Where to buy new Hymer - UK or Europe? (4 Viewers)

[Peter Clark]

I will have the funds to buy a new MH in a few months - probably a Crossover - maybe LHD.

(Possibly a near-new if nothing available from stock - though I noticed in Feb/March this year that several new Crossovers were offered at discount for immediate delivery in Europe)

Started doing a little research - buy in UK or buy in Germany - concerned by the very mixed reviews for Hymer Centre in Staffordshire - does anyone have recent experience of buying a new vehicle from them?

And who are the best or worst staff to deal with at Travelworld.

Reading past posts it appears there are financial savings to be made buying in Europe - but just as important to me is after sales service - does anyone have experience of using a European dealer for both purchase and after sales service?

NB: From past posts it seems to be reasonably straightforward to buy in Europe and bring to UK - but if anyone has any pointers for things to be aware of that are less obvious - I would be glad to hear about them.

 

[Bessy765]

You may have a problem re any warranty issues.

 

[Bessy765]

We bought a new Burstner in 2019 and are having very slow response to having a damp ingress repair under the water ingress warranty and we bought new from a UK dealership.

 

[Abgs]

I've just bought an MLT 580 4x4 from these guys - Neuss Camping in southern Germany. About as far away from me as I could get but they had an in stock model with the spec I was looking for and about a 20% discount on UK list after all import and registration costs are taken into account.

Just going through the UK registration process now.

PM if you want the salesperson's details - the guy spoke excellent English as my German is terrible!

They were easy to get to, Manchester - Munich via Easyjet and then train to within a couple of miles of their site.

 

[ED O'DARAC]

I will have the funds to buy a new MH in a few months - probably a Crossover - maybe LHD.

(Possibly a near-new if nothing available from stock - though I noticed in Feb/March this year that several new Crossovers were offered at discount for immediate delivery in Europe)

Started doing a little research - buy in UK or buy in Germany - concerned by the very mixed reviews for Hymer Centre in Staffordshire - does anyone have recent experience of buying a new vehicle from them?

And who are the best or worst staff to deal with at Travelworld.

Reading past posts it appears there are financial savings to be made buying in Europe - but just as important to me is after sales service - does anyone have experience of using a European dealer for both purchase and after sales service?

NB: From past posts it seems to be reasonably straightforward to buy in Europe and bring to UK - but if anyone has any pointers for things to be aware of that are less obvious - I would be glad to hear about them.

We bought a van from them in July 2022. They stuck to the agreed price and we dealt with the excellent Ryan.
He/they are very businesslike and did everything they promised. The van was perfect when we collected, good handover and we haven't had any problems as the German van was well PDI inspected. (Our only problem has been the 2022 Fiat oil level sensor as there is no dipstick!)
Professional dealer.

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[Lenny HB]

I've bought 3 Hymers in Belgium, but current Carthago in UK as there wasn't much price advantage.

Hymer have a Pan European warranty so you can take it to any dealer but UK ones can be awkward and make you wait months. Had a few things fixed in the UK but found it easier to take it back to Belgium and they would fit me in quick. Also called at German dealers on my travels only too pleased to help unlike UK dealers.

 

[Saucer]

The model I was researching (and have now ordered in UK) is about 8k cheaper in Germany allowing for same spec. Not enough of a difference for me to bother especially as I’d worry about warranty issues, but may be being too cautious(for once).

 

[Peter Clark]

I've just bought an MLT 580 4x4 from these guys - Neuss Camping in southern Germany. About as far away from me as I could get but they had an in stock model with the spec I was looking for and about a 20% discount on UK list after all import and registration costs are taken into account.

Just going through the UK registration process now.

PM if you want the salesperson's details - the guy spoke excellent English as my German is terrible!

They were easy to get to, Manchester - Munich via Easyjet and then train to within a couple of miles of their site.

View attachment 949997Thank you Abgs - that is exactly the scenario I had in mind - tried to PM you for further details but Access Restricted - can you PM me?

I presume your vehicle is LHD - is that an issue in the UK? I did a 2 month trip to Turkey via Eastern Europe in my RHD Burstner last winter and being able to look out of the dining table side window behind the passenger seat was very useful at junctions - busy roundabouts in places like Bursa were very tricky.

Looking at the LHD Hymer it doesn't have a corresponding window on the other side - so I'm wondering if restricted view might be an issue in the UK - any thoughts?

Maybe a camera to view the restricted view area?

 

[Peter Clark]

You may have a problem re any warranty issues.

Only with the UK dealer according to Lenny

 

[Bessy765]

Only with the UK dealer according to Lenny

That is what I meant, getting a UK dealer who did not supply the van to carry pout warranty repairs?

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[Bessy765]

Our last 5 vans have all been bought new and everyone has had to have some for of warranty repair 2 had to go back to the UK maker for major works, our current van a Burstner has damp ingress problems and am still waiting to hear when it will be booked in for repair. Supplied with missing outer rear garage door seals now has damp in the boot ??

 

[gus-lopez]

is that an issue in the UK?

Not for me.I drove lhd cars in uk for 30 years before moving to spain

That is what I meant, getting a UK dealer who did not supply the van to carry pout warranty repairs?

& trying to get one who DID supply the van in the Uk is apparaently hard enough

Burstner has damp ingress problems and am still waiting to hear when it will be booked in for repair. Supplied with missing outer rear garage door seals now has damp in the boot ??

I'd contact Burstner direct & ask about taking back to the factory for them to fix

 

[Bessy765]

Not for me.I drove lhd cars in uk for 30 years before moving to spain

& trying to get one who DID supply the van in the Uk is apparaently hard enough

I'd contact Burstner direct & ask about taking back to the factory for them to fix

Good point, when we bought this van new in 2019, when it went for its first damp check I mentioned water was getting into the garage, nothing was made of it, same next year. As the van was not used much until the fourth year and by then it got so bad I made a drain hole to let the water out. Asked on here and someone pointed out there are seals made for the inner track of the doors but Burstner don’t fit them as standard. Asked the dealer who stated they had contacted Burstner and it wasn’t a warranty issue and if I wanted them I had to pay. So I emailed Burstner direc and as a goodwill gesture they would supply them FOC but I woud have to pay to have them fitted, so I said I will fit them myself. During the 5 year check last month when I also collected the seals high damp readings were found at the rear of the garage. Possibly if the seals had been fitted in the first place this situation may not have arisen. So now faced with 2 x 350 miles round trips to drop the van off and collect it again for something I feel need not have happened.

 

[Abgs]

I presume your vehicle is LHD - is that an issue in the UK? I did a 2 month trip to Turkey via Eastern Europe in my RHD Burstner last winter and being able to look out of the dining table side window behind the passenger seat was very useful at junctions - busy roundabouts in places like Bursa were very tricky.

Looking at the LHD Hymer it doesn't have a corresponding window on the other side - so I'm wondering if restricted view might be an issue in the UK - any thoughts?

Maybe a camera to view the restricted view area?

I’ve owned and driven LHD vehicles in the UK for maybe 25 years out of 40 years of holding a driving licence so I can switch sides without really thinking about it.

The MLt has a kitchen window in the rhs just past the Hab door and a matching window on the lhs. You learn to position as you come to junctions to eliminate the blind spots. That said …. This thing is so high up you can pretty much see everything!

 

[bellabee]

We live near Stafford but bought two new Hymers abroad - one in Germany, one in Belgium.
We had no warranty issues with the German-bought one, a few small issues with the Belgian one. These were easily sorted by co-inciding visits to the Belgian dealer with our twice-yearly trips to the Continent.
We've had negative experience of TW and would never buy from them.

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[Abgs]

You may have a problem re any warranty issue's

I thought about this and figured that if it was a heating or fridge issue I should be able to go to the supplier of those components. Body issues - I’d take it back to the nearest Hymer dealer in Germany.

Plumbing, taps, electrical etc .. it’s probably less hassle just to fix yourself.

I did notice he Germans issue a Gas Safety certificate with new vehicles which apparently has to be re-certified every two years. You have to display the cert on the vehicle which shows when the next check is due. Seems sensible so I will get it done when it’s due. The cert is next to the number plate in these pictures.

 

[Land Yachties]

Wouldn't touch Travelworld with a barge pole. We identified a major issue with the roof lining 3 days after collecting our new BMCI 680. Took over 3 years to have the issue resolved despite the many promises made by them. We believed they were trying to wear us down and hope that we would just give up. Unfortunately for them they misread us.
We sought legal advice and obtained estimates to have the work completed privately. We informed them under what legislation we were pursuing the recovery of our cost and which small claims court we were taking them to if they failed to pay for the repairs within 14 days of sending them the relevant receipts. All correspondence was fully recorded including notes made of every phone call, date,time who we spoke to, and a summary of the conversation. We also printed out every email.
Travelworld finally agreed to pay our chosen repairer direct. The final bill was just under 4K.
We deal with Ryan for the purchase who couldn't have been more professional and helpful if he tried. However their aftersales and customer service was in our opinion appalling.

 

[pandas]

RHD works for us. Mainly travel in Europe no issues. Driving in the UK with a LHD I suspect would be more of an issue as so much more traffic. But others find the opposite is better. Resale is better for a LHD but we could not be bothered selling abroad.

 

[Peter Clark]

I've bought 3 Hymers in Belgium, but current Carthago in UK as there wasn't much price advantage.

Hymer have a Pan European warranty so you can take it to any dealer but UK ones can be awkward and make you wait months. Had a few things fixed in the UK but found it easier to take it back to Belgium and they would fit me in quick. Also called at German dealers on my travels only too pleased to help unlike UK dealers.

Hi Lenny - did you buy in Belgium because of a particular dealer, or short distance, or some other reason?

Could you tell me which dealer you used? I guess they must have been a god one.

Thanks - Peter.

 

[Lenny HB]

I used Campirama, got better price than Germany, used to exporting & they drive the van to the port for you so insurance hassle.

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[Peter Clark]

We live near Stafford but bought two new Hymers abroad - one in Germany, one in Belgium.
We had no warranty issues with the German-bought one, a few small issues with the Belgian one. These were easily sorted by co-inciding visits to the Belgian dealer with our twice-yearly trips to the Continent.
We've had negative experience of TW and would never buy from them.

Would you recommend either or both of the European dealer you used - if so could you let me have their details?

Thank you - Peter.

 

[Peter Clark]

Wouldn't touch Travelworld with a barge pole. We identified a major issue with the roof lining 3 days after collecting our new BMCI 680. Took over 3 years to have the issue resolved despite the many promises made by them. We believed they were trying to wear us down and hope that we would just give up. Unfortunately for them they misread us.
We sought legal advice and obtained estimates to have the work completed privately. We informed them under what legislation we were pursuing the recovery of our cost and which small claims court we were taking them to if they failed to pay for the repairs within 14 days of sending them the relevant receipts. All correspondence was fully recorded including notes made of every phone call, date,time who we spoke to, and a summary of the conversation. We also printed out every email.
Travelworld finally agreed to pay our chosen repairer direct. The final bill was just under 4K.
We deal with Ryan for the purchase who couldn't have been more professional and helpful if he tried. However their aftersales and customer service was in our opinion appalling.

That is what I keep hearing - TW are fine for the purchase of a new vehicle that has no issues - but are pretty poor when it comes to dealing with problems.

 

[Ridgeway]

I thought about this and figured that if it was a heating or fridge issue I should be able to go to the supplier of those components. Body issues - I’d take it back to the nearest Hymer dealer in Germany.

Plumbing, taps, electrical etc .. it’s probably less hassle just to fix yourself.

I did notice he Germans issue a Gas Safety certificate with new vehicles which apparently has to be re-certified every two years. You have to display the cert on the vehicle which shows when the next check is due. Seems sensible so I will get it done when it’s due. The cert is next to the number plate in these pictures.


View attachment 950104

View attachment 950105

We have the same gas cert here, sticker is almost identical. We were told that in theory if it’s expired that a campsite owner can turn you away, of course that’s never happened and i can’t ever remember anyone ever checking it except the dealer reminding us…

Nice looking van

 

[Saucer]

That is what I keep hearing - TW are fine for the purchase of a new vehicle that has no issues - but are pretty poor when it comes to dealing with problems.

That seems to go for a lot of dealers from what I can gather.

 

[Rob Turner]

You may have a problem re any warranty issues.

Why?

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[Bessy765]

Why?

From experience UK dealers only get paid a set rate for warranty repairs as a condition of being a particular franchise, which is sometimes around half their going rate, so if they haven’t had the profit from the sale they may not be too keen on doing warranty work on vans not supplied by them. I have experienced this previously.

 

[DT]

From experience UK dealers only get paid a set rate for warranty repairs as a condition of being a particular franchise, which is sometimes around half their going rate, so if they haven’t had the profit from the sale they may not be too keen on doing warranty work on vans not supplied by them. I have experienced this previously.

Had a similar issue with a Swift caravan. Dealer back then was charging £120 per hour and I think I was told Swift didn’t pay half that.

 

[Westbarn1]

Southdowns is £120 plus VAT.
Having said that, I bought my Hymer from them, had a few warranty issues and they have dealt with them, I also had a couple of issues dealt with by the dealer at Bad Waldsee (over the road from the Hymer factory), when we were touring that way.
Its a concern when the warranty ends, which is soon, but I cannot imagine there will be anything major yet to content with.

Peter Clark (post 1) please be aware, once you have registered your LHD German van in the UK, you may well find it next to impossible to PX it for another in EU. As I experienced with my last, 2 year old, ex German dealer bought Hymer, hence selling it privately and buying my current in the UK (the issue being the B word, I understand)

 

[Wizz]

Abgs​

I think having saved 20% on the purchase price you'll still be quids in if you have to pay locally for any small issues to be rectified.
Nice to see that there are other attractive purchasing options out there.
We have the ML T570, and I'm very pleased with it.
A couple inexpensive accessory options worth considering are, headlamp covers and driver / passenger window wind deflectors which greatly assist in condensation avoidance overnight, particularly for short stops rather than fitting Silver Screens or the like.
Enjoy your new purchase

 

[Abgs]

I thought that I might have to swap the headlights for the UK approval certification….. the price of them in outrageous.

Headlight protection is on the shopping list before I head to somewhere like Morocco!