We are considering going to Germany to purchase a Burstner caravan. What are the implications, there must be paperwork to import I guess, is there any import duty or can we just go over there purchase, hitch up and come home? Were there any major adjustments that you had to make to the van, ie electrics/gas?
How do you go about getting any warranty work done as Burstner don't export vans to the UK any longer, servicing I guess you would get done via a general servicing company not a dealer. Have spoken to a couple of motorhome dealers and they are not interested at all.
No import paperwork, its no different from buying in the UK. Pay by bank transfer is easiest, take a numberplate, hitch up & tow away. You can register it with Cris when you get home if you want. Warranty only good in the country of purchase, no EU wide 2yr warranty by law as with cars. It will have continental plug sockets inside obviously, but cooker/fridge/toilet/chassis etc is as UK 'vans so any UK caravan workshop can service it.
Possibly no dearer to buy from Belgium dealer & much nearer Calais. Belg or German dealers will mostly take your money in fluent English so language probs.
I bought my Burstner in France from a main dealer,the local Burstner motorhomes dealer in Somerset serviced it and carried out any warranty work required,the only thing whilst under warranty was the window delamination and all sorted under the warranty,the service book was stamped and recorded by the motorhome dealer and entered on the Burstner Germany computer system.
from my experience it was no different from buying a British van.
The only problem I had was that some insurers won't insure it but the Caravan Club were OK with it
The electric sockets are all German type.
knarf
If you buy a new caravan, any warranty work done outside the country of purchase would be an arrangement between buyer & dealer or manufacturer. If caravan has extended water ingress warranty this would need to be stamped for example. EU warranty law covers cars, not caravans.
When the Eriba importers at Letchlade were in business they would not even service any 'grey import' Eribas let alone do warranty work. Dealers/importers for continental caravan makes seem to come & go all the time so what might be arranged at time of purchase may not be good next yr.
If you want to buy abroad it might be a good idea to buy from a country you go to on holiday or buy from a dealer in France/Belguim not too far from Calais so you can get any work done in the course of a holiday.
Jack and Jon, have looked for a dealer in Calais and hey presto there is one and as we pass through Calais at leat 4 times a year looks like problem solved. Great idea thanks.
Only other query, gas bottle pipe and regulators, same fit as our UK ones or not? will get around plug prob by buying a load in France for our current appliances.
I've noticed some modern continental caravans still use bottle top regulators not bulkhead regulators but either way you can either use UK bottle/regulator or if fitted with bulkhead regulator it will be as UK. If you do more caravanning in France than UK you might as well set yourself up with French gas bottles anyway & ensure they are full enough to last you for UK use before you go back.
I use a French Le Cube bottle, refills are a bit cheaper than UK Calor & initial bottle cost is lower, under 20€ for bottle & 'offre speciale' sometimes as low as 9€. Cheapest refill exchange is from large supermkts like Leclerc.
EU warranty law covers all consumer goods not just cars
.Each Bürstner caravan is covered by a comprehensive warranty for two years from the date of purchase-). Five year water ingress warranty, subject to annual inspection (to be paid for by the customer)
Burstner caravans come with a pan european 2 year warranty applicable to all member states,If you buy a caravan in Germany and there is a fault then any Burstner agent can carry out the warranty work. If you contact a Burstner Motorhome dealer in the UK they may be prepared to carry out the servicing and warranty work.The Burstner Motorhome dealer in my area was more than happy to do any work requested.
Saxo1
I was being specific about the EU warranty law that applies to cars not consumer law which is separate issue. That is any main dealer anywhere within the EU must do warranty work on any car up to 2yrs old sold within the EU. After that its up to main supplier/importer to decide the extent & coverage of their warranties. Some UK supplied car makes extend their warranty coverage into Europe after 2yrs, some don't.
Caravans are not covered by this law. The individual manufacturer can extend their warranty outside country of purchase but there is nothing in law EU or otherwise that requires them to. UK trading standards could not help in a dispute with a warranty issue on a caravan purchased outside the UK because in UK law the dispute is with supplier not manufacturer.
Judi S
Below is a copy of a reply I received from Burstner GB yesterday:
Dear Sir,
The 2 year warranty does indeed apply to caravans bought in France as long as the service is carried out by a Burstner approved service centre.
Given your post code please contact Chelston Motorohmes at Wellington (01823 662075).
Regards,
Burstner UK
PO Box 164,
Bishop Auckland.
County Durham,
DL13 1WZ
Tel: 01388 537960
Fax: 01388 537961
You don't need to worry about getting it serviced or warranty work done in France if it's more convenient to have it done in the UK contact your nearest Burstner Motorhomes dealer.
I can say that the service I have received from Burstner and Chelston Motorhomes has been first class.
Saxo1
Thanks for your digging on my behalf. I had already contacted my local Burstner Motor home dealership in Portsmouth who did not want to know but I will contact Burstner GB and see if they can suggest someone else closer to us here in Southampton.who will be more helpful. It would be very much easier to get it looked at locally if possible,
I bought mine from J S Jacqueline in Cherbourg, just in case I had a problem with any warranty work,as it is convenient for me to use the Poole -Cherbourg route and I could do it on a day trip.
The price I paid was the same as the dealer near Calais was asking.
Saxo1
Although a new van imported from Germany is not subject to import duty, deemed to be "In free circulation" as of eu manufacture, is it not subject to vat upon entry to the UK.
The supplier will claim any tva (tva in France, vat in uk) that he has paid upon exportation and uk taxes then apply.
I've always understood this to be the case but of course may well be wrong, anyone clarify ?......Mick
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Topic: Burstner Caravan Import
........... full of great info. Begining to feel a bit more confident about buying abroad now. 
