wheel box

[lee_5091314]

hi,

i am new to the forum, i hope someone can shed some light for me. having bought my first tourer from a dealers no less, i have found problems all over on my compass 510 vantage 1993. but i would rather put it right myself than chance the dealer masking faults and not carring out a propper job. the wheel box on the near side is half missing, on checking the wheel arch I found i could see the back of the fridge. I need a wheel box to replace the broken one. I contacted a company in the north east that do replacment pannels etc, but they said we do one box that you will have to make do and mend to fit. can anyone advise me if they are a standard type of thing, or are they all different ? and who might make them.

thanks for reading

 

[BrianStAlbans]

Lee ,welcome to the Forum. In answer to your question, personally I think you should return this van to the dealer to give them a chance to repair the faults .Generally people buy from a dealer for the peace of mind of knowing that if there is a fault it will be covered under a warranty that is why in general dealer prices are higher than private sales.

Why should you pay for thier sloppyness?......Brian (",)

 

[lee_5091314]

Lee ,welcome to the Forum. In answer to your question, personally I think you should return this van to the dealer to give them a chance to repair the faults .Generally people buy from a dealer for the peace of mind of knowing that if there is a fault it will be covered under a warranty that is why in general dealer prices are higher than private sales.

Why should you pay for thier sloppyness?......Brian (",)

hi brian,

the dealer is a small outfit, we have had the van since november, on asking about the problem and other bits the answer was along the line of what do you want for 3 and half grand. bring it in we will sort it out. so on a trip to the dealers I saw their work shop, the fix it bloke was screwing a sheet of MDF to the underneath of a van. and was sealing the edges with wicks bathroom sealer. I have had a boat for many years that I built, so their repair method left me shuddering.

Lee

 

[BrianStAlbans]

I think for 3 and a half grand from a dealer I'd want a van that was dry, safe and fit for the purpose.With a hole though to the back of the fridge I suspect its neither dry or safe and with problems all over I'd question if it was fit for the purpose. Its your choice Lee but I would be looking for a refund or a replacement. I'm sure others on the Forum will know better the legal aspects . Brian (",)

 

[Guest]

Lee,

Brian has correctly made what we would all assume to be the first comment.

I am concerned at the comments you made in your subsequent post regarding the dealer. Any dealer who makes these sort of comments is not necessarily of the highest integrity. I hope the van has been checked for the basics, such as dampness and functioning of all equipment, or you could be looking at even greater expense. When you say you can see the back of the fridge through the wheel arch, is this a big gap, or just a crack? If the former, then can water have entered into the fridge? You also mention this was one of many faults. All I can say is be very careful. The word 'lemon' comes to mind.

A caravan breakers could be a useful source of parts, but don't try to fix the 'Titanic'.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Hi Lee and welcome to caravanning, although your first experience appears to be tainted. If I was you I would take the van back and ask for a total refund under the Sale of Goods Act in so much that the van is not of merchantable quality and fit for its intended use. State in a letter your reasons for rejecting the van and keep a copy for your self in case you need it for a later date. Also initially consult the Citizens Advice and state all the faults and also the quality of work that is going on for repairing caravans. If the dealer does not accept your reasoning for rejecting the van you will be able to make a claim through the Small Claims Court whereby the bad publicity will have a knock on effect for his business.

The caravan as it stands is definately not road worthy or of merchantable quality and you could be prosecuted as police are now making regular spot checks on vans and towing outfits. DO NOT on any circumstances give him the chance to repair it as this will also weaken your case.

Good luck and let us know how you get on with what appears a shady dealer in substandard quality of goods.

 

[Guest]

Colin,

I agree with everything you say, however, Lee has mentioned he bought the van in November. I am doubtful whether he could have a case after this time if he bought the van 'as seen'.

 

[lee_5091314]

I think for 3 and a half grand from a dealer I'd want a van that was dry, safe and fit for the purpose.With a hole though to the back of the fridge I suspect its neither dry or safe and with problems all over I'd question if it was fit for the purpose. Its your choice Lee but I would be looking for a refund or a replacement. I'm sure others on the Forum will know better the legal aspects . Brian (",)

hi brian,

I will take it up with the dealer

thanks for advise

 

[lee_5091314]

Lee,

Brian has correctly made what we would all assume to be the first comment.

I am concerned at the comments you made in your subsequent post regarding the dealer. Any dealer who makes these sort of comments is not necessarily of the highest integrity. I hope the van has been checked for the basics, such as dampness and functioning of all equipment, or you could be looking at even greater expense. When you say you can see the back of the fridge through the wheel arch, is this a big gap, or just a crack? If the former, then can water have entered into the fridge? You also mention this was one of many faults. All I can say is be very careful. The word 'lemon' comes to mind.

A caravan breakers could be a useful source of parts, but don't try to fix the 'Titanic'.

hi scotch lad,

thanks for the advise.

 

[BrianStAlbans]

I'm sure someone will know if I'm correct ,but was there not a change in the law which meant that any over the value of

 

[Guest]

Brian,

No idea. But if what has been stated is correct, then this dealer couldn't care less either from bad publicity, or even a prosecution. he will re-open under another name. The words 'Arthur Daly' and 'Del Boy' spring to mind. They do the good dealers no favours at all.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Another course for redress of this dealer would be the Trading Standards Officer who I believe works for the local authority. Have a word with him and see what the lie of the land is. I am sure there will be ways for you to claim a full refund. As a last resort park the van up with stickers in the window highlighting the defects and from where the van was purchased. Don't do this on public land as you may be braking the law regarding the parking of the van.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

Colin,

I agree with everything you say, however, Lee has mentioned he bought the van in November. I am doubtful whether he could have a case after this time if he bought the van 'as seen'.

As the van was bought in Novemebr is of little consequence as faults of this nature are not general wear and tear and would have been there when bought. Equipment such as defective tyres could be argued over the period but structural failure is a different matter. How would the dealer fair in being accused of selling a van which was not roadworthy thereby contravening the law covering roadworthy vehicles?

 

[BrianStAlbans]

Memory is letting me down here but Im sure the Sale of Goods Act changed (circa 2003/04)to say that a retailer was responsible for upto 6 years for defects that could be proven to be present at the time of purchase. I'm sure somebody will know the answer...Brian

 

[rayc]

Lee may have had some chance of claiming if the defect was to do with road worthiness but I think he will have no chance at all with bodywork problems on a 13 year old van. He could approach the dealer to see if he will do anything, but otherwise his best bet is to do what he suggests, which is to make it as good as he can with minimum cash lay out and put it down to experience.

 

[colinLincs]

Quote From This Site

SATISFACTION MAY NOT BE GUARANTEED

"I bought a secondhand caravan, and when I got home I realised its condition wasn't as good as I had thought. I called the dealer and demanded compensation, but he said it was sold as seen and it wasn't his problem."

If you had bought the caravan from a private seller you would have no comeback. In such cases, 'sold as seen' effectively means 'buyer beware' - and you buy at your own risk. But this does not apply where you buy from a dealer in business.

The law is on the side of the dealer if you ought to have spotted the defects. Section 14 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 entitles you to a van of satisfactory quality, but this condition does not apply if you examine before you buy and that examination ought to have revealed the defects. If you missed obvious defects, you have no legal remedy. Likewise if the dealer has specifically brought defects to your attention.

Only if the defects were hidden or latent (see the damp discussed in the next case study) can you sue for compensation based on unsatisfactory quality. In such a case, the court might decide the caravan was not in a reasonable condition for the price - and what is satisfactory will depend on the price paid and anything else that is relevant.

 

[lee_5091314]

hi update to problem,

had an independant caravan repair specalist look the van over today, he said the van was in sound condition with no damp, he carried out a damp test. the wheel box has lost a good chunk due to a poss tyre faliure, the dealer should have spotted it but didn't. the other bits and bobs that bothered me are only 2 min jobs accourding to the repair guy. he did however mention that a rail reseal would be advisable due to the age to keep it in tip top condition. I have also just bought the hayns caravan manual. so with a new wheel box and rail reseal it should be 100%. the dealer is willing to repair the wheel box, but it sounds moor like cocking up the one thats on. personally I would preffer to fit a complete new or used one. that way I am sure there will be no water ingress.

thanks for all your replys

Lee

 

[Guest]

There have been a lot of comments about what Lee can, or cannot do. I suggest he has 2 possible avenues to follow. Firstly, he can try for re-dress from the dealer. However, the downside of that is that he cannot really do any repairs to the van in the meantime if it is to be used as evidence. Legal action could also take a long time and I am sure he wants to actually get some use from the van. His second track is to put the purchase down to experience and to try and get the van into shape as quickly and as cheaply as possible. In this case he needs to consider the van in 2 areas. The important bits that could be very costly, eg he has a damp problem, and/or major bodywork issues, and then can look at solving the more cosmetic parts. I would also suggest that as he is a newcomer to the hobby, he gets the van serviced by a reputable dealer to ensure all the vulnerable parts such as gas fittings, chassis and wheels etc are safe and legal. The other advantage of this is that he would have an independent report of the faults he could use as back up in any legal case if his lawyer and/or Trading Standards feel there is a realistic chance of a positive result.

As far as his original question regarding the wheel box is concerned. This is usually made of folded aluminium sheet and it could be possible to pop rivet some new sheet over the old one to give a repair. The seams could then be sealed with mastic, but without seeing it it is difficult to be more specific. I would also suggest trawling the internet for caravan breakers who may have parts that would fit. The Compass owners club may also be a good source of information, if not of actual parts.

 

[BrianStAlbans]

Colin thanks for your imput ,however as I said in my post I thought the Act was amended in 2003/04(was 2002) so I can not see the relevance of a quote about the Sale of Goods Act from 1979. The link below shows the amendments and I've included some quotes for you

http://www.dti.gov.uk/ccp/topics1/saleandsupply.htm#sgsa The Sale of Goods Act has been amended by the Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002 which transpose a European Directive. Although the impact of the Regulations is relatively modest there are some useful benefits for consumers. A claim can be pursued though the courts for up to six years providing it can be shown that the problem was due to the work not being carried out properly or the goods or materials used not being of satisfactory quality.

There was an artical at the time,I believe in PC mag of the concern that dealers would stop selling cheaper vans for fear of actions against them in the future ,choosing instead to send the vans to auctions which are exempt from this act.

Brian (",)