Caravan Service completed remotely

[Saxo Appeal]

Hi everyone, and a Happy New Year to all

Hope everyone had a great New Year, and looking forward to this years travels We have already booked up at teo sites (more to follow)


Not that we are in a positon yet to have our new 2023 Caravan serviced, but would like to ask

Has anyone decided to have their service completed remotely, where the Tech arrives to the storage site?

Or because your brand new caravan is new, it's best to go back to the Dealership for the first 1-3 years (meaning a drive of over 160 miles there and back)

Presume if the service finds any faults which can be fixed under warranty, we would then need to take the van back to original dealership.

Thanks

 

[Buckman]

Hi everyone, and a Happy New Year to all

Hope everyone had a great New Year, and looking forward to this years travels We have already booked up at teo sites (more to follow)


Not that we are in a positon yet to have our new 2023 Caravan serviced, but would like to ask

Has anyone decided to have their service completed remotely, where the Tech arrives to the storage site?

Or because your brand new caravan is new, it's best to go back to the Dealership for the first 1-3 years (meaning a drive of over 160 miles there and back)

Presume if the service finds any faults which can be fixed under warranty, we would then need to take the van back to original dealership.

Thanks

On the first service it is always best to go back to the dealership. We actually go back for the first two services. The issue here is that if the AWS technician picks up an issue that is warranty work i.e. damp etc you need to take the caravan back to the supplying dealer anyway and then may have to pay them to do another damp check.

Also have the service done as early as possible if using an AWS technician. A bit naughty but what we have done is book the AWS technician as early as possible which I think is 6 weeks prior to the actual service date and also book it in for a service with the dealership. That way if the AWS pick up anything that should be under warranty, you still have the booking with the dealership. Lucky for us this has only happened once with a damp issue.

 

[Hutch]

I would have your first service done by the dealership, and with the number of vans having problems with damp, if you haven't got your own damp meter, it might be prudent to have an independent damp check done by an AWS tech. I am not saying the dealership would not be honest BUT. !!!
I have my servicing done at the storage site.

 

[Buckman]

I would have your first service done by the dealership, and with the number of vans having problems with damp, if you haven't got your own damp meter, it might be prudent to have an independent damp check done by an AWS tech. I am not saying the dealership would not be honest BUT. !!!
I have my servicing done at the storage site.

On a Lunar caravan we had the second service done by the dealer. About three weeks later as I suspected damp we paid an AWS technician to do a damp check . They found 60% damp around the front nearside window and also the floor on the same side.

When confronting the director of the dealership they apologised profusely and even arranged a loan caravan. I also pointed out that we had shocks fitted by themselves yet on the service sheet it was marked as not applicable.

This was the fifth and last caravan that we bought from them as we had numerous issues at handover time. All the blinds in front fell out when we tested them during the handover!

Lastly this may sound unbelievable, but we asked for our jockey wheel assembly on the old caravan to be changed to the new caravan as it had the pneumatic wheel and was almost new. On walking out later we saw that the caravan had the rear steadies down, and the "technician" had wound the jockey wheel right down lifting the caravan in the front and the wheels were almost off the ground. It was a twin axle. He did not know that the jockey wheel came apart and was trying to pull it through the hole. I must admit that the sales person went ballistic.

 

[Paullus1959]

I took my caravan back to the dealers three times in total. The first time due to a cosmetic fault in the black enamel kitchen sink. This was replaced but, they managed to ruin the front blinds in the process when they pushed the seat cushions against them. My caravan was three weeks old when this happened and it was heartbreaking. Fortunately, during the seven years I've owned my caravan, this has been the only warranty work required which is the main reason I'm keeping it.
The first service was carried out without issue. However, as it turned out they missed something important*.
Bad practice during the second service might easily have resulted in a fire when everything, heating, lighting and the electric hob on the stove, with its glass cover down, were all left switched on. They had just disconnected the EHU from the caravan. So, when I reconnected the EHU the electric hob heated up. Fortunately, we hadn't left the caravan or put anything combustible on the glass cover, which luckily didn't shatter either. They also scratched the alloy wheels when removing/refitting them and tore the rubber dust guards on the TyrePal TPMS caps. They removed them with pliers despite me telling them where I'd left the removal tool and instructions out for them. I did get a profuse apology when I complained but, I've been using an AWS guy who comes to where my caravan is kept ever since.
*In fact, the first time he serviced it he found that the axle and towing hitch securing bolts hadn't been tightened up properly. There's every chance it came out of the factory like that but it was missed on the PDI and two annual services by the dealer.
Okay, so I may have been very unlucky, many people I'm sure get impeccable service from their dealership. I'm also sure there are less than brilliant AWS companies out there too.

Do some research, ask around and check reviews. I couldn't fault the sales team who sold me my caravan but, the service department was a disgrace. Indeed they may have improved but, I'm not willing to take the risk especially as I'm 100% happy with the AWS guy I use. He is a one-man band who's livelihood depends on his reputation.

 

[Mel]

No way am I going back to the dealership after the way the service department mucked up their inspection of our trade in; not to mention our previous dire experience of the same service dept with their servicing and warranty work on the traded in van. We are using a mobile AWS person, who is also Swift Approved, so can undertake warranty work. We have used mobile AWS people when we had a van on a seasonal pitch; never had an issue with them.
mel

 

[DaveA1]

I had my new van serviced by an AWS engineer for it's first service, He's Swift approved all details recorded in My Swift Life on the Swift web site.
In the odd 50 years I've been caravanning I've used a steeler maybe 5 times,
My Mobil man lives just around the corner 3 mins away. When I sent them an email booking my first appointment with them, I put my full address, including post code, looking it at just before I sent it , thought, would they think I'm being funny, funny, after thinking about deleting it. I put a P.S, saying "I've left my post code in, in case you have trouble finding me". He called me called me a "a cheeky so and so" that's best part of ten years ago.

 

[RogerL]

I don't buy new caravans very often, just 3 times in 40+ years, and always from a local dealer - but I've always had faults needing work during the warranty period so it's been simpler to use the selling dealer for the warranty work and servicing - once the warranty ends I did the servicing myselef in the olden days and an AWS mobile in more recent times.

My present AWS mobile is very thorough but is very restrictive on repair work, preferring to refer customers to his mate which is an 80 mile round trip, usually twice - not the most convenient arrangement.

 

[GaryB]

In the past I have used AWS engineers to come to the house to service the caravan (when we used to buy them from Glossop which was a 2 hour drive away), this was never a problem, even for the first service, the AWS engineer did the service and gave me a full invoice, I then phoned Glossop with the details and they updated the Swift database. As said above, I found that mobile AWS engineers were not interested in warranty work which is why we now buy-local, our dealer is only 20 minutes away.

 

[Buckman]

In the past I have used AWS engineers to come to the house to service the caravan (when we used to buy them from Glossop which was a 2 hour drive away), this was never a problem, even for the first service, the AWS engineer did the service and gave me a full invoice, I then phoned Glossop with the details and they updated the Swift database. As said above, I found that mobile AWS engineers were not interested in warranty work which is why we now buy-local, our dealer is only 20 minutes away.

Most cannot do warranty work unless you pay them yourself.

 

[Saxo Appeal]

I asked one local Caravan Delaership close to me, if they did servicing and this was the reply.

"Good Morning
Thank you for your enquiry, we do carry out caravan servicing for any customer, however we are unable to carry out any remedial repairs if the vehicle has not been purchased from ourselves"

So does the above mean, if they carry out a service and find an issue, they will not fix it?

If so then why on earth take the van for service acceptance, or am I wrong

 

[otherclive]

I asked one local Caravan Delaership close to me, if they did servicing and this was the reply.

"Good Morning
Thank you for your enquiry, we do carry out caravan servicing for any customer, however we are unable to carry out any remedial repairs if the vehicle has not been purchased from ourselves"

So does the above mean, if they carry out a service and find an issue, they will not fix it?

If so then why on earth take the van for service acceptance, or am I wrong

It seems quite clear what they are saying, but what business turns work away, or they may mean warranty work would not be undertaken given the low rates. Best you seek clarification with them if you plan on using them.

 

[Buckman]

I asked one local Caravan Delaership close to me, if they did servicing and this was the reply.

"Good Morning
Thank you for your enquiry, we do carry out caravan servicing for any customer, however we are unable to carry out any remedial repairs if the vehicle has not been purchased from ourselves"

So does the above mean, if they carry out a service and find an issue, they will not fix it?

If so then why on earth take the van for service acceptance, or am I wrong

That is standard at many dealerships. If you pay they will do the work, but will not do warranty work if caravan was bought elsewhere. I am assuming by remedial work they are referring to warranty work.

 

[GaryB]

From what I understand warranty work done by a dealer is at a very low rate so they don't actually make any money hence a lot (but not all) dealers will only do warranty repairs on caravans they have sold themselves. My own dealer has two service price structures, one rate is reduced for customers who bought caravans from them (I think it's about a 10% difference).

This is why I always try and buy from a local dealer as it makes any repairs so much easier to sort but I appreciate that in some parts of the country people don't have much choice due to there not being many local dealerships.

 

[Raywood]

If the round trip is 160 miles I would use an approved local unless it needed to go back for some warranty work. At that distance you would need either two round trips as to get it there in time would mean setting off at a silly time in the morning and a very late return at night. The guarantee normally allows for the service by a competent person, which basically is a qualified engineer, but do check the exact wording and if in doubt check with the maker.
I do agree with Garry though as if you by locally this problem does not occur. There are numerous reports on here where buying from a remote dealer has caused serious and costly problems.

 

[Sam Vimes]

Our new caravan was bought from a dealer over 300 miles away and for the first two years we went back to them for the annual service in case warranty work needed doing.....which it did and was successfully done although needing more trips to them. We usually arranged this when we were going past them on a trip.

For the final year of warranty cover we took a chance and used a local dealer.....we'll only 150 miles away this time. The thinking was that if there was nothing wrong we'd won. If there was a problem then we'd go back to the dealer. As it happens the van sailed through the service.

I asked out of interest why they wouldn't do warranty work if we'd bought it elsewhere. The answer could only be dreamt up by a bean counter. (Apologies to any accountants here😁)

Manufacturers underestimate the amount of work involved in repairs so the dealer usually has to foot the bill for the additional work.

If the van is bought from the dealer then warranty work done by the service department gets paid from from the sales department and the service department is happy.

If the service department was to do the work for a warranty repair on a van not bought from the dealer, then the service department has to foot the bill for the additional work and the service department is not happy about that.

In both cases the company as a whole may lose money but blame has to be apportioned where the lose is actually incurred.

 

[Dustydog]

The rot sets in at the very point you purchase your new caravan.
Why does the Dealer accept reduced labour charges from the Manufacturer?
Little wonder CRA or not , there is an antipathy from a lot of Dealers to avoid/ delay warranty work. Large structural warranty jobs adversely affects their profit margin.
Like others I have been very lucky my AWS chap , used for many years is excellent. Mobile, most things done at storage but for big jobs 10 miles away he has a large modern repair unit .
I feel for those whose caravans get taken back to the manufacturer for major works which according to anecdotal evidence takes months!

 

[RogerL]

I think the truth is that dealers wouldn't do any warranty work at all if they could avoid it - but of course they cannot avoid it for caravans they've sold.

 

[ProfJohnL]

....
Why does the Dealer accept reduced labour charges from the Manufacturer?

Because that is one of the terms of the contact they agree to when becoming a dealer for the brand. If they don't accept the manufacturers T&C's they won't be appointed a dealer.

Little wonder CRA or not , there is an antipathy from a lot of Dealers to avoid/ delay warranty work. Large structural warranty jobs adversely affects their profit margin.

If that is the reason then its a false economy, becasue as time goes by costs generally rise, and if action is not taken promptly the problem may deteriorate and become an even bigger job.

Its more likely dealers will prefer to carry out work where the customer is paying, as the profit margin is bigger, so this work may well take priority (from the dealers perspective) over warranty work.

There is also the prospect the caravan manufacturer's are probably slow to cover warranty costs and in addition they may question if a warranty claim is genuine which can delay further or even stop remuneration for the work.

In my opinion dealers should stand up to some of the bullying techniques the caravan manufacturer s excersise on warranty work costs.

 

[Buckman]

However the manufacturer would have less outlets if the dealers stood together and demanded higher rates. That would cause the manufacturer a lot of problems. However pigs will fly before dealers stuck together!

 

[Saxo Appeal]

If the round trip is 160 miles I would use an approved local unless it needed to go back for some warranty work. At that distance you would need either two round trips as to get it there in time would mean setting off at a silly time in the morning and a very late return at night. The guarantee normally allows for the service by a competent person, which basically is a qualified engineer, but do check the exact wording and if in doubt check with the maker.
I do agree with Garry though as if you by locally this problem does not occur. There are numerous reports on here where buying from a remote dealer has caused serious and costly problems.

Our issue there was that no Dealerships near us was selling the 2023 Challenger 670 Grande, which perfectly fitted our needs

So we weighed it all up and decided to buy from the dealership that far away.

 

[Stevejj]

Hi everyone, and a Happy New Year to all

Hope everyone had a great New Year, and looking forward to this years travels We have already booked up at teo sites (more to follow)


Not that we are in a positon yet to have our new 2023 Caravan serviced, but would like to ask

Has anyone decided to have their service completed remotely, where the Tech arrives to the storage site?

Or because your brand new caravan is new, it's best to go back to the Dealership for the first 1-3 years (meaning a drive of over 160 miles there and back)

Presume if the service finds any faults which can be fixed under warranty, we would then need to take the van back to original dealership.

Thanks

Hiya, I have a 2017 sterling eccles caravan from new for the first few years always went to the dealership but each time it was a 320 mile round trip, reason was we purchased from a dealership in Lincolnshire but live in Essex as we were supposed to have moved but to date still in essex. I bit the bullet last year and did my homework and booked a registered mobile company to come to my house, all I can say I'd wished I had done it earlier, not only the saving on fuel (£100) but was cheaper than the dealerships. The engineer informed me the brake shoes had been wrongly adjusted and had worn more one side (dealership) this was rectified on service along with a flexible gas pipe which was letting by. If your caravan is in warranty you can still have you van serviced by a mobile engineer and not a dealership as the engineer will enter the relevant service info on the database so the dealership will know you haven't invalidated your warranty. One exception any faults found while under warranty must be carried out by the dealership and not by the mobile engineer, that's the only downside. Hope this is of some help Steve

 

[Dustydog]

Thank you Steve.

As we have come to expect in the disjointed caravan industry it is essential to pay close heed to the small print in the Warranty.

Bailey clearly state servicing can be carried out by An Approved Bailey Retailer or a Bailey Approved Service Centre .

Swift use a similar wording .but use the phrase AWS approved engineer and /or a Swift Group Approved Service Centre who have direct access to our online Customer Service system, Connect.

Other manufacturers refer to NCC Approved Workshop engineers.
The point here is the ambiguity is typical of the caravan industry. If like others and me please check the AWS person you use is acknowledged as acceptable by your manufacturer.

 

[otherclive]

Thank you Steve.

As we have come to expect in the disjointed caravan industry it is essential to pay close heed to the small print in the Warranty.

Bailey clearly state servicing can be carried out by An Approved Bailey Retailer or a Bailey Approved Service Centre .

Swift use a similar wording .but use the phrase AWS approved engineer and /or a Swift Group Approved Service Centre who have direct access to our online Customer Service system, Connect.

Other manufacturers refer to NCC Approved Workshop engineers.
The point here is the ambiguity is typical of the caravan industry. If like others and me please check the AWS person you use is acknowledged as acceptable by your manufacturer.

It’s not necessary for service centres to have a direct link to Swifts database. When I bought my pre owned last caravan its service handbook had been fully stamped. But Swift don’t accept that. So when I contacted Swift about a warranty claim for the replacement of a cracked rear panel I was told only one years service was on record. So I had to contact the two dealerships that had carried out years 2 and 3. Initially they were reluctant to provide the service record and invoice, citing data protection of their customer. But with suitable redactions they sent me the records which I duly forwarded to Swift, who then authorised a warranty replacement for the rear panel.

So much easier if when a caravan has been serviced the service or AWS technician can upload it directly to Swift. So anyone buying a pre owned Swift still within the warranty period should make sure Swift have the required service records, or as a minimum the records are available with the caravan documentation. Put bluntly “ No records, no warranty”

 

[DaveA1]

Feel a bit depressed after reading this thread now. My lads new Swift had (over four years old now)screeching brakes but the length of time the dealer, who excepted the AWS service sheets, said it would take to fix he wasn't prepared to wait that long, told our mobile man to fix it.
This of course invalidated the warranty on the running gear but he wasn't prepared wait that long.