# Carthago Warranty



## leseduts (Jun 3, 2008)

Can anyone explain Carthago warranty to me. Reading the paperwork there seems to be a lot of checks that have to be adhered to.


We have arranged to go back to the dealer for a must have 3 month warranty check, for damp ingress, this is at a charge of £185. At the same time they are sorting a long list of mostly silly bits and pieces that need doing, none of them serious, just annoying. The MH is brand new as of August this year. I was told that this check had to be done at 3 months with a leeway of only a couple of weeks either way.


I emailed Carthago to ask how we are supposed to stick to dates when we are touring, and could the dates be changed. 
I received a reply to say that the only mandatory check is every 12 months, the others are voluntary. I have not bothered to check this with the dealer as I have not had replies to my last 2 emails. I will wait until we get back to UK and I can speak to them on the phone

What have other Carthago owners done?


Thanks


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

That may well make interesting reading, looking forward as to why they wanted to take money off you when it was not required according to the makers.which dealer.

cabby


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## camoyboy (May 9, 2005)

I have heard from another owner about this 3 month check, I was not aware there was a charge for it.

There was no mention of this when we ordered ours, and I am certainly not planning a 400 mile round trip to get a damp check done after 3 months. That is if we ever get the MH, after waiting 9 months we are told there is going to be another months delay???

Colin


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

It sounds sensible to have a 3 month damp check to me - but surely the cost should be met by Carthago as part of the purchase price if they consider it necessary?

If you're still on the continent I'd advise you to use a European dealer to do the check (if you intend to have it done) as it's likely to be very much cheaper over there.


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## zack (Jun 16, 2007)

I was informed by my dealer that the 3 month check was not required, if I did not want to have it done. I am due to have the habitation check done at the end of the month, you will like this one there is charge of £54 for Carthago paperwork. Not worried too much as we won the habitation check last year. Will be interested to see what the paperwork is


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

My suspicion is that it is a "scam" by one or more dealers to earn some extra dosh. A motorhome has to be of merchantable quality and fit for its purpose when it is sold. To say that it needs to be checked after 3 months in case it's leaking has to be codswallop! Alternatively it says little about the confidence that the manufacturer has in its workmanship! Either way I can't believe that it can be right. What if you were to buy a new car and the dealer told you that it had to have a £200 service every 3 months? Most people would tell him and his car where to go!


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

The link below is to the Guarantee and Service section of the Cathargo website.
It says: "Initial inspection. 
Needs to be carried out after 1500 km or no later than 3 months after first registration: The initial inspection is mandatory and is carried out by the trading or service partner. The customer will be charged for the initial inspection."

If it is a mandatory requirement of ensuring that the warranty is maintained why did Cathargo tell the OP " that the only mandatory check is every 12 months?"

http://www.carthago.lv/en/gurantee-and-service


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## leseduts (Jun 3, 2008)

cabby said:


> That may well make interesting reading, looking forward as to why they wanted to take money off you when it was not required according to the makers.which dealer.
> 
> cabby


I am not going to name the dealer. I need to speak to them when we get back to UK next week. I will find out why Carthago are telling me a different tale.
The warranty was not explained to us when we ordered the vehicle, and we would have expected the water ingress warranty to run for 2years the same as the implied warranty. 
I hope that a Carthago dealer can tell us why Carthago feel the need to only warranty their product against water ingress for 6 months, unless the buyer pays extra money. The guarantee states that ' other than the official guarantee (6 months) Carthago offer an additional 6 year or 10 year leak free guarantee' . It then goes on to say that the necessary inspections are not free of charge. I have no problem with the fact that they charge for inspections, but find it difficult to see that they could refuse to repair a leak whilst the MH is still within its 2 year implied warranty.
Hopefully I have got it wrong and our dealer will be able to explain it to me.


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## leseduts (Jun 3, 2008)

rayc said:


> The link below is to the Guarantee and Service section of the Cathargo website.
> It says: "Initial inspection.
> Needs to be carried out after 1500 km or no later than 3 months after first registration: The initial inspection is mandatory and is carried out by the trading or service partner. The customer will be charged for the initial inspection."
> 
> ...


My email came fron Manuelle Francq and part of it reads as follows:-

Please note that the first inspection and annual inspection are optional and not required. The only main inspection is the water ingress inspection which should be done yearly.


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## coppo (May 27, 2009)

As if motorhomes aren't enough bloody money, they all can't wait to relieve you of even more of your hard earned.


If its correct and you require a check after 3 months which needs to be paid for then its scandalous.


Paul.


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## Jamsieboy (Jan 14, 2011)

Frankly I think this is pretty shabby from such a high quality (and therefore v expensive) marque as Cathargo.
Surely such a van has a high quality manufacture and therefore they should be v confident of preventing water ingress. 
To offer such a limited warranty is a poor reflection on the brand IMHO.


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## camoyboy (May 9, 2005)

After talking with our dealer and the Carthago importer at the NEC on Saturday, we we told that the 3 month inspection is compulsory and chargeable, to maintain the warranty. There was no mention of this when we ordered the MH, as seems to be the case for others on this thread.

As we are planning to keep this MH for a few years then I guess we have no option but to have this check carried out, if we want to maintain the warranty, but I think it should be made clear during the ordering process. For us this means a 400 mile round trip and time off work which eats into our holiday allowance.

With the delay on the delivery, and now this, we hope it will be worth all the hassle.

Colin


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

camoyboy said:


> After talking with our dealer and the Carthago importer at the NEC on Saturday, we we told that the 3 month inspection is compulsory and chargeable, to maintain the warranty. There was no mention of this when we ordered the MH, as seems to be the case for others on this thread.
> 
> As we are planning to keep this MH for a few years then I guess we have no option but to have this check carried out, if we want to maintain the warranty, but I think it should be made clear during the ordering process. For us this means a 400 mile round trip and time off work which eats into our holiday allowance.
> 
> ...


What does the inspection comprise of to justify a price tag of £185? is it any more or less that you would have reasonably expected from the pre delivery inspection which was presumably carried out?


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Les (OP)

You have not quoted wht the wording says about the date from which the 3-months runs.

If it is the 'date of manufacture', which would seem reasonable. it may be worth asking Carthago factory when it left the production line.

It is possible that the 3-month period expired while it was in the Dealer's hands.

I agree with the idea that a top-end MH should not need a 3-month check. Do N+B, Hymer etc. require it?

Geoff


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

I think it's scandalous and quite possible that a lawyer would be able to argue that it's unreasonable to impose such a condition (and charge) when it wasn't bought to the buyer's attention prior to the sale given that such a condition is so unusual and would not normally be expected to apply.


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## mistycat (Jan 28, 2014)

When i was chatting with the Carthago dealer, well he was pretty sure i was going to buy one on friday, even though i told him i was just enquiring,
Anyhow i got around to mentioning this check, he checked with the owner of the dealership from Stafford, who originally said you have to have it, then it went to not compulsory, but you would be charged £80 for it if you went ahead,
Misty (who never bought one)


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

nicholsong said:


> Les (OP)
> 
> You have not quoted wht the wording says about the date from which the 3-months runs.
> Geoff


Initial inspection; 
Needs to be carried out after 1500 km or no later than 3 months after first registration:

http://www.carthago.lv/en/gurantee-and-service


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

rayc said:


> Initial inspection;
> Needs to be carried out after 1500 km or no later than 3 months after first registration:
> 
> http://www.carthago.lv/en/gurantee-and-service


I would say it's ambiguous.

It states "To make sure that your motorhome runs without any problems, we strongly recommend that you adhere to the following maintenance system:............The initial inspection is mandatory and is carried out by the trading or service partner. The customer will be charged for the initial inspection."

So what is it? A recommendation or a mandatory requirement? And nowhere does it actually state that the warranty is conditional upon the 3 month inspection having been carried out.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I could never afford a high priced van, but if I did I don't think I would be too bothered about having a 3 month check, bearing in mind the initial one would have (if at all) been done statically before the van had been bounced around British roads or over speed bumps, I reckon it would give me peace of mind, & if there was a fault it would also be rectified very early, however if it was mandatory, I would expect it to be part of the initial purchase cost, the distance to have it done is another matter and not the fault of the manufacturer.


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## Landyman (Apr 3, 2010)

When we ordered our Carthago at the NEC last year we were offered the first two services free as part of the deal.
The first free service was the three month one which we didn't know about until we collected and paid for the vehicle.

As usual with a new M/H there were one or two minor issues that needed attention after a couple of trips so it was no problem to go back to the dealer to have them sorted at the same time as the service.
As Kev said, after the van has been bounced around the potholed roads of the UK for a while a thorough check over isn't a bad thing.

We've now done well over 7k miles with no further problems so perhaps it was worth the (free?) cost.

Richard.


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

Landyman said:


> As Kev said, after the van has been bounced around the potholed roads of the UK for a while a thorough check over isn't a bad thing.
> Richard.


They cannot have much confidence in their product or their pre delivery inspection if they feel the need to check it again at 3 months or 1500km. It appears to me that they are charging their customers to carry out the checks they should be doing as they appear to have so little faith in their production / delivery processes.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I still the the check is a good thing (depending on the dealer and if they actually do anything) but it should be free.


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

What about making the checks monthly? That presumably would be better still?


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Daily

- at £185 a time, and a round trip.

Load of B*llocks in my book.

But only a problem for those buying new.

Geoff


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Just being silly now > >


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

Kev_n_Liz said:


> Just being silly now > >


I call 3 monthly silly!:wink2:


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