Sounds like Sargent Electrics is the company at fault, not every maker or converter in the country where they are based..Yes, that is true Andy n Mandy. There are, but I think not as many as the British makes. Last week I took a close look at the wiring in a German Globecar, and it did at least adhere to sensible, legal standards. See below the wiring in my AutoSleeper, wiring done by Sargent electrics trying and failing to stuff two 1.5mm wires into each pin designed to take one wire. Result: sparks, false alarms, fires, and at best sockets with no volts coming out of them. The only cure is to rewire the whole electrical system properly (which I did) but I imagine a dealer a) wouldn't do that job and b) if they did, they would charge ten hours labour. I think the going labour rate is about £100 / hour so you would have to pay £1000 just to rectify the manufacturer's faults. The Globecar I looked at used the same plugs and sockets, but correctly fitted one wire per pin.
Back to foreign ones: I had a Rapido with a sort-of similar fault where which ever 'I-couldn't-care-less' moron in the factory assembled the electric bed wiring MUST have seen that he hadn't correctly pushed an 8 pin plug and socket together, leavin one pin sticking out of the plug body. Brownhills failed to find this three times when I sent it back for fixing, they told me to contact Rapido in France, who told me to contact the bed manufacturer in Italy. They were brilliant, they send me the installation workshop manual for the bed and I was able to trace the fault and fix it. Why Brownhills couldn't, I don't know. I suspect their electrical operative was not given enough time to trace the fault. Or incompetent. One or the other. I won't be buying another Rapido or AutoSleeper - or any other make with Sargent electrics. Also below see the fire in the wardrobe caused by electric wiring aparently done by a 13 year old schoolboy on a Friday night after he had finished his homework.
Sound advice indeed, hire one.When we pretty sure we liked the idea of a motorhome we rented one, took a good time choosing what to rent to suit our needs.
What a nightmare, 2 nights in and our opinions had changed 100%, best thing I ever did tbh.
Later I went to the above mentioned show and with my new knowledge found the right van for us. Had it a good few years now and it’s still the right van.
Been looking to change lately and I’m most likely going to buy a new version of exactly the same van.
I meet other people and often think their van is awful, but the point is we all have different needs.
Were I you I’d rent/borrow a motorhome for a few nights, I bet you’ll change your mind about what you like.
Maybe also check for owners clubs relating to the vehicle you think you want, for our moho if we had done this before hand we certainly would not have bought it.
However, all that being said, the sense of freedom and adventure that motorhome ownership can give you is a great thing so just choose wisely and I think the pros will outweigh the cons.
Yup, he's called "gasgas"There are also professional snaggers you can hire to check vehicles over before you accept them
My rates are very reasonable . . . . . . .Yup, he's called "gasgas"![]()
I think if the above is an example of your 'inspection' ability, your rate better be zero!My rates are very reasonable . . . . . . .
But you would need at least all day to throroughly check any motorhome, used or new. When I went to view my current one, ( 1999 model) the selller had a mains lead running from his house. "Just to keep the battery topped up and show you the mains operated things inside". Yes, the engine started and the water was hot, and the mains sockets worked.
I agreed a price and the seller kindly offered to drive it to my house, which he did.
The next day the engine wouldn't start. Strangely there were two batteries under the bonnet, wired in parallel. One was brand new, the other was a dead short, thus killing the good one so it had zero volts. I removed the dead one, charged the good one and the engine started. So that is one reason for the mains lead coming from his house. Next, I tried the water heater on gas. I knew it worked on mains, he had showed me. The gas part of the water heater had completely disintegrated in a heap of dust and had been sending flames out through the flue as I previously mentioned.
So to thoroughly check over a camper you would need, I guess, all day. You would need to check when mains is disconnected, check the gas things are working, check the mains things are working, check battery voltages, check for water leaks - does the pump turn off when the taps turn off or does it periodically pump and stop, do all the lights work on mains hook up and 12v?
And that is only for an old camper, the newer ones have all sorts of touch screen panels that go wrong . . . .
I think we are all talking amongst ourselves here. Where's the op Julie gone? Are they interested in reading any replies?
I can't be bothered any more. Ignore Thread button pushed.
Maybe it’s me but it seemed to goMy rates are very reasonable . . . . . . .
But you would need at least all day to throroughly check any motorhome, used or new. When I went to view my current one, ( 1999 model) the selller had a mains lead running from his house. "Just to keep the battery topped up and show you the mains operated things inside". Yes, the engine started and the water was hot, and the mains sockets worked.
I agreed a price and the seller kindly offered to drive it to my house, which he did.
The next day the engine wouldn't start. Strangely there were two batteries under the bonnet, wired in parallel. One was brand new, the other was a dead short, thus killing the good one so it had zero volts. I removed the dead one, charged the good one and the engine started. So that is one reason for the mains lead coming from his house. Next, I tried the water heater on gas. I knew it worked on mains, he had showed me. The gas part of the water heater had completely disintegrated in a heap of dust and had been sending flames out through the flue as I previously mentioned.
So to thoroughly check over a camper you would need, I guess, all day. You would need to check when mains is disconnected, check the gas things are working, check the mains things are working, check battery voltages, check for water leaks - does the pump turn off when the taps turn off or does it periodically pump and stop, do all the lights work on mains hook up and 12v?
And that is only for an old camper, the newer ones have all sorts of touch screen panels that go wrong . . . .