# Lack of Burstner quality control



## mac4218

What surprised me about the Viseo i696 was a total lack of quality control. For instance, the cab door was so poorly fitted that water poured in every time it rained. The carpet was missing but this doesn't bother me. One of the drivers seat backrest adjustment knobs was missing. I obtained a replacement from Fiat in NZ but it was the wrong model and won't fit. The little stick on cupboard stoppers were located in the wrong positions, and most of them fell off. Some of the cupboard shelves are not cut square to the cupboard so they fall down when the vehicle is moving. Other shelves do not have the plastic holder to prevent them moving forward and therefore fall down when the vehicle is moving. I have fixed the problem of poorly fitted cupboard doors that cause excessive rattles by using self adhesive foam strips. The window opening adjusters are loosely made and therefore rattle excessively. I have fixed the problem and other rattles using blue-tack. The flimsy lightweight plastic latch on the bathroom door broke off so I had an aluminum one made. The lightweight chromed plastic shower mixer broke the first time I used it and I cannot find a replacement. The table slide adjuster knobs under the table snap off if any pressure is applied and can only be fixed using glue for as long as it holds. The battery and tank level readers in the panel above the side door stopped working after a week. I have been told that this is a common problem. The flywheel in the Fiat engine makes a grinding noise but the NZ Fiat agent says because the Fiat was sold to Burstner in Germany it is not covered by warranty in NZ. I'm afraid the reputation that Germany is supposed to have for quality control is a myth.


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## tyreman1

Welcome to the wonderful world of motorhoming,i dont think that there are many of us who have bought a new motorhome who arent amazed at the rubbish some manufacturerers turn out,you could end up spending a lot of time going backwards and forwards to your burstner dealer or to fiat to get things fixed but at the end of the day your contract is with the dealer you bought the van from (if you did) and if there are any mechanical issus that fiat wont fix then they should.


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## AndrewandShirley

We were on a trip with some friends who had a brand new Rapido.

Everytime we stopped out came, the screwdrivers, tape and sometimes a drill.

The shower door fell off and several catches broke after less than three weeks. 

But these teething problems I do not think it is confined to any particular make of m/h.

Good luck


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## teemyob

*Mercedes*

Sorry to hear of your bad news.

Might have been better to buy something made closer to home. And on a Mercedes Chassis.

TM


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## drcotts

Hi Mac
this is I am afriad all too often the tale with motorhomes especially over the last 10-15 yrs. It only amazes me how the manufacturers get away with it. But they do. 

I have known people whos new van was so crap they PXd it for another ...of the same maker from the same dealer....

If they were run like the car industry they would go out of business in no time at all. It seems it matters not how much you spend you cant be guaranteed a problem free van. Yes I know people will say "well there will always be problems" but i think thats why we are in the state we are. 

Phill


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## 96299

mac4218 said:


> What surprised me about the Viseo i696 was a total lack of quality control. For instance, the cab door was so poorly fitted that water poured in every time it rained. The carpet was missing but this doesn't bother me. One of the drivers seat backrest adjustment knobs was missing. I obtained a replacement from Fiat in NZ but it was the wrong model and won't fit. The little stick on cupboard stoppers were located in the wrong positions, and most of them fell off. Some of the cupboard shelves are not cut square to the cupboard so they fall down when the vehicle is moving. Other shelves do not have the plastic holder to prevent them moving forward and therefore fall down when the vehicle is moving. I have fixed the problem of poorly fitted cupboard doors that cause excessive rattles by using self adhesive foam strips. The window opening adjusters are loosely made and therefore rattle excessively. I have fixed the problem and other rattles using blue-tack. The flimsy lightweight plastic latch on the bathroom door broke off so I had an aluminum one made. The lightweight chromed plastic shower mixer broke the first time I used it and I cannot find a replacement. The table slide adjuster knobs under the table snap off if any pressure is applied and can only be fixed using glue for as long as it holds. The battery and tank level readers in the panel above the side door stopped working after a week. I have been told that this is a common problem. The flywheel in the Fiat engine makes a grinding noise but the NZ Fiat agent says because the Fiat was sold to Burstner in Germany it is not covered by warranty in NZ. I'm afraid the reputation that Germany is supposed to have for quality control is a myth.


I've been saying this about burstner for ages now. Mine to was a massive yellow lemon. Ok now but loads of stuff wrong with it for the first 18 months or so, and some major too. I know how you feel.

Steve


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## 113016

from what I have been reading over recent years, it seems that the poor workmanship and poor pdi (let the customer find the problems) is the norm nowadays irrespective of model.
Maybe a good dealer will alleviate or minimize the problem.
The older vans do tend to be built better and stronger, possibly something to do with vans now getting larger and the manufacturers trying to buy light products which won't be as strong, but keeping the weight down.


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## hireme

Hi
With respect, if we are prepared to put up with this service from the dealers we deserve everything we get.
First and foremost, we do not deal with the manufacturers, we deal with there approved agents and it is them who must take all of the responsibility along with all of our cash. They are paid to do a Pre Delivery Inspection designed to pick up ALL of the problems prior to us collecting our pride and joy. This does not happen and anyone who has taken delivery of a new vehicle will attest to this when very obvious problems come to light. The constant back and forth to the incompetent dealers will soon have us doing are own repairs.
At this point the dealers have won and we help to maintain the shoddy
standards on offer.
It is vital to understand the sale of goods act and especially the recent updates where the onus to prove a problem is firmly with the dealer, he has to prove the fault WAS NOT THERE.
To be fair we must give the dealers a chance to sort out the problems, but if they fail, start the process of rejecting the vehicle as not being fit for the purpose. Trust me, the last thing a dealer wants is a pre owned re purchased vehicle on there forecourt. Do not be fobbed of with " You will have to deal with the manufacturer, builder or converter. Your contract is with the dealer and they must sort the problems out, let them take your vehicle to the Fiat, Ford, Merc dealer, ask for a loan car or free car hire. 
I am sure if this became the norm our dealer network would have to try harder and offer us the service we should have when spending £50,000.
Imagine if we asked all the relevant questions as to how we would be treated prior to signing on the dotted line.........

This is only my opinion and I am sure there will be the odd dealer out there prepared to go the extra mile, what a shame it is not most of them


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## tyreman1

Its always been my opinion that most dealers will do the minimum to a new vehicle before it goes out as they dont get paid for a pdi,the cost is part of their purchase price but when it come back to have faults rectified they can put in for warranty payments.


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## drcotts

Hireme and tyreman.
You are absolutley right. In my post I mentioned that we let them get away with it and it wouldnt happen with a new car especially one costing 50k.

I remember when a friend of mine bought his new autotrail ableit some years ago.. He got it home and when i went round for a look i found him in his garage looking for a bulb. The running light in the overcab wasnt working. Fair enough bulbs can blow so up the ladder he gets and unscrews the lens..only to find no bulb in at all.

getting the PDI checklist out we see the checks all ticked including

"check operation of all lights" ticked.

Phill


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## trevorf

> Might have been better to buy something made closer to home. And on a Mercedes Chassis.


From my experiences of hiring an Australian built motorhome in NZ they are nowhere near the quality of anything made in Europe. As far as I know the only vans built in NZ are home made ones that are basically a wooden shed on the back of a flat bed truck 8O 8O

Trevor


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## Todger

*Motorhome Inspection*

Having seen a couple at a dealership who spent most of their time posing in front of their new MH costing in excess of £60,000 and having photo's taken then basically drove off stating that they were happy with it but failed to go through a check list with the saleman they said they didn't have time. 
My wife and I took over three hours going through a three page questionaire checklist I had prepared before I accepted delivery of our MH and no problems (so far)


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