Best time to buy? +general advice

[Buckman]

I take it that is after the self leveling which is standard on yours, the MM 's and the Aircon. Is that correct.

That is before AWD (60kg) Air con (30kg). We also have the ALDE Continuous hot water system fitted (2kg) plus mattress and front bunk seats upgraded to a better foam(15kg). Another reason why we carry all food and clothes in the car. Most twin axles will have AWD moto mover so available payload will be about 140-150kg.

 

[Hutch]

That is before AWD (60kg) Air con (30kg). We also have the ALDE Continuous hot water system fitted (2kg) plus mattress and front bunk seats upgraded to a better foam(15kg). Another reason why we carry all food and clothes in the car. Most twin axles will have AWD moto mover so available payload will be about 140-150kg.

234kg minus 107 kg gives you 127 kg payload,
That sounds more realistic, with all the extras, 127 kg of payload gets used up very easily.
I think you best get to a weigh bridge.

 

[Buckman]

234kg minus 107 kg gives you 127 kg payload,
That sounds more realistic, with all the extras, 127 kg of payload gets used up very easily.
I think you best get to a weigh bridge.

Done that already and we are under 2000kg by about 10kg. However even if we were 20-40kg over I am not that bothered. As said we carry a lot of stuff in the car so hopefully will always stay under the 2000kg. Just need to watch what OH adds when i am not looking. LOL!

 

[redelf]

We’ve put a deposit down on the 2022 coachman laser xcel 875 at Burton Caravan Centre. Has 2 clear services and good damp reports - it’s a lovely van so wanted to go for it.
Now a bit nervous about having agreed to buy from a 2nd hand dealer rather than a coachman dealer. They said if we had manufacturing defect issues we’d have to contact a CCS registered dealer or service place and they would deal with coachman on our behalf. Not really what I was expecting - but figured we can get friendly with our local one when we take it to get serviced? Or is that a screw up on our part? Would we end up having to pay someone to help us with that?

 

[RogerL]

That sounds like they're avoiding their liability under Consumer Right Act 2015 as selling dealer by relying on the Coachman warranty - that would ring a very loud warning bell for me.

 

[Jcloughie]

Caravan warrantees fall well short of those provided by car dealers and manufacturers. Consumer law may be the same, but the manner in which dealers have to comply vary. So, any dealer or mobile engineer can carry out a service. And are not likely to refuse as it is bread and butter income. But having warrantee work done can prove troublesome. This is because manufacturers pay a much reduced but agreed hourly rate. Meaning some dealers steer clear of warrantee work unless they have to do it as they were the seller. But often they do it reluctantly.

I think I am correct in saying that even dealers who are franchised to a particular manufacturer, are not compelled to undertake warrantee work on vans they did not supply. Unlike car dealers.

(I may be wrong on that, it has been known).

Regarding servicing, selling dealers can sometimes be persuaded to provide 2 or 3 years free servicing to sweeten a sale.

John

 

[Jcloughie]

That sounds like they're avoiding their liability under Consumer Right Act 2015 as selling dealer by relying on the Coachman warranty - that would ring a very loud warning bell for me.

I understand that. But it may be the case, that Coachman, (or another manufacturer), will only deal with their own contracted dealerships.

John

 

[redelf]

I understand that. But it may be the case, that Coachman, (or another manufacturer), will only deal with their own contracted dealerships.

John

Yes. This is what they said - they can’t deal with Coachman because they’re not a dealer…
Which leaves me wondering where we stand. We are very happy with the van and it is very clean with 2 good services (from dealers that are not the people we bought from) so it feels like we’d be ok. I may try to give coachman a call to see what’s what

 

[Mel]

Yes. This is what they said - they can’t deal with Coachman because they’re not a dealer…
Which leaves me wondering where we stand. We are very happy with the van and it is very clean with 2 good services (from dealers that are not the people we bought from) so it feels like we’d be ok. I may try to give coachman a call to see what’s what

I would check with Burton exactly what warranty you are getting. Is the remainder of the Coachman warranty being transferred to you? You will have to pay a fee for this and it is only transferable if all previous services have been done on time and you have evidence of this. If you are not getting the Coachman warranty you may be getting one through a warranty company ( often MB & G.) You then need to ring the dealer that you are going to use for servicing to check if they will do warranty work. Or find a Coachman approved AWS technician and get absolute clarity about what warranty work they will undertake.
It is important to get some detail on this before you proceed. It may all be OK but best to check now.
Good luck

 

[otherclive]

Caravan warrantees fall well short of those provided by car dealers and manufacturers. Consumer law may be the same, but the manner in which dealers have to comply vary. So, any dealer or mobile engineer can carry out a service. And are not likely to refuse as it is bread and butter income. But having warrantee work done can prove troublesome. This is because manufacturers pay a much reduced but agreed hourly rate. Meaning some dealers steer clear of warrantee work unless they have to do it as they were the seller. But often they do it reluctantly.

I think I am correct in saying that even dealers who are franchised to a particular manufacturer, are not compelled to undertake warrantee work on vans they did not supply. Unlike car dealers.

(I may be wrong on that, it has been known).

Regarding servicing, selling dealers can sometimes be persuaded to provide 2 or 3 years free servicing to sweeten a sale.

John

I think you are right as some while back there was a post regarding someone trying to get warranty work carried out by a nearby franchised dealer. But it was refused and the advice was go back to the dealer you bought it from. In addition the local franchise dealer had a waiting list for service or repairs of at least six months.

 

[Jcloughie]

Yes. This is what they said - they can’t deal with Coachman because they’re not a dealer…
Which leaves me wondering where we stand. We are very happy with the van and it is very clean with 2 good services (from dealers that are not the people we bought from) so it feels like we’d be ok. I may try to give coachman a call to see what’s what

Good call. You could also talk to the franchised dealer to see if they would commit to working with you if a problem arose.

I once purchased a 1 year old 2011 Bailey. Originally purchased from Forest of Dean Caravans. I asked them, and they said they were happy to transfer ownership to myself.

John

 

[Buckman]

This is sounding very loud alarm bells. It does sound as if the dealership is trying to avoid their responsibilities under CRA 2015 which is actually a criminal offence. It is highly unlikely any Coachman dealership will take on the warranty work if the caravan was bought elsewhere. Make sure that you buy this caravan on HP even if you can afford a cash purchase.

 

[otherclive]

Yes. This is what they said - they can’t deal with Coachman because they’re not a dealer…
Which leaves me wondering where we stand. We are very happy with the van and it is very clean with 2 good services (from dealers that are not the people we bought from) so it feels like we’d be ok. I may try to give coachman a call to see what’s what

Even if they could order parts from Coachman, it's quite likely that the waiting time could be long given that Coachman would probably favour their own network of dealers. Body parts and internal fittings specific to Coachman, would be the most problematic, as any dealer should be able to obtain common supply parts such as fridges, heaters, ATC etc.

 

[otherclive]

This is sounding very loud alarm bells. It does sound as if the dealership is trying to avoid their responsibilities under CRA 2015 which is actually a criminal offence. It is highly unlikely any Coachman dealership will take on the warranty work if the caravan was bought elsewhere. Make sure that you buy this caravan on HP even if you can afford a cash purchase.

You really would not want to start a relationship with CRA 2015 at the forefront of your dealings. Makes for a stressful life. Is failure to comply with CRA 2015 a criminal offence, or a civil law offence? I would have thought it was civil law in contract sales issues, but criminal in some areas if Trading Standards are involved.

 

[redelf]

I would check with Burton exactly what warranty you are getting. Is the remainder of the Coachman warranty being transferred to you? You will have to pay a fee for this and it is only transferable if all previous services have been done on time and you have evidence of this. If you are not getting the Coachman warranty you may be getting one through a warranty company ( often MB & G.) You then need to ring the dealer that you are going to use for servicing to check if they will do warranty work. Or find a Coachman approved AWS technician and get absolute clarity about what warranty work they will undertake.
It is important to get some detail on this before you proceed. It may all be OK but best to check now.
Good luck

They have said that the warranty will be transferred to us - we have to do it but they will help. It is on the bill of sale too.
I have sent a WhatsApp to coachman to see what they say.

 

[redelf]

They have said that the warranty will be transferred to us - we have to do it but they will help. It is on the bill of sale too.
I have sent a WhatsApp to coachman to see what they say.

Oh - and I have seen the actual service reports from both 2023 and 2024 and they are present and correct so should be no issues there

 

[Buckman]

You really would not want to start a relationship with CRA 2015 at the forefront of your dealings. Makes for a stressful life. Is failure to comply with CRA 2015 a criminal offence, or a civil law offence? I would have thought it was civil law.

Never suggested starting any relationship quoting CRA 2015 as you keep that in the background unless they do not comply. Definitely a criminal offence as they would be breaking legislation which was passed by parliament to protect the consumer.

 

[Jcloughie]

They have said that the warranty will be transferred to us - we have to do it but they will help. It is on the bill of sale too.
I have sent a WhatsApp to coachman to see what they say.

Transferring the warrantee is one thing, but of little use if the selling dealer cannot deal with the manufacturer over warrantee issues. And if franchised dealers refuse to do the work.

This is sounding very loud alarm bells. It does sound as if the dealership is trying to avoid their responsibilities under CRA 2015 which is actually a criminal offence. It is highly unlikely any Coachman dealership will take on the warranty work if the caravan was bought elsewhere. Make sure that you buy this caravan on HP even if you can afford a cash purchase.

It does not necessarily mean that the dealer is avoiding their responsibilities. Just pointing out the possible pitfalls.

Many years ago, the same warrantee issue happened with motor cars. Then, either by a change in the law, or by mutual consent within the industry. (I don’t know which). All franchised dealerships have to do warrantee work regardless of who sold the vehicle.

I am not sure how the law stands in this respect with caravans. But it is somthing that the OP is best getting clear. Which it seems they are working towards.

John

 

[otherclive]

Never suggested starting any relationship quoting CRA 2015 as you keep that in the background unless they do not comply. Definitely a criminal offence as they would be breaking legislation which was passed by parliament to protect the consumer.

I think that some infringements of CRA 2015 could be construed as a criminal offence and they are those that Trading Standards may pursue. Others are civil in nature. Example a friend of mine bought a motorhome and it started to show damp. The supplying dealer attempted two repairs but they were not successful. Despite my advice wrt CRA 20015 my friend decided to use a legal helpline on his home policy. He contacted Trading Standard who advised that the dispute between him and the dealership should be resolved via the Small Claims Court or. Civil Court if above the SCC limit. Because it was becoming protracted process he had the MH repaired by a company used by some on this Forum....cost circa £10k. He then sued the Dealership but before the matter came to court he reached an out of court settlement without liability, and substantially out of pocket, but at least he got closure.

 

[Dustydog]

Have you checked the dealer out on Companies House? Their official trading name is Burton Trailer Centre Limited .
Nothing wrong buying from a non franchised dealer as long as you fully appreciate where you stand legally . Buckman and others have explained where you stand.
Whatever goes wrong your first point of claim is the seller.

The CRA 2015 is very clear on your rights and routes open to you for a remedy.
No need to repeat them here.
There are then the Coachman guarantees /warranties on all the onboard equipment and of course the water ingress issues. I don’t know the extent of what Coachman offer.

However no contract at the moment exists between you and Coachman. There is nothing in Law that says Coachman have to agree a transfer of those warranties etc..

A designated Coachman Dealer has a fair amount of delegated authority to put issues right and then reclaim their costs from Coachman.

I would want to see in black and white exactly how every problem will be resolved, without you having to go to Coachman or one of their dealers.

My own Local Dealer, well known in the South Cotswolds, has a fairly full workshop list. They do not like doing other dealers works . They employ their own “Warranty Manager” to deal with their customer after care, which is reputationally excellent.

I’m sorry to say I’m in the Roger / Buckman / John camp here. Good luck but do be careful.

 

[redelf]

Have you checked the dealer out on Companies House? Their official trading name is Burton Trailer Centre Limited .
Nothing wrong buying from a non franchised dealer as long as you fully appreciate where you stand legally . Buckman and others have explained where you stand.
Whatever goes wrong your first point of claim is the seller.

The CRA 2015 is very clear on your rights and routes open to you for a remedy.
No need to repeat them here.
There are then the Coachman guarantees /warranties on all the onboard equipment and of course the water ingress issues. I don’t know the extent of what Coachman offer.

However no contract at the moment exists between you and Coachman. There is nothing in Law that says Coachman have to agree a transfer of those warranties etc..

A designated Coachman Dealer has a fair amount of delegated authority to put issues right and then reclaim their costs from Coachman.

I would want to see in black and white exactly how every problem will be resolved, without you having to go to Coachman or one of their dealers.

My own Local Dealer, well known in the South Cotswolds, has a fairly full workshop list. They do not like doing other dealers works . They employ their own “Warranty Manager” to deal with their customer after care, which is reputationally excellent.

I’m sorry to say I’m in the Roger / Buckman / John camp here. Good luck but do be careful.

They’ve been in business since 1975 (as long as I’ve been alive) and have won awards in 2022 and 2023 on this site for customer satisfaction - a shoddy company couldn’t stay afloat that long, could it?

 

[RogerL]

They’ve been in business since 1975 (as long as I’ve been alive) and have won awards in 2022 and 2023 on this site for customer satisfaction - a shoddy company couldn’t stay afloat that long, could it?

The company was dormant from 1988 to 2003, ie not trading.

 

[Dustydog]

They’ve been in business since 1975 (as long as I’ve been alive) and have won awards in 2022 and 2023 on this site for customer satisfaction - a shoddy company couldn’t stay afloat that long, could it?

No one on here has or ever will say any company is shoddy.
I see they also have another similar Coachman for sale , a year older.
Their advert does portray a very good looking pice of kit.

 

[trevormonty]

For money you are spending still worth getting independant prepurchase inspection. I assume you would for other big ticket items like house or car.

You don't want to buy caravan with known issues especially leaks.

NB service isn't same as prepurchase inspection.

 

[Hutch]

Yes. This is what they said - they can’t deal with Coachman because they’re not a dealer…
Which leaves me wondering where we stand. We are very happy with the van and it is very clean with 2 good services (from dealers that are not the people we bought from) so it feels like we’d be ok. I may try to give coachman a call to see what’s what

With my present Coachman, on year 3 I found a crack on the rear panel. found the dealer has closed. contacted Coachman in Hull, they said go to your closest dealer. Northampton and Bister didn't want to know.

Direct Leisure repairs , were fantastic, they could replace the rear panel, photos only required, they requested warranty repair, fully agreed. In the end Coachman wanted the van back to investigate the cause of the crack. Awning rail not pilot drilled, verbal confirmation only.

Fully recommend DLR. Fantastic people.

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