Has anyone any advice on the Elddis 10 year warranty cover on getting not only water ingress damage caused but also cover for a new panel to replace a current faulty panel with 2 cracks on the front o/s roof panel that have appeared in a caravan that has for one reason or another hardly been used (2 years sat still due to Covid) and only been used a total of 18 nights since service in February when all was well. Caravan is only 5 years old and finished paying for it earlier this year. Dealer says water damage should be no problem to claim on warranty but cracks they doubt it. Is it worth getting solicitors involved? Any advice gratefully received.
Elddis roof cracks
- Thread starter Sonia B
- Start date
Did you buy it new from the dealer, or pre owned? Elldiss's have featured regularly wrt roof cracks. My advice would be to talk to Which Legal Services who understand the Consumer Retail Act 2015. The initial consultation is free, but further support is available after you subscribe fora years service. there is one meter of the forum who has successfully used the CRA 2015 for similar issues and sought Which advice. Which don't represent you legally but will aid your actions with advice, drawing of letters, actions etc. IE a total guide to the process of achieving your legal rights. But you have to be very focussed and let head rule heart. A friend of mine deviated from using Which, and opted to use his Home insurance legal helpline and instated his own repairs via another body. . Result £8k out of pocket. You can read up on CRA 2015 via the Which website.
Remember it's the Seller who has the sole responsibility to correct things, or offer refunds etc under CRA 2015 .
Remember it's the Seller who has the sole responsibility to correct things, or offer refunds etc under CRA 2015 .
It matters not a jot how the caravan has been used/treated, even if its been stored, unused, in a dry building, it simply comes down to time and of course the servicing having been carried out as per thrir instructions.
If you check the 10 year warranty details very carefully. Water ingress is only covered through a permanently sealed joint . That is pretty standard across all manufacturers warranties.
A crack in a panel isnt a permanently sealed joint, I know, I know, it's bizarre but that's what is written down. The cost to challenge, and the stress involved probably isn't worth it.
See what your dealer says about repairing the cracks for you.
Good luck, and keep us posted
If you check the 10 year warranty details very carefully. Water ingress is only covered through a permanently sealed joint . That is pretty standard across all manufacturers warranties.
A crack in a panel isnt a permanently sealed joint, I know, I know, it's bizarre but that's what is written down. The cost to challenge, and the stress involved probably isn't worth it.
See what your dealer says about repairing the cracks for you.
Good luck, and keep us posted
Sonia
I think you are in for a tough time sorry to say 😢
The cracked panels have been well documented on here . When you say front O/S roof panel do you mean the actual front panel or the roof?
This is worth a read and you will recognise some of the authors
www.caravantalk.co.uk
I can only echo Clive’s advice. Consult Which ? Legal Services.
Good luck
I think you are in for a tough time sorry to say 😢
The cracked panels have been well documented on here . When you say front O/S roof panel do you mean the actual front panel or the roof?
This is worth a read and you will recognise some of the authors
Caravan warranty claim rejected.
Hello All, Firstly I apologise if this in in the wrong section, but I’m thinking it relates to all caravans with warranty? I’m looking for a bit of advice. I have a 2019 ELDDIS SUPREME 866 bought from new. After the last service is ware found that I have two cracks, one in each corner of the back...
www.caravantalk.co.uk
Good luck
Sadly the wording of the manufacturers' warranty is very specific, and has caused upset to many for the reason Mr Plodd has presented.
Do check the wording on your manufacturer's warranty agreement.
Just in case you don't know, the Consumer Rights Act applies whenever you make a retail purchase, and its sets out the responsibilities, liabilities and risks of both the consumer and the retailer ( not the manufacturer) . It cannot be substituted by the manufacturers warranty which is a totally separate contract between you and the manufacturer, (not the dealer)
Unless you are well versed in consumer protection law, I strongly suggest you read up about it and even use the Consumer Associations website "Which?" to seek specific advice in your circumstances.
Do check the wording on your manufacturer's warranty agreement.
Just in case you don't know, the Consumer Rights Act applies whenever you make a retail purchase, and its sets out the responsibilities, liabilities and risks of both the consumer and the retailer ( not the manufacturer) . It cannot be substituted by the manufacturers warranty which is a totally separate contract between you and the manufacturer, (not the dealer)
Unless you are well versed in consumer protection law, I strongly suggest you read up about it and even use the Consumer Associations website "Which?" to seek specific advice in your circumstances.
We have an Elddis product and had cracks on the front panel. We had it replaced by the dealership! Like you the HP had been paid off on the caravan, but although the caravan came from a dealership, it was the finance company that supplied the caravan to us and they were still liable under CRA 2015.
The way to go about it is to ask the dealer why there are cracks and more than likely the manufacturer or dealer will blame it on the roads etc. Anything except the true cause.
At that point we put in a claim with the caravan insurance company and they sent out an assessor from the caravan insurance company. At the time our caravan was at the dealership and while the assessor was there, he examined some other caravans and found the same issue with the panels.
The assessor examined the caravan and came to the conclusion that it was the type of material used for the front panel therefore the fault was there from day one. We claimed under S9, S10 and S11 of the CRA 2015 and NOT the warranty as the latter is a waste of time and you will get nowhere. We were successful with our claim.
As mentioned above Which Legal Services is a good source of information and legal advice.
And wasn’t it Elddis who invented and now supply end caps that are stuck on the panels to hide the cracks🙀.
Years back Bailey used ABS front and rear panels on all their models. I once saw a Delivery truck arrive at Chipping Sodbury Caravans with six new panels on board!
The cracks were mostly caused by poor installation. No pilot holes had been drilled first 🙀
Years back Bailey used ABS front and rear panels on all their models. I once saw a Delivery truck arrive at Chipping Sodbury Caravans with six new panels on board!
The cracks were mostly caused by poor installation. No pilot holes had been drilled first 🙀
I did consider end caps on my Swift Sprite but in the end at almost 5 years Swift authorised the dealer to replace the rear panel.
The caps hid the fault and was a cheap way of sneaking out of their obligations.
In the end there were more cracks across the roof end panel so that’s why Swift authorised a warranty replacement by the non selling dealership Tilshead Caravans, a Swift dealer though who discover the cracks during a service. They also found the relaxed axle, but no joy on that one.
I feel your pain.
Fundamentally the panels on elddis caravan's are not fit for purpose and/or the frame underneath is exerting excess stress on the panels due to incorrect fitting and/or the internal frame is too big. They ought not to be cracking (even when stored in a barn or whatever) but there are so many instances of Elddis panel cracks out there - recorded on forums etc .
If your caravan was bought new and is less than 6 yrs old then one option is to get an Expert Report done on the caravan to verify the "cause of the cracks" and the remedy required to fix the fault.
Dave Shaw (of Chesterfiled; leisurevehicle@gmail.com) is excellent for this job. He is an independent caravan consultant & writes these reports all the time incl on the dreaded Elddis panel cracks; reports cost approx £3-400. He writes his reports in a way that is acceptable should you need to follow the matter up as small court claim, meaning his report is powerful evidence that a judge will accept.
If the report points to a manufacturing defect then you have the ammunition needed to take this further. My advice would then be to join Which?Legal (at small monthly cost) and follow their advice. They have /and are dealing with caravan cases; you could even ask for Paula Oligbo - she is a qualified solicitor at Which Legal and has experience of such caravan cases.
Don't be fobbed off by dealers/ elddis etc. especially if you have the protection of the consumer rights act 2015 and a strongly worded, clear Expert Report.
Elddis needs to get its house in order re: cracking panels- or they may not have any customers left who are willing to risk buying their products
Panels come in different grades and I wonder if Elddis is just buying the cheapest on the market.
Fundamentally the panels on elddis caravan's are not fit for purpose and/or the frame underneath is exerting excess stress on the panels due to incorrect fitting and/or the internal frame is too big. They ought not to be cracking (even when stored in a barn or whatever) but there are so many instances of Elddis panel cracks out there - recorded on forums etc .
If your caravan was bought new and is less than 6 yrs old then one option is to get an Expert Report done on the caravan to verify the "cause of the cracks" and the remedy required to fix the fault.
Dave Shaw (of Chesterfiled; leisurevehicle@gmail.com) is excellent for this job. He is an independent caravan consultant & writes these reports all the time incl on the dreaded Elddis panel cracks; reports cost approx £3-400. He writes his reports in a way that is acceptable should you need to follow the matter up as small court claim, meaning his report is powerful evidence that a judge will accept.
If the report points to a manufacturing defect then you have the ammunition needed to take this further. My advice would then be to join Which?Legal (at small monthly cost) and follow their advice. They have /and are dealing with caravan cases; you could even ask for Paula Oligbo - she is a qualified solicitor at Which Legal and has experience of such caravan cases.
Don't be fobbed off by dealers/ elddis etc. especially if you have the protection of the consumer rights act 2015 and a strongly worded, clear Expert Report.
Elddis needs to get its house in order re: cracking panels- or they may not have any customers left who are willing to risk buying their products
Panels come in different grades and I wonder if Elddis is just buying the cheapest on the market.
Last edited:
Your helpful advice mirrors similar in posts above, but so far there has been no further feedback from the OP on their position.
Facebook
Twitter