Roof leak
Hello everybody,
We’re looking for some advice on a new Swift Elegance 480 2019 which we purchased and picked up in 26.10.2018. An offer at the time we viewed the van was a free Aventa Comfort air con unit so we decided to have one fitted before we picked the van up from the dealer.
As we had travelled over 100 miles from home to the dealers they said that they would book us in to a nearby site for the night to check out the van before coming all the way home. On Saturday 27.10.2018 we woke up to rainy weather and realised that water was dripping from around the air con unit, we phoned the dealer who said to take the van back to them later that day so that they could check it out but obviously the unit had not been fitted correctly hence the leak, as we packed up we then noticed that water was running down the inside of the tv aerial pole! By the time we packed everything up and drove the 8 miles back to them it had been leaking for 3 hours, we had towels and bowls etc on the floor to catch the water as it was leaking around the whole unit not just in one spot. We then came home after a 270 mile round trip minus our caravan.
Our dilemma now is:
Do we reject the van as we don’t know what damage the water has done to the inner of the roof?
or do we let them repair it?
We have read up on this and we are within our rights to reject it as we’ve only had it two days.
Any thoughts/advice would be much appreciated.
Thank you,
Steve & Donna.
Comments
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You can reject it at this stage and are not obliged to give them a chance to repair it. After 30 days you have to give them one chance to repair and if that doesn't work, you can then reject.
My preference would be to reject now as that roof is clearly saturated and who knows what problems you may have in future.
Don't forget the club has a legal dept and if you paid part by finance, and that includes a credit card, the finance company have a liability.
Personally, I would get things moving well before you approach 30 days but don’t use the van in the meantime. Don’t be fobbed off with excuses of what Swift will/will not do as it’s the dealer's responsibility. Your contract is with him.
Good luck.
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A +1 without a shadow of a doubt, give them a chance & you’ll be fighting them constantly. We’ve read the horror stories on CT for years☹️
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Agree with all the above. The temutation is obviously to think you've invested (not just financially) and you don't want to start all over again. But there are plenty of other vans and offers out there so stick to your guns. Also, especially if you weren't planning on using it much before spring you may then discover other faults. So stick to your guns and start again will hopefully pay off in the long run. Good luck.
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Thank you all. I have just sent an email to the dealer informing them that we are rejecting the caravan, will let you know when we receive a response.
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Agreed. A formal letter with proof of delivery.
Keep notes of everything.
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Yes we have done a letter too which we will send by recorded delivery tomorrow morning.
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Good on you. You’re on the way.
I hope you get a speedy resolution.
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Thank you...fingers crossed!
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Thank you. Yes we’ll keep you posted as soon as you get a response 👍🏻
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Had a call from the dealer this afternoon and they’re giving us a new van. Thank you all for your messages 👍🏻
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Woo-hoo, that was quick! How good that the dealer met his responsibilities without a quibble👏🏻. Care to name them?
Well done and thanks for the update.
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Definitely - I would hide a piece of paper somewhere out of the way in the caravan, which is not likely to be checked for damp, dried out, or otherwise investigated, and write my my name on. When you get the 'new van' check for that piece of paper! Or perhaps even better write on it 'This van has been pre-owned by S............................... and had a leak in the roof around the air-conditioning unit' so that any future owner knows he isn't getting a brand new freshly dried out and valeted caravan!
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Or you could just make a note of the chassis number
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We visited the Dometic stand at the NEC this year. We were told that with several UK makes of caravan, their roof was not sufficiently strong to take the weight of a Dometic Aircon unit.
I wouldn't know how the Dometic unit compares with the Aventa Comfort air con unit but this may be worth checking before you accept the fitment on your replacement van.
Good luck.
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We do have the VIN number plus we know where there is a small mark that nobody else would notice so will know if it’s the same van. The dealer is Grantham caravans and the reason we travelled to them in the first place is because they were so helpful when we phoned them. They have been brilliant throughout this, can’t fault them so far!
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