Water ingress warranty!!??

PaulRT
PaulRT Forum Participant Posts: 33
edited November 2023 in Caravans #1

Hi All

We purchased our Coachman Pastiche 460 new in 2017 and it has been serviced annually within a few weeks of the purchase date since then. It is supposed to have a 10 year water ingress warranty for the first owner.

Recently it has shown signs of a small amount of water ingress in heavy rain with the water appearing below the moulding around the panoramic front window. This was investigated yesterday by my dealer who confirmed that there was a leak in the sealant around the panoramic window. They have submitted a warranty claim to Coachman, which was immediately declined. Their reason was “Panoramic windows are not covered under the water ingress warranty. These are already attached and sealed to the front panel when they arrive at Coachman. Therefore, covered under the 3 years manufacturer’s warranty. “

This seems to me a total cop-out as the window is thus part of the body shell.

I am about to challenge this with Coachman. However it would be interesting to hear if anyone else has had this issue and whether it was able to be resolved.

Thanks for your help

Cheers

Paul R T   

Comments

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,426 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2023 #2

    I would ring the club's legal helpline for further advice?

    https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/advice-and-training/taking-care-of-your-outfit/legal-helpline/

  • eribaMotters
    eribaMotters Club Member Posts: 1,193 ✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited November 2023 #3

    Do you have a copy of the original warranty paperwork stating what is/is not covered?

     

    Colin

  • eribaMotters
    eribaMotters Club Member Posts: 1,193 ✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited November 2023 #4

    I cannot see a list of what is not covered. If an item is not listed it should be covered.

    https://www.coachman.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/A5-Owners-Handbook-2017.pdf

    page 4

     

    Colin

  • Roger McNair
    Roger McNair Forum Participant Posts: 62
    edited November 2023 #5

    In my view its high time leisure vehicle manufacturers were held to account for the products they sell (rather than hiding behind the dealers....).  After-all its the manufacturers name on the LV not the dealers. I'm in the automotive industry and have a 2021 Coachman Laser 575 caravan.

    A year ago I wrote an objective review of the faults with our caravan from new to eighteen months old identifying the root causes for each issue and sent it to Coachman's CEO. Still waiting for a reply. I raised this point with Coachman's Sales Director at their stand at the NEC and didn't receive a satisfactory reply...... In the mean time our excellent dealer (Golden Castle Caravans) has remedied all the faults although we've had to wait several weeks for Coachman to send the parts through. 

     

  • PaulRT
    PaulRT Forum Participant Posts: 33
    edited November 2023 #6

    Hi All

    Thanks for your responses. Herewith a partial update.The warranty section of the 2017 Owners Handbook supplied with the caravan states:

    "Additionally for 2015-onwards for the first owner, Coachman make a 10year worry free water ingress offer: Water ingress between 6 and 10 years – Coachman will pay the total labour cost and supply parts free of charge provided there is a full service history"

    The specific exclusions listed make no reference to any exclusion for panoramic windows. I understand from an initial conversation with the Coachman ‘aftercare’ department yesterday that such an exclusion has now been included in later editions of the Coachman handbook.

    I have now taken legal advice from the Caravan Club helpline (very helpful), which is that this is a material change of the stated conditions of the warranty and I should have been informed of this change. This did not happen. I have thus emailed Coachman with this to ask them to reconsider their position. I will post any further developments.

    The advice was also that a claim against the dealer would be unlikely to succeed, given the age of the caravan.

    Cheers

    Paul R T

     

  • Cartledge
    Cartledge Forum Participant Posts: 267
    100 Comments
    edited November 2023 #7

    Time to find a good solicitor I think, claiming your legal costs as well of course. Good luck.

  • Robert
    Robert Forum Participant Posts: 61
    edited November 2023 #8

    I fully agree that caravan manufacturers should be held to account for shoddy vehicles they are turning out

    The NCC is muzzled as their income comes from the manufacturers

    I have just rejected a Swift Elegance due to number of faults it had, a lot of which it would need returning to Swift to remedy

    Anybody wants a list of faults I can forward list   One item that dealer did put right was a wastewater pump fitted to potable water pipe It is clearly marked on pump that it for waste water I have since looked at Swift vans in dealers & same pump fitted

    So if you recently brought a Swift caravan have a look at the pump

    The dealer has been good accepted the return & understood why I returned it

    Never again will I buy another Swift caravan Yes all vans have small faults but not on the scale I have had  Heating system is sub standard as not fitted to manufacturers recommendations 

     

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