# New Swift Sundance 630L, 16 faults after 10 days.



## stewartwebr

Hi folks,

We eventually collected our new Swift Sundance 630L. The delays were due to the floods then the postal strike which prevented us from getting the required insurance cover note allowing it to be registered.

The van was at the dealer for almost 10 days awaiting our collection. I convinced myself that this would allow them more time to pick up on the faults….WRONG!

We have spent 10 days at a lovely campsite in Bath then continued on to the Western Show at Malvern. We both had a really great time. However, as suspected we are starting to compile a long list of the dreaded faults. I had read all the comments from other members of this site, and for some reason convinced myself that my van would be okay. I have owned 2 previous Swift Motorhomes, and have been pleased with them.

Like other members I intend to contact the MD of Swift to inform him of my disappointment. I have been loyal to the brand and this will certainly make me think differently when the next time changing comes around. Its okay for Swift to say they can put these faults right but they should not be there in the first place. I have a very busy work life and would rather be spending my precious leave time enjoying myself than spending them at Motorhome Dealers awaiting repairs that always seem to take at least 3 attempts to get correct.

Anyway here is the list of defects after 750 miles and 10 nights in the van:

•	Bad scratches to the GRP Luton Pod (Identified on collection)

•	Shower Room Door does not stay closed. Swings open and bangs around when driving.

•	Toilet is not sealed. Silicon around rear looks like it has been done by a 10 year old. Lumps and bumps and bits missing.

•	2 Shelves missing from the cupboards.

•	Drawer at the rear is twisted and looks like it is open. Sticks out 10cm more than others

•	Strip on the skirting has been cut short by 30cm

•	Silicon sealant everywhere…cushions, floor and exterior

•	Kitchen sink takes for ever to drain.

•	Water pump has been supplied with the pipe that’s cut so short it cuts across the locker and has pulled the pump off the wall Pump is now hanging on 1 screw

•	The strange goings on with the interior lights that are supposed to remain on for 15 minutes. However, if this is not bad enough it stays on for ever.
•	Large silicone thumb print on the control panel

•	Accommodation door needs to be slammed so hard to engage lock; the pressure has caused the seal on the door to squeeze out more than the rest of the door frame.

• The shower tray has a large deep scratch on the base

•	Something strange going on with the control panel and the heating and water heating. Panel needs to be reset constantly

•	Small cupboard under sink when locked still rattles as it does not close tight. Needs adjusted by 10mm


This is the list so far. To say I am disappointed is an understatement. I just cannot be bothered with the hassle of trying to get it all put right.

By what I can see something major has slipped at Swift and things are going downhill rapidly. I think this will be my last Swift, but too late they have the money for this one. But as they say once bitten………..


Happy Camping,

Stewart


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## some-where-in-oxford

Hi, Stewart,

Sorry to hear that you are having problems on a new Swift 630L. I have this model and also had a long list of faults. Many, if not all of these should have been picked up by the dealer during the PDI. I am beginning to believe that some dealer are ignoring faults just to make a sale.

My door light on the habitation door stays on after the cab doors are open. We now leave via the habitation door after turning off the interior light on the control panel before we leave. If we leave by the cab door the light just stays on.

Please check for water leaks below the windscreen, all my injectors are rusting at the base, the washers are being eaten away by corosion.

Dealer has now fixed most problems, wife is totally fed up and wants to change to another brand. We looked at Autotrail at the Malvern show. We will change change our Swift 630L as soon as we find a similar layout.

I know exactly how you feel, all the pleasure and magic of picking up a new motorhome has been completely destroyed. It is sad that some dealers are willing to let a new motorhome be handed over to a new owner without putting right any problems they find.

This enough to put you off for life, I feel I just cannot trust a dealer anymore after my experience. Even Fiat took their time to admit there MIGHT be a problem with water leaking into the engine.


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## taildj

We had a swift sundance but after 8 months experience with poor build quality we changed to a hymer and instantly became the ' happy campers' we wanted to be.


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## some-where-in-oxford

I forgot, we also have some cupboards without shelves. When I asked the dealer, they told me that you do not get shelves in all the cupboards.

Also noticed that the plastic frames that hold the cupboards to the wall do not have all the screws in them. I think there are six holes but they are only using three of these. Again told this is how they are fixed by Swift.


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## Grizzly

some-where-in-oxford said:


> My door light on the habitation door stays on after the cab doors are open. We now leave via the habitation door after turning off the interior light on the control panel before we leave. If we leave by the cab door the light just stays on.
> 
> .


We had this problem when we picked up the van. The internal light over the habitation door is supposed to come on when the cab doors are opened and it then stays on for 15 minutes. Ours used to stay on until we switched it off via the control panel. The fix that the dealer did made sure it now works as it should BUT since then we have had a problem with the engine battery discharging and twice flattening itself.

We are about to go away and so will have to live with it ( and a battery charger) until we come back later in the year. It might not have anything to do with the fix for the lighting but it does look suspiciously like it does have.

G


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## Trance

If your van is not fit for the purpose or you feel that the build quality is in serious question, ask for your money back. You should not have to feel the van is a headache every time you use it. You have spent some serious money on this purchase, there is no other way you should be feeling other than HAPPY.

Gregg


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## ICDSUN

Hi Stewart

Personally I would reject the vehicle totally as it is not fit for purpose, you are very likely to never feel comfortable with this MH, wondering what will go wrong next. If you are not comfortable with rejecting the vehicle ask the dealer /Swift to supply an identical model to yours until all the faults are put right so you are not inconvenienced by their lack of build quality and the dealers contempt of you as a customer by letting this MH be delivered with some of these faults on. Log and itemise all your expences incurred in returning the vehicle etc and inform the dealer you expect all this to be paid by them.

During our search earlier this year for our 1st MH we did look at the Swift range as they have some nice layouts, but sadly the quality of the finish was appaling, considering this was at the NEC show in Feb I would have thought that at least the show models would have been upto the mark but the silicone fairy was rampant in it's application, cupboards and doors ill fitted, so it appears that little has changed.

If you had a bad pint or a meal served to you, would you not complain, most people would very likely reject it and ask for a new one, so apart from the cost and the emotional conflict of waiting and the anticipation that you have what is the difference in rejecting defective goods when it's a MH costing many thousands of pounds to a pint of beer at 2-3 quid

It is a move forward that Swift are looking to improve their products and their relationship with their customers, but why should you be expected to 
pay in lost time and enjoyment and wait for repairs of a supplied defective product.

My advice would be to Use your Head instead of your Heart.


I hope it all works out for you, whatever you choose to do


Chris


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## Superk

Sorry you've had all those problems. The vehicle is not aceptable - it doesn't work as a motorhome - you have owned a motorhome before you know what to look for but what else might be going on yet to be discovered? The sooner people stand their ground and say that inconvenient repairs and adjustments are not accepted and want their money back the more likely the manufacturers are to get the message that sloppy workmanship will not be tolerated.


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## 102933

hi all 
i holehartidly agree with the comments made here and know to my peril of the heartaches and headache's that we and others like us are suffering especially Stuart, for buying a SWIFT especially with a FIAT base vehicle. 
my own van is showing signs of rust in the engine bay at 3 weeks old this surely is not acceptable who knows what its going to be like in 2 years. 
On advice i intend to give Fiat chance to come up with a permanent and complete repair, if not then i will be asking for a complete refund. 
as for the comment about dealers fixing things you are right they think you have nowt else to do but drive a 60 mile round trip only to find next day that the problems back again. 
I would still like to know what I paid £1165.00 delivery and PDI for,what PDI 
it's a joke an expensive one at that. 
NOT A HAPPY CAMPER haven't camped yet to busy at the repair shop. 
B & J :evil:


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## SwiftGroup

Gents,I can only apologise, you will do what you will do I cannot undo your disappointment.I will personally deal with and sort these quality issues.All items you have raised will be discussed with the whole workforce and our inspectors as clearly someone is not doing the job although the buck stops
with me and believe me it will be sorted.Peter.


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## 106428

Peter....

It's encouraging to see that you will be taking action to improve your quality. This will no doubt improve Swifts reputation and potential order books. But where does that leave those of us who have already parted with our money and have a sub standard product.

I too can provide a list of faults that have occured on my Bessacarr E410 since I took delivery of it in February. It has made as many trips to dealers as I've actually used it for real. The problems that I'm experiencing, in the main, are the same as what others are posting here and in order to get the problems fixed I now have to part with more money to get it to and from the dealers.

I'm due to take it back to a Fiat dealer tomorrow to get an engine problem fixed - or attempted to be fixed since this will be the fourth visit. Trading Standards/Consumer Direct have advised me that I should really be asking for a replacement since the problems are not getting fixed. This I may well be doing although reluctantly.

What assurances can Swift provide me with that if I take my vehicle back to the original dealer - one more time - that there is a solution for my remaining problems.

1. My favourite - The Heating Controls. These do not work as described in the User Manual. This caused the dealer considerable consternation and trouble trying to make it work...they couldn't. I contacted Swift and received a seemingly defencive answer that there was a new explanation of how the Heater Controls work - which is very different from the manual - and that no way would Swift modify the controls to make them as they should be.

A feature I've paid for that doesn't work. Can this be made right?

2. The Rear Entry Light - this has a mind of it's own. It comes on when the Cab doors are opened and if the engine starts never goes out until you manually switch it off. Then it will come on again if you flick the headlights or wipers on/off. Swift tell me there is a Process Sheet that will allow the dealers to rectify this.

Does the Process Sheet make the Entry Light work as described or does it remove the 15 minute timeout function? In other words will I get the feature I paid for.

3. Broken Bed support - On the second night of use the front bed support snapped. It is a poor design. I sent photos to the dealer requesting a replacement part be ordered. That was on March 29 07 - I still haven't had the replacement. Is there a problem in supplying this item?

4. Injection System Failure Light - this warning light came on and the Fiat dealer has tried 3 times to find the cause - tomorrow is the fourth and final attempt. Although this may be a Fiat problem there is a connection between the wiring of the engine and the habitation unit.

5. There are other smaller irritants....

- If the clock on the Radio is enable the cab battery goes flat within a couple of days. Another feature paid for and not usuable.

- The rear door is very stiff and my wife can't close it from inside without undue slamming. Also the seal is becoming damaged due to the protruding heads of the fixing screws on the striker plate.

- The floor panel over the fresh water tank occassionally lifts out when in transit; discovered only when your foot goes through the hole.

- Sealant over the plastic panels in the bathroom; I cleaned this off but shouldn't have needed to.

- many white plastic screw caps wont close or are broken

- Bathroom door occasionally swings open when in transit.

- Electric steps has deployed on its own and refused to retract on first attempt or second attempt - very rare occurance but now I'm wary of it.

- top front running light only secured only by one screw - the other sits in the hole but can't be tighten; discovered when washing the vehicle.

- One burner on the stove will not stay alight unless you hold the knob in for about 2-3minutes

Peter, I love this vehicle or rather I love the freedom it should be giving me but I am very dissapointed in the quality considering the cost and the constant worry about what's going to go wrong next.

So, where do I go from here  

Colin


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## SwiftGroup

Pixelpusher2 said:


> Peter....
> 
> It's encouraging to see that you will be taking action to improve your quality. This will no doubt improve Swifts reputation and potential order books. But where does that leave those of us who have already parted with our money and have a sub standard product.
> 
> I too can provide a list of faults that have occured on my Bessacarr E410 since I took delivery of it in February. It has made as many trips to dealers as I've actually used it for real. The problems that I'm experiencing, in the main, are the same as what others are posting here and in order to get the problems fixed I now have to part with more money to get it to and from the dealers.
> 
> I'm due to take it back to a Fiat dealer tomorrow to get an engine problem fixed - or attempted to be fixed since this will be the fourth visit. Trading Standards/Consumer Direct have advised me that I should really be asking for a replacement since the problems are not getting fixed. This I may well be doing although reluctantly.
> 
> What assurances can Swift provide me with that if I take my vehicle back to the original dealer - one more time - that there is a solution for my remaining problems.
> 
> 1. My favourite - The Heating Controls. These do not work as described in the User Manual. This caused the dealer considerable consternation and trouble trying to make it work...they couldn't. I contacted Swift and received a seemingly defencive answer that there was a new explanation of how the Heater Controls work - which is very different from the manual - and that no way would Swift modify the controls to make them as they should be.
> 
> A feature I've paid for that doesn't work. Can this be made right?
> 
> 2. The Rear Entry Light - this has a mind of it's own. It comes on when the Cab doors are opened and if the engine starts never goes out until you manually switch it off. Then it will come on again if you flick the headlights or wipers on/off. Swift tell me there is a Process Sheet that will allow the dealers to rectify this.
> 
> Does the Process Sheet make the Entry Light work as described or does it remove the 15 minute timeout function? In other words will I get the feature I paid for.
> 
> 3. Broken Bed support - On the second night of use the front bed support snapped. It is a poor design. I sent photos to the dealer requesting a replacement part be ordered. That was on March 29 07 - I still haven't had the replacement. Is there a problem in supplying this item?
> 
> 4. Injection System Failure Light - this warning light came on and the Fiat dealer has tried 3 times to find the cause - tomorrow is the fourth and final attempt. Although this may be a Fiat problem there is a connection between the wiring of the engine and the habitation unit.
> 
> 5. There are other smaller irritants....
> 
> - If the clock on the Radio is enable the cab battery goes flat within a couple of days. Another feature paid for and not usuable.
> 
> - The rear door is very stiff and my wife can't close it from inside without undue slamming. Also the seal is becoming damaged due to the protruding heads of the fixing screws on the striker plate.
> 
> - The floor panel over the fresh water tank occassionally lifts out when in transit; discovered only when your foot goes through the hole.
> 
> - Sealant over the plastic panels in the bathroom; I cleaned this off but shouldn't have needed to.
> 
> - many white plastic screw caps wont close or are broken
> 
> - Bathroom door occasionally swings open when in transit.
> 
> - Electric steps has deployed on its own and refused to retract on first attempt or second attempt - very rare occurance but now I'm wary of it.
> 
> - top front running light only secured only by one screw - the other sits in the hole but can't be tighten; discovered when washing the vehicle.
> 
> - One burner on the stove will not stay alight unless you hold the knob in for about 2-3minutes
> 
> Peter, I love this vehicle or rather I love the freedom it should be giving me but I am very dissapointed in the quality considering the cost and the constant worry about what's going to go wrong next.
> 
> So, where do I go from here
> 
> Colin


Colin,If you will allow me I will collect your Motorhome and bring back to Swift to correct all your issues plus I will arrange for your Fiat issues to be dealt with whilst at the factory.I am on holiday at the moment but if you would like to telephone Lynsey Place she will arrange everything for you.I dont understand your problem with the heater controls can you explain to Lynsey please.We have a fix for the entry light it is something do do with the Fiat wiring and the control panel both Italian! Peter.ps who is your Dealer?


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## 102933

hi peter thats a very generous offer perhaps you could arrange for all of us on this site that are having problems,with vans made by your company to have our vehicles picked up by swift and sorted out especially the water ingress into the engine bay, and while your at it pay us our out of pocket fuel expenses for the waisted fuel getting to and from dealers to get repairs etc :?: 
regards bill morris


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## broc

some-where-in-oxford said:


> Hi, Stewart,
> 
> Sorry to hear that you are having problems on a new Swift 630L. I have this model and also had a long list of faults. Many, if not all of these should have been picked up by the dealer during the PDI. I am beginning to believe that some dealer are ignoring faults just to make a sale.
> 
> My door light on the habitation door stays on after the cab doors are open. We now leave via the habitation door after turning off the interior light on the control panel before we leave. If we leave by the cab door the light just stays on.
> 
> Please check for water leaks below the windscreen, all my injectors are rusting at the base, the washers are being eaten away by corosion.
> 
> Dealer has now fixed most problems, wife is totally fed up and wants to change to another brand. We looked at Autotrail at the Malvern show. We will change change our Swift 630L as soon as we find a similar layout.
> 
> I know exactly how you feel, all the pleasure and magic of picking up a new motorhome has been completely destroyed. It is sad that some dealers are willing to let a new motorhome be handed over to a new owner without putting right any problems they find.
> 
> This enough to put you off for life, I feel I just cannot trust a dealer anymore after my experience. Even Fiat took their time to admit there MIGHT be a problem with water leaking into the engine.


Do your homework on Autotrail first, you may find they are as good/bad as Swift. Take a look at the Autotrail forum. Certainly our old (2002 model) Bessacarr E425 was almost trouble free, compared to our 18 month old Autotrail Cheyenne 696. This has had 26 faults so far, many of which were identified in the first month of ownership and took more than 6 months to get resolved. We were on our first day of a 2 week holiday touring Germany last summer when it developed a water leak in the pipework behind the cooker; we spent the whole trip having to open taps & turn on the pump to get water and then shut the pump off to allow the system to depressurise before closing the taps. A Right Pain!

Having said that, if you have a good relationship with the dealer and are prepared to work at it you can get these things sorted. Fingers crossed our Cheyenne is now fully debugged, lets hope it behaves as we are just about to set sail for mainland Europe Friday night.

Sadly, our next van will almost certainly not be british-built unless there is a major improvement in quality control & PDI.


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## 106428

Peter....

Many thanks for the kind offer to take a look at my vehicle. Today it's with the FIAT dealer (DBS Desira) Hertford and hopefully they can fix - once and for all the engine problem. After this I am due to go on holiday with the vehicle (3wks) so I will contact Swift on my return.

The original supplier of the vehicle was Becks Motorhomes in Rollesby, Norfolk.

I did write a letter to Swift regarding the Heater issue so you may find it on record. If not I will relay - again - the problem to Lynsey.

I'm sorry for the position you find yourself in Peter, in trying to deal with some really basic issues. Please forgive me if you already know this but I'm sure now you will appreciate that the Cost of Quality is more expensive after you ship a product. While Quality does cost during design and manufacture it's very much cheaper to 'Get it Right First Time'

Thxs

Colin


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## some-where-in-oxford

broc said:


> some-where-in-oxford said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi, Stewart,
> 
> Sorry to hear that you are having problems on a new Swift 630L. I have this model and also had a long list of faults. Many, if not all of these should have been picked up by the dealer during the PDI. I am beginning to believe that some dealer are ignoring faults just to make a sale.
> 
> My door light on the habitation door stays on after the cab doors are open. We now leave via the habitation door after turning off the interior light on the control panel before we leave. If we leave by the cab door the light just stays on.
> 
> Please check for water leaks below the windscreen, all my injectors are rusting at the base, the washers are being eaten away by corosion.
> 
> Dealer has now fixed most problems, wife is totally fed up and wants to change to another brand. We looked at Autotrail at the Malvern show. We will change change our Swift 630L as soon as we find a similar layout.
> 
> I know exactly how you feel, all the pleasure and magic of picking up a new motorhome has been completely destroyed. It is sad that some dealers are willing to let a new motorhome be handed over to a new owner without putting right any problems they find.
> 
> This enough to put you off for life, I feel I just cannot trust a dealer anymore after my experience. Even Fiat took their time to admit there MIGHT be a problem with water leaking into the engine.
> 
> 
> 
> Do your homework on Autotrail first, you may find they are as good/bad as Swift. Take a look at the Autotrail forum. Certainly our old (2002 model) Bessacarr E425 was almost trouble free, compared to our 18 month old Autotrail Cheyenne 696. This has had 26 faults so far, many of which were identified in the first month of ownership and took more than 6 months to get resolved. We were on our first day of a 2 week holiday touring Germany last summer when it developed a water leak in the pipework behind the cooker; we spent the whole trip having to open taps & turn on the pump to get water and then shut the pump off to allow the system to depressurise before closing the taps. A Right Pain!
> 
> Having said that, if you have a good relationship with the dealer and are prepared to work at it you can get these things sorted. Fingers crossed our Cheyenne is now fully debugged, lets hope it behaves as we are just about to set sail for mainland Europe Friday night.
> 
> Sadly, our next van will almost certainly not be british-built unless there is a major improvement in quality control & PDI.
Click to expand...

Thank you Broc for your comments. At the moment we just do not know what to do. Yesterday is was raining most of the morning in Oxford. Checked under the bonnet and top of engine has a pool of water around the injectors.

My wife has now completely lost all interest in our motorhome, she just wants to sell it now and not bother buying another one from any manufacturer, she is convinced now if we change the van we will have these problems starting all over again.

What confidence are we now left with?


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## SwiftGroup

Pixelpusher2 said:


> Peter....
> 
> Many thanks for the kind offer to take a look at my vehicle. Today it's with the FIAT dealer (DBS Desira) Hertford and hopefully they can fix - once and for all the engine problem. After this I am due to go on holiday with the vehicle (3wks) so I will contact Swift on my return.
> 
> The original supplier of the vehicle was Becks Motorhomes in Rollesby, Norfolk.
> 
> I did write a letter to Swift regarding the Heater issue so you may find it on record. If not I will relay - again - the problem to Lynsey.
> 
> I'm sorry for the position you find yourself in Peter, in trying to deal with some really basic issues. Please forgive me if you already know this but I'm sure now you will appreciate that the Cost of Quality is more expensive after you ship a product. While Quality does cost during design and manufacture it's very much cheaper to 'Get it Right First Time'
> 
> Thxs
> 
> Colin


Absolutely these issues should not have got out I cannot defend it.I have offered to put right other forum members problems and we would naturally offer to pay their expenses. I am sat here with my trousers down!Until I get back there is little I can do but take the flak.I have explained on other threads about my history I dont know if you have read them?I own the business and I must take responsibility but I cant work instant magic .We have to be better than our uk and european competitors and currently we are not.We clearly have a problem of comunication between ourselves and Dealers as these issues have not been fed back plus we clearly have had our heads the the clouds!What more can I say I cant undo what has happened and I have got to take the flak.With regard to your Fiat problems re water ingress have you read the X250 gutter problems thread? I have taken this issue on board to take up with Fiat on the 2oth.Peter.


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## stewartwebr

*Swift's reply*

As I started this post I feel it only fair to update the reply I have received from the Swift Group. Peter, their MD has written to me explaining his disappointment with regard to his companies failings. He is going to discuss and address the issues when his staff return. An offer has been made for the vehicle to be returned to Swift and for the vehicle to be put right. I get the feeling he is going to use the vehicle to demonstrate to his staff the issues that customers are pointing out.

We can all go on about it should not have happened in the first place and the product should have been delivered in a perfect condition. The fact the the MD has held his hands up publicly and admitted things are not as they should be are commendable. I hope for the sake of the UK motorhome industry and in particular the Swift Group, this will be a real wake up call and a major turning point.

I will keep everyone up to date on the progress and thanks to everyone who has commented and contacted me by PM.

Happy Camping

Stewart


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## Steptoe

I am reading these Swift threads with great interest as, like MikeMoss, I own a 9 year old Bessacarr. 

Whilst I have had, and am experiencing, some aggravating base vehicle problems (note my other threads) these are entirely commensurate with this age of a commercial vehicle; were it in 'white van' mode it would have done it's alloted mileage long ago and been scrapped, however the habitation bit has held up very well. 

All the appliances, switches, and controls are original, I have not yet even had to change a light bulb.

I've had to replace a few of the plastic cupboard latches, and need to glue a couple of frame joints, but I put this down to abuse by Mrs & Miss S. as they never fail when I open them :? 

The feather in the cap of the van, literally, is the superb roof design. Solid GRP lid, with a moulded lip to fit over the sides, no screwed seams to ever give problems (he said remembering his Highwayman )

All this doesn't help those folks who have spent lots of money and are having problems but what has impressed me is how Peter has undoubtably ruined his holiday by monitoring and responding to this forum and worrying about the problems raised. As he is not at the factory at the moment he can only reassure rather than take action, however I would not care to be in the workforce when they return to work 8O . With the founder back at the helm the good old days will surely return


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## 106480

It is very interesting reading all these posts and the response now coming from Peter at Swift, but the one responsible for repairing/replacing or compensating is the suppling dealer.

I believe the complaints from you all must be collated to possibly find common ground. Nearly all the complaints are simialr and a lot of them are coming from new 630 series vans. Were they all manufactured at the a similar time, are most coming from the same dealership.

We can accept that there may sometimes be a 'Friday 'van, but these faults suggest some thing much more is happening.

The problems with the new Fiat chassis is something else and of course must be addressed promptly, but these problems with Swift may or not only affect a batch of 'vans or components perhaps manufactured in a specific month, but why after spending £40,000+ are new owners having to pay the costs and extra stress and anxiety.

Knowledge is power and I have seen that another member has tried to gather information to forward to the Swift management. Was this successful, I do not know.

Your comments re any action that we can collectively take would be most welcomed.


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## SwiftGroup

Steptoe said:


> I am reading these Swift threads with great interest as, like MikeMoss, I own a 9 year old Bessacarr.
> 
> Whilst I have had, and am experiencing, some aggravating base vehicle problems (note my other threads) these are entirely commensurate with this age of a commercial vehicle; were it in 'white van' mode it would have done it's alloted mileage long ago and been scrapped, however the habitation bit has held up very well.
> 
> All the appliances, switches, and controls are original, I have not yet even had to change a light bulb.
> 
> I've had to replace a few of the plastic cupboard latches, and need to glue a couple of frame joints, but I put this down to abuse by Mrs & Miss S. as they never fail when I open them :?
> 
> The feather in the cap of the van, literally, is the superb roof design. Solid GRP lid, with a moulded lip to fit over the sides, no screwed seams to ever give problems (he said remembering his Highwayman )
> 
> All this doesn't help those folks who have spent lots of money and are having problems but what has impressed me is how Peter has undoubtably ruined his holiday by monitoring and responding to this forum and worrying about the problems raised. As he is not at the factory at the moment he can only reassure rather than take action, however I would not care to be in the workforce when they return to work 8O . With the founder back at the helm the good old days will surely return


Steptoe,thankyou for your support.Peter.


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## Burnside

*Swift Bolero Faults*

We got our Bolero in December and from day one had so many problems. Due to family issues we had to move back to England from Scotland and it has been a real battle to get the faults resolved. In the end I had a real go at Swift and our m/h went back to the factory.

Great you are all thinking. Well yes....err well I take that back. Since it has been back with us, they did not manage to fix the fridge and no one will touch it. The shower is now leaking. And yet another design fault with the all in one train door to the conversion. Basically it leaks. Rain runs down the window and into the door. Which in turn somehow ends up in the footwell. On checking Swift M/Hs at 4 local dealer they are all the same. We now have water damage to our door and rust forming from the fixings of the internal panel.

Customer services will have a call from me when they return on the 20th.

The sad news is that due to the poor workmanship and problems with Swift motohomes, most dealers do not want to take them in part exchange or are offering such a low figure for them.

Buyers beware if you are thinking of buying a new Swift.


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## Rapide561

*Fridge*

Hi

I do not know what make your fridge or what the problem is. I suspect it is either Dometic or Thetford. Either way, when I was in Italy and chatting to the local dealers, they said they could always work on items like Thetfords, Trumas etc as the guarantee is pan euro.

In respect of your fridge, have you had a word with the manufacturer?

Russell


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## Burnside

It is a Thetford. I have spoken to them and they have told me to take it to a servicing agent. I have called all the local ones that they list and no one will help. Even spoken to service agents in the West Country and would take a day out of our holiday next month to have it looked at and still no joy.

I will say the fridge works on 240v and gas, but the control panel states it is working when the engine is running but it does not maintain the tempeture and everything defrosts. 

I have spent what feels like hours on the phone to Thetford and they have run through things with me and I have tested all the electrical connections I can with a test meter and still no joy.

One thing they did say it may be down to the relay Swift fit.

Ray


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## 106557

I have just found this forum after searching sites for any help to improve the poor state of my 3 year old Sundance.

When purchased from a dealer in Essex as new my wife and I were new to motorhomes and we chose this model because it was the perfect size for us.

As we took delivery we were aware of a couple of items such as grease on the front cab curtains and a paint scratch however the salesman assured us that these would be put right.

It was not long after that things started to be apparant regarding poor workmanship etc. Being a faily practical person I was prepared to tidy up these things ie: badly fitted floor covering, plastic and wood shavings in every nook and cranny, cabinet locks not working etc.

The crunch came when whilst cleaning the cooker hob my wife removed skin from the top of her finger due to the poor finish of the metal. At this point I felt that the matter was serious enough to report to Swift directly.
How wrong I was and I was told that they do not deal directly with the public.

At this time I reported a list of items, some quite serious such as a warped dash board.

Eventually I was so exasperated I returned the vehicle to the dealer with a letter of rejection as advised by my solicitor quoting the sale of goods act. The owner was not appologetic and blamed us for most of the damage and said that we had not given him a chance to put things right and that he was not prepared to change the vehicle or refund our money. I left the vehicle in the yard and returned to my solicitor who wrote to the dealer.
The outcome was that the dealer would not change his mind and I was left to decide whether I needed the trouble of taking him to court and being involved with expensive litigation. The decision was to have the problems resolved to a satisfactory condition. This in due course was done.

Not the end of the story unfortunately as some months later both driver and passenger seats started to fray due to poor workmanship. This time however we managed to get the dealer to change them.

As I started off by saying I am searching the internet to find any cures for my problems now that the van is three years old. All of the plastic body panels have faded and look like ten years old, the roof covering is bubbled up and all the external rubber seals look as though they have rotted.

Doesn't look like a quality product that I expected to me and the bullying attitude of the dealer means that we are stuck with it.


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