Caravan warranties and dealers?
Are the warranties on brand new caravans only with the actual dealer you purchased your caravan from, or can you use any dealer of your caravan manufacturer?
So if you travelled hundreds of miles to buy your caravan at the best price, would you have to take it back to that dealer for warranty work, or coulee you use a local dealer?
Comments
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Unfortunately, there is no requirement for a dealer to either service or carry out warranty work on a van they did not sell, though some may agree to do so. This is because payments to dealers for warranty work is lower than their normal hourly rate, and also because most of them will have enough work just servicing the vans they sell.
For that reason it is generally better to buy reasonably locally. Some manufacturers will allow the use of mobile engineers to maintain the warranty.
If you plan to buy from a distant dealer, ask the manufacturer about this, and also speak with your local dealer.
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Thanks, so whilst other dealers can turn away your request for warranty repairs, the dealer you purchased from is obliged to carry out the work?
If so, would it also makes sense to purchase from a dealer with good workshop facilities who would be capable of carrying out the work?
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No they are not tied to the dealer.
In my experience some dealers will "take on" vans purchased elsewhere and others do not. Phone around your local dealers.
I have found that independent service engineers that are registered and trained with the manufacturer are a good choice as they are not "tied" to the caravan brand in the way that a dealer is.
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We bought our last caravan from some distance away but we found a Swift approved mobile engineer ( with the help of Swift ) who serviced it and therefore would also carry out warranty work. Our latest van was bought closer to home but the dealer has gone out of business, can't win can you
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Just been to a dealer this morning to look at buying a new caravan. He explained that they don't get much money from the caravan manufacturer for undertaking warranty work, so if someone took a caravan to them that hadn't been bought from them they would consider the work involved before deciding whether to undertake the repair or not.
He said that if its realistically a 4hr job then the manufacturer would claim its a 2hr job and only pay them 2hrs labour, so it makes sense for them to turn down the work, whereas if the van had been purchased from them, they would do it regardless.
Obviously servicing is different, as long as they are manufacturer approved service agent.
I'm not sure what would happen if you returned your van to the dealer you purchased it from for major warranty repairs, but their workshop wasn't sufficient to undertake the warranty work?
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I'm not sure what would happen if you returned your van to the dealer you purchased it from for major warranty repairs, but their workshop wasn't sufficient to undertake the warranty work?
If it was a dealership for that caravan they should be able to unless the scale is such that a manufacturer repair is needed
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Like ET, I find it difficult to think that a dealer's workshop would be inadequate to carry out warranty work. What sort of scenario are you envisaging?
We have purchased 2 new caravans in the last 21 years, both from the same dealer, we have had annual servicing, and a few repairs, and have struck up a good relationship with them.
They are a family firm with only the one site, I think the under cover workshop area can hold at least 4+ vans at a time, but I have only been in there once, quite a while back.
They have qualified staff to tackle gas and electrics, as well as the other servicing, and can also call on outside specialists when it comes to joinery.
They are always busy, we make sure to book our servicing at least 2-3 months ahead.
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How much would you save by buying from a distant dealer? Would it really be worth it in the long run?
Have you asked if a more local dealer will match the price you have been offered?
I would be concentrating on finding a good dealer who is within a reasonable distance, cheapest is not always best
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When I bought a new caravan in 2012 I had been around several local dealers over the previous 6 months whilst deciding what to buy. Looking around the dealerships had already decided me which one I wanted to use. It was not the nearest but was 40 mile away and an hours drive. The others were about half the distance and time.
If I had got a better price 40 miles further would I have taken it? I doubt it.
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Wouldn’t have worked for us Kj as within 2 years all the Lunar dealers in Norfolk had given up the franchise. Also we saw a dealer special that had a better specification than other vans. By and large we didn’t have a problem with the dealer it’s just the build quality from the factory was abysmal. The dealer in Sussex we brought the van from dumped Lunar in 2018
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The van I want is a particular dealer special, but that dealer has two branches, one is 10 mins away from me, and the other is an hours drive away. The one furthest away looked like a better set up and appeared to have better workshop facilities than the branch closer to me.
They each have just one of the dealer special van remaining on their forecourt. Frustratingly the van at the branch furtherst away and with better looking facilities had a few niggles that need addressing (as if made on a Friday afternoon) whereas the van at my local branch looked perfect.
Frustratingly, they are each run in such a way that they don't necessarily cover warranty issues on vans purchased from the other branch.
So I have to decide which branch to buy the van from.
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Thats the problem isn't it. You can buy from a dealer that looks perfect, but a year later they go bust, or they decide to stop being a dealer for that manufacturer.
Anyone know what happens to any warranty work needed on your van if that happens?
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Just before Lunar went bust we part exchanged our Lunar to a dealer that had been a Lunar Dealer 4/5 years ago. There was so much wrong with the van, floor, front windows, leak at the rear, all decals shot etc., etc.. Within a couple of months they have repaired the van and it looks ok. Don’t know where they got the parts but that was their problem
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I would google the reviews from those who have bought vans from both dealers. We know the SY dealers if this is where you are looking to buy.
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The manufacturer offers a warranty. For some aspects up to 10 years. However, the law is clear that the contract is with the supplying dealer, so if the van requires repair due to not being of a satisfactory quality then it is their responsibility to rectify. Where the line falls between the dealer and the manufacturer once the van starts gathering age is a mute points and depends in the seriousness of the problem.
Without boring with huge detail, I bought a Ford car in 2016. It had some fundamental faults. Overall 40 visits to the dealers. I bought it from a a dealer 25 miles away but when problems arose my local Ford dealer were happy to deal with the problem as was all warranty work. The problem came when Ford got involved as the problems were serious to the extent it was looking like the car may need replacing. Once Ford realised the managing dealer was not the supplier they insisted it be returned to the dealership that sold it to me. They insisted on starting again to repair it. A long saga ensued.
Rubbish for the customer but the law is clear that the contract is with the supplier and not the manufacturer, hence why some Caravan manufacturers refuse to engage with disgruntled customers. Hence buying at a caravan show is tempting with discounts offered, but if things go wrong then ultimately the supplier has to resolve it, not the more local dealer that may be prepared to undertake some warranty work. Once you come away from having the problems resolved by the supplier you weaken your position and then potentially enter the realms of arguments about whether another servicing dealer caused the fault!
Hence when I bought a new caravan in 2017....I bought from a local dealer. Every problem (and unfortunately been lots of them) have been dealt with by them, including the latest failure of the Alko brakes). They were talking warranty, I was talking contract law and felt very comfortable doing as they were the supplier.
when making such an expensive purchase, do you really want to have to drive 100s of miles back to a supplier?
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Ended up purchasing the new van today, a 2019 Swift Aventura which is a dealer special. Purchased from Sheffield Caravans which is part of Torksey Caravans, and only 15 min drive from where I live
It would seem that if the dealer you buy from goes bust or stops becomes dealer for your brand of caravan, then your vans manufacturer will/should find an alternate place for the work to be undertaken. Whether that actually happens, I don’t know?
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, keep ringing them up until one hasn't any left.
