To service, or not to service - that is the question....

[Geist]

I'm just mulling over some thoughts here - so don't think this is a caravan 'bash', or an invitation to a gloom-fest

We've got a van coming up for its first service. It's on finance over a 5 year term.

Normally, I'd get the service done without a though in order to maintain the warranty - but, as you might be starting to realise, things are changing fast.

A service will cost the best part of £200 - and I know from past experience that it's an almost complete waste of money apart from the warranty maintenance. It's covered about 800 miles from new, so if the bearings/brakes etc need attention, then there is something very wrong.

Similarly, I don't need to pay £200 for someone to 'check' the gas, or that water comes out of the taps, or that the lights work

So, what's left? - the warranty of course - six years water ingress warranty that depends on an annual inspection.

BUT......in two years time diesel will be at least £2 - £2.50 per litre (in my humble opinion) and caravaning will be virtually extinct.

So, there I'll be - with a van that can hardly be used because of the cost of fuel, and which is worth next to nothing for the same reason.

Then I'll have two choices - carry on paying for it and use it occasionally (which, would also mean keeping a thirsty car) or just abandon it back to the finance company, using the legal right to return the goods after half has been paid, and be free of the balance.

That's going to be the most cost effective option as it will be worthless on the second-hand market, which will be awash with caravans being disposed of for the same reason.

So, if it *is* going back to the finance company in a couple of years, is there any point in wasting more money on services or keeping up a warranty that's going to be pointless?

Probably not.

Of course, all this hinges on the future cost of fuel - but the signs are bad, very very bad. People have talked about the end of the car age for a long time - but, now, it looks as though we're on the threshold of changes, the like of which none of us have ever seen before.

Sorry to sound gloomy - I enjoy caravaning as much as anyone here - but, surely, 2008 will be the last year before the price *really* starts to cripple the hobby?

 

[Jo_5040485]

Geist,

I can understand your concerns about the rising cost of fuel, but if that does happen, or perhaps I should say when, all types of holiday will be affected by rising costs, so are you suggesting that you won't be having any holidays at all?

You could holiday much closer to home. We go on a lot of rallies with our local club DA. This means we don't have to drive too far, thus keeping fuel costs down, but still get a great holiday / weekend away etc. I suspect that indeed the rising cost of fuel will change peoples holidaying habbits as costs increase but I can't see the end of caravanning just yet. Even with the running costs it is still quite a bit cheaper than a lot of the alternatives, certainly for us.

Jog

 

[Royston]

Wow Geist. I bet your glad that you have got that off your chest,

regarding your yearly service. Question I would ask why did you

buy a brand new van, there are plenty of very good second hand vans around half the price you pay for a new one.

Why did you Buy a new van , was because of the warrantys that you get , because if you fail to get a yearly service, then the warranties will be null and void.

Please check the small print in your insurance as a lot of Insurances require a proof of your servicing records should you need to make a claim.

Caravanning is a joy to lots of people,Fuel will go up thats a fact of life, so will every other form IE gas & elect, It has been proven that caravanning is the most enjoyable form of relaxation, where else can you go away at the drop of a hat and enjoy yourself.Your best bet is to take the van out this weekend enjoy the freedom ,you will come back feeling a lot better.

 

[SteveW77]

It has been proven that caravanning is the most enjoyable form of relaxation,

Would you care to share this proof, or is this just your opinion

Steve W

 

[vernon]

Good point Geist,

I was thinking the same, servicing is a rip-off, and as fuel gets dearer, the cost of taking the caravan for a service, plus the service, is becoming more expensive than the cost of the warranty repairs, particularly if you bought the caravan at the NEC from a "distant" dealer.

For 36 years I have serviced my own caravans and done my own repairs.

There has been no water ingress in the first two years, I use a cover in the Winter, is it worth continuing with the servicing?

The insurance query is a red herring, as my insurance does not state that the service must be done by a dealer, and surely if lack of servicing causes an insurance claim, the insurance company must prove the claim was caused by lack of servicing, not just by looking for a stamp in the log book.

 

[RogerP]

Think carefully about returning the caravan to the finance company.

Sounds good in theory but that would also get you a bad credit rating and impact your ability at a later date to get credit. And take credit as not just a credit card or loan but also your banking or paying things by direct debit , all these benefits could be withdrawn from you or you could be asked to pay monthly fees just to hold an account with the bank with these facilities.

Secondly rising fuel costs , personnaly its a fact of life , goods increase in price , followed by cost of living followed higher wage demands followed by.....the loop go on.

I remember as a 16 year old worrying that when fuel went upto

 

[MartinJ]

Geist I had exactly the same thoughts when our brand new bailey was due for its first service 2 years ago. My wife persuaded me to take it back to the dealers for the service. It was a good job she did as they found a tiny crack in the front panel when doing the damp test. There was no indication of any problem before it went in for the service so we would have been well out of warranty before the problem showed itself. To be fair to Bailey they arranged for it to go back to the factory for a new panel - job done in about 2 weeks. Shudder to think of the cost had we had to pay for it ourselves.

Dont share your pessimistic view on the future of caravans though. Its either a choice of no holiday at all or paying increased fuel prices whether towing or not. The vast majority of people will continue touring in my opinion.

 

[Mike_374341361]

For what it's worth, I remember my Dad panicking in about 1975,saying fuel is going to cost

 

[WilliamTups]

Geist,

I've handed back three cars to the finance company over the years where they have been hard to sell or the price I'm likely to get was less than the value to hand the car back, am I not alone I know a few people that have also done this.

But in every case my credit rating has never been affected (as suggested by RogerP - in fact on two occasions the garage I was buying the new car from advised me to hand the car back to the finance company I order to save money)

But a word of caution if you do hand it back make sure that you had complied with all of the T&C's otherwise the finance company will sting you with costs of repairs and also check for collection details etc sometimes you have to take the car / caravan to them and if they reject it you have to take it back home, do the required work and take it back to them, some companies just keep rejecting until you give in and agree to keep the car / caravan.

Regards, Bill

 

[anotherDavid]

What a miserable diatribe, none of us enjoy paying though the nose for fuel but it aint going to alter. Either pay up or stop at home. Also regarding the servicing issue, in the past when vans were much lighter and simpler I used to service my own but with the introduction of the "one shot" nut fitting of hubs plus 240 volt electricity that I am not qualified to deal with I get mine done (I hope) and pay up. They (the workshop) did one time find damage to 3 year old tyres I wasnt aware of so that year at least I was satisfied. Finally my insurance with the Caravan Club is "10 year new for old" and dependant on an approved workshop service.

Dave

 

[Dustydog]

I've had to get an old Leonard Cohen cd out to cheer myself up after reading this lot!

Cheers

Alan

 

[Geist]

William wrote:

I've handed back three cars to the finance company over the years where they have been hard to sell or the price I'm likely to get was less than the value to hand the car back, am I not alone I know a few people that have also done this.⇦br/>

Cheers William. Exercising my legal right to hand it back is something that I'm considering in a couple of years.

By that time the sale value might well be negligible because of the fuel increases and returning it could be the most cost effective option.

I won't be happy about it - but neither would I be happy to continue paying for something that can no longer be used and which can't be sold.

It's all very well people putting on their best Dunkirk spirit and announcing that they will carry on caravanning [ ] no matter *what* - it won't be that simple.

Think about what a

 

[JohnM20]

Think carefully about returning the caravan to the finance company.

Sounds good in theory but that would also get you a bad credit rating and impact your ability at a later date to get credit. And take credit as not just a credit card or loan but also your banking or paying things by direct debit , all these benefits could be withdrawn from you or you could be asked to pay monthly fees just to hold an account with the bank with these facilities.

Secondly rising fuel costs , personnaly its a fact of life , goods increase in price , followed by cost of living followed higher wage demands followed by.....the loop go on.

I remember as a 16 year old worrying that when fuel went upto

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

William wrote:

I've handed back three cars to the finance company over the years where they have been hard to sell or the price I'm likely to get was less than the value to hand the car back, am I not alone I know a few people that have also done this.⇦br/>

Cheers William. Exercising my legal right to hand it back is something that I'm considering in a couple of years.

By that time the sale value might well be negligible because of the fuel increases and returning it could be the most cost effective option.

I won't be happy about it - but neither would I be happy to continue paying for something that can no longer be used and which can't be sold.

It's all very well people putting on their best Dunkirk spirit and announcing that they will carry on caravanning [ ] no matter *what* - it won't be that simple.

Think about what a

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

Geist, with your way of thinking disaster will happen a lot sooner than needs be if everyone that takes on a credit agreement does the same as you.

You took on a legally binding contract, and at the time, no doubt you were more than grateful for the company to lend you the money. You now have a vision that in the very near future your caravan will be worth zero, so if is worth nothing to you then obviously it will be worth exactly the same to the finance company, leaving them with an unpaid debt, ask yourself is that fair? I think not.

If you cant afford your hobby, or if your predictions are correct, do the honourable thing now and sell your caravan while you can still get a decent price for it, pay of what you owe, and don't burden other people with your unpaid debt.

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Oh dear, oh dear. Victor Meldrews are alive and well. If the worst came, which i don't believe for one minute it will, and i have to sell my bungalow i would have at least my second home (my caravan) to live in.Cheer up looking around at my friends the vast majority have never had it so good.

Hamer

 

[Damian]

Geist, one thing you seem to have overlooked.

The finance company are not "obliged" to take your van back if you have not taken care of it, and adhered to the terms of the warranty, as at the present time, it is their van, not yours.

I think if you read all the small print , you are obliged to have the van serviced or they, the owners, could force you to do so, if they wanted to, or make you pay for any repairs that were needed to bring it up to standard, if they accepted it back.

 

[Geist]

Alan & Gill wrote:

If you cant afford your hobby, or if your predictions are correct, do the honourable thing now and sell your caravan while you can still get a decent price for it, pay of what you owe, and don't burden other people with your unpaid debt⇨

Er, I suspect that this is meant to be humourous?, yes?

However, just i case it isn't, I can assure you that I would have no qualms at all about dumping the van back with the finance company - no matter if they could only raise

 

[JasonR_374341560]

"They are usurers, profiteers and opportunists - and if they get stiffed because of an economic melt-down, then hooray!"

Why put yourself in hock with these people in the first place, we had used vans bought at bargain prices, we bought 3 that other people thought were brand new and never paid the finance people or banks a bean.

 

[Geist]

Jason R wrote:

Why put yourself in hock with these people in the first place,

It's not a problem, we knew the rate (actually, quite low in this case), we knew the terms, and we knew our obligations - which we are happy to fulfill.

My thoughts on returning the van if/when fuel makes caravaning a dead duck are based solely on choosing whatever will be the most cost effective option at the time.

Obviously, *if* we are in the middle of an economic collapse with fuel rising above

 

[Stephen_374341239]

Hi

Have a look At Tecknical section

Under Bailey Ranger water Leak 26FeB

No more needs to be said.

 

[Dustydog]

Spot on Stephen.

Cheers

Alan

 

[Geist]

Sorry to hear about the problems with the Bailey - but I'm not sure how it relates to my own thoughts.

If I dropped the servicing I wouldn't expect the warranty to remain valid. My point is simply that *if* (depending on the state of the country in a couple of years, as discussed) it goes back to the finance company to cut my losses, the lack of the extended water ingress cover will not be my problem.

As for the actual 'servcing' - there are three choices - all of which would produce a similar quality of workmanship.

1] I could take it to a caravan dealer and pay

 

[MartinJ]

Geist, I too would feel confident enough to carry out a basic inspection of the van and I agree that the brakes etc should be fine having covered relatively few miles.

The point I was trying to make is that there is no way I would have picked up the hairline crack problem in the front panel until it was way too late to claim under any warranty. Agreed I paid approx

 

[Geist]

Martin J wrote:

The point I was trying to make is that there is no way I would have picked up the hairline crack problem in the front panel until it was way too late to claim under any warranty. Agreed I paid approx