Would this make a warranty void?
I have a problem with my caravan which would be covered by the warranty. However, to get the part replaced by the mobile NCC approved workshop that I use will cost £100.00 (2 visits costing £50.00 each time) as well as having to wait whilst the offending
part is sent back to the manufacturer for replacement approval and then the new part supplied. The cost is because warranties state that the cost of delivering the caravan to the dealer's workshop or the callout cost of a mobile workshop must be paid for by
the owner. Only the cost of the part and fitting is paid for by the part manufacturer.
The part in question is readily available and costs approximately £50. Fitting is just a matter of taking out 4 screws, removing the part and then reversing the procedure. Total time no more than 30 minutes I guess. The question is, if I do this myself,
(I'm quite capable of doing this), will my warranty be affected?
Comments
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How can we say? I suggest emailing the manufacturer's customer service department, explain it in detail and ask if they will send the part to you for you to fit. It's important that they state in their reply that doing so will not invalidate the warranty.
It is possible to achieve this - I've done it.0 -
I would think the answer would be yes, it could affect your warranty if your repair caused something much more expensive to fail. So I think your decision should be based on what the item is. Is it stand alone, does it affect other systems. Plus of course
the question, is there anyway (date codes etc) they would know you had replaced said part. On our old van I certainly fixed a leaky sink by replacing the drain assembly, rather than mess about taking it back to the dealer. As the cost was minimal and the disruption
much less.0 -
It depends what the part is and what effect it has on other components, and of course what if anything goes wrong in the future.
For example if you replace a water pump and in the future the oven packs in I cant see how:
- It could affect the warranty
- How the dealer would ever know
You seem to be avoiding saying what the affending part is!
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It depends what the part is and what effect it has on other components, and of course what if anything goes wrong in the future.
For example if you replace a water pump and in the future the oven packs in I cant see how:
- It could affect the warranty
- How the dealer would ever know
You seem to be avoiding saying what the affending part is!
Write your comments here...What I was trying to establish was the principle if the cost of doing a repair oneself is less expensive than getting it done under warranty and to what degree, if any, fellow CT users would consider the overall warranty on the
caravan to be affected.To be specific about my case, the faulty part is the Truma water inlet incorporating the filter which is on the outside of the caravan. The housing has, quite readily, cracked allowing water to leak out when the pump is running. This appears to be a frequent
problem reading other forums.The new part costs approximately £50 and is, as I said in my earlier post, fixed with four screws and some sealant. There is a push fit (David Guest type) water connection inside the caravan and the push fit 12v electrical connection. All in all a very
simple job to replace. To get the job done by either the dealer, (100 miles away), or the NCC Approved Mobile Workshop that I have used for years requires two visits, one to take the part off and send back to Truma for examination and then a return visit to
have the replacement part fitted. The time factor involved and with holidays looming, is something that I haven't got unless I'm prepared to cancel my holiday - which I'm not. To go to the dealer is a day's travelling, twice, with the associated costs or to
use my mobile chap is £50.00 per call-out none of these costs covered by the warranty. Whichever way is used, the total cost is £100.00 plus together withe the lengthy time factor involved.0 -
I say again, ask the manufacturer. People here can only express opinions and, with the best will in the world, it's going to be guesses.
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We had a motorhome purchased from a dealer 120 miles away. There were a number of snagging faults which I done myself, loose cab blinds, air in central heating system, locker doors needed adjusting, etc etc. The main fault was that the boiler did not drain
down when the drain valve was opened. This was due to the incorrect configuration of the plumbing. I took several photos of the installation and made a drawing of how it should have been. I then contacted the dealer, supplied them with the photos and drawing,
and said that if they would supply me with a length of the tubing that is used, I would do the job myself. They agreed to this. I received the short length of tubing from them a couple of days later. I rearranged the pipework in the correct order, all push
fittings and job done. It took about an hour. My warranty was not affected and I didn't have to drive over 200 miles for a simple job. Could this be a way to proceed John.0 -
I say again, ask the manufacturer. People here can only express opinions and, with the best will in the world, it's going to be guesses.
Write your comments here...Ever tried getting a direct response from a manufactuer ?
See my first post below your OP.
I was trying to be helpful but I'll leave you to it.
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No point asking the manufacturer, the warranty is with the dealer not the factory as has been said many times on this and other forums. Logic would suggest that the warranty would only be affected if your work had an impact on other items that subsequently
failed. Suppose you changed the fitting and ultimately had damp in the wall/floor. Was it there as a result of the earlier failure or did you cause it? Maybe not a good example but you get the idea.I don't think you would get a straight answer from your dealer.
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If it's only the pump housing just do it, not worth the time or trouble of going through warranty work. Do it properly which as it's your own van then that's a given and nobody will be any the wiser anyway.
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The warranty is with the manufacturer not the dealer and is additional to your legal rights under The Sale of Goods Act or Consumer Protection Act. If you implement the act you can claim the travelling costs but you might find the dealers being awkward.
The manufacturers will normally accept the work being done by any NCC workshop under the guarantee if the workshop will accept the guarantee labour rate or if you pay the labour. I would ask the workshop if they will put the claim in for you.
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The warranty is with the manufacturer not the dealer and is additional to your legal rights under The Sale of Goods Act or Consumer Protection Act. If you implement the act you can claim the travelling costs but you might find the dealers being awkward.
The manufacturers will normally accept the work being done by any NCC workshop under the guarantee if the workshop will accept the guarantee labour rate or if you pay the labour. I would ask the workshop if they will put the claim in for you.
Unless I have missed something unique to this particular case the warranty is ALWAYS with the organisation that sells it to you. If your Ford breaks down you dont take it back to Dagenham, if your Dyson packs up you don't send it back to Dyson you take it
back to John Lewis.0 -
I think you'll find that Wildwood is right. The dealer may do warranty work but will claim from the manufacturer under the warranty. Also you'll find details of the warranty in the package which you get from the manufacturer along with the handbook etc..
The fact that you can get warranty work done by any approved dealer also supports the argument.0 -
The warranty is with the manufacturer not the dealer and is additional to your legal rights under The Sale of Goods Act or Consumer Protection Act. If you implement the act you can claim the travelling costs but you might find the dealers being awkward.
The manufacturers will normally accept the work being done by any NCC workshop under the guarantee if the workshop will accept the guarantee labour rate or if you pay the labour. I would ask the workshop if they will put the claim in for you.
Nail on the head, WW.
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I'm confused why there would need to be two trips required here - can the part not be ordered in advance, then the old one removed and the new one fitted at the same time? Why does the old one need to be sent away before the new one can be fitted?
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I'm confused why there would need to be two trips required here - can the part not be ordered in advance, then the old one removed and the new one fitted at the same time? Why does the old one need to be sent away before the new one can be fitted?
Write your comments here...I know from experience that the workshop, be that mobile or static, must examine the offending part and then get approval from the manufacturer for the repair to be done. Spare parts, as many of us know are not always readily available,
(although this is not the case in my particular instance, I can buy it 'off the shelf') and no worshop is going to want a caravan stuck in their premises until the part arrives. The same wait obviously applies to a mobile workshop, hence, two visits.0 -
Hi John,
Isn't Truma HQ in Derbyshire? Ring them direct, A quick run out in the Moneo and you could probably pick up a replacement from them.
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The warranty is with the dealer not the manufacturer.The dealer is responsible for repairs and they claim the costs back from the manufacturer. If the part is readily available of the shelf surely a call to the dealer with a view to the part being sent to
you for fitting by your mobile workshop and the offending part returned to the dealer for them to claim from the manufacturer. My first thing to do would be to contact the dealer and try to sort it out for the best way for all concerned.0 -
There seems to be some confusion with warranty and contract. This is my interpretation. When you agree to buy a caravan from a dealer you enter into a contract with dealer who will supply you with a caravan. A new van will come with a manufacturer's warranty in respect of generic fitted items such as oven, fridge toilet etc. for one or sometimes two years: in respect of water ingress six or nowadays ten years. If anything goes wrong your first point of call is the dealer but that doesn't mean he has supplied the warranty. In recent years manufacturers such as Bailey, Coachman, Swift and Elddis have changed their construction methods thus allowing them to increase their warranties in relation to water ingress from six to ten years confirming that his is a manufacturer's warranty. The only time you'll get a warranty from a dealer is if you're buying a caravan on which the manufacturer's warranty has expired when the dealer may offer you a warranty for six or twelve months to sweeten the deal. That is how I see it. If I'm wrong no doubt someone will correct me.
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