# Autotrail Apache 634 U.



## 96410

Hi,
I


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## kennyboy

Please don't do it!!!!!!!! You seem to have had enough bad luck as it is, reading the postings on Swift.
Before you do anything, do read all the Autotrail postings first!
Good luck
Ken


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## cabby

Yes take note of kennyboy please read the forums.


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## 100005

I have a 2006 Autotrail Scout from new and I would certainly not buy an Autotrail again.
I love the Scout a lot, but Autotrail have very low customer orientation.

I had lots of really poor build quality issues, and Autotrail just didn’t want to hear about them.
It’s everything, right from major items not working correctly (shower plumbed incorrectly etc), right down to the really small stuff like stickers put on wonky.

If you paid $50K for a BMW or Mercedes car you would bet your life it would be perfect, unfortunately, not so with Autotrail.

Cheers, 

Steve


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## trevorf

It really saddens me reading about all these people who are unhappy with Autotrail. We always wanted an Autotrail right from when we bought our first van but could not quite stretch to one at first. Now we have an Apache and we love it. No problems at all except for the truma gas regulator failing which is hardly Autotrails fault. Build quality looks fine, certainly better than some other British AND foreign vans we have seen. Ours is a 2005 model, is it possible that something has gone wrong at Autotrail with more recently built vans? 

Trevor


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## zulurita

I must also say that we have had good motorhomes from Auto-Trail, we are on our THIRD auto-trail mh and although we had issues on the first two they were minor. Our current cheyenne 660 is great and very little in the way of problems until recently but that I guess is to be expected, although I think the loose wire in the charging unit was probably there from the beginning, in hindsight.

However we have found the quality on the whole pretty good compared to a lot of other motorhomes.

We are having a FOURTH Auto-trail in Sept but that is depending on the windscreen scuttle leaking problem beign addressed. I have already emailed our dealer to this effect stating I want to have a water test done (to see whether it drains onto the engine) prior to my purchasing the MH, I will also be checking the MH thoroughly before the purchase also. It WILL be rejected if I find that it is of bad quality or things do not work as they should. After all paying mid £40,000 is a lot of money!!!

I just hope Auto-Trail haven't been trying to cut corners because of the backlog of orders. We wait several months as it is, but we want a quality product when we do get it and proper quality controls throughout the manufacturing process!!!

AUTO-TRAIL PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF YOUR CUSTOMERS.


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## 96410

not for us


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## seamusog

We took delivery of our seventh new Auto-Trail in March,never again,the faults count has been getting progressively worse,our new van has more faults than all the others put together,the people at Birtley must be tired looking at us,having said that I consider the people at Birtley to be top class,would not take my van to anyone else now.
So we are off to Dusseldorf to look at European vans,possible American vans,but never ever Auto-Trail again.paddywhack.


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## panda54

*autrail*



seamusog said:


> ,our new van has more faults than all the others put together,now.
> hi, can you please tell us the problems you are having with your new van thanks


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## 96299

subaru said:


> well if i dont go for the Autotrail then i am a little stuck, as we need a U lounge and i dont really want another Swift and i have got a budget of 40K and i want a new style cab with over cab bed.


what about a Lunar 726,it has a rear lounge and seems a nice motor home.


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## 96410

The Lunar 726 is a nice van but its close £48,000


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## seamusog

*Re: autrail*



panda54 said:


> seamusog said:
> 
> 
> 
> ,our new van has more faults than all the others put together,now.
> hi, can you please tell us the problems you are having with your new van thanks
> 
> 
> 
> Hello Panda,where shall I start?
> 1) The fridge/freezer packs in for no apparent reason,happened in Portugal and Germany,the trouble is it starts working again,so I'm told "if its not broke we can't fix it!"
> 2) The fresh water does not fill to capacity,75% max,sometimes the water runs straight back out again.
> 3) The control panel has been changed three times(I was advised,when it defaults, to unscrew it from the wall,disconnect the multiplug for five seconds then replace it and screw it back into position) It does the trick but 4/5 times a day on a 52k van? don't think so.
> 4) Gas leak,we used a full 13kg bottle of gas in four days,I'm not sure if the fridge fault was to blame for that.
> 5) The exhaust "bottom's out" on speed bumps etc,it also clatters off the kerb when I am parking up as it protrudes too far from the side of the van.
> 6) Toilet and bedroom doors jamming,almost impossible to open them,fixed now at Birtley as Cannock and Newark did not have a clue how to fix them.
> 7) Base cushion stitching frayed.
> 8) Leak in roof caused by cannock fitters fitting a solar panel,three attemps to fix it,three remote controls damaged.
> 9) Glass lamp cover fell off and smashed 5 miles after collecting the van.
> 10) We were supposed to get removable carpets but we did not,Brownhills did compensate us but the "gaffer" really wanted removable carpets.
> 11) A fitter at Birtley found a leak at the boiler,fair play to him as we had not reported it,but we now have a leak at the toilet sink.
> 12) Various bits of plastic trim missing from cab area.
> 13) we did not get the puncture repair kid,(we have it now)
> 14) Glass cooker lid fell off.
> I am sure there are more faults that I cannot remember but the above are enough to convince me that Auto-Trail no loger care about their customers,nor do they care if I buy another van from them as there will be another mug in line to take my place.Regards,paddywhack
Click to expand...


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## 96410

I think it may be time to pack in motorhoming.


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## DJP

> 1) The fridge/freezer packs in for no apparent reason,happened in Portugal and Germany,the trouble is it starts working again,so I'm told "if its not broke we can't fix it!"
> 2) The fresh water does not fill to capacity,75% max,sometimes the water runs straight back out again.
> 3) The control panel has been changed three times(I was advised,when it defaults, to unscrew it from the wall,disconnect the multiplug for five seconds then replace it and screw it back into position) It does the trick but 4/5 times a day on a 52k van? don't think so.
> 4) Gas leak,we used a full 13kg bottle of gas in four days,I'm not sure if the fridge fault was to blame for that.
> 5) The exhaust "bottom's out" on speed bumps etc,it also clatters off the kerb when I am parking up as it protrudes too far from the side of the van.
> 6) Toilet and bedroom doors jamming,almost impossible to open them,fixed now at Birtley as Cannock and Newark did not have a clue how to fix them.
> 7) Base cushion stitching frayed.
> Leak in roof caused by cannock fitters fitting a solar panel,three attemps to fix it,three remote controls damaged.
> 9) Glass lamp cover fell off and smashed 5 miles after collecting the van.
> 10) We were supposed to get removable carpets but we did not,Brownhills did compensate us but the "gaffer" really wanted removable carpets.
> 11) A fitter at Birtley found a leak at the boiler,fair play to him as we had not reported it,but we now have a leak at the toilet sink.
> 12) Various bits of plastic trim missing from cab area.
> 13) we did not get the puncture repair kid,(we have it now)
> 14) Glass cooker lid fell off.
> I am sure there are more faults that I cannot remember but the above are enough to convince me that Auto-Trail no loger care about their customers,nor do they care if I buy another van from them as there will be another mug in line to take my place.Regards,paddywhack


But how many of these faults are actually down to Autotrail and build quality?
1, Probably Thetford fault
2Autotrail
3.Sargent electrical
4.Was the adapter screwedin tight? Dealer fault
5. Fiat design fault
6Autotrail
7.Autotrail
8. Dealer fault
9.Dealer fauly. Not fitted correctly at PDI
10.Dealer error. Not ordered correct spec.
11.Autotrail/dealer fault
12.Autotrail
13.Fiat or dealer error.
14.Autotrail error
These are my guesses, so out of 14 faults less than 1/2 can be blamed on Autotrail directly, the rest possibly beyond their control.
We are now on our second Autotrail and as Britains most popular manufacturer you can expect to see more complaints due to the numbers out there IMO. 
WE had a Lunar. Our worst ever motorhome (see my posts under Lunar)
Autotrail is a great van and a lot of the problems associated with them are usually down to dealers poor standards of PDI, service etc.


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## seamusog

DJP, the gas connector was tightened up,the leak was caused at Auto-Trail,although Brownhills should have picked it up on PDI!

Does Auto-trail not get chassis/cabs from Alko-Kober? The exhaust would have to be adapted to suit the van at Alko or Auto-Trail.

Why would Brownhills be responsible for a glass lampshade falling off,surely Auto-Trail did not fit it properly when they built the van.

If the salesman ordered removable carpets and Auto-trail did not supply them I would say thats down to Auto-trail.

Regarding the leak at the boiler,again it is fitted at Auto-Trail,so Auto-trail are responsible.

I will bow to your superior knowledge in respect of the puncture repair outfit,Fiat no longer supply a spare wheel,possibly a toss up between Fiat and Auto-Trail for that.

The thrust of my post was that Auto-Trail no longer care about us,the dealers do not care about us,so what to do,I will not give them another penny,I will buy from the Germans,the yanks,in fact anyone who does not take me for a patsy.Regards,paddywhack.

Ps,are you saying that because Auto-Trail are the countries biggest supplier that they are bound to make more mistakes? I would say they should make less mistakes BECAUSE they are our biggest supplier.


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## DJP

> DJP, the gas connector was tightened up,the leak was caused at Auto-Trail,although Brownhills should have picked it up on PDI!


Ok another to Autotrail or Brownhills


> Does Auto-trail not get chassis/cabs from Alko-Kober? The exhaust would have to be adapted to suit the van at Alko or Auto-Trail.


From what I understand the exhaust comes from Fiat in that position?


> Why would Brownhills be responsible for a glass lampshade falling off,surely Auto-Trail did not fit it properly when they built the van.


 If it was fitted at the factory it would have fallen off on its journey to the dealers? Maybe the dealer did fit it or removed it and refitted it?


> If the salesman ordered removable carpets and Auto-trail did not supply them I would say thats down to Auto-trail.


BIG IF the dealer ordered. Ask dealer or Autotrail for copy of order.


> The thrust of my post was that Auto-Trail no longer care about us,the dealers do not care about us,so what to do,I will not give them another penny,I will buy from the Germans,the yanks,in fact anyone who does not take me for a patsy.Regards,paddywhack.


I agree, but that seems to be the way with lots of companies, customer services are almost none existent as can be seen from the many posts on this forum.


> Ps,are you saying that because Auto-Trail are the countries biggest supplier that they are bound to make more mistakes?


No, I am saying that more mistakes are recorded due to them selling more vans. If you take it as percentage, then they are probably no worse than others and better than some IMO.


> I would say they should make less mistakes BECAUSE they are our biggest supplier.


If only that was true. If you look at the J D Power survey on cars you will find the smaller produces e.g. Skoda,Lexus, Mazda, Volvo and Saab all are in top 10 spots whilst Fiat (no.31) Peugeot (no.30 Citroen (no.26)renault (no.23) Merc (no.21) and Vauxhall (no.20) all occupy bottom spots in top 31. So quantity does not produce quality, sadly.
These are just my own opinions and accept that any faults on any new vans are totally unacceptable. The point I was trying to make is that Autotrail are no worse than any other mainstream supplier and in my own opinion from experience I would place them somewhere near the top of the list. 
Comments were made


> If you paid $50K for a BMW or Mercedes car you would bet your life it would be perfect, unfortunately, not so with Autotrail.


I wonder what we would be saying if BMW or Merc fitted gas bottles, fridges, boilers, toilet doors etc etc. There is a lot to go wrong on a van. 
BTW Merc came out 21st on JDP Beaten by Hyundai, Daihatsu, Subaru to name a couple.


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## sennen523

Hi Subaru,
I picked up my first Motorhome in May, a AUTOTRAIL 696G. I deffinitetly don't agree with some of these posts. I have previously owned three BMW cars, the last one cost me over £27K and I had loads of problems with it and the dealer had an appalling attitude.
My Autotrail has had some very minor faults but have been mainly on equipment fitted by the dealer. Up to now I have been very pleased with with it and especially the build quality compared with some foreign vans. GO AHEAD AND GET YOUR APACHE 634. Hopefully I won't regret saying this!!!
Regards,
Sennen523.


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## seamusog

DJP,hello again, I'm afraid we will have to agree to disagree on some points,however,regarding the lampshade,who is to say where it would have fallen off if it was not fitted properly? Brownhills had absolutely no reason to interfere with it.Is it unreasonable to assume that the glass would be working itself loose on the journey from Immingham to Canock?
In the matter of the carpets,or lack of carpets,I have the order sheet in front of me and the removable carpets are were definately ordered.
I have had a new Auto-Trail from Brownhills every year for seven years,so I must have been happy with them,I was happy with them,but with my last two vans I have come to the conclusion that Auto-trail are just throwing vans together,with no respect for the mugs who are buying them! Panda54 asked me to list the faults on my van,I honestly done so,I do not wish to put Panda off buying an Auto-Trail and,like sennen523 I hope Panda gets a perfect van. To be fair to Auto-Trail my van was one of the first tag axle x250's to be built and there may have been teething troubles with them,maybe I should have waited for the niggly things to be ironed out,but if wishes were fishes.


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## seamusog

sennen523 said:


> Hi Subaru,
> I picked up my first Motorhome in May, a AUTOTRAIL 696G. I deffinitetly don't agree with some of these posts. I have previously owned three BMW cars, the last one cost me over £27K and I had loads of problems with it and the dealer had an appalling attitude.
> My Autotrail has had some very minor faults but have been mainly on equipment fitted by the dealer. Up to now I have been very pleased with with it and especially the build quality compared with some foreign vans. GO AHEAD AND GET YOUR APACHE 634. Hopefully I won't regret saying this!!!
> Regards,
> Sennen523.


Hello Sennen,I too hope Panda has better luck than me with the new van,as I said to DJP,I was asked to list the faults on my van and I gave what I hope was an honest answer! It is obvious from posts here that there are good vans and there are bad vans,my last two Auto-trails(both Cheyenne 840's) have been bad vans and have somewhat put me off Auto-Trails.Like you I)SWMBO) have owned bmw's(seven in a row) present one is a 530 TD,I was in the car trade for a long time and I can tell you I have yet to see a car more reliable than a BMW,I cannot recall ever having to get under the bonnet in anger.When you think about it you have had a bad car and a good van,I have a good car and a bad van!!!! someone is trying to tell me something,I think.


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