Had this caravan new in 2017 it has had faults on it every year, plus a new front on it this year,

[cider man]

do all compass camino 550 s fall apart Had this caravan new in 2017 it has had faults on it every year, plus a new front on it this year,

 

[Jcloughie]

Welcome to the forum cider man. Sorry, sounds fairly typical to me. Sad to say.

John

 

[otherclive]

Was the new front fitted under warranty. My last two vans had one front and two rear panels between them, all fitted under warranty.

 

[cider man]

Hi otherclive no it is out off warranty,

 

[ProfJohnL]

do all compass camino 550 s fall apart Had this caravan new in 2017 it has had faults on it every year, plus a new front on it this year,

I'm sorry to read of your experiences, and I'd love to be able to say its uncommon, but sadly it far too common for anyone's comfort. I am continually staggered at the number of faults that arise on such new caravan, and these aren't cheap purchases, and customers should be able to expect the caravan manufacturers should have enough experience now to be able to make consistently satisfactory products, that don't leak or fall apart at the smallest provocation.

The worst part about it is some caravans are fault free so the designs aren't all bad, so the question is if they can do it sometimes, why can't they do it every time? its because they don't put the effort into manufacturing them consistently.

They have had about 100 years of experience, but they don't seem interested in learning the lessons or doing something about improving the most common faults, they just continue to churn out inconsistent products and of course its the customer that pays for their incompetence becasue the manufacturers hike the prices to cover the cost of all the warranty repairs they have to pay for.

May I suggest you look into the way the Consumer Rights Act (2015) might apply, and whils it might be too late no for this caravan, but it might prove a useful tool for any and all your future purchases.

 

[Beachball]

Hi cider man welcome to the forum sorry some caravan do have faults sadly to say

 

[Buckman]

do all compass camino 550 s fall apart Had this caravan new in 2017 it has had faults on it every year, plus a new front on it this year,

We have a 2018 caravan from the same manufacturer and a crack developed in the front panel last year when it was 5 years old and they wanted to charge us in excess of £5000 to repair. We challenged them and were successful in getting a new panel fitted and paying a £600 contribution.

The dealer and the manufacturer stated that it was accidental damage, but we proved them wrong.

 

[Mandarin]

We have the same van with the side coming adrift at 2 years old. Eldiss state pothole damage (see thread in technical section).

Won't touch Eldiss products again and once fixed will switch to another brand (also no doubt with faults )

 

[Buckman]

We have the same van with the side coming adrift at 2 years old. Eldiss state pothole damage (see thread in technical section).

Won't touch Eldiss products again and once fixed will switch to another brand (also no doubt with faults )

Elddis always claim pothole damage which is rated as accidental damage. Put a claim in through your insurance company who will send out an assessor. More than likely the assessor will state that it is not pothole damage.

You then have an "expert" opinion that neither the dealer or the manufacturer can argue against. Worth a try as that is what we did and we were successful!

Also a report from an AWS technician also goes a long way. Better still if the caravan is on or was on HP as it is up to the HP company to fight your corner.

 

[cider man]

Hi mandarin thanks for your reply, been down that root, have to pay half the cost of front panal

 

[Jcloughie]

Elddis always claim pothole damage which is rated as accidental damage. Put a claim in through your insurance company who will send out an assessor. More than likely the assessor will state that it is not pothole damage.

You then have an "expert" opinion that neither the dealer or the manufacturer can argue against. Worth a try as that is what we did and we were successful!

Also a report from an AWS technician also goes a long way. Better still if the caravan is on or was on HP as it is up to the HP company to fight your corner.

IMHO, that is excellent advice.

John

 

[cider man]

Thanks for your advice, done all of that, but still have to pay half of the cost,

 

[Raywood]

We have never had one with consistent problems like that but a minority do seem to be bad. I would follow the profs advice regarding the legal position if you want to take action. If you are a member of either of the two big clubs, they do have a legal help line which can advise you in detail. Buckman also has a good point and that should cost you nothing.

 

[cider man]

thanks for your advice ray, but this is with one of the big clubs, and gone down the legal path, the van is over the first 3 years, so we pay half the cost, the last van we had was a land ranger 660abs from avondale, a much better built caravan,

 

[ProfJohnL]

thanks for your advice ray, but this is with one of the big clubs, and gone down the legal path, the van is over the first 3 years, so we pay half the cost, the last van we had was a land ranger 660abs from avondale, a much better built caravan,

I do wonder if there is some lack of clarity about where the liability might lie, which could change the way your problems might be addressed.

The rights, obligations and liabilities are quite different under the manufacturer's warranty compared to your statutory rights which are with the seller not the manufacturer.

Let there be no doubt, the Consumer Rights Act (2015) has real teeth which stay sharp regardless of any action or repairs undertaken through the manufacturer's warranty. That is why every manufacturers warranty has to include a phrase like "This warranty does not diminish your statutory rights"

I'm guessing it's the manufacturer that given you the pay 50% ultimatum. That is quite legal for them, becasue of teh way the Manufacturers warranty is written, they write it and you can take it or leave it. but the CRA sets out quite clearly the seller is responsible if they sell faulty goods or goods that are not durable or fit for purpose.

On the assumption the fault has not been caused by misuse or damage, there is a real possibility the fault was present at the point you took delivery, and that means the seller sold faulty goods. That is contrary to the CRA and providing you can provide evidence from an accepted expert assessor, you have a strong case to bring a claim against the seller (not the manufacturer)

Claims of this type do not need the manufacture to agree as they are not legally part of the contract of sale.

Each case should be resolved on its own facts, and if you have actually been able to have unimpeded use of the product despite the fault being present, then the seller can counter claim for the use you have had.

Ultimately the CRA is designed to put the consumer back into the same place they would have been if the fault had not arisen - which is a fair way to look at it.

The fact the manufacturer has agreed there is a warranty liability is a strong point that might yield better results with a CRA claim.

 

[Buckman]

thanks for your advice ray, but this is with one of the big clubs, and gone down the legal path, the van is over the first 3 years, so we pay half the cost, the last van we had was a land ranger 660abs from avondale, a much better built caravan,

When we used one of the clubs legal team, we were given incorrect advice and if we had taken that route we would have been several thousand pounds one of pocket. We eventually used Which legal Services and were very successful. Please be very careful when taking advice.

 

[Bluemansfield1958]

We were thinking of looking at replacing our much maligned Stealth with an Elddis , I think will stick with it. As no ( hope not tempting fate) major issues in 10 years

 

[Raywood]

Possibly wise.