Mobile caravan service and Warranty

[brian_c]

Empty post (likely not intentional - probably an Internet Explorer issue!)

 

[Parksy]

It looks as though you may be using Internet Explorer 9 and this could be why your text has failed to load onto the message board Brian.
IE9 is not automatically compatible with some internet forums including this one.
The situation is easily and simply remedied by activating the compatibility setting for Practical Caravan forum.
Click Here for easy to follow instructions on how to do this.

 

[Damian]

I am posting the following in the hope that it will answer any question you hoped to ask:

For owners of vans which are still under Warranty, and in particular the Water Ingress Warranty (which can be up to 10 years) it is imperitive to abide by the Manufacturers Terms and Conditions.
Under these T&C's it states that a Full Annual Service is carried out including a Damp Check. This service MUST be ONLY carried out by one of the following service agents in order of Manufacturers preference:

1. The Supplying Dealer
2. The Caravan Manufacturer's Approved Workshop.
3. A National Caravan Council Approved Workshop (Fixed or Mobile)

A full list of NCC Approved Workshops can be found here:
NCC Approved Workshops
Remember that the Service can be carried out by any of the above but Warranty Repairs, particularly relating the to the actual fabric of the van is the sole responsibilty of the Supplying Dealer.
There are a lot of Mobile Engineers out there, all trying to get business and some may not tell you that they are not an Approved Workshop, it is YOUR resposibilty to ensure that whoever touches your van IS an Approved Workshop.
Demand to see their Licence issued by the National Caravan Council and MUST be for the current year.
If they are not on the list in the link above, they are NOT an Approved Workshop. There is no argument or get out excuse, they either ARE or they are NOT.
Dont forget also that if you opt for a mobile instead of your supplying Dealer, and you have fabric warranty issues, dont expect the Supplying Dealer to go out of their way to accomodate you.
I use the word "Fabric" to mean the bodywork and permanent fixtures and fittings. Other items such as fridges, cookers, water heaters etc are all covered by their own warranties and many Mobile Engineers are certified by the appliance Manufacturers to effect warranty repairs without affecting the main caravan Warranty.

 

[Surfer]

Good post and spot on by Damien regarding unqualified people servicing your pride and joy. However at this time of cost cutting due to being squeezed financially from all angles, the temptation is there to use a "cheaper" mobile fitter to save money. After all if you can save half the cost of what the dealer charges for what is basically a check over of your caravan with only the running gear being serviced, it si money in your pocket to be used elsewhere.
I often wonder what would happen if a caravan was not serviced regularly, but a damp test was done annually and damp was discovered 4 years later from time of purchase and the owner challenged it in court when the dealer refused the claim.
I don't think the dealer would win as servicing and damp are two totally seperate issues and Unfair Terms in Consumer regulations could be cited. Servicing regularly will never prevent damp, it will only detect it earlier therefore the two cannot be related.
TBH I don't think it will ever get to court because the dealer/manufacturer would cave in because if they lost it would start a precedence and open the flood gates to more claims.

 

[RogerL]

The requirements of SoGA and warranty are different - under the warranty, any seller or manufacturer is quite entitled to make whatever servicing requirements they want - but under SoGA the condition of using approved workshop cannot be applied.
If a caravan isn't serviced or serviced by a non-approved workshop the warranty is voided but a claim under SoGA would take into account whether the servicing (or lack of it) contributed to the specific fault being claimed for.
The link between servicing and damp doesn't exist for most caravans but it will for Bailey Alutecs because the tightening requirement is a scheduled task.
For my own part, I accept the high cost of dealer servicing for the first 2 services and take it into account with the initial purchase decision - this gives 2 years 364 days of warranty cover - after that it would be serviced by an un-approved mobile fitter who has HIGHER standards than ACW's I've had to use in the past - I used to do my own out-of-warranty servicing, to a higher standard than ACW, but am too old and decrepit to get down and dirty anymore.
I certainly wouldn't pay expensive approved workshop rates after the general warranty finished, not even to keep any water ingress warranty intact - if it hasn't leaked in it's first 3 years the probality is that it won't leak in the next 10 so I take the small risk.

 

[ProfJohnL]

This may seem pedantic but I have always been told the words 'Warranty' and 'Guarantee' are not interchangeable.

As I understand it a warranty is statement (stated or implied) that defines the condition of goods or services at the point of purchase.

This is the basis of SoGA and your stautory rights.

A Guarantee is a statement that defines how the guarantor will respond under specified circumstances if a product fails after purchase.

This is the basis of the manufacturers guarantee. As a guarantee is not a legal requirement in the UK, the terms that govern it are at the behest of the guarantor,and can include requirements for products to be serviced at specified intervals, and who should carry it out.

 

[Taff]

I have a 3 year old Coachman and every service has been carried out by an unapproved workshop. This is my choice and it is not because of cost. My caravan is my pride and joy and I want to know that my caravan has been through a thorough service and it is worth peace of mind that this has been done. The man that services my caravan used to work for a dealer before they went into liquidation and he has set up on his own. He cannot afford the costs involved to join the NCC and from what I have seen from people who have had work done by approved workshops, I will stick with who I know and trust.

 

[Martin24]

I have a 3 year old Coachman and every service has been carried out by an unapproved workshop. This is my choice and it is not because of cost. My caravan is my pride and joy and I want to know that my caravan has been through a thorough service and it is worth peace of mind that this has been done. The man that services my caravan used to work for a dealer before they went into liquidation and he has set up on his own. He cannot afford the costs involved to join the NCC and from what I have seen from people who have had work done by approved workshops, I will stick with who I know and trust.

I just hope you don't have to cover the cost of delamination or damp in the next couple of years as Coachman probably won't cover the cost.

 

[Surfer]

The requirements of SoGA and warranty are different - under the warranty, any seller or manufacturer is quite entitled to make whatever servicing requirements they want - but under SoGA the condition of using approved workshop cannot be applied.
If a caravan isn't serviced or serviced by a non-approved workshop the warranty is voided but a claim under SoGA would take into account whether the servicing (or lack of it) contributed to the specific fault being claimed for.
The link between servicing and damp doesn't exist for most caravans but it will for Bailey Alutecs because the tightening requirement is a scheduled task.
For my own part, I accept the high cost of dealer servicing for the first 2 services and take it into account with the initial purchase decision - this gives 2 years 364 days of warranty cover - after that it would be serviced by an un-approved mobile fitter who has HIGHER standards than ACW's I've had to use in the past - I used to do my own out-of-warranty servicing, to a higher standard than ACW, but am too old and decrepit to get down and dirty anymore.
I certainly wouldn't pay expensive approved workshop rates after the general warranty finished, not even to keep any water ingress warranty intact - if it hasn't leaked in it's first 3 years the probality is that it won't leak in the next 10 so I take the small risk.

Spot on Roger. As per Martin's post I am not sure how a service would prevent delamination.

 

[Martin24]

Service won't prevent it but using someone un approved will invalidate the warranty.

 

[Surfer]

Service won't prevent it but using someone un approved will invalidate the warranty.

That to an extent is incorrect. See Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 for a starter. Secondly read up on SOGA which can protect you up to 6 years. SOGA over rides any T & Cs that a manufacturer may decide to include. A dealer more than likely, depending on circumstances of cours,e lose in a court of law which is why claism get settled before they reach this point. Many people take their caravans to un-approved workshops as in a lot of cases as Roger pointed out, you will get far better and more efficient service at a lower price.

 

[RogerL]

Service won't prevent it but using someone un approved will invalidate the warranty.

That to an extent is incorrect. See Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 for a starter. Secondly read up on SOGA which can protect you up to 6 years. SOGA over rides any T & Cs that a manufacturer may decide to include. A dealer more than likely, depending on circumstances of cours,e lose in a court of law which is why claism get settled before they reach this point. Many people take their caravans to un-approved workshops as in a lot of cases as Roger pointed out, you will get far better and more efficient service at a lower price.

No it's not incorrect - using non-approved workshops/mobiles for servicing will void the warranty - but it won't diminish any rights under SoGA.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Surfer.
The arrangemenst of SoGA and the manufacturers Guarantee are entirely seperated and do not influence each other. The manufacture cannot prescribe any terms and conditions to warranty matters under SoGA.

 

[Taff]

Can I just say that the word unapproved sounds like I am using someone who is not competent. The person I am using has over 30 years experience servicing and repairing caravans and as I previously stated, I trust him to carry out the work. He did identify some damp on the front nearside window which I had to pay for. Poor construction was the cause and I am being told by the constructors that I must use an approved workshop as they have paid thousands of pounds to join the exclusive club.
I have 3 options when I next buy new:-
a) Get the dealer to accept my T's n C's when i buy, if they wont accept me using the Unapproved competent person:-
b) Buy foreign and see if they will accept my T's n C's. If they wont:-
c) Buy secondhand

 

[RogerL]

Can I just say that the word unapproved sounds like I am using someone who is not competent. The person I am using has over 30 years experience servicing and repairing caravans and as I previously stated, I trust him to carry out the work. He did identify some damp on the front nearside window which I had to pay for. Poor construction was the cause and I am being told by the constructors that I must use an approved workshop as they have paid thousands of pounds to join the exclusive club.
I have 3 options when I next buy new:-
a) Get the dealer to accept my T's n C's when i buy, if they wont accept me using the Unapproved competent person:-
b) Buy foreign and see if they will accept my T's n C's. If they wont:-
c) Buy secondhand

A good or poor workshop/mobile is simply not the same as an approved or unapproved one as a number of us have found out the hard way.
Warranty and statutory rights are different - all buyers of new caravans have a choice, a) have servicing done at an approved workshop/mobile and get the benifit of both warranty AND statutory rights or b) have servicing done where you choose but only have statutory rights.
Getting redress under statutory rights will probably involve going through a legal process, at least part of the way, which can be hard work. Getting redress under warranty is easier, at least in theory, but in some cases may still mean going down the statutory rights route.

 

[DeliDave_]

Being practical,I think you are best to use an approved engineer from Damians list til warranty is up then anyone (or yourself if competent),last time I saw a solicitor it was £300 an hour which makes a service engineers charge look peanuts.

 

[Damian]

It always amuses me that people will pay out tens of thousands of pounds on a caravan, claim it is their "pride and joy" then fail to abide by the manufacturers Terms and Conditions of Warranty to "save a few pounds", then ***** when things go wrong and they are told,,,,,Tough,you failed to keep to your side of the contract which you willingly agreed to.

It also amuses me that some people rubbish off the Approved Workshop Scheme when their dissatisfaction was so long ago they fail to see the progress which has been made to ensure a good level of service.
If anyone has an issue with AWS, dont moan on forums, for gods sake REPORT it to the NCC AWS scheme.

Everyone can find stories to tell of bad this and that, but the people who DO provide very good customer service are tarred with the same brush, which is very unfair.

As for Taffs demands, 1 & 2, forget it , it will never happen, and if you should ever buy an Adria, then ONLY Adria approved workshops can service them.
Dont expect foreign manufacturers to agree to your T&C's , you will be very sadly disappointed.

 

[RogerL]

If anyone has an issue with AWS, dont moan on forums, for gods sake REPORT it to the NCC AWS scheme.

Tried that - ineffective !!
The point is that some unapproved workshop/mobiles are very good, but you can't** use them while a caravan is under warranty.
** Well you can but you'd have to rely solely on SoGA to get redress - which is too much aggro for most peole.

 

[Surfer]

Hello Surfer.
The arrangemenst of SoGA and the manufacturers Guarantee are entirely seperated and do not influence each other. The manufacture cannot prescribe any terms and conditions to warranty matters under SoGA.

I am fairly sure that is what I meant.

 

[Taff]

If the moderator bothered to read the replies I did say that money was not the issue. I wanted someone to service my caravan who I trust and I have taken the consequences.