# Flash 09 - Extras



## Outhouse

Hi
I am just about to pull the trigger on a brand new Flash 09, I saw one for the first time in a Local Scottish dealer on Friday and really liked the model & Layout. I came home and spent 12hrs on the web and worked out a great deal with a dealer in Wales saving me some pennies. Now before I confirm I would like to know of any must have extras I should order pre delivery. I will be doing a lot of wild camping so best power to run appliances is a must, I am also thinking about a scooter rack as I have a 50cc Habana custom, and what type of external bike rack fits. I believe the vaan has fixings for this. I also need some advice on feeding and storing a TV. Awning may also be a consideration but what type suits best?

All my other vans have been old models bought second hand and I have not really utilised the equipment for full touring potential so I am bit of a novice, if you know what I mean. Any guidance appreciated.

Cheers Rob


----------



## JohnsCrossMotorHomes

Hi,

Penny wise can be pound foolish, buy locally unless you can be assured of good back up.

Peter


----------



## Outhouse

Just over 10% saving for me is worth the journey and by all accounts from threads on here the dealer has a very good reputation. I do agree though that it would be prudent to buy Local however as I said 10% equates to quite a lot of pennies saving on a new van, I can't understand why Scotland is so expensive and the dealers I have visited don't seem to have the same movement on price as you guy's down south


----------



## buttons

JohnsCrossMotorHomes said:


> Hi,
> Penny wise can be pound foolish, buy locally unless you can be assured of good back up.Peter


Not sure if it is the same with all manufacturers but my own experience is that you get the best deal you can then have any warrantee issues addressed at your local registered dealer. Apart from the unfortunate situation where the vehicle would be replaced at the point of sale. Is there any requirement to visit the selling agent?
But then I could be wrong.


----------



## Spacerunner

The dealer fitted extras on my 07 Chausson are, Fiamma bike rack, on the factory fitted fixtures. Status ariel, Chausson fit a TV cabinet and wiring but no ariel or feed. If you are thinking of using a LCD TV then the roofline TV cabinet will be next to useless. I converted mine to a 'booze box'  . Now the TV is stood on the table for a much better viewing angle.

The dealer fitted an Omnistor awning which has been just great. I suplimented this with an Omnistor Safari Residence which is almost bomb-proof, we even had our Xmas dinner in it at Southsea last year.

Myself, I have doubled the leisure batteries to 200 a/h and had a 85w solar panel fitted. In sunnier times this gives us almost indefinite independance from a hook up.

I'm now thinking of having a tow bar or T-safety bar fitted as the rear bumper is very susceptible to minor contacts! :roll:

Also check the number of 240v sockets you have, I had to fit three more to be able to use mains powered items conveniently.


----------



## JohnsCrossMotorHomes

buttons said:


> Not sure if it is the same with all manufacturers but my own experience is that you get the best deal you can then have any warrantee issues addressed at your local registered dealer. Apart from the unfortunate situation where the vehicle would be replaced at the point of sale. Is there any requirement to visit the selling agent?
> But then I could be wrong.


There is no obligation on any distributor to address conversion waranty issues on a van not supplied by him, it is not part of his agreement with the converter.

In general payments for conversion warranty rectification is under the normal rates and is subsidised by the profit margin on the sale, no sale, no profit subsidy hence many distributors will not carry out warranty repairs on non supplied vans and in all fairness why should they subsidise another firms sales.

The chassis/cab element can be taken to any authourised service centre.

Peter


----------



## buttons

This could explain this lack of enthusiasm by some dealers after selling you the vehicle to then rectify warrantee issues. If they have already been paid in kind, and it will now be costing them money why should they be eager to get you back in their workshop for below normal rates.

My experience is that I purchased from one dealer then always had excellent after sales and warrantee work carried out eagerly by local dealerships. Their carrot is that good service will bring me back for services and other non warrantee work. This has worked well with this van and when I change it later this year I will be looking for the best price even if it requires me to travel to achieve that.


----------



## Jezport

JohnsCrossMotorHomes said:


> buttons said:
> 
> 
> 
> Not sure if it is the same with all manufacturers but my own experience is that you get the best deal you can then have any warrantee issues addressed at your local registered dealer. Apart from the unfortunate situation where the vehicle would be replaced at the point of sale. Is there any requirement to visit the selling agent?
> But then I could be wrong.
> 
> 
> 
> There is no obligation on any distributor to address conversion waranty issues on a van not supplied by him, it is not part of his agreement with the converter.
> 
> In general payments for conversion warranty rectification is under the normal rates and is subsidised by the profit margin on the sale, no sale, no profit subsidy hence many distributors will not carry out warranty repairs on non supplied vans and in all fairness why should they subsidise another firms sales.
> 
> The chassis/cab element can be taken to any authourised service centre.
> 
> Peter
Click to expand...

Thats a bit silly of the converters, as there are so many MH dealers going bust leaving owners without a place to get warranty work done. It can make people lose faith in the converter involved.


----------



## sersol

"In general payments for conversion warranty rectification is under the normal rates and is subsidised by the profit margin on the sale, no sale, no profit subsidy hence many distributors will not carry out warranty repairs on non supplied vans and in all fairness why should they subsidise another firms sales. "

Your constant offers for doing warranty repairs seems very fair in that case Peter, well at least it keeps your name rolling round on the forum :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: .


----------



## buttons

Jezport said:


> Thats a bit silly of the converters, as there are so many MH dealers going bust leaving owners without a place to get warranty work done. It can make people lose faith in the converter involved.


Very good point jezport, Sounds like not a lot of thought has gone into this process of payment for warrantee work rectification. Perhaps a conversion rep MHF member could explain this process should your supplier go bust. 
I doubt Peter's tremendous generosity could cover all cases.


----------



## Jezport

buttons said:


> Jezport said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thats a bit silly of the converters, as there are so many MH dealers going bust leaving owners without a place to get warranty work done. It can make people lose faith in the converter involved.
> 
> 
> 
> Very good point jezport, Sounds like not a lot of thought has gone into this process of payment for warrantee work rectification. Perhaps a conversion rep MHF member could explain this process should your supplier go bust.
> I doubt Peter's tremendous generosity could cover all cases.
Click to expand...

I think it may be a good time for people like Peter to speak to the converters
and make changes. If buyers of motorhomes are worried that they will be left without warranty if their supplier goes bust sales will slow down further.

Lets face it, if you are worried that warranty work will not be done you may as well buy a second hand van.


----------



## buttons

Quote: (Details of your nearest authorised service centre can be obtained from customer care.)

I'm confused :? How does this equate to what was said earlier.

The name and address of the warranty and Guarantee provider is:- 
Swift Group Limited, 
Dunswell Road, 
Cottingham, 
East Yorkshire, 
HU16 4JX. 
To make a claim under this warranty, contact the Swift Group Service Centre which supplied your motorhome. Alternatively, details of your nearest authorised Swift Group Service Centre can be obtained by contacting the Swift Group Customer Care Department on 01482 875740, or enquiring on this website.

http://www.swiftgroup.co.uk/motorhomes/warranty


----------



## Outhouse

Just ordered the Flash 09, it has taken me a week to convince my wife that blue is a very good colour for the interior HAHA. 

I also had a major (time consuming) look at all other makes, models, layouts & dealers (2nd hand & new) and I kept coming back to the Flash 09 and this deal. Fingers crossed I have made the right decision, Linda will never let me forget it if I get this one wrong. 

This website has been a great find and in truth it has helped me make a calculated decision about our needs and wants in a new van. I have read what seems like thousands of useful threads and posts covering many aspects. So thanks to you all. 

Cannae wait for my trip down to Wales within the next few weeks for handover.


----------



## Italia

Bought a Flash 09 from the same dealer in May and now enjoyng it in Italy. Like you I looked for the best deal and I have phoned their workshop a couple of times for advice. No problems at all with their responses. Very good. I got a Fiamma Bike rcak locally and fitted it myself, but I would agree that an extra Plug socket in the habitation area, perhaps near the back would be helpful.


----------



## finyar

Good luck with your purchase, We have the same model and are heading to France next Thursday.
We love this particular model and would recommend it to anyone.

The only extras fitted are a bike rack and an awning,

This isa great van and I am delighted you have got a good deal

Finyar


----------



## geraldandannie

We bought our Chausson from a dealer a couple of hundred miles away from us. It hasn't been back to the dealer (nearly 2 years old now), mainly because it hasn't needed to  

Like Spacerunner, we had the Omnistor awning, status TV aerial, Cat 1 alarm and bike rack fitted, and we had an extra leisure battery fitted, all before pickup. Since then, we've had a Maxview crankup and 120W solar panel fitted (Snellyvision, plug plug).

Again, like Spacey, we've fitted a couple of extra mains sockets (these in the bottom of an overhead locker, above the table). Our TV sits on the table, although it's stored in the TV locker for travelling. Apart from that, it's pretty much as-is, and suits us perfectly.

Gerald


----------



## rayc

Can anybody explain what the Chausson model numbers apply to e.g 09, 75, 85 etc? Is it some secret code or randomly selected by Chausson?
Off to France for 3 weeks on Tuesday. First stop is Futuroscope and then the Ardeche for 4 - 5 days and then where the fancy takes us.


----------



## Outhouse

Just arrived home in my brand new shiney Flash 09, well it was 469 miles ago. The weather was horrendous never seen so much rain, glad to get back to Scotland for some sunshine. So far I am a happy bunny saved a packet going south and I had a wonderful time in South Wales, I also enjoyed getting the feel of my new toy on the journey back home. Only issue seems to be a bulb.


----------



## worzel

*Re a scooter rack*

Hello from a wet Devon, (is your van new)

Befor you fit a scooter/bike rack you need to know your pay load. I have a Chausson Allegro 96 with a 3 liter engine and a maxi chassis with 840kg pay load.

Just fitted a scooter rack my self, it was made in alloy by a local company and i did the rest it cost about £400 and its first class.

When fitting lights on your rack with a 7 pin plug you need a extra relay to wire into the loom. (Get your dealer to do it)

Good luck.

Mike.


----------



## rayc

Outhouse said:


> Only issue seems to be a bulb.


As I drove my new Chausson away from the dealer on collection I saw the Lamp Failure warning light was on. I checked and all road lights appeared ok. After my first trip with the lights on the rear offside tail lamp had failed. I checked inside the rear light cluster and the bulb holder had become dislodged from the carrier. I reset it and the warning lamp went out and no further problem.


----------

