# Hymer/Browhills warranties



## tonyblake (Apr 4, 2008)

Well tomorrow is de day.....or MOT and habitation day at Hymer uk in Preston.

I realise that thee has been massive changes and I'll see for first hand, the quality, status and ability of Brownhills to do everything correctly.

It will basically depend on what money they extort from me as the final bill as to whether I use them again.

I do know that I can have the full habitation check dome throughout Europe ( and a holiday, and probably cheaper) although the MOT will have to be done here,.

Although I paid an extra £500 to extend my policies, it may well save me more out sourcing in other locations,

Also my gas supply from the bottle to the van is now non existent.

Apparently it may be the upside dome type regulator.

Maybe it's me being cynical and I'll report back and let you know the relevant details of my glorious day out in the lounge of Hymer UK.

Tony

However, thanks to Ian for his assistance from 200 miles away in giving a possible diagnosis and I'll be in touch.

Tony


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## Wupert (Aug 6, 2007)

tonyblake said:


> Well tomorrow is de day.....or MOT and habitation day at Hymer uk in Preston.
> 
> I realise that thee has been massive changes and I'll see for first hand, the quality, status and ability of Brownhills to do everything correctly.
> 
> ...


Brownhills Swindon supplied us with a new Hymer Van with the wrong pressure regulator for the LPG system.

Maybe this could this be your problem.


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

No update from Tony about his experience?

Perhaps he is still at Hymer, trapped in the lounge!


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## tonyblake (Apr 4, 2008)

In all reality, No I'm not stuck at Hymer but the 'van is.

Apparently the 'wrong part' was sent from Fiat dealers and they were expecting the correct part that day...Tuesday.

Strangely it's now Thursday and still no 'van appearance'

I have to point out that they said they would deliver it back to me after letting my booked courtesy car go and I was stuck in Hymerland and needed to go to work so they let someone else have it.Hmmmm

Anyway, they drove me home and I await the final situation and I will keep you posted...........bad or.......GOOD.

Tony


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

Hi Tony,

Well I hope all works out ok for you. I just got back this lunchtime after yet another dissappointing trip to you know where. After waiting over 11 months for two parts under warranty I was informed of their arrival. I presented myself and MH to aftersales at 08:30 this morning as requested only to be told "you do realise that these parts are chargeable" - No I replied - these were ordered less than 48 hrs after taking deliery and I have been through this warranty/not warranty saga many times over the months. I have emails and letters confirming that these are valid warranty claims. I have travelled via Polch to try and pick them up only to be told they weren't even on order. After numerous excuses I was given the ultimatum of pay or they don't get fitted so here I am back home with no parts fitted, fuming and ready to go into action.

I hope you are more successful

Pete


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

Vennwood said:


> Hi Tony,
> 
> Well I hope all works out ok for you. I just got back this lunchtime after yet another dissappointing trip to you know where. After waiting over 11 months for two parts under warranty I was informed of their arrival. I presented myself and MH to aftersales at 08:30 this morning as requested only to be told "you do realise that these parts are chargeable" - No I replied - these were ordered less than 48 hrs after taking deliery and I have been through this warranty/not warranty saga many times over the months. I have emails and letters confirming that these are valid warranty claims. I have travelled via Polch to try and pick them up only to be told they weren't even on order. After numerous excuses I was given the ultimatum of pay or they don't get fitted so here I am back home with no parts fitted, fuming and ready to go into action.
> 
> ...


Good grief, what a mess - a real wasted journey.
Do you think the fact that they wanted to charge you for the parts & work is anything to do with them losing the N&B franchise? 
Maybe an e-mail to N&B with a copy to their owners at Hymer would give them food for thought as to what is going on over here?


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

Hi Mike,

Believe me this is only the tip of the iceberg - I would love to post the whole story on this site so that other potential owners don't fall into the same trap as me.

Nuke - what's the guidelines for this sort of thing?

Pete


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

Vennwood said:


> Nuke - what's the guidelines for this sort of thing?


Hi Pete

Have a look :: HERE :: in Announcements.

Specifically: _If you have had a bad experience with a company, then feel free to come on MHF and tell others about it, you will get more credibility by being a subscriber but that is personal choice, but for your own protection, do not include comments which are potentially libellous and you should therefore avoid the use of words such as 'scam', 'crook', 'rip off', 'thief', etc., unless you are fully able to justify your comments by documentary evidence._

As an extra precaution for you, you might want to get what you want to publish (i.e. post on here) and send it to Nuke. We know the forums here are read by people who may not necesarily post openly, so you need to ensure that anything which is written doesn't come back and bite you in the bum some time later.

Gerald


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

Hi Gerald thanks for the info.

I'll write down the sequence of events and PM it to Nuke for vetting before publishing.

Pete


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## tonyblake (Apr 4, 2008)

Just when you thought it was safe to talk about mundane things like the economy or the Presidential Election, up pops the 'Hymer' question once again.

Well I appreciate that it's been a long time getting back about the recent escapade to Preston but actually, in all fairness, it was quite enlightening.

Although I had 'pre booked' a courtesy car (if any were available apparently), it initially appeared that it would all be done by 2.00 pm, so other people took the available cars as it would be pointless me having one unless I needed one to go to work. Although it was delayed I was taken home by one of the drivers and the van was delivered when the work completed. Impressed.

Anyway, I digress, the gas problem was sorted out, It was the diaphram and rubber hose thingy so change for stainless steel. As the regulator was being replaced under warranty (Swoon) I opted for 1 pipe for propane type and the other for butane/BP lite type, (I have 3 full butane cylinders (of non national exchange type) and getting a BP lite for future European trips)) and these were chargeable (OK).

The pull down bed was adjusted properly.

MOT and an ABS sensor (under warranty) replaced.

Full habitation and Damp check.

1 part is on order but will be replaced under warranty (again swoon) and it is the shower area whatsit and will arrive in a couple of weeks and fitted FOC.

Apparently they also tried to get the blinds changed under warranty because they were stained (looked very hard but we cannot see staining anywhere) but not under warranty so not changed.

All the above including delivery was under £300.00. I know some will say they could have got it a little cheaper but I was happy at that.

General overall impression...very impressed. If this is how Brownhills intend to go forward with the care and attention and dedication to a real doubter like I was then I say 'Good Luck'.

To be perfectly frank, and I know there are more knockers out there (no silly comments please) I was very glad that I gave them my business.

I know this is quite lengthy and somewhat late but I hope that other peoples experiences of the new type Brownhills is as good as mine.

Thanks for reading.

Tony


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Pleased to hear of your positive experiences with Hymer Preston.
All our after-sales dealings have been excellent from day of purchase.

Our Hymer is now 18 months old and I have not had the annual guarantee habitation damp check done.

Is it worth trekking up to Preston just to get it done?
Am I too late already?

I have put my nose into all the nooks and crannies and nothing smells of damp.


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## wilse (Aug 10, 2007)

pippin sorry to hijack this thread...

I recently read that there are no joists/stringers in a hymer?? 
And the Preston boys they have also never seen any when fitting roof mounted items??

If this is the case, what is there to have a damp check for? as the PUAL construction won't get damp surely??

wilse


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

My thoughts exactly!


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## Vennwood (Feb 4, 2007)

Pleased to hear of everyones good experiences - that is what it is supposed to be like ALL THE TIME
I think that the Hymer UK/Brownhills saga is with the subtle difference of NEW vehicle sales v secondhand vehicle sales. With NEW vehicle sales the dealer can claim the warranty work from the Manufacturer whereas with secondhand vehicle sales the warranty is handled by FiatCare and as this is a subsiduary of Brownhills it comes out of their own pocket. This seems to be the rub and where the majority of issues arise.

New vehicle sales customers seem to fare ok - though not all
Secondhand vehicle sales customers seem to fare badly - though again not all

That's my experience

Pete


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## tonyblake (Apr 4, 2008)

Hi Pippin and I'm glad you've had no problems. 

As far as I'm aware the 'Annual habitation and Damp check' has to be done within 18 months of the previous one to keep up the warranty. I may be mistaken but I was informed that it can be carried out by any Hymer approved agents in the UK. It just so happens that there are 5 and all are Brownhills.

As far as I'm aware, the check can be done by any Hymer approved agents in any country, which is why I'm considering going to Germany or France for my next one which is due between November 2009 and May 2010.

I did really expect to be fleeced at Hymer but suffice to say I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome and professionalism at Preston.


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## rossoandy (Mar 26, 2007)

*Hymer wartranty/brownhills*



tonyblake said:


> Hi Pippin and I'm glad you've had no problems.
> 
> As far as I'm aware the 'Annual habitation and Damp check' has to be done within 18 months of the previous one to keep up the warranty. I may be mistaken but I was informed that it can be carried out by any Hymer approved agents in the UK. It just so happens that there are 5 and all are Brownhills.
> 
> ...


You are spot on here, the hab side of things MUST have a HYMER damp test after one year of first registration,Hymer are very generous and say it can be done up to 180 days early or late and still qualify. However be very aware if carried out late the next test will be due in six months ie anniversary of reg date. There is a further fly in the ointment you should be aware of though, if the dealer has had the van in stock over six months the 'warranty clock will start to tick' and so it would always be prudent to check with Hymer exactly when the warranty came into force and get it confirmed by the factory too. It may not enjoy a full six yrs.
The hab side has a two year warranty on most items and the water ingress is covered for six years as long as you comply with the warranty terms. The handbook has a place for an annual damp test sticker which are issued to dealers in blocks of ten generaly, these are seriel numbered and the date of issue to the dealer recorded. Be aware, no sticker, no warranty! Well in principle anyway...get the sticker everytime! I understand the cost to the dealer of these stickers is around £30! So a large part of the fee for a test is for the sticker! 
Clever these Germans..you buy a van with a six year water ingress warranty and end up paying into a 'fund' for future repair!


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