# Flood Damaged Tributes



## 109200

Hello,
My first post as google has found you for me today. I was going up to Simpsons this week to look at a Flood damaged Tribute 550 but seeing some information Tribute_650 has posted has got me worried. Has anyone seen these vans ? The fact they have been stood in sewerage for "number of days" does not sound good ! It looks like there are no warranties either. Has anyone seen them?
Thankyou


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## Rapide561

*Fllod damaged van*

Hi

I think I have read about these somewhere before - not that make of van - but flood damaged Autotrails I think. The vans in question had neither a chassis or habitation warranty.

Personally, I would not bother, but would try to find a good quality used one somewhere else.

Russell


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## carolgavin

think someone on here has bought one saw post this am will try and find

Hi found it HERE


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## chapter

maybe this http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopicp-349096.html
chapter


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## 105062

Hi Tribute_550,

Like the name by the way.

Just for other readers under another topic I posted this link which basically says:

Quote:
"The flood water was seriously contaminated and the water levels did not subside for a number of days.

These vehicles involved became part of an insurance claim. On instructions from the insurance company, a series of inspections were carried out by the base vehicle representatives (Fiat, Renault and Ford) to ascertain the amount of damage involved. As a result of their findings, they could not guarantee their safety. Each manufacturer immediately withdrew the factory warranty and future support on these vehicles. Therefore, in respect of these vehicles:

All warranties, conditions or terms relating to the fitness for purpose, quality or the condition of goods or compliance with description, whether express or implied by stature or common law or otherwise are excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law."

http://www.auto-trail.co.uk/content.php?display=newsdetails&id=33

I have not seen them but have used Simpsons in the past for parts, they are good firm but going on the info from CI / Auto trail I would not pay £23 000 for one. For health reasons any house that got contaminated had every thing ripped out and destroyed including doors, floors, plaster, all that was left was bare brick! I think if this had been in the USA they would have been scrapped, but that is only my view. You would be better placed buying a good second hand one like Oldenstars or Otto de-frosts van, again only my view.

Cheers
650


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## maddie

copy from simpson salvage
On page 11 of the January 2008 Caravan Club magazine an article has been printed, “warning” readers that the motor homes we are selling were “stood in sewage-contaminated floodwater” and “have been written-off by insurers”. It is factually incorrect and the tone of this article is misleading! 

The vehicles were NOT in “sewage-contaminated water” & they are NOT “written-off”.

We have today (4th January 2008) agreed with the editor of this magazine (George Hinton) a retraction to redress this incorrect article and it is now on their website home page and is being published in next month’s magazine. The wording is:

Flood-damaged motor caravans:– a correction

Further to the note published on p11 of the January 2008 Magazine, we must apologise for incorrectly describing the vehicles involved as ‘sewage contaminated’ and ‘written-off by insurers’. Both statements are incorrect as the vehicles were subject to an insurance claim for repairs and sold as salvage repairable (rather than be taken back to Italy for repairs). Auto-Trail’s purpose in issuing the statement was simply to ensure anyone buying one of these vehicles was fully aware that legally there was no warranty on either base vehicle or habitation. 
The vehicles are not write-offs and were sold to Simpson Salvage of Stamford Bridge near York, tel 01759 372727, which is selling them on for repair ‘as seen’ with the opportunity of a full inspection by purchasers, who must then sign a disclaimer acknowledging that they accept that there is no warranty on the vehicles.
We trust the above corrects any misunderstanding caused by our article and apologise – especially to Simpson Bros (York) Ltd and their customers – for any confusion caused. 

Regards

George Hinton
Deputy Editor.
The Caravan Club 


they were in fact cat d meaning they can be repaired
terry


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## 105062

maddie said:


> copy from simpson salvage
> On page 11 of the January 2008 Caravan Club magazine an article has been printed, "warning" readers that the motor homes we are selling were "stood in sewage-contaminated floodwater" and "have been written-off by insurers". It is factually incorrect and the tone of this article is misleading!
> 
> The vehicles were NOT in "sewage-contaminated water" & they are NOT "written-off".
> 
> We have today (4th January 2008) agreed with the editor of this magazine (George Hinton) a retraction to redress this incorrect article and it is now on their website home page and is being published in next month's magazine. The wording is:
> 
> Flood-damaged motor caravans:- a correction
> 
> Further to the note published on p11 of the January 2008 Magazine, we must apologise for incorrectly describing the vehicles involved as 'sewage contaminated' and 'written-off by insurers'. Both statements are incorrect as the vehicles were subject to an insurance claim for repairs and sold as salvage repairable (rather than be taken back to Italy for repairs). Auto-Trail's purpose in issuing the statement was simply to ensure anyone buying one of these vehicles was fully aware that legally there was no warranty on either base vehicle or habitation.
> The vehicles are not write-offs and were sold to Simpson Salvage of Stamford Bridge near York, tel 01759 372727, which is selling them on for repair 'as seen' with the opportunity of a full inspection by purchasers, who must then sign a disclaimer acknowledging that they accept that there is no warranty on the vehicles.
> We trust the above corrects any misunderstanding caused by our article and apologise - especially to Simpson Bros (York) Ltd and their customers - for any confusion caused.
> 
> Regards
> 
> George Hinton
> Deputy Editor.
> The Caravan Club
> 
> they were in fact cat d meaning they can be repaired
> terry


I wonder what Auto-Trail mean by "Seriously Contaminated Flood Water" or have they got it wrong as well. :wink:

Interestingly, What Car define Cat D as a write-off and is one that insurers consider unecomonical to repair so in other words cost more than they are worth to professionally fix ! So would expect then to pay a lot less than £23 000 for one, only £7k off a new one with full 3 years base vehicle and camper kit warranty!

Reference : http://www.whatcar.co.uk/news-special-report.aspx?NA=217016&EL=3140508


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## JohnsCrossMotorHomes

Tribute_650 said:


> maddie said:
> 
> 
> 
> copy from simpson salvage
> On page 11 of the January 2008 Caravan Club magazine an article has been printed, "warning" readers that the motor homes we are selling were "stood in sewage-contaminated floodwater" and "have been written-off by insurers". It is factually incorrect and the tone of this article is misleading!
> 
> The vehicles were NOT in "sewage-contaminated water" & they are NOT "written-off".
> 
> We have today (4th January 2008) agreed with the editor of this magazine (George Hinton) a retraction to redress this incorrect article and it is now on their website home page and is being published in next month's magazine. The wording is:
> 
> Flood-damaged motor caravans:- a correction
> 
> Further to the note published on p11 of the January 2008 Magazine, we must apologise for incorrectly describing the vehicles involved as 'sewage contaminated' and 'written-off by insurers'. Both statements are incorrect as the vehicles were subject to an insurance claim for repairs and sold as salvage repairable (rather than be taken back to Italy for repairs). Auto-Trail's purpose in issuing the statement was simply to ensure anyone buying one of these vehicles was fully aware that legally there was no warranty on either base vehicle or habitation.
> The vehicles are not write-offs and were sold to Simpson Salvage of Stamford Bridge near York, tel 01759 372727, which is selling them on for repair 'as seen' with the opportunity of a full inspection by purchasers, who must then sign a disclaimer acknowledging that they accept that there is no warranty on the vehicles.
> We trust the above corrects any misunderstanding caused by our article and apologise - especially to Simpson Bros (York) Ltd and their customers - for any confusion caused.
> 
> Regards
> 
> George Hinton
> Deputy Editor.
> The Caravan Club
> 
> they were in fact cat d meaning they can be repaired
> terry
> 
> 
> 
> I wonder what Auto-Trail mean by "Seriously Contaminated Flood Water" or have they got it wrong as well. :wink:
> 
> Interestingly, What Car define Cat D as a write-off and is one that insurers consider unecomonical to repair so in other words cost more than they are worth to professionally fix ! So would expect then to pay a lot less than £23 000 for one, only £7k off a new one with full 3 years base vehicle and camper kit warranty!
> 
> Reference : http://www.whatcar.co.uk/news-special-report.aspx?NA=217016&EL=3140508
Click to expand...

*
A Cat D vehicle is permanently downgraded as far as value is concerned, reputable dealers would not touch one with a barge pole as regards a P/X.*

At £7000-00 off the retail list price it is just not worth it. No warranty on anything so if it goes wrong it is your expensive problem and there is no knowing when something else will fail and you have got to find someone who will fix it and there are enough comments on this site about dealers only wanting to know MH's they have supplied.

Just my two pence worth.


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## jacket

The Tributes in question are a Cat X not D. If you go to Simpson Salvage website the categories are explained.


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## 109200

Hello Again,

Many Thanks everyone. I have made some phone calls this morning and are going with what it says on the manufacturers web site. Trigano UK gave out the same info ie that the flood water was seriously contaminated pointing me at their web site:

http://www.tributemotorhomes.co.uk/index.php?display=news&mode=show&cid=1

Put it like this, if there had been nothing wrong with these vans why did the manufacturers wash their hands of them ? (excuse the pun) and the insurance company sign them off as a loss and they were sold to salvage regardless of what cat they are.

I looked at a second hand 550 yesterday at a dealers with 2500 miles on the clock and 2 years 4 months warranty still on it for just about the same money ( no further details till I sign on the dotted line :wink: )

Just like to give a big thank you again to this site, may have saved me a lot of money and hastle, certainly when I came to part exchanging it. Even though cat x does not get a HPI listing reputable dealers have made a note of the chassis numbers, thats why the manufacturer has published them on their site to keep the confidence up on the brands, or so I have been told...


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## ham

My local dealer told me they had all the chassis numbers of the veichles that had been scrapped and would be checking any new part ex vans brought in against the list.if the van was on their list it would be go elsewhere Please. I have had a trib 650 since sept 07 Had no major problems just a few small things that i could fix my self , Only the scuttle causing me a problem, awaiting a fix like most others. Very happy with the tribute so far drives like a dream and manoverability just great parks in my garage easy from a very tight turn


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## jacket

Despite all what has been said I still think they are excellent value & I am looking forward to registering mine in March. I will keep you all posted as to how I am getting on with it Like I mentioned before in another post most of the Tributes where inside a warehouse with water just up to the lower wheel rim I am quite sure there has been no water inside my paticular Tribute. I expect some teething problems but I've had that with brand new caravans & always sorted things out myself - that way you know its been done properly. Steve - (Jacket)


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## wenlock

I have had my 650 since Sept 07 and to date have had roughly £350 worth of recall and warranty work via my local Fiat dealer and further work on the Dometic fridge by a local motorhome workshop. I suspect that further work will be needed before the warranty is finished not least to the scuttle problem. I have also got a rear internal door lining on order due to it splitting near a fixing screw.
I would not be without that warranty on a van costing this amount. 
If £23000 is the price it would be too much for me, however to each his own.
One of my warranty jobs was a headlamp allowing water in which was charged out at £90.18 with no labour costs shown on the paperwork, free to me of course.
I am still awaiting work on the steering rack as the dealer says he needs to order a part. 

Good Luck to all however you purchase.

Paul


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## 105062

Good luck with it Jacket there is nothing wrong with a bargain but I can not understand why the insurance company paid up for them then sold them on to salvage if only the tyres got wet.

Tribute_550, if you go and look you may wish to use the following arguments in your negotiations with the salvage firm. My insurers fixed my Harley with a repair bill of £5100 and it had a list price of £12000 ( about 43% of its value) which makes me still think they are expensive no matter what spin the salvage firms put on them. Working on that would they not be worth a max of £17k, I am not an insurance expert so can only guess at the thresholds. 

The other calculation I would argue is as they have no warranty could they then be valued as a 3 year old Tribute and one with a cat x history ? Have a look at what you would have to pay for something like that !

Just some thoughts as I know Simpsons can be open to negotiations and are a decent bunch. 

Cheers
650


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## 109200

Many Thanks again Mr 650 but I will be getting the 8 month old one I have seen once I sort out the finance again. They have refused my application today because I said I was going to purchase a salvaged motorhome but should be ok with the s/h one I Hope!

If someone has sent me a message I can not read it until I subscribe and will do that once I know for definite I will be getting a motorhome and not another caravan.


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## 109270

*Simpson's flood affected motorhomes*

Why oh why is everybody getting the wrong end of the stick?

These motorhomes were bought directly from Auto-Trail & not from an Insurer. They would have had to have been returned to Italy to effect any repairs that were needed and were part of a large Insurance claim only in so far as to the repairs assessed as necessary to render them suitable for retailing as "brand new" through Aut-trail's dealer network. Let's not forget that Auto-Trail is wholly owned by Trigano who manufactured these MH's - so I expect they were quite happy to sell 83 brand new MHs at a decent discount rather than have them transported all the way back to Italy. Most of these MH's have no visible damage to them. Ultimately, we have 35 years of experience in this highly specialised Trade & operate from exemplary premises covering 43.7 acres with a total on-site capacity of around 12,000 vehicles. We always trade with utmost integrity and are totally transparent regarding every aspect of these MHs. All customers enquiring about this current batch of MHs are welcome to read all emails pertaining to our purchase from Auto-Trail including the very specific questions that were asked of Auto-trail prior to our purchasing these vehicles from them: we've nothing to hide! We were very happy that Autop-Trail accepted our offer for the 86 vehicles (including 3 used ones) and believe that we are selling them onwards at a respectable market saving to our customers.
In terms of clarification:

1. These vehicles are not "written off" or Insurance "total losses". They are not categorised under the ABI/BVSF Code of conduct for Salvage categorisation as they are being sold as new vehicles but devoid of all warranties.

2. Values! Well...... that's very difficult. All I can say is that I was happy to pay what I did for them & am happy for any sensible inspection by potential purchasers. I believe I'm selling them at a sensible market value (& the fact that I've sold over a quarter of them within 3 weeks which included Xmas & new Year does suggest that I'm right!) I'd rather someone did not buy from me who is not happy with my transparent approach!

3. How deep were they flooded? We didn't see them when they were affected by water so can only judge by looking carefully at the vehicles. I'm sure the actual depth of water will have varied, but most have no obvious height or tide lines. Indeed, I've carefully checked behind bumpers for tell-tail signs & in radiator fins for signs of sediment - a majority have no visible signs. We do, however, have 3 or 4 motorhomes that have more major flood damage - but these are not currently for sale & will be clearly described as having significant flood damage (that same transparancy again!).

4. One poster says "My local dealer told me they had all the chassis numbers of the veichles that had been scrapped" - simply factually incorrect! I do, however, understand why Auto-trail dealers are less than happy - their MH's are priced at a huge amount more than mine: I certainly know which I'd rather be selling (& I am selling mine - are they?)!

5. One poster says "Put it like this, if there had been nothing wrong with these vans why did the manufacturers wash their hands of them ? (excuse the pun) and the insurance company sign them off as a loss and they were sold to salvage regardless of what cat they are. " 
Reply: Sorry - wrong end of that stick again!. We are assessing the MHs as best we can & finding most to be unaffected by the flood water - but many of them do, as we've said, need repairs. The Insurers did NOT sign them off as a loss. Oh, and yes - wrong again about categorisation - sorry.

6. One poster says: "I wonder what Auto-Trail mean by "Seriously Contaminated Flood Water" or have they got it wrong as well."
Answer: Yes - I wonder as well! Certainly Auto-Trail mentioned that they were "flood affected" when they were selling them to us. Interestingly, there was no suggestion whatsoever of "Seriously Contaminated Flood Water" at any time prior to their receiving our money in payment. Indeed, quite the opposite!! (and all emails & other paperwork is here & available for serious purchasers to read through should they wish to) Ah - it's that transparancy thing again!

7. One poster says "At £7000-00 off the retail list price it is just not worth it. No warranty on anything so if it goes wrong it is your expensive problem and there is no knowing when something else will fail and you have got to find someone who will fix it and there are enough comments on this site about dealers only wanting to know MH's they have supplied."
Reply: a valid opinion & respected as such. I guess that's down to a personal preference as to whether you buy a 2 or 3 year old motorhome (which is similar money) or a new one such as these & take your chance regarding something going wrong. But it is that same risk on an older MH as it will also be running out of warranty, & it's history may well be unknown. With these, you know exactly what you're buying (transparancy!)

8. The chap who likened this damage to flood damage of a house & also mentioned "health issues". Appreciate the opinion, but we're talking something totally different here. Put simply, the two things are not similar at all. I am totally unaware of any issues regarding the contamination of these vehicles & would be the first to agree that anything with the degree of contamination he's referring to is simply scrap. Indeed, I was involved in an advisory capacity with the vehciles that were seriously flooded in the South a few months ago & recommended that many of them were crushed (which they were!) Ultimately, these vehicles speak for themselves - as anyone who has looked closely at them will testify.

9. My thanks to "Steve the Jacket" for his positive efforts to keep the comments posted here correct (as well as others). Thanks also to George Hinton, deputy editor of the Caravan Club magazine, for holding his hand up when he got it totally wrong and for doing everything he can to make amends for his incorrect article.

I am proud to run an honest business to the best integrity that I can. I will gladly answer any further questions that anybody might have.
Bruce Simpson

Moderator Edit: "The contents/partial contents of this post have been removed by moderators due to possible contravention of the site policy on advertising. Please contact a moderator if you have any queries."


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## Rapide561

*Motorhomes*

Hi

Thanks for the input.

Russell


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## carolgavin

Hi and welcome to motorhomefacts. Like Russell says thank you for your comprehensive posting.Iadmire your transparency, its rare these days. Nice to see all prospective purchasers can see the communications with Auto-Trail.


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## maddie

Hi Bruce Simpson, welcome,nice post!
just to claify 
never registered?(new)not on no nasty list?(come sell time) and some £7k cheaper but no warenty?(7k does a lot of repairs)
terry


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## Otto-de-froste

*Tribute 650 for sale*

Hi Tribute-550
As mentioned by our colleague Mr Tribute_650 our van is for sale.
4500 miles, and in pristine condition.

It is not flood damaged, and has the balance of a manufacturers warranty.

It is worth considering the resale of any vehicle when the time comes to part with it too.

Not knocking any others, but it is a genuine vehicle and a genuine sale.

Ours has an awning, bike rack, ariel, CD, as extras, and we will even throw in a free standing awning.

If you wish to look at it or discuss it please leave a message here. We will be realistic on price.

Otto-de-froste.


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## 105062

Hi SimpsonBrothers (Bruce) and it is good to see you contributing, as I said in a previous post, I have found you a "decent bunch"

quote : "Why oh why is everybody getting the wrong end of the stick?"

Well, I think you need to speak to the manufacturer and get them to change the information they are putting out on these vans if everything is as you say. Also ask them why they feel they need to actively alert everyone to the chassis numbers if they are not problem vehicles. I think most of the worries people have voiced on this and other threads have come from that information. I have seen it on Trigano Tribute CI and autotrail web sites & announcements.

Not trying to be rude but It does not help the vehicles credentials that the nature of your business is salvage if you see what I mean.

Maybe It would help if you could provide a warranty through one of the specialist insurance companies, I have had a few of them from dealers on used cars.

cheers
650


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## 109270

Terry: Thanks for the post

To confirm:

Yes - These vehicles are new & unregistered and were bought directly from Auto-Trail: the invoice & all purchase correspondence was from them. The bank transfer was directly into their account.We have the correct paperwork to register although DVLA interpret what that is differently depending on which local office you go to to register. Initially, we specifically asked Auto-Trail prior to purchase how these would be registered. They, in turn, asked SMMT (Society of Motot manufacturers & Traders) to get a definitive answer from DVLA. The response was (I quote) "....because the majority of these vehicles had not been registered before, they will have the latest registration plates when they are eventually registered." Based upon that advice, we went ahead with buying them. Prior to purchasing these from Auto-trail, I found them to be upfront & they appeared totally helpful in every way even to the extent that they forwarded various emails to me "As I want to be completely transparent" in their words. Regretably, Auto-Trail have since proved to be most unhelpful and have refused all my reasonable requests for help in sorting out problems that have arisen with DVLA offices as well as refusing point blank to post clarification of the status of these vehicles on their website. I HAVE ALL THE EMAILS & I AM TRANSPARENT!!! Anyone wishing to view the various emails are welcome to - I've nothing to hide.

Regarding these being "on nasty lists" - these are NOT total losses. Prior to purchase, I have an email in which Auto-trail clarified that:
"The vehicles have NOT been "written off" by the insurance company."
Obviously, the Auto-Trail dealer network will always have the chassis numbers of these & may (or may not) be helpful: at the end of the day, they are hardly the happiest of bunnies right now as they are trying to sell their vehicles at full-up retail against ours which are heavily discounted!

Interestingly, you say "£7k does a lot of repairs" and you're right. regarding the Silver Tributes, I'm not sure that there is much wrong at all with most of them. Clearly, our customers have as long as they need to fully inspect them prior to purchase and I welcome feedback from any of them as to how much they anticipate spending in repairs. Obviously, as we sell them then the choice becomes restricted. We had 25 Tributes & have sold 11 of them already. Whilst I expect that these 11 sold were the pick of the bunch, the rest still look pretty good to me!

best regards

Bruce


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## 109270

650 - thanks again for your input - valid points!

I really hoped for some cooperation from Auto-Trail regarding clarification of their statement which was posted without our knowledge - but have not received any help at all. On the 4th January, I sent them the following DRAFT copy (which I must point out is entirely my words and they refused to post):

"Flood Damaged Motorhomes – Clarification statement

Previous statements issued may have been misinterpreted and we wish to clarify the situation regarding the status and condition of these vehicles.

The freak weather conditions affected these Motorhomes to varying degrees and some appeared to have comparatively little damage. All these vehicles became a part of an Insurance claim as the damage to them was such that we were not in a position to continue to deal with them as new vehicles for onward sale through our dealer network. Indeed, for us to effect repairs to an acceptable standard would have involved their return to the factory in Italy. Further to discussions with our Insurers and loss adjusters, we, therefore, chose to sell them directly to Simpson Bros (York) Ltd as vehicles requiring repair and devoid of all warranty both on the base vehicle and the habitation. These vehicles are not “written-off”: for the reasons stated above, we were compensated the full cost value by our Insurance company and Simpson Bros (York) Ltd."

Auto-Trail's extremely unhelpful response to what I believe was my wholly resonable request was they "...believe that our awareness statement is accurate and correct, it has been checked by our insurance company and authorised by our Head Office, therefore we do not feel it necessary to expand further."

Well, thanks for that! Whilst I have absolutely no problems with them being totally transparent, it would have been nice to have had some input into their posting/press release. 

In terms of warranties, there are various warranties available - but it is not something I've much knowledge of. Should anyone iout there know much about these or be able to recommend any specific compamies, then I'm pleased to pass these details on to prospective purchasers.

Regards being rude about the very nature of our business being salvage, you're not: that is exactly what our core business is - simple as that. Whilst our company is correctly named "Simpson Bros (York) Ltd, we trade pretty much everywhere as "Simpson Salvage". I appreciate that this may not be helpful for a vehicles credentials should someone wish to be less than truthful about a vehicle's origins!

Best regards

Bruce


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## maddie

Hi Bruce it seams to me Auto-Trial's not being v/helpful at all.Having said that there dealers will be up in arms trying to protect there margins etc.putting pressure on the manufactures.No doubt if one of the dealers had bought all the m/homes it probably would be a different story!It can only do damage to A/Trail by not being more specific and be a little more honest instead of keeping their heads down so that people can get all info regarding this problem.They should have either crushed them loosing £,000000 which I think not, or say they have no damage/v/little but can go on the rd after inspection!This would eliminate peoples fear a few years from now as to buying a s/hand Tribute as people will remember these and it will effect everyones resale value.I know dealers will keep records on all tributes but will the public?Again I think not.Will you see a tribute that is valued at 3 (say £20k)years old going for 13k again I think not!There are a lot of handy people out there who a £7k saving is a good deal but £10k would be better :lol: Did fiat etc, have something to do with canceling warranty on base vehicles? or did A/T get a kickback from them as well? after all they leave vehicles in muddy fields for months before they sell them to us.(cars etc,not m/h)
terry


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## 105062

Hi Bruce,
Have a word with Phil Walsh Specialist Cars at Dunnington ( you will probably drive past him if you come into York) I have had 2 Jags from him both with insurance backed warranties and they are genuine, I had £1500 worth of engine repairs to the XJS and they covered all the work & bits. One was a 3 years warranty and the other 2 I think. I think you will need to obtain the warrenties as the "dealer" I do not think they will sell to Joe Public but I could be wrong, Walshy will know.
Cheers
650


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## maddie

Hi just to throw another spanner into the works!!!
would the fridge, heater toilet etc be covered under waranty?
how would dometec etc, know which veicle and when fitted?
at the end of the day they have no record of parts fitted to which van ,so they probably would be covered if going to demetec etc, direct.
terry
the only way I can see if they knew is a recipt from suppliers :wink:


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## Broom

Hi Bruce

Great to have a forthright answer from someone in the spot light, it will keep a few heads down on this forum.

Wish Brownhills would do the same

Best Regards
Broom
(From Sherburn in E)


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## Pusser

With this weekends weather together with flood warnings, there should be some more flood damaged m\homes shortly. Be spoilt for choice if this weather persists. May even warrant its own section on this website.


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## 105062

Maddie,
I reckon that all the habitation kit may well still be covered by their respective manufacturers warranties as I do not think they will know which chassis number they are fitted to. When my recall work was done on my fridge dometic only referred to the fridge serial number and contacted me direct as they had my name and address from the registration card sent to them from the dealer. Saying all that I could live with that area not being covered its the base vehicle that is potentially the most expensive risk.

Just on my own experience I have had over the last 12 years the following warranty work done :

Jag XJS Auto gearbox replaced
Jag XjS Engine rebuild

Brand new Escort (2 weeks old) cylinder head replaced.

Fiesta 1.6 Zetec s complete engine replace at 2 years old.

At 4 months old Rover 25 1.8 Steptronlc complete engine management ECU system replaced.

Me Tribute, Fiat Ducato Steering rack dismantled and rebuilt 

5 Fiat Recall jobs done on Tribute so far and only 6 months old, 2 pending.

Cheers
650


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## 109270

Thanks for all the positive posts everyone: thanks also to those of you who have rung me rather than posting online - appreciate the support!

Best regards to all

Bruce

PS - 29 sold already, 57 to go!!


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## maddie

WOW Tribute,unlucky or what :lol: remind me not to buy a second hand car off you :lol: 
The vans are made for work and so far have decent feedback to compare to trannys etc.Haveing said that my mates got a new tranny & ducato for his buissness and says he will keep his Sprinter with 120,000 miles up any day agaisnt them both! :lol:
terry


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## 105062

You would be ok Maddie as they are perfect when I sell them as I have had all the stuff replaced :wink: 

We have at least 6 vehicles on the go at any one time in our family but it is the old "Historic Vehicles" that cause me the least bother ( probably because I have totally rebuilt them myself as that is one of my main hobbies) As far as the new vehicles are concerned it will teach me to go for the new models as all the problems with these, including the new Fiat Ducato Tribute have been design faults, both Ford engines were the fist of the production line of that version and had design faults, wrong valve seats, wrong diameter bearings or something like that and the steering rack is now a recall on new style Ducatos ! Also, thinking about it the reason the engine needed rebuilding on the XJS was that a recall for a modified head gasket was never done. There is a lot to be said for buying a model that has been out for a while.... but I never do unless it is over 30 years old :lol: 

650


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## maddie

Hi 650 30 years ago ,my friends dad told me never buy a new model car untill they had been out a couple of years!!Still true! only now I used to buy 12 mts old.Now my son has always got 4/5 cars on my drive or outside the house for sale so I just use 1 of these :lol: at the moment a 5.7 HEMI st Dodge pick up (untill it needs filling that is) 
:lol: terry


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## 109200

Many Thanks to everyone for helping me out and especially to Simpsonbrothers for coming on to the forum.

I have not made a purchase yet Otto de froste but I am at the moment needing a Tribute 550 because of parking on my drive but many thanks for your offer.

Whilst I am still awaiting the finance company to get their act together I am still checking out the options for a Tribute 650. I have one more question for Bruce if he is still around.

*I have been told that Trigano removed all the Tribute badges and distinguishing livery from the vans so as to make the anonymous, is this true ??*

I have seen a pic of one sold from Simpsons on another forum and that had them all removed but was that a one off ??

Many Thanks All

Tribute 550


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## 105062

Hi 550,
Hope to see you register as that was your last "free" post :wink: 

You are correct I think. I have been chatting on another forum this morning to my name sake on Tribby, 650.

Tribby's 650 has purchased one from Simpsons and has confirmed that Autotrail have removed all distinguishing features which I think is a bit off and must damage the vans reputation further. Some may say it will make them easier to spot when they come back onto the market in the years ahead and must be why they have done it as it will have taken some effort as mine are laquered over ( plus dishing out the chassis numbers to everyone) They really have it in for these poor little vans. I bet it will be near impossible to buy the decal from CI and if you can will cost a fortune. I paid £50 for a 2 foot bit for an Award caravan 5 years ago. Just when I was warming to these vans after Bruce painted a better picture of them...makes you think what else dun it :roll: 
cheers
650 Paul


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## sundazzler

*flood damaged tributes*

If the vehicles were written off why were O/T selling them to Simpsons. Surely they belonged to the insurance co. Or were O/T acting as their agents, and making some extra cash? :wink:


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## 109270

Hi Sundazzler

As I've stated in previous posts, these are NOT WRITTEN OFF nor are they Total losses. I've explained all in previous posts.

You've got totally the wrong end of the stick!

Trust this clarifies the position, but if you've any other questions, then I'll try to respond! As already stated - I'm being totally transparent on every aspect relevant to these motorhomes!

Best regards

Bruce


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## dbh1961

Simpsons seem to be being very open about these, and not hiding anything - good on them.

Autotrail seem to have taken a stance that these vans aren't officially an Autotrail/Trigano anymore (hence the removal of the badges etc, which would be expensive to replace). I suppose that's for a few reasons:

1) They distance themselves from the vans, and therefore don't get a bad name, should faults develop later
2) Their loyalty will be to their ongoing dealers, not to Simpsons
3) Having got their money, they are now perfectly happy for these vans to devalue.

In the grand scheme of things, I suppose Autotrail's stance is understandable - business is business.

That leaves the issue of whether or not these vans are a good buy, and that is all about price (the'd be dear at full price, cheap at a penny, and fair somewhere in between).

The lack of warranties is easily covered by the reduction in price. Buy one cheap, pay for your own replacement bits and pieces, and you're quids in.

THE BIG ISSUE, is resale value, especially as dealers will have them on some sort of blacklist (and at least one finance company has already taken exception to one).

I'd say they were good value (in fact a bargain), for cash buyers, who intend to hang onto them for a few years. I'm sure that Simpsons will find enough of these people to clear them all.

Longer term, other than dealers still not liking them, I can't see that they should be any different to any other van. Warranties will all have been and gone, and any faults should have been found and fixed.

On the whole, I think a pretty fair solution, and full marks to Simpsons for being so open and for coming on here.


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## Broom

*Spare Wheel*

Bruce

I am after a spare wheel 16 X 265 for a fiat 4 ton have you got any.

Sorry for the hijack of the post

Best Regards
Broom


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## geraldandannie

Another quick hijack - thanks for subscribing, Bruce.

Gerald


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## 109270

Hi 650

Thanks again for your input on these.

It was a condition of purchase that Auto-Trail removed their logos etc & we agreed to that prior to purchase. 
Various sign companies will do stickers for these MH's very cheaply (I understand that a Bridlington company has done some for a Tribby for under £50) - although most Tribby buyers tell me that they are not planning to replace them. 

My own opinion is that by the time most buyers come to replace these MH's - say in 4 or 5 years time - these floods will be long forgotten and, ultimately, the resale price then will depend wholly on condition & mileage rather than whether they were bought at full-up retail now from a dealer. I also understand to the Dealers have increased their prices for 2008 - thank you! -which makes ours seem an even better deal!!

With Christmas out of the way, they're now selling well - 42 sold so far! We've sold all our stock of some models......... but still have plenty left!!

If any readers have further concerns or issues they wish to raise, then I will continue to answer with integrity & honesty: as stated, we're being fully transparent in every way.

Best regards

Bruce


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## 109270

Sorry.............

A quick apology to those people who have travelled to us only to find that the motorhome that they have previously seen on the website & wanted to buy has been sold since they checked the web & decided to travel to us.

Please, please, please check the website before you start your journey then ring us & ask us to hold any specific vehicle that you are interested in for the length of your journey!! Get the name of the person you speak to & agree a time at which we will release your interest. Other than leaving a non-refundable deposit, this is the only way we can ensure that you do not have a wasted journey!!

We had 86....... we've only 29 left as I write this post. The last thing we want to do is mess anyone about or waste anybody's time!!

Apologies for using Motorhome Facts to post this, but I believe it is in the best interests of the many people who read this excellent website!!

:>)

Bruce


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## 109270

*The end of an era at Simpson Bros*

Just a quick post to confirm the rumours that Simpson Bros (York) Ltd is to become a part of the CoPart group and will close at the end of March.
There have been many reasons for us selling out, including the ridiculous change in Taper Relief tax by Gordon Brown & his cronies having the effect of an 80% tax hike to me personally.
Of the 86 motorhomes we had, there are only 5 left: a big thank you to Motorhome Facts & their readers: this website has allowed us to correct misinformation that was around, and I wish the editors all the very best.

So.... there's 5 motorhomes left......... & 21 days to go!!!!!!!! Anybody looking for a Cipro, Carioca 625 or Tribute 550 then now's the time to buy!! Tim has registered them all and they are all "08" registered: come on down!
Best regards to all

Bruce


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## 109270

All now SOLD: happy camping to all!

Best wishes

Bruce & Co


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## rowley

Well done Bruce and thanks for your input.


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## 113775

*flood damamaged motorhomes*

Hi, does anyone know of any of these flood damaged motorhomes still for sale?


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## rowley

Simpson Brothers wrote that they sold the last one on the 25th March.


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## Otto-de-froste

*Tribute for Sale*

We still have a Tribute 650 for sale, complete with bike rack, silver awning, ariel, CD radio
5700 miles 
Have just traded her in for a Bessacarr 460, but I'm sure we can re-negotiate with the dealer if we can sell privately
Only got 1 - 2 weeks though

Call if interested - it isn't a flood damaged model either

Tel: 07999 505 442

Otto


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