Lunar spare parts availability

jelv
jelv Forum Participant Posts: 29
edited January 2019 in Caravans #1

Our Lunar main dealer has been waiting for spare parts to do a repair on our caravan since JULY - 6 months! It's not as if it's an old van (2015 Lexon) so parts should be available.

Are all caravan manufacturers like this or are Lunar particularly bad?

It's not the first time we have had a long wait. The door for the toilet cassette had to be replaced under warranty (water ingress) and the dealer had to wait months for that.

Comments

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited January 2019 #2

    The door for the toilet cassette had to be replaced under warranty 

    The dealer did not have to wait months for a generic part. He chose to hide behind the warranty rather than face up to his obligations under sale of goods or whatever the latest terminology is. 

    I will post more later. I have a casserole to start

  • Wildwood
    Wildwood Club Member Posts: 3,582 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited January 2019 #3

    I do wonder if the dealer is just blaming Lunar for his own failures. We had a leak on our Quasar and took it to the dealer. They examined it took readings and sent off a claim promptly.  There was a delay in getting the parts but not that great and the work was carried out at a date to suit us.

    I assume you bought the caravan from the dealer who is to do the work. Assuming that you bought the caravan new then it should be covered by the Sale of Goods Act which requires the work to be carried out in a reasonable time and six months would not be reasonable.

    I would threaten the dealer with legal action as your contract is with them. The clubs helpline should be able to talk you through your rights.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited January 2019 #4

    It sounds more like the dealer is the problem, a toilet cassette door is generic to most makes so should be readily available (unless the colour is not white ,i think i would really start to make waves,,if you are close to Birmingham i would also go to the show and talk to the manufacturer about your problems

  • lornalou1
    lornalou1 Forum Participant Posts: 2,169
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    edited January 2019 #5

    it's not the dealer, it's lunar. I have had problem in the past, even one approved repairer refuses to do lunars as still waiting for payment from 4 years ago. I waited 3 months for parts under warranty. I contacted a caravan spares dealer for a bathroom tap as mine was leaking, quoted £120 and a 12 week wait from lunar, found a different type at Victoria Plumb for £30 and was here in 2 days. perfect and better than original.   

  • jelv
    jelv Forum Participant Posts: 29
    edited January 2019 #6

    The last of the parts we are waiting for is the rear roof strap. I'd be very surprised if it is not the same as on current models as I don't think the outer shell has changed.

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited January 2019 #7

    Indeed JVB most dealers do tend to rely on warranty if they can. My view is that, other than for extended water ingress, the warranty is there for the dealer rather than the customer. 

    I had a minor problem with our dealer at last service. We collected our present caravan new from the dealer on 5th December 2017 and went away about 13th to 28th December. Whilst away I noticed a small 10mm scratch through the white on inside face of Belfast styled wash basin. I reported this to dealer start of January along with pictures. I next contacted the dealer around August. The chap I had spoken to was new and only lasted a month and I found he had not passed details to their warranty chap. Lunar refused, not unsurprisingly, to send a replacement sink. I spoke to warranty chap and said 'no way do I want the basin replacing by you. I want a neat job.' I told him that all that was needed was a simple cosmetic repair on the part of the basin which would never receive any wear anyway. I asked to speak to service manager. He wanted to discuss it but I simply said 'I reported it start of Jan, your problem and not mine. See you for the service and hopefully we won't fall out then'. 

    During our September holiday I found another fault. One of the side panels had been damaged during construction and filled. About the size of a 5p piece but it had not been painted. Contacted dealer and not unsurprisingly he put in a warranty claim that was rejected in view of the time passed - over 9 months.

    When I took the van in for service I pointed these two points to service manager who started on about warranty being refused. He did not see how the panel damage was not spotted. I pointed out that when originally done the filler would have been pristine white, I had washed and polished van in March, washed it in July and it was only in September that I noticed it on washing again. I pointed out that they had not spotted the mark on the basin and that it was only after a week of use that I had spotted that and so I could see how the damage was easily missed. I said that there were two possibilities. Either the panel was damaged from new or I had somehow picked up the damage, had it repaired to a professional standard but not airbrushed in. I said you decide which of those two is the most likely. As for the wash basin check company e-mail for 4th January with attached photo.

    When I collected 'van all jobs done. I did say to the service manager that I did not see why the fuss initially when we both new it would be easily sorted and trying to avoid liability was pointless as all that would have done is save the company £100 and loose at least one future customer. I told him that I would not have gone to small claims over such an amount but I would have given bad publicity for an infinite time period. smile

    I have had similar with another dealer with a Swift. Replacement large seat cushion for rear dining area and two front windows. All carried out at dealers expense after giving me crap about warranty. 

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,145 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2019 #8

    My experience is that Lunar only deliver to dealers about once in every 6 weeks.  That obviously depends if parts available.  

  • Unknown
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    edited January 2019 #9
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  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited January 2019 #10

    My previous Lunar Clubman was a 2012 same date as yours I think. That was fine for the 600 nights and 110 sites that we used it for over 5 seasons. We only replaced it because we, like you get a fair bit of use from it. When I agreed the price for PX over the phone I told the dealer that it was top condition apart for a bodywork repair that they had quoted £250 for at previous service but we did not get it done as we were off on our jolies and it would have been done at next service had we not been changing before then.  I told them that they could knock a straight £200 off and, as I was happy with their price I made a deposit  over the phone. The Swift prior to that was not good though. Sadly there does not seem to be any UK caravan that I would say was definitely going to be OK. 

     

  • Unknown
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    edited January 2019 #11
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  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited January 2019 #12

    Its comfortable

    That is the reason that we stuck with Lunar Clubman David. Given the difference in weather where you caravan and where I caravan I suspect that we might make more use of the seating smile

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited January 2019 #13
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  • allanandjean
    allanandjean Club Member Posts: 2,401 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited January 2019 #14

    When we had delays getting parts for warranty work in 2017, on a 2017 van, I was given a similar explanation by my service centre who, unsurprisingly did not really want the van hanging around taking up space.

    In Sept 2018 we noticed another issue, with the oven door which we notified the service centre of and they agreed to take the van in  to repair this and fit the freezer door which was expected 'any day' as it had been ordered at the service on May 2018.

    The oven door was repaired and the freezer door eventually arrived in December!

    We now have just one job, if you leave out the constant screws coming adrift, lockers that don't align etc, and that is a fridge warning beep that comes on at random times day and night and has been this way since we got the van. We cover the senso when using the van as it wakes the grandchildren and this fault has continued despite repeated attempts by both the dealer and service centre and I am now awaiting attendance of a Dometic engineer having given up on others.

    Still love the van though and from what we see almost all vans seem to be as reliable as each other.

  • alan147
    alan147 Forum Participant Posts: 1
    edited January 2019 #15

    at the beginning of September while travelling south heading for france my lunar (2013) was hit by a wagon. we were going to travel through france and into spain for the winter as we have done so for the last eight years. we went through the normal procedures with the insurance company and was put in touch with a repairer. that as I said was the beginning of september, I am still waiting and the repairer has said he has contacted lunar from time to time without any success. there must be some way to take lunar to task over this.

     

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited January 2019 #16

    The warranty claims on our Bailey (3) when reported to our dealer (5 miles away)have  once have been accepted and the parts are sent out from Bailey by it seems a parcel company for next day delivery ,in fact they even delivered to our address parts that did not require "expert?" fitting

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited January 2019 #17

    Presumably the fridge, oven parts are from the manufacturers of those devices and not from the caravan builders

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited January 2019 #18

    Just a tip that may help with Dometic fridge warranty claims the company have their own mobile engineers around the country who we have used after our dealers "engineer?"found "no fault"but the Dometic engineer rectified after contacting them ,while on a club sitesmile

  • Wildwood
    Wildwood Club Member Posts: 3,582 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited January 2019 #19

    Three months is I am afraid about the industry average for spare parts and some for a 2013 model may have to be made up to order. Assuming you are happy that the repairer is not the cause of the delay then you can try and chase up Lunar although others success does seem to be mixed on this.

  • allanandjean
    allanandjean Club Member Posts: 2,401 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited January 2019 #20

    Hi, Yes that's who I have contacted but have issues there as well.

    The engineer needs the van, which is in storage, to be 'on level hard standing with electricity connected'  and this means that the van has to come out of storage, be moved to a suitable location and then returned after his visit and, when I spoke to him initially, this was going to be problematic due to the lack of availability on both our parts.

    As Easy says the parts that have been an issue may indeed be the manufacturers but this has never been put forward as a reason for the delay-in fact nothing has been put forward and it just seems that we are expected to accept that once we have paid our money the manufacturer has little or no interest in us.

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited January 2019 #21

    As Easy says the parts that have been an issue may indeed be the manufacturers but this has never been put forward as a reason for the delay-in fact nothing has been put forward and it just seems that we are expected to accept that once we have paid our money the manufacturer has little or no interest in us.

    Such parts are supplied by the appliance manufacturer in my experience under their warranty. 

  • Unknown
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    edited January 2019 #22
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  • papgeno
    papgeno Forum Participant Posts: 2,158
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    edited January 2019 #23

    I had warranty work done on my Lunar and the work was completed quickly and with no problems.

    Our previous van from the Swift stable was a different story. The parts took 4 months to arrive and when they did finally arrive they were the wrong parts.

    If you read posts on here far enough back you'll find people have had problems with just about every U.K. manufactured van at some time.

  • jelv
    jelv Forum Participant Posts: 29
    edited January 2019 #24

    Did the warranty work require replacement parts & if so did the dealer get them from Lunar or elsewhere?

  • papgeno
    papgeno Forum Participant Posts: 2,158
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    edited January 2019 #25

    The work was done by the dealer and I'm sure that if parts were needed they came from Lunar. It may be that parts were not needed however the warranty work was done without quibble.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited January 2019 #26

    The majority of warranty "problems" that over the many years we have had LVs are not down to the manufacturers not being interested,  its more the dealers dragging their heels after they have got your money, ,and i think some of that is because they are "relaxed?"when it comes to PDI, as if you go back to them for a warranty claim they will then get paid again to do what should have been found on PDI,but at a lowere rate than they would like to charge us,

    We have recently purchased,from our local dealer (Bailey and Coachman) although not the perceived "discount" that can be had at shows (from dealers long distances from home)we seem to have no problems with any warranty claims(so far)

    All our LVs have been in storage(not cheap but very secure)which has a dedicated level washdown area,with EHU that can also be used for servicing and repairs (we had our motor mover fitted there)which is for storage users and can be booked via the on site staff,and always seems in use 

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,145 ✭✭✭
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    edited January 2019 #27

    All my warranty work to-date  has been completed without quibble, unfortunately most of it required spare parts, especially the floor which took nearly 6 months from ordering to completion

  • NFC
    NFC Forum Participant Posts: 13
    edited February 2019 #28

    Lunar are particularly bad, waited 5 months for parts to repair damp Lunar, finally rejected caravan. Replacement Swift has needed three parts under warranty, either in stock at dealership or easily available.

    Night and day !!

  • Wildwood
    Wildwood Club Member Posts: 3,582 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #29

    With all makes you do seem to get differences in parts  being supplied. I do wonder if this is due to some being more active in chasing up the makers or because they sell more have more influence with them or just luck.

  • jelv
    jelv Forum Participant Posts: 29
    edited February 2019 #30

    The dealer in our case is Swindon Caravans - they are one of the bigger dealers so it doesn't seem they have any extra influence because of their size.

    To rub salt in to the wounds, they don't have availability of the correct engineers and/or workshop space to actually do the repair until July!

  • Wildwood
    Wildwood Club Member Posts: 3,582 ✭✭✭✭
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    edited February 2019 #31

    Remind them of their position under The Consumer Protection Act. and make it clear you will be looking for damages or at the possibility of rejecting the caravan if the work is not carried out within the reasonable period the Act requires.

    July is clearly not a reasonable period but it does show that not all delays are the manufacturer and the dealers do not help sometimes..

    Speak to the clubs Legal helpline on the subject.