# Quality of Autotrail motorhomes?



## tourangang

hi all

i went to the shepton mallet show at the weekend and really liked the autotrail apache 700 but also liked the beccecar E495. i was concerned with the build quality of the autotrai mind you, most of the cupboard doors did not fit properly, and the toilet door you could'nt even shut!

i then went and had a look at one at westcountry motorhomes (new one) and that was the same, i guess they had not had any pdi done yet.

whats other peoples opinions on autotrail build quality - i thought they were supposed to be good?

i dont want to spend my hard earned on something that is going to fall to bits!

john


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## lifeson

I have just bought an AT Cherokee after owning a Swift Caravan (same makers of the Bessacarr MH's) _ I wouldn't have bought a Swift MH based on the build quality of the caravan - which although MHs are different the basic components were the same - just check the shower trays on a Swift for a start!
I also had trouble with the WC door but it was soon sorted.
Overall very pleased with the Auto trail build quality


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## StewartJ

Bought a new AT Tracker last year put in on road Sept 1st, well pleased with the build quality, 2 days after pick up were toured north Scotland an Skye covering 1400 miles over 3 weeks. No major issues with anything except a loose habitation door inside handle assembly. and one or two minor things which were easily remedied with a screwdriver.

Dealer sorted the door handle. 

Now done 3500 miles spent 58 nights away and all still seems well screwed together.

Suspect show examples are not treated sympathetically by many of the browsers?


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## Twilight

Suspect show examples are not treated sympathetically by many of the browsers?[/quote]

We take delivery of an Autotrail Apache 632 in April......looked around all and everything and for us kept coming back to Autotrail. Must agree with above quote......lots of the demos we looked in had been well shall we say "well looked at". Then we managed to have a look in a just delivered new one at a dealer that had a Open Weekend.....all bells and whistles as and where should have been.


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## Rosbotham

There's two aspects to build quality in my view....how well it's put together (i.e. what needs snagging), and the build quality of the design/materials.

Your observations relate to the former, which will be specific to each van and with correct dealer support should be resolved. Strikes me that at least a cursory PDI should be done before they put them on display though, recognising it'll need to be repeated to resolve the issues introduced by people tramping through it. I got my van second hand so arguably the snagging was done by the previous owner, but there wasn't much wrong.

On the latter, as I noted on a different thread earlier today, before purchasing mine I got directly out of a Swift Sundance into an Autotrail Cheyenne. The difference in build materials was immediately obvious, reflecting the £10k difference in new purchase price. The item that particularly stood out on the Sundance was the plastic trim on the interior of the low-profile/overcab. It was plastic...plastic vs wood is a personal preference, but this was particularly hard plastic of the sort that was the norm in 1980s Skodas. Knock on it and it was hollow. I couldn't believe they had something like that on a £40k+ motorhome; it would have been out of place on my old Elddis. There was also a spot light fitting on the pillar below it, that when I tried the switch fell out in my hand - that wasn't a snagging issue, it was poor quality plastics that would never stand the test of time (the "snag" was that it self-destructed before it left the showroom)

Paul


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## Jezport

We had a budget Chausson MH to start with and in our opinion the build quality was very good, we had no issues through ownership. The places they saved money seemed to be lower spec and thinner panels etc.

We never had any issues with bits wearing out or falling off. We also searched the www for any issues and found lots of happy owners. I cant comment on Autotrail as I have not owned one but if doors are not right on the demo at shows I personally would worry a little as there will be a lot more wear and tear from being used properly and being driven around than a few people opening cupboards to take a look.


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## peribro

We took delivery of our Cherokee almost exactly a year ago and have been very pleased with the build quality. It is going in for its first service this week but nothing of any consequence for them to do. The bathroom door does stick if not parked exactly level and I have asked them to ease it. Other than that no problems.


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## erneboy

Having owned four Autotrail vans I would say that the older ones were better made. Our last, a Mohican which we bought new, had many serious faults which the dealer seemed unable to fix, so we changed it for a Frankia. Maybe our Mohican was a Friday afternoon van but we will not buy another Autotrail. Having said that the Frankia has had a few very annoying problems too. I have lost faith in dealers in general and now do my own repairs, Alan.


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## DTPCHEMICALS

Ours is an 05 autotrail.
The only trouble was that the manufacturers do not put strong enough catches on the drawers. I fitted magnetic ones and all is well. 
The GRP has lots of gel coat cracks appearing and strangley enough appear in cold spells when the mh does not move.
Otherwise no problems
Dave p


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## EJB

My 2002 Tracker is as good as anything else I have seen. I certainly wouldn't change it for a new one! :wink:


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## Chascass

This is my 2nd Auto trail and have always been impressed by not only the build but their design and choice of materials used, never having owned other that a Auto trail I can not comment with any authority on the build quality compered with other vans, other than comments I get from friends and family who have other types of Motor homes, which are always very complimentary.

Charlie


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## bromleyxphil

Hi

I have an 09 Apache and love it. One or two niggles early on which the dealer sorted out but they were mainly bought in components heater, window, rooflight. The van itself is well made and more importantly feels like it was designed by a motorhomer not a "12 yr old CAD jockey"
Phil


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## jud

:roll: hi tourangang. it's easy for me to pull other m/h apart but i won't because they all seam to have there faults autotrails .we have had 5 on fiats & mercs 3 brand new 2 second hand all had faults but nothing serious only minor we all so had 1 German- 1 French and another English 1 . auto trails & ( bessacarr - swift ) are in the same price range and are similar but only in my opinion autotrails have the edge hope this is of some help. jud :wink:


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## lindyloot

Hi we looked at several brands before deciding on an Auto trail. On the budget we had to spend the build quality was what made up our minds. Have been very happy with it for the last 3 and 1/2 years.
Lin


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## peedee

I've had a Mohican now for 10years and it has been used more than most and I have had no real problems with it. A few niggles but it has served us very well over the years. However, I do tend to agree with erneboy and think the older ones were better built. The Company has grown over the years and they are now selling many more models than they used to, so perhaps there are pressures to get finished products through the door quicker and keep costs down. Maybe quality is suffering a little?

peedee


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## HurricaneSmith

EJB said:


> My 2002 Tracker is as good as anything else I have seen. I certainly wouldn't change it for a new one! :wink:


I agree with Ted.

Our 2004 Tracker has a really good build quality, and the interior trim looks better than many new vans to my mind. 

Our wc door swells and sticks in the winter. My bodge solution is to remove the catch plate (held on by two small screws) until the Spring. :lol:


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## wakk44

Ours is now 6 years old and the build quality has been very good.The conversion side has not given us any problems at all.

The only problems we have encountered have been on the Fiat side :roll:


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## rayrecrok

Hi.

We have our one and only motor home a 97 reg Mohican we bought private for cash going on for 13 years ago, we had the upholstery changed last year so the inside is very tidy, along with the outside apart from the nearside skirt that got swiped with a traffic cone that was knocked into us in some road works in Portugal, but this will be fettled this coming summer.

We have all the clocks whistles and dials fitted over the last few years making our van totally self reliant for wild camping.

Like others we look round other models Auto trail or whatever and we both can not see any benefit in changing our van which is exactly what we want (but would like a fixed bed with garage) but saying that our routine has the bed out or made in a few minutes, I put the bed and bedding out at night, Sandra puts it away while I get washed on a morning.

We have no problems with the van and all the bits and bobs all work even after all these years, the engine pulls well even towing the trailer with the car on over the Alps etc.. I find my 65 miles per hour is the same as a motor home costing a lot more that ours, and it is very rare another motor home overtakes us if I am in a hurry.

So I have nothing bad to say about Auto Trails, well the older ones which have the aluminium bodies, new ones with cracky gelcoates is progress I suppose :roll: .


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## kc10

Autotrail or Bessacarr = Autotrail.


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## Rosbotham

? Bessacar = Swift
Autotrail = Trigano?


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## georgiemac

Ours is fine. Had no problems whatsover.


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## mickyloo

The bathroom door that was impossible to close will be ok in summer! A Dealer will not be able to fix it as it is a design fault. Overtall we love our Cheyenne but are still disappointed with some aspects of the design and/or build quality but would have found the same with a Swift or other brand if friend's experiences are anything to go by.

We are on our second motorhome and will not change this one because it takes so much time and effort to get it how you want it and to have all the niggles fixed.

Having spent 40 or 50k on a luxury motorhome surely the least we should expect is a machine that works properly and that has been built using decent components.


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## kc10

Rosbotham said:


> ? Bessacar = Swift
> Autotrail = Trigano?


The great dung dilema.


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## tony50

Having never bought a new Motorhome until 2007 and then another in 2008 ,I was amazed at the minor build problems you get , and, then dealer says bring it back and we will fix them ( must admit I liked my dealer ) , Why is it that a lot Motorhome dealers don't have bad name ? like garages in general , why is it acceptable that several Motorhome owners accept "snagging / faults " will be there on delivery of their £35000 to £ 60000 + vehicle ? if it was a BMW or Mercedes car and a door handle fell off , splashes of sealant stuck around the body most people would blow a fuse .


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## barryd

I quite like the look of the Autotrail Arapaho, mainly because it has the same layout as our Kontiki 640 but bigger with twin axles that look like it would take a decent size bike on the back. However. I was recently on a CL where an autotrail pulled up and their fresh water tank froze whereas ours didnt. They had an external tank. Do they all have external tanks and are they not properly winterised?

We have looked at a lot of newer motorhomes and found the build quality or layout not as good as our older van. I found the same when I had boats. the older ones were always better built.

We would like to upgrade at some point but I think it will be a challange to find the right van. Its alright some dealer saying just bring it back but if your in Turkey for the winter then its not always practical.


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## Dill

I think build quality has suffered over the last 4 years for all makes and models of Motorhome. It's how quickly these faults are rectified, and the selling dealers attitude towards them that you here about. 

Dill


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## peribro

mickyloo said:


> The bathroom door that was impossible to close will be ok in summer! A Dealer will not be able to fix it as it is a design fault.


Had mine in today at the dealers for its first habitation check and they are taking it in again to remove the bathroom door from the frame, shave and repaint where necessary before rehanging.


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## metblue

*build quality*

Having had several new vans in last 8 years i can attest that the build quality and pdi at the factory is poor, also some of the so called dealers are no better too.
I will confirm that both the vans we bought from Cleveland motorhomes a Swift Kontiki and a Swift 669 was very well prepared,pdi and very well dealt with. However my 2008 Autotrail Arapaho was just a bag of nails which after numerous serious faults was got rid of.
All of the above being said we have just purchased a low mileage Mohican based on a Mercedes Sprinter,which we are very happy with,build quality is far superior,equipment better too and fibreglass panels thicker,better quality with no cracking showing as yet.
All round a far better product.we are both very happy with it.


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## gaz44

we started at the bottom with a rollerteam 600go.
it wasn't what we really wanted but it has def been what we needed.
although its classed as entry level, ( £32 grand ) it has never let us down has had no faults, three years later, it has just passed its first mot and latest habitat check with ease.
were hoping to upgrade soon, and we have looked at both the AT and swift garage models. i have to say we have found no faults with either when looking. however when i have approached owners to ask what they think the cheiftan was not regarded very highly, why is this?


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## sideways

my mate is like a stick of rock hes Autotrail all the way through, wont hear of or have anything else, however his opion is the newer they are are the worse they get,hes hanging on to his 07(bought new) as he reckons the newer ones are just not as good either componont or workmanship wise.


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## erneboy

Sideway sums it up perfectly for me. Our first Mohican was a second hand 2000 model or there abouts we bought it in 2004 and changed it for a new one in 2006. There was no comparison, the older one was well built and trouble free, the new one gave endless bother and had major faults which the dealer was unable to fix. We were sorry we had changed, Alan.


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## Ainsel

Hi,
I have owned a Bessacar E560 and now have an Autotrail Savannah,both great vans but you get what you pay for in both. Autotrail all the time for me whilst I can afford them.


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## Dill

Thinking of changing our 2007 Chieftain, looked at a 2010 model, was quite suprised to see only one external locker which in my opinion was next to useless with no under floor access. Also didn't like the way the locker door opened up looked a bit flimsy to me. The floor seemed a bit springy, as though it was thinner material used. Why they have put a sliding window to the nearside bench seating beats me. I have always thought the upholstery on AT's were a bit bland compared to others like swift ect. Although the upholstery wasn't all that bad on this one. I hate to say it overall we were disappointed and defiantly not worth handing over £20k plus our van for the latest offering from AT. 

In my opinion AT have made a sidewards step instead of a good advanced allround improvement. 

Seems to me the models made up to early 2009 are better. 

Wife wants to look at a 2010 swift 679 super low line on saturday, will keep you informed.

Regards

Dill


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## Rosbotham

Dill said:


> Why they have put a sliding window to the nearside bench seating beats me.


Can't comment on the rest Dill, but our 696 has that. I'd assumed it's so that if you fit sides to your canopy (or windblockers), you're still able to open the window? Would be a pain for us if that window was top-hinged.


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## Dill

I don't know if it's me being too picky but we went to look at the Swift 679, all I can say is it didn't take us long to walk away. 

Regards

Dill


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## path

We like our Autotrail Tracker EKS SE(2009) but wish they hadn't stuck on so many things instead of using screws etc. The strip light in the bathroom fell off(glued!), the strip above the door fell off (Glued!!) and the velcro glued to the side under the windows to hold the cushion backs of the side facing seats is useless.Why spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar?!!!!! Apart from those niggles the build quality is good.


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## montrose

Well that's my mind made up! Bought an '08 Apache 700SE privately last July, only 3000 miles on the clock. I got Fiat to do the reverse gear mods under warranty and no issues reversing at all now. Just toured France for 6 weeks and had a brilliant time - mileage is now 7700. The AT is an excellent bit of kit, build quality is good and nothing fell off! Only real issue (which is a layout issue and not quality related obviously) is having to make up the bed every night, so am considering replacing it with a fixed end bed model, with a spacious front lounge so if the two (large) dogs are in with us there is room to move! Was considering the Bessacar E560 but the various posts have dissuaded me from going down that route. I'll stick with AT and look for one of their end-bed models. Any recommendations?

Thanks

Jim


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## Rosbotham

We're happy with our Cheyenne 696G (transverse double, front lounge)...if you're rich and looking at new, believe it's now sold as Mohawk with a few extra bells & whistles.

This allows room for "two bums" on each of the settees in the lounge, or feet up lounging but not lying flat on your back without putting feet onto rotated cab seats. If you want a very large lounge and can manage with a longer van, then there was a tag-axle Cheyenne that gave extended length in both kitchen and lounge, I believe now branded Chieftan.

Both have enormous garages.

Down to whether you want 7.5M or 8.7M overall length.

Paul


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