Re: Your opinion, please

by Molly3 Sat Jun 19, 2021 10:12 pm

I would have thought they would at least have inspected the plug and socket as it may not be fitted correctly or come loose exposing cables ,if build quality is their first concern , customer service is not there second .

by Molly3 Sun Jun 20, 2021 1:37 am

I have just inspected mine, it made me wonder that you may have had a large spillage and the problem may not happen again,

by Mabli Sun Jun 20, 2021 6:33 am

DavidinDevon, I'm no expert on electrics, but as a lay person, I would agree with yourself that the unit is not "fit for purpose". My only suggestion is whether you could get an independent expert to look at the issue within the 30 days you have to reject the van?
Hope you get it sorted satisfactorily

by Roopert Sun Jun 20, 2021 7:23 am

I'm no legal expert on the subject, but I really can't see how this in any way undermines the fitness of the product (a motorhome) to serve its fundamental purpose (i.e. being used as a motorhome).

The user had an accident with some water and the electrical system performed as expected - the RCD tripped and isolated the power, as it is designed to do. The electrics are not "blown" and as far as we are aware, nobody was in danger, because the RCD did exactly what it was meant to do.

Don't get me wrong - I'm fully in favour of consumers standing up for their rights. But in this specific case, I can't see "not fit for purpose" getting anywhere if it came to court.

by Tinwheeler Sun Jun 20, 2021 7:31 am

Mabli wrote:DavidinDevon, I'm no expert on electrics, but as a lay person, I would agree with yourself that the unit is not "fit for purpose". My only suggestion is whether you could get an independent expert to look at the issue within the 30 days you have to reject the van?
Hope you get it sorted satisfactorily

You have more than 30 days but, if outside that initial 30 day period, the supplier has to be given one chance to make good the problem.

by groundhog Sun Jun 20, 2021 7:42 am

"Not fit for purpose", how I detest that expression. Coined in to popular language by then Home Secretary John Reid about the Home Office but now used in everyday language for anything that is not quite right. Sorry can't stand it, back to the topic now.

by gpilky Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:21 pm

I noticed this on my last trip out. My Broadway also has a plug under the Oven - it can be seen by opening the bottom drop down door. It does seem to be in a poor location as it is directly under the back of the oven where is cannot be sealed as there are vent slots - presumable to allow heat to dissipate from the back of the oven. If they had located the plug a bit further forward, it might not be directly under the path of water flow and be sheltered by the cooker base.

by Molly3 Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:21 am

As it is a one time new incident that could have been caused by a faulty over sensitive site socket . No point In going in to battle if you are not sure you will win ,just my personal opinion ,

by DavidinDevon Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:50 am

Hi, I only mentioned the problem of the water leaking into the electrical components, which I needed advice for.

I didn't want muddy the waters by mentioning the other problems, which are nearly all electrical. A number of fuses have had to be replaced, the leisure battery is not charging etc. I understand it is unusual for a fuse to need replacing, especially on a brand-new van. We are worried this is a rogue vehicle with an electrical system that's glitchy.

However, I do appreciate the support given by members of this forum. Thank you so much.

by Peter Brown Tue Jun 22, 2021 3:36 am

I've just done a quick estimate and reckon at least 20,000 AS vans with socket in that position and this is the first time I've heard of a problem. I've just reminded myself of my such installation and it would would take a lot more than a splash of water to penetrate to conductors. However if the plug or socket casing is cracked or otherwise damaged then what you described could occur.

by BornAgain Tue Jun 22, 2021 5:15 am

One of the attractions of AS motorhomes is that they don’t change much and the design seems to gradually evolve based on feedback and best practice. If this fault has occurred several times I’m sure they would have fixed it. In caravans and motorhomes, appliance are usually plugged in rather than hard wired as this makes them easier to remove (I recently replaced the microwave on our Broadway and this is plugged in which simplifies things considerably).

You asked whether motorhomes are fragile and, in my view, the answer is Yes. They are designed with lightweight components for obvious reasons and you can’t be heavy handed with them.

My view is that this is not a design fault.

by DavidinDevon Thu Jun 24, 2021 8:46 pm

I now have the van back after the electrical faults were been repaired. Thanks to gpilky's message, I can now see the socket behind the cooker. It has two cables entering the socket from the top. I doubt the entry is watertight, although I can't know for sure without taking the cooker out.

It seems to me that if the cables entered from the bottom, there would be no problem.

But, thanks everyone who posted suggestions. It's a great forum!

David

by Molly Motorhome Fri Jun 25, 2021 1:27 am

What's the make and model number of the cooker?

by Dbvwt Fri Jun 25, 2021 1:53 am

BornAgain wrote:One of the attractions of AS motorhomes is that they don’t change much and the design seems to gradually evolve based on feedback and best practice. If this fault has occurred several times I’m sure they would have fixed it. In caravans and motorhomes, appliance are usually plugged in rather than hard wired as this makes them easier to remove (I recently replaced the microwave on our Broadway and this is plugged in which simplifies things considerably).

You asked whether motorhomes are fragile and, in my view, the answer is Yes. They are designed with lightweight components for obvious reasons and you can’t be heavy handed with them.

My view is that this is not a design fault.

I agree with all your points BornAgain with the exception of those I’ve highlighted.
Not once have I ever heard of A/S doing anything based on feedback, they seem to plod on regardless of so much genuine and valuable feedback that even this forum alone could provide.
As far as faults are concerned, it seems it’s always the first time they have ever heard of any fault, once again regardless of how many times it’s been mentioned on here!
Sorry, felt the need for a rant smile!

by v8oholic Fri Jun 25, 2021 2:26 am

Dbvwt wrote:As far as faults are concerned, it seems it’s always the first time they have ever heard of any fault, once again regardless of how many times it’s been mentioned on here!
Sorry, felt the need for a rant

Had to have a chuckle at that, as the technician who documented the rust spots on my roof was adamant he had never seen that before. But the branch manager, who phoned me today, admitted it's definitely not the first time.

by gpilky Sun Jun 27, 2021 12:16 am

Molly Motorhome wrote:What's the make and model number of the cooker?

Mines a Thetford Caprice - Model 730 if I recall correctly.....

by groundhog Sun Jun 27, 2021 3:42 am

Ah the infamous Thetford Crapice, our last van had a stoves cooker and it seemed far better made hugegrins