Quality of service and repair for motorhomes
Hi Club members, my wife and I have been caravanners for some time but bought a first motor-home in July 2018. It has been a disaster so far and I'm wondering if we are experiencing really poor service or whether this is just the norm. Please bear with me while I explain as briefly as I can.
We bought a brand-new Hymercar based on a Fiat Ducato van and felt it would be the perfect vehicle. However, once we had got it home I noticed it had been damaged and poorly re-sprayed. The dealership knew nothing of this, feeling it must have happened during delivery from Hymer. They agreed to repair it to a higher standard of course.
Before I returned the van for this repair we decided to have our first day out in it and there were a few heavy rain storms. I had put the Thule awning up and watched it carefully to see how it handled the rain. There was not too much pooling and it ran off as expected. So we went to bed with the awning up and there was a heavy shower almost immediately. A few minutes later there was a huge crash and I looked out to see the awning had collapsed; simply the cast aluminium joint at the top of one leg had snapped in two, unable to hold what water had pooled above it. In collapsing the awning had pulled out its fixings from the roof of the van and bent the roof in the process.
I managed to fold the awning away and a day or two later drove it back to the dealership for repair, questioning whether they would be taking the matter up with Hymer. I had a general feeling that the dealership felt this would be pointless and Hymer would be uninterested. This has proved to be so and I wonder if this is normal in the Motorhome world?
Eventually we got authorisation from my insurance company to carry out the repairs. The vehicle needed body work repair which required the removal of most of the internal cabinets and trim (the dealership carried out the internal work).
Anyway, the vehicle was left with the dealership at the end of July 2018 and now in January 2019 it is still not finished. Apparently we are just awaiting the replacement awning and I am told all the bodywork has now been repaired. I'm hoping we will have it back in February even though we were told at the end of November it would be ready in a week.
I have called or emailed nearly every week but always get the impression that what we are experiencing is a quite normal, if not better than normal, level of service. Really I'm quite baffled by it all and am tearing my hair out. I wonder how the experience of Club members compares in any relevant situation?
Comments
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I agree that Hymer would probably not accept the damage caused by the "pooling" on the awning as if the awning is erected with one side lower then pooling should not happen,but as for length of time for repairs with LVs *join the club"but cannot understand why it should take so long to obtain the awning unless it is a "special" for Hymers,its a case of keep the pressure on the dealer,good luck
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Obviously the damage to the awning and subsequent body damage was your fault for leaving it up in stormy/rainy conditions. However to take 5 months to repair it seems way too long and I would be asking questions and getting your insurance company involved as I am guessing they are paying for the repairs?
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I’m afraid the awning issue can probably be classed as operator error. To leave it up overnight in those conditions was asking for trouble in my view. Still, lesson learnt👍🏻
Other than that, I can’t add to what JV said and there’s not much you can do unless your insurer is prepared to get involved.
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Thanks everyone for the replies so far, the feeling that the awning failure is really operator error is what I expected. However, I can't help thinking that awnings should be designed to be able to handle just as much water as could pool in them in case it is left up when you walk into town and there is an unexpected rain shower. One side was actually lower than the other but I didn't want to exaggerate the difference in height at the ends as that would cause the main beam to twist which cant be good for it. It is really the time to repair which is causing me so much frustration.
Thanks again for the feedback.
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It is a good idea to fit storm straps to canopy awnings. Not sure about other makes but you can get ones for Thule and Fiamma with purpose designed attachments. I am a bit paranoid on the continent where violent storms can spring up in a few hours.
Arrived at a French site once, the day after a storm and about half of the canopies and awnings had been destroyed causing severe damage to many outfits. Best to wind the canopy in at night if the forecast is poor; better than getting up at 3 in the morning in swimming trunks!
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I have had no dealings with Hymer or their dealerships but it seems an extraordinary length of time to retain your vehicle because the awning is broken and a replacement unavailable.
Surely you could use the Hymer without the awning now that the other repairs are completed and get some use out of a vehicle you've probably paid a fortune for and then have a new awning fitted when they get one delivered to the dealership ?
If you took your car to a local body repair shop you'd expect it back within a day or two – but not Motorhome dealers who seem to have a God given right to be as obstructive as possible.
Why these dealers take, quite literally, months and months to repair any faults is beyond credulous on their part.
A word with you Solicitor, hopefully free, might be worthwhile to put your side of the story and if, heavens forbid, you get even more problems with the vehicle than you've set in motion events that could see you getting recompense or even renewal if thing go down hill even more.
The Motorhome we bought almost six years ago has not had any need to visit its dealership and, from my point of view, long may that be – not every Motorhome needs remedial treatment and perhaps you've been a tad unlucky.
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I think you will find they are sun shades and not an awning in a caravan sense
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Have a look on youtube about american m/h the quality is c ..p its the same all over once youve payed for it they dont care .
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The major issue here is the repair time.
5 months. That is massively unacceptable. I obviously do not know which dealer has taken this amount of time, but clearly you need someone else for any future work - which is tricky, because motorhome dealerships are a bit thin on the ground in some places.
As a general rule, this is not typical of what I have experienced, although for sure the motor home world is about 15 to 25 years behind the car world in customer service terms!
The awning issue is more complex. Awnings are flimsy, let's be blunt, but over time you find ways of not allowing that to result in damage.0 -
It is not normal. I have used two Hymer dealers in the past and both enjoyed a good relationship with Hymer that ensured any warranty work I required was undertaken within reasonable timescales. Uncommon parts can take six weeks to arrive but the dealer should get a delivery date and let you know.
Hymer relies on its dealers to sort our customer issues and therefore any problems you are experiencing are probably due to the dealer.
Ringing and emailing will get you nowhere when the going gets tough. Better to book a meeting with at least who is in charge of the service centre and go through the paperwork that shows they have been pursuing the parts etc with vigour. Don't be fobbed off by someone at the dealers who does not wield the power you need to get it sorted. Remain polite but ask the awkward questions and challenge them.
There are numerous reasons why the delays have occurred. Customers need to take control of the situation, agree the actions to be taken and timescales and hold the dealer accountable. Leave it to dealers and they might just go through a process rather than focus on the outcome.
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I have just read your post with interest - I paid a deposit in October last year for a new hymer - it transpired the leather was not the colour we asked for - the dealer suggested it would take four weeks to replace iwith the correct leather
We are still waiting after five months - the dealer blaming Hymer- in one email they claim not to have had a response for five weeks - this is before I take ownership - I am now thinking of cancelling and demanding my deposit back - I would be keen to hear if anyone has had any positive response from Hymer headquarters
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The biggest problem is their Just in Time way of working. They don't carry anything in stock and rely on suppliers to deliver out sourced parts at the time they are needed. It saves having lots of parts in stock and of course somewhere to put them.
When a part is faulty and needs replacing it has to be made which means getting it into the production process which is already running or ordering it from a supplier who will just add it to what ever is already on order.
We have a Laika and they are very good. We have had a couple of parts and they have turned up within a week. Laika work the old way and have a parts dept so they have parts that can be sent out straight away. Funny really as Laika are part of Hymer Group.
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All the time the vehicle is off the road you are losing warranty time from the base vehicle manufacturers. A two year Fiat warranty is now less than 18 months ! Not too sure how the dealer plays that one!,
You could argue that you are losing time and cost on time regulated maintenance, such as cam belt, brake fluid change, tyres !
But there again, I am famed for my optimism !
Rgds
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