Lunar warranty
Sad to say I've been proved right all those years I said I would never buy a new van because everyone I knew had horror stories of them going back for problems big and small.
We were seduced by a great offer, and succumbed to a new Lunar Quasar six berth which we were perfectly happy with...until yesterday 
Yesterday was our second service, a very different experience to our first this time last year. Due to my OHs health problems last year we had a mobile engineer out and I was not happy with that at all - it took an hour and a half for a start 
How could you do a full service in that time, then it took nearly a month before we actually got the report (and the bill) AND they never stamped the book even though i had left it on the side open at the page - said they couldn't find the page !. Did I say I wasn't there when they did this, left OH to over see it, made damn sure I was there this year, a different mobile engineer and he might as well have been from a different realm to the last guy (thankfully) - just over four hours later and a full report in our hand which he went over, point by point with us and the dreaded word DAMP right across the front under each window from 31% to 60% !!!! We showed him last years report and he was absolutely amazed - they weren't even using the correct forms !
Anyway, he did say even if they had picked it up it was to him perfectly apparent it hadn't happened in one year this looks like a manufacture failure in his opinion so now we have to pursue the warranty claim... watch this space...
Alison
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sorry to hear of your problems, not nice to have damp in a caravan so new, however 1st question is are your service engineers ncc approved? it would appear from your comments possibly not,this could seriously impact on your warranty, i speak from experience as i also own a lunar quasar (2013 model) no probs with 1st service ncc approved service agent, and not supplying dealer however 2nd service found probs with front windows, and water in back lights,both common issues, replaced within weeks no hassle, before condemning lunar water ingress can affect any model at any age, look for a good service agent who can undertake manufacturer warranty work its worth paying a few pounds more for
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Thanks guys, both service engineers were NCC/ Approved workshop that is how I found them in the first place so at least we have that even if the first lot were incompetent in our opinion. We had fully intended to take it back to the dealership even though it is a 3 hr journey from here, but my husband was diagnosed with cancer just 6 months after we bought it and was in the middle of intensive treatment when the time came.
My husband is actually working near to the dealership tomorrow so is going to go in and see them and hopefully start the ball rolling, he is taking all the paperwork with him, sales documentation (which incidentally has a full workup sheet showing no damp recorded then) so, fingers crossed... they will take it from there.
Alison
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Funny, same damp scenario for me. I have a Lunar Clubman and it's first two services everything was ok. The third service in November last year showed 31% damp across the low section of centre and offside front window. Not good I know. All sorted under warranty by the supplying dealer. In May of this year my mobile engineer came back at my request to do another damp test across the fron windows and all was well within the guidelines.
Unfortunately a few months later the floor at the rear of the van delaminated so back to the dealer again. All done again under warranty.
In 30 years of caaravanning this is my first Lunar and it will be my last. Apart from the two major problems mentioned there has been several minor faults. In fact I said to the service manager that the next time this van comes back to the dealer it will drive itself as it's been so many times it knows the way.
In 30 years of caravanning damp and floor delamination have been the most common fault across all manufacturers. Surely in all that time you think they would have mastered the fault.
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We liked Lunar because they are lighter than many and we have a large 6 berth on a single axle which is not common these days, this is our fourth and never had any problems before this one, in fact the only van we have ever had damp problems with was a Swift which did put us off them, but I think DD is right, ANY van can succumb when they are often using common ingredients these days.
Alison
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Latest update: Oh dear, that was a wasted trip, apparently our dealership is no longer a Lunar dealer (!) and so cannot undertake the required work anyway. So, now we have to find a local Lunar dealer who will take it on even though we didn't buy it from them !
I have written to the nearest and as yet have had no response, think I'll write to the next nearest as well...just in case, first to say yes - gets the job !
(fingers crossed )Alison
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We have lost two Lunar dealers in our area, one has gone out of business and the other doesn't have Lunar caravans now. The next nearest, 30 miles away, won't touch caravans not purchased from them (a bit short sighted IMO), and the only suggestion from Lunar is one over 50 miles away but, to quote Lunar "I don't know if they will repair caravans not bought from them".
I have spoken to the mobile approved workshop that I use but he has said that because it will mean at least two visits to me (it's a faulty Omnivent), it is not financially viable as Lunar won't pay the call out fees, only paying for the actual work done. If I had to pay the call out charges myself I may as well buy a new Omnivent motor and fit it myself. It would be cheaper and a lot quicker.
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I'm thinking that a three year old caravan that leaks is not fit for purpose so I would be pointing this out to the dealer who supplied it and offering them the opportunity to put it right before I instruct a solicitors to recover my costs from them.
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In just over 2 years we have had 3 new omni vents and our current one has just packed up.
We brought our Lunar in Sussex but checked with Lunar dealers in Suffolk and Norfolk to see if they would carry out warranty work for us and they all agreed.
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Hi Alison
Sorry to hear about OH, we have had a similar experience, but all seems well now, hope you have the same outcome.
I am sure the more knowledgeable will probably advise that although the dealership are no longer Lunar dealers, your contract is with them and they should arrange the repair through Lunar.
We have been in a lengthy dispute with a supplier and tried all avenues to resolve our problem but were always referred back to the original supplier. To be finally resolved next week with a replacement unit.
Perhaps a direct approach to Lunar explaining that the original dealer is no longer in the Lunar chain may assist in finding a repairer or they may even offer to carry out the work at their plant.
Good Luck anyway.
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Oh dear none of this inspires confidence does it, still no reply from either local dealer so far, so we are going to visit a friendly approved local workshop and see if they are willing to do it even though they are not Lunar specific. They were very helpful when we talked to them previously about servicing even though they couldn't fit us in in the time frame we required, so fingers crossed yet again.
It is annoying when Lunar warn that going to any workshop where you do not use them for regular servicing could incur an extra charge ! Surely it should not cost us for warranty work at all...Grrrr !
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The responsibility to carry out the work still remains with the local dealership. That they can no longer undertake the work is a load of Tom Walls. The simple fact is that they are fobbing you off as they want to avoid doing the work.
If you go elsewhere there may indeed be an extra charge as the understanding that I have gained from my own dealer is that (for all makes that he deals with) the rate of payment from the manufacturer for warranty work does not cover the full cost. An example was a repair to my grill where the burner had dropped. The reimbursement was for relocating the burner and did not cover removing the oven first in order to do the work. The rate was still below the dealers charge out rate.
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Oh dear, no wonder they jump at the chance of adding a surcharge to the customer if the manufacturers don't pay the full cost of the work
I thought the dealer should do it as your contract is with them but I'm not really happy with trying to force the issue with them as they are far from 'local' to us so I would be just as happy to try and find one nearer. Sadly neither local dealer will even reply to my e-mails, why have a 'contact us' link on their websites if they never respond to them !? I have tried both twice now - still nothing. The service engineer who came to us for the service said he would have followed it up for us but he is Swift registered and has no connection with Lunar and he is mobile and thinks this job needs a workshop really.
Next stop I think will be trying local approved workshops and see if we can get one of them to take it on, preferably without a big surcharge.
Alison
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You say that your dealer is a three hour drive so I figure maybe 140 mile each way? 4 trips - 2 solo and 2 towing. That is a fair bit of fuel.
Not sure what I would do in your situation. I would be minded to compel the dealer to rectify the situation but might be concerned as to the standard of workmanship if I had as little faith as I suspect that you have.
The alternative being to use a local approved workshop might indeed involve extra cost. In that option I would see what the likely charge would be on top of the warranty. For caravan dealerships it is a pretty busy time and may be why you are getting no response.
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DD I'm confused, who would we claim those expenses from - Lunar ?
I must admit to being a bit worried if we end up having to travel a long way or have to pay an additional charge just because we have not had our van serviced by the workshop who eventually do the work (not that we have found one yet). makes me wonder even more why we didn't stick with our old van
It seems we are being given differing information each place we talk to at the moment. Our nearest approved workshop insists we have to go through a Lunar dealer to start the claim, even though we have been told we can use any approved workshop willing to do it !
Alison
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Good news for a change, I had a moan on a facebook local page for caravanners about dealers who have 'Contact us' links on their websites and never seem to read them... and a very nice lady called Tracey contacted me from a dealership I hadn't thought of (because they don't say Lunar on their website) to say they do warranty work for Lunar and if we could get it over there for 2pm today they would inspect it and put the claim in for us
Yay ! The process has begun.Now we wait
Alison
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Fingers crossed, I have to say the guy who inspected it showed us in more detail where (and how much) damp there was - shocked me. In such a young van there must have been a fault or some seam with no/not enough sealant. the water has apparently come in through the top seam over the windows and gone down between the three windows and settled under them all We have never used a pressure washer on it and it is actually fairly sheltered up against the house - if the van was getting excess rain water on it the garage would have been flooded - oh and we live in a dryer than average part of the country too. Anyway now we wait for a response from Lunar.
Alison
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Latest update... got a call from the workshop today, Lunar have received our claim and all the paperwork etc... their response ?
They said we had not had the second warranty done in the 60 day time limit... Uh, yes we did...they were taking it from the date we paid the deposit not the date we picked it up and handed over the rest of the money and did the deal and registered the warranty. Grrrrr
Round 2, seconds out... !!
Alison
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It beggars belief that the caravan industry still gets away with producing such shoddy goods and providing such lousy service. Water ingress has been a problem for years, yet despite the fantastic advances that have been made in technology, the manufacturers still can't get it right. My 2013 Swift currently has exactly the same problem as Alison's with water getting in through the seam over the windows, and I have had to apply gaffer tape to the seam to prevent us having a huge puddle on the front shelf. It's the second time this van has had this fault, not to mention the damp around the offside window, the cracked rear panel, the waste pipe that drops off, the drawers that don't slide properly, etc etc. Yet we still keep going back and parting with our hard earned cash for another pile of junk.
What we need is Toyota or Honda to start making caravans and have the same effect as they had on the automotive industry.
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Pain, I've a 2014 clubman si bought from Campells preston, damp from front sills. Still under warranty but since May not even a date for a repair. The service is pretty lousy, what can you do? What is a warranty worth if you can't enforce it?
In desperation I was thinking of trading in, an upgrade for a Swift- Sterling but what I'm reading is not encouraging. I have been led to believe their manufacturing process prevents water ingress, is this false?
So what about Bailey are they similar?
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