not have any idea why it was but after the last had check said we should take it up with the manufactures after our holidays which we did.

We have a McLouis Fusion which has now beed acquired by Auto Sleepers.

Auto Sleepers have now came back and said the suspension update to get it to 4T was not done correctly (done by Glide Rite who I believe did it correctly).

We have photo evidence of the lump before the suspension was carried out and Auto Sleepers have said we should be had it don ethen even though I reported it to our dealers.

I have to now send an email to Auto Sleepers (as the dealers does not know what to do).

How should I proceed, should I lay out me findings before or after seeking professional advice or seek it before emailing?

Paul And Sam

 

[Phill D]

Just a thought / random question. If the air bag is fully deflated. And no bump stop, could the chassis hit lower and harder when going over a bump?

Probably not applicable here, but I am curious.

Without measuring it, it would be difficult to determine accurately;
but I would think if you hit a big enough hole and probably severely damaged the shock absorbers and damage the spring hangers then chassis damage is possible.
But you would probably loose a tyre and damage the wheel rim in the process.

However in my opinion damage is no more likely with air assist.

My point is damage is extremely unlikely to be caused by the use of air assist instead of the bump stops.

Happy to be corrected by other than hearsay.

 

[Colin McCourt]

Financial Ombudsman is your best bet with warranty issues. Free to use and they are very good, although they can take a few month to allocate someone

 

[PaulAndSam]

Just in case it is not clear. The red circle middle right of the picture.

Also what is that bit of metal that looks bent at the top left in green circle?

View attachment 1027771

I have not seen that before, I shall investigate next time I am at the storage

 

[PaulAndSam]

Looking at the photos of the chassis/suspension there are no chassis extensions under the garage floor so all the weight of the back of the van is relying on the structural integrity of the walls, and there is very little of that between the garage door cut out and the window cut out, manufacturing issue that the dealer will know about and is just taking advantage of the OP’s lack of knowledge (sorry PaulAndSam no offence meant)

I guess they are trying to say that the chassis has been updated without any thought to the body construction, not valid in my view but that might be their wriggle room, hopefully your dealer will confirm the problem was brought to their attention before the suspension upgrade and that would shut down that line of excuses.

My point to them is that the issue started before the suspension work took place.

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[PaulAndSam]

Just a thought / random question. If the air bag is fully deflated. And no bump stop, could the chassis hit lower and harder when going over a bump?

Probably not applicable here, but I am curious.

Iwas told when thse were fitted that they are good in the fact that if defalted, the work the same as having the original bump. BUT the issue started before the suspension was changed.

 

[PaulAndSam]

Also, In the first image. There looks like there is a block of wood with an X on it on the far side? What is that?

Not sure when this is? Can you provide more details of when photo and where it is?

 

[PaulAndSam]

Does anyone know of somewhere independent that I can take the van to? We are stored at Gatwick.

 

[x17ken]

Air bags are fitted in place of the bump stops which are infinitely more harsh to the chassis than the air bag.
Also , the air bags tend to be around 2 to 4 bar max pressure so unlikely to be sufficient pressures to damage a chassis.

Not a dig at you but whoever provided that theory has either a complete different setup or it is completely wrong.

Air assist is softer on the springs and chassis than the standard setup.

My thoughts too. The effect of airbags is to relieve pressure on the leaf springs and their mounting points to provide extra resilence /support when harsh bumps are hit. They would have helped stop the fault developing further - not the other way around.

 

[enark]

Think its with the dealer to get sorted?

I am mystified how non wooden materials can delaminate? Looks like a pressure issue to me?

Just for info, our Rapido had a slight water leak from one garage door, seal i thought, anyway whilst at hab check with Brownhills, they identified it, processed the warranty claim through Rapido and are presently just awaiting the parts to arrive from France, then they will book it in the work shop and fix.

No quibbles, no disagreements, so guess some dealers customer service is better than others?

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[Gromett]

Not sure when this is? Can you provide more details of when photo and where it is?

 

[Gromett]

Iwas told when thse were fitted that they are good in the fact that if defalted, the work the same as having the original bump. BUT the issue started before the suspension was changed.

I understand this was before the suspension upgrade. It was me being curious about worst case scenario, not specific to your question.

I really hope you can find a resolution to this, terrible situation to be in

 

[Gromett]

I have not seen that before, I shall investigate next time I am at the storage

This is the bit I was looking at. Hopefully clearer with arrows?

 

[Jonno1103]

A couple things from me.... McLouis, Auto Sleepers & Marquis are all part of the Trigano Group, a legal letter to their customer service dept should raise the issue.

Post 2022 Ducato's only have one composite leaf spring plus an anti roll bar fitted. This means that a product such as VB semi air is very difficult to fit and the likes of SAP (named in an older thread) in Doncaster won't even try. Work must be done to add a further 1 or 2 composite leaf's in order to have the anti roll bar removed. This makes the job cost prohibitive.

MHF has seen threads on this before.

Can’t Fit Semi-Air Suspension on 2022 Ducato

……. apparently this is the case!!!! Recently took delivery of our new MoHo (an Adria, on a 2022 Fiat Ducato base vehicle - not the “Maxi” chassis) and decided to fit rear Semi-Air Suspension, as other MoHo friends, as well as many Funsters posting on MHFun, are enthusiastic and speak of the...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[PaulAndSam]

View attachment 1028654

Whatever is it, I need a closer look, it was there from factory

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[PaulAndSam]

A couple things from me.... McLouis, Auto Sleepers & Marquis are all part of the Trigano Group, a legal letter to their customer service dept should raise the issue.

Post 2022 Ducato's only have one composite leaf spring plus an anti roll bar fitted. This means that a product such as VB semi air is very difficult to fit and the likes of SAP (named in an older thread) in Doncaster won't even try. Work must be done to add a further 1 or 2 composite leaf's in order to have the anti roll bar removed. This makes the job cost prohibitive.

MHF has seen threads on this before.

Can’t Fit Semi-Air Suspension on 2022 Ducato

……. apparently this is the case!!!! Recently took delivery of our new MoHo (an Adria, on a 2022 Fiat Ducato base vehicle - not the “Maxi” chassis) and decided to fit rear Semi-Air Suspension, as other MoHo friends, as well as many Funsters posting on MHFun, are enthusiastic and speak of the...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Again, the issue appeared before any work had been carried out

 

[PaulAndSam]

I understand this was before the suspension upgrade. It was me being curious about worst case scenario, not specific to your question.

I really hope you can find a resolution to this, terrible situation to be in

Thank you

 

[Orion]

Post 2022 Ducato's only have one composite leaf spring plus an anti roll bar fitted. This means that a product such as VB semi air is very difficult to fit and the likes of SAP (named in an older thread) in Doncaster won't even try. Work must be done to add a further 1 or 2 composite leaf's in order to have the anti roll bar removed. This makes the job cost prohibitive.

MHF has seen threads on this before.

Can’t Fit Semi-Air Suspension on 2022 Ducato

……. apparently this is the case!!!! Recently took delivery of our new MoHo (an Adria, on a 2022 Fiat Ducato base vehicle - not the “Maxi” chassis) and decided to fit rear Semi-Air Suspension, as other MoHo friends, as well as many Funsters posting on MHFun, are enthusiastic and speak of the...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Certainly not prohibitive if the Dunlop rear air kit is used - can’t comment about VB - and no requirement to install extra leafs, just replace the anti roll bar drop links for about £32 as advised by Dunlop (DSC Netherlands) technical department, and the ARB remains in situ. It’s detailed on the thread you’ve linked to at post #46.

 

[PaulAndSam]

This is the bit I was looking at. Hopefully clearer with arrows?

View attachment 1028659

Here is a slightly better photo

 

[lunarman]

Gromett if you look there is another block, with an X, further back which appears to be at a strange angle and not sitting on the chassis.

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[Orion]

Gromett if you look there is another block, with an X, further back which appears to be at a strange angle and not sitting on the chassis.

Well spotted.

Are there another two on the opposite chassis rail, and are they part of the manufacturer’s support for the rear bodywork?

 

[Northernraider]

Here is a slightly better photo



View attachment 1028702

It's just brake pipes and cables attached to the chassis as I said before . Nothing to worry about

 

[PaulAndSam]

This is the reply from McLouis Fusion

We had a response from Mclouis warranty dept, claim is rejected , please see below their reply:

Hello Madalina,


I have also consulted the Approvals office and it was found that on the vehicle chassis are mounted air suspensions Glide rite not provided for in the approval/homologation of the vehicle.

This model of suspension is not tested by us and not even knowing the inflation pressure of the same, we do not know the impact that these can have on the cell of the vehicle.

This condition means that we must decline any responsibility of McLouis for this defect.

 

[Northernraider]

This is the reply from McLouis Fusion

We had a response from Mclouis warranty dept, claim is rejected , please see below their reply:

Hello Madalina,


I have also consulted the Approvals office and it was found that on the vehicle chassis are mounted air suspensions Glide rite not provided for in the approval/homologation of the vehicle.

This model of suspension is not tested by us and not even knowing the inflation pressure of the same, we do not know the impact that these can have on the cell of the vehicle.

This condition means that we must decline any responsibility of McLouis for this defect.

What a load of nonsense. I'd have a solicitor on that

 

[Northernraider]

Gromett if you look there is another block, with an X, further back which appears to be at a strange angle and not sitting on the chassis.

I have a feeling those were temporary spacers placed there during the build and haven't been removed . They don't seem to serve any purpose now.

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[Gromett]

Gromett if you look there is another block, with an X, further back which appears to be at a strange angle and not sitting on the chassis.

I just spent a few minutes looking for it and couldn't find anything further back. Then I realised we both consider back to be in different directions.

I thought this was further forward as I thought that was just above where the chassis rails join to the van? Supported by the fact the handbrake cable goes in that direction?
I could be wrong

But you are correct and well spotted. There is another one and it doesn't look like it is sitting flat?

 

[Northernraider]

Well spotted.

Are there another two on the opposite chassis rail, and are they part of the manufacturer’s support for the rear bodywork?

Where those are they wouldn't support anything as just sitting between the chassis rail and the floor of the van . I think they are some sort of temporary spacer that hasn't been removed. They look like wood or foam or something

 

[Lenny HB]

This is the reply from McLouis Fusion

We had a response from Mclouis warranty dept, claim is rejected , please see below their reply:

Hello Madalina,


I have also consulted the Approvals office and it was found that on the vehicle chassis are mounted air suspensions Glide rite not provided for in the approval/homologation of the vehicle.

This model of suspension is not tested by us and not even knowing the inflation pressure of the same, we do not know the impact that these can have on the cell of the vehicle.

This condition means that we must decline any responsibility of McLouis for this defect.

So they have completely ignored the fact that the fault was there before the suspension was modified.

I agree with Tam it's worth getting a solicitor involved as the repair cost will be thousands if you have to pay for it & in that condition it makes the vehicle unsaleable.

 

[Gromett]

I have a feeling those were temporary spacers placed there during the build and haven't been removed . They don't seem to serve any purpose now.

If that is the case and they forgot to remove them, what else did they forget? Just a thought?

Also the front one looks at an odd angle which would suggest if they are spacers they aren't fitted properly?

 

[Lenny HB]

If that is the case and they forgot to remove them, what else did they forget? Just a thought?

To bond the body panels correctly & fit window seals correctly?

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[Gromett]

PS: lunarman I am now not so sure after looking again lol.

edit: In fact I believe you are correct..