Elddis Group : cracked panels
I own a Compass Rallye 482
Last week I sent the following e-mail to the dealer
"Purchased 19th February 2016
Tracker shows less than 100 miles since taking possession
Today I decided to give the van a clean which meant a good examination of the body
I find that there is a stress crack on the top nearside corner of the back panel (photo attached)
Upon investigation this appears to be caused by a design fault and has been acknowledged as such by the manufacturer.
Needless to say I am not happy
I would welcome your comments"
The response so far is that it has asked Elddis for comment
The more I research this I find many similar complaints on many scattered forums
To support my case any the many others I would ask that anyone who has suffered provide, on this forum,a brief description of model, age, rear or front panel, and outcome
Comments
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We have a 2014 Affinity and in Dec 15 spotted a crack on n/s top corner of rear panel radiating from the awning rail (probably over tightened screw.
If I were you I would take the van back under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and state you require a full refund.
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The Consumer Rights Act does not apply as the purchase was before it came into force. The Sale of Goods Act applies and your rights to have it replaced are against the dealer. You need to put a claim in now for replacement not just ask for comments.
It is probably too late to demand a replacement caravan or your money back. Have a word with the clubs Legal Helpline who will let you know what you need to do and your rights.
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Compass Omega 482 (2014) purchased new November 2015, cracks appering both top sides of rear panel. It will be booked in for it's first service around September so dealer can sort it out before the
12 month warranty runs out in November 2016.0 -
Elddis Avante 462 purchased new 2013. New back panel fitted under warranty November 2015. This cracled after just 50mls towing. Awaiting another new panel to be fitted, again under warranty. Also had new heki roof light fitted under warranty as old one cracked
& leaked.0 -
We have the front and rear panels cracked and now waiting for new panels to be fitted by an approved NCC repairer who guarentees their work for 2 years with us paying as we dont trust Elddis or the dealer.
Elddis know their 'sheds' are not fit to be on the road and only give a 1 year warranty as they have to by law toherwise they would not trust their vans passed the factory gates.
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Follow up to my initial posting
Within 2 working days (allowing for bank holiday weekend) dealer has confirmed that Elddis has approved a warranty repair entailing fitting a new panel
There is a 6 week delay in getting the panel
Therefore no complaint -#- so far
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We purchased 2012 Elddis Avante in February this year. After 2 weeks found 30cm crack in rear panel near top. Rang the dealer who said they are aware of problem and will put on list for repair. on inspecting the crack they now say it is not the usual
type of crack, eg. hairline. Ours must be impact damage - not to our knowledge and fail to see when it could have happened!! Has anyone else experienced 30cm crack and not just hairline?0 -
Hard to get an impact crack at the top of a panel without evident damage elsewhere.
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Lesoz dont take their rubbish.
We had a crack about 40mm long on the rear panel near side top corner it radiated from the awning rail where some dead head at Elddis had over tightened the screw.
If you paid even a deposit on credit card or finance (above £100) then contact them and raise a dispute. They will send out an expert to give their opinion.
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Interesting comments from Trini on Elddis which I’m pleased I’ve seen as we were about to purchase a Crusader having been put off the Compass Rallye!! Would like to know more if possible. Being new to caravanning we welcome any feedback on choice of van?
Manufacturer that is or any particular models to avoid as we are in the process of buying?0 -
well appears a common problems my Elddis Supreme (avante) 2014 model bought from new during the 2nd service they noticed cracks on the bottom of the rear panel, they said fialy common issue, so straight away informed Prestons caravans (where I purchased) with photgraphs of the cracks and they have passed it to warranty dept for resolution. The fix I have been told is to bore small drillholes above and below the crack then seal it and apparently you get corner panels to cover up the fix? Interesting! We shall see when I hear back from Prestons.
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well appears a common problems my Elddis Supreme (avante) 2014 model bought from new during the 2nd service they noticed cracks on the bottom of the rear panel, they said fialy common issue, so straight away informed Prestons caravans (where I purchased)
with photgraphs of the cracks and they have passed it to warranty dept for resolution. The fix I have been told is to bore small drillholes above and below the crack then seal it and apparently you get corner panels to cover up the fix? Interesting! We shall
see when I hear back from Prestons.Write your comments here...This suggestion has been discussed in other forums relating to damage on the bottom of the panel and the application of a patch
Someone however pointed out that when part exchanging a dealer will see that it has had a problem and this may effect negotiations
Push for a complete back panel replacement
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well appears a common problems my Elddis Supreme (avante) 2014 model bought from new during the 2nd service they noticed cracks on the bottom of the rear panel, they said fialy common issue, so straight away informed Prestons caravans (where I purchased)
with photgraphs of the cracks and they have passed it to warranty dept for resolution. The fix I have been told is to bore small drillholes above and below the crack then seal it and apparently you get corner panels to cover up the fix? Interesting! We shall
see when I hear back from Prestons.Write your comments here...This suggestion has been discussed in other forums relating to damage on the bottom of the panel and the application of a patch
Someone however pointed out that when part exchanging a dealer will see that it has had a problem and this may effect negotiations
Push for a complete back panel replacement
Reading the forums you find people who have had the panel replaced have found the new one also cracked. Unless the new ones have been upgraded then it is difficult to say if the repair is a better option.
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I have had the problem with an Elddis Xplore 530 SE with a rear panel cracking while still under warranty. This was repaired and I decided to part exchange my caravan with another dealer after only towing for 15 miles. The other dealer found a crack in the same panel that had been repaired weeks earlier. The dealer I bought the caravan from in the first place was not happy because I wanted to reject it. My situation is still ongoing at the moment.
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lesoz
We purchased a 2017 Elddis 254 majestic motorhome from Marquis Poole, after a few months (still under warranty) we discovered a crack lower rear panel no surrounding damage.
Put in claim (asking for repair) to Elddis they asked for photos of crack which we took after reviewing photos they rejected claim saying it was damage, asked what they meant they only replied damage.
Spoke to Marquis they asked that there service team take some photos sent them off to Elddis they replied it was impact, no impact while I have driven it, kept on private drive.
Marquis agreed with Elddis wow
All sounds familiar, I am not happy and will be taking it further.
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We purchased a new Buccaneer taking delivery in March 2016. In September 2016 I noticed a crack on the rear panel at the side which I photographed and reported to the Dealer who subsequently reported it to Elddis. They arranged for a repair at my place of Storage by the firm who make the panels.
I was informed by the person carrying out the repair that the crack was due to Elddis workmanship and was a screw/fixing used to keep the bonding in place which was left proud and consequently with the movement of the Caravan had put pressure outwards causing the crack. It was fixed and the work was guaranteed.
In April 2017 following its first service a new crack was discovered at the front of the Caravan on the right side beside the window. it was 10cm and is what is known in the Trade as a Starfish crack. The Dealer again applied to Elddis for repair and this time they refused saying it was the result of impact damage.
Instinct told me this was not right and so I had it looked at by a Fibreglass expert who has been a top end boat builder for many years. He told me that a Starfish crack is only caused from the inside not from impact damage. He then confirmed what the first repairer had said, during manufacture something had been left proud and pressure and movement of the Caravan had then caused the crack.
My wife was keen to appoint an independent arbitrator. Elddis will pay for the costs of arbitration, subject to the owner paying a £250 deposit. If the arbitrator finds in favour of the customer, then the deposit will be returned. However, for me it would have involved a 5 hour round journey to the Dealership where we purchased it, subsequent loss of time and the potential loss of our main holiday so I had it repaired locally for less than £200.
The repair work was excellent but that is not the end of the story. The Repairer wanted to know the Gel coat code so he could perfectly match the repair to the colour of the Caravan. Elddis referred us to their Gel Coat supplier saying they did not keep a record of colour codes. I find this unbelievable, would VW or Ford tell you they don't know a vehicles paint code?
The Manufacturer of the Gel Coat refused to disclose the code to a third party as its made for Elddis. After a frustrating game of ping pong we went back to Dealer who said they had the same problem! They had tried various colour matches in the past and the closest was Fiat 249 spray paint.
In the end my repairer used 19 shades of the Gel Coat manufactured by the firm who make it for Elddis and managed to so a superb repair and colour match. It was just fortunate that he uses the same make of Gel Coats made by the Elddis manufacturer (Scott Bader) and as a consequence had an array of colours and shades in stock.
My advice is keep checking your panels on a regular basis and if you are told its impact damage don't accept it. If unlike me you have the time and are willing to go to an independent arbitrator then do so. My wife is adamant that we will do it that way in the future to prove a point. I am still in deep water for not doing it this time.
One can only hope the the new owners Hymer improve and erradicate these issues and do not fob off customers who have paid top dollar for a new caravan with the excuse that a Starfish crack is caused by impact.
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Dearie me - is this all still going on? We bought an Elddis Affinity 530 in 2013. It has had - new front panel, new back panel, new Heki roof light, repair to cracked shower, repair to sink/cooker top which lifted off the base, repair to unsealed side panel, repair to external locker door.... What a total disaster. The caravan has now been sold, and we've bought an Eriba Troll 540; we couldn't bring ourselves to spend money on another "big white box", as they seem to be prone to all sort of damp related problems, and we are very much delighted with it. We are very aware that both companies are now part of the mighty Hymer group, and can only hope that Elddis are quickly brought up to speed in quality control and customer service. Being accused of lying and dishonesty is not pleasant, resulting in a prolonged and protracted wrangle to get everything sorted out. Even the expert accident assessor we engaged at one point had his professional report disbelieved. All in all a nasty experience. We certainly wouldn't touch Elddis with a ten foot barge pole!
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But despite all you read on this forum and the fact that explorer group products were bottom of the practical caravan survey there can’t be anything wrong with them can there?
in the December mag the review of Elddis Avante gives it 86% for build quality and sings the praises of Solid construction and the 10 body integrity warranty. Also in the design awards Elddis products won two categories and came third in another (Buccaneer). I also know of several owners that have buckled and cracked panels on their Buccaneers. Just seem to be more money for the same rubbish.
When are we going to get accurate reviews and hold these manufacturers to account for producing inferior products. Are the club and other reviewers under some sort of obligation to the manufacturers.
Customer service in the caravan industry across the board is shocking.
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Hi
I have an Eldiss Avante 540 purchased in 2013. The rear panel was diagnosed with cracks in 2015 and replaced in 2016 under warranty. I have now got similar cracks on the new panel and in Dec 2017 had wrote to Eldiss. They said I am no longer under warranty. We are currently pursuing them and will take this further. Anyone one in similar position please contact me. charlesnicklin@gmail.com
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Hi We purchased an Elddis Avante in Sept 2013 and had the rear panel replaced in May 16 under warranty. I now have cracks again Dec 2017. My dealership closed one year after we bought the caravan and Elddis never got in touch re the warranty being transferred. It has been serviced by an authorised dealer. They now say I am beyond the 3 years warranty and even though they know the dealership is closed , that I should go through the dealership. I wish to take further any one want to get in touch direct charlesnicklin@gmail.com
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WHY, DO WE READ, THAT ITS ONLY BRITISH MADE CARAVANS THAT SUFFER FROM CRACKS, MINE INCLUDED. I HAVE YET TO SEE ANYONE WHO OWNS A CARAVAN MADE OUTSIDE THE UK REPORT CRACKS IN THEIR CARAVANS. THE BIG QUESTION IS ARE WE THE CUSTOMERS OF BRITISH MADE CARAVANS BEING RIPPED OFF, I WAS GOING TO BUY ANOTHER WELL KNOWN BRITISH CARAVAN, BUT NOW HAVE CHANGED MY MIND.
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