hi,
recently my surge damper allegedly cracked on my van due to frost, water all over the floor as you may expect, but, i always drain down both taps every time i leave the van, be it spring, summer ect
with my caravan having a warranty i promtly phoned my supplying dealer who went to repair the damper.
now, when i went back to inspect the repair everything seemed fine, until i came to drain it and i noticed one of the taps had been either adjusted or replaced.
when i first got the van i drained down as i should, went outside, looked under the van and saw nothing coming out, so i thought as i was still in my caravanning infancy that maybe it went straight into my grey waste container and thought nothing more of it.
i realise now that with the tap adjused/replaced this is not the case and it does indeed drain straight out onto the floor.
so, when i bought the caravan, it had a service, 12 month later it had a service, and 2 month after that my damper broke, could a faulty safety drain tap stop water from draining out from my caravan?? if so, why was this never picked up on the service(s)?
please bear in mind that my supplying dealer did both services and intends to charge me for the damper at £96.00,
should i mention this to the dealer and also with the approved workshop scheme?
thanks birdman, but my problem is, i think i must have had a faulty drain tap all along as i have never seen the water drain onto the floor like it does now.
this surely should be picked up on a proper approved workshop service, and could the faulty tap be to blame for the broken surge damper? as all the water was still in the system when i thought i had drained down?
I see your point but i think you will have a battle convincing them that is the case.I have been caravanning 40 years and i only take vans to service for first 2 years whilst under warranty, as i know some things have not been touched when i have got van back,hence i do my own and my friends.
If I recall correctly, the drain tap needs to be flipped up 90 degrees to drain down. Is it possible you previously flipped the tap 180 degrees and closed it again?
Quote: Originally posted by DaveCoaches on 28/2/2013If I recall correctly, the drain tap needs to be flipped up 90 degrees to drain down. Is it possible you previously flipped the tap 180 degrees and closed it again?
agree easy to do if you have not done it before.90 degrees to drain
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Hi Dave,
No chance of that as I know they work either way and up to drain.
Can't work out why it went past 2 proper services not working and only got fixed when the damper broke.
I smell a rat and I'm not happy that I (think) I may have the wool pulled over my eyes by them fixing the dodgy tap at the same time as the damper especially as the tap may have caused the issue in the first place.
Quote: Originally posted by john,mel,3kids! on 28/2/2013
thanks birdman, but my problem is, i think i must have had a faulty drain tap all along as i have never seen the water drain onto the floor like it does now. this surely should be picked up on a proper approved workshop service, and could the faulty tap be to blame for the broken surge damper? as all the water was still in the system when i thought i had drained down?
I tend to agree with you and your observations but getting you supplier/service agent to agree with your suspicions that he may well have been negligent and/or dishonest at PDI and all following services is unlikely.
dave, i think you are correct, but i don't like to be treated as a fool, so while i know i will have to pay, i will be mentioning it to the dealer i bought from, as i have already had a couple of run in's with him regarding certain things.
i will just make him aware of what i think, and see what comes back from him, then i will make the chaps at the approved workshop scheme know my feelings.
i really don't know how some people sleep at night!
oh, and another thing, i really hate being ripped off!
spending money is one thing , getting your pants pulled down is another.
Before you go too far it might be worth getting a copy of the service checklist and make sure it is on the list. You might be surprised at how few things are actually checked by some companies. If it is on the checklist you probably have some recourse but if not it could be a very grey area.
------------- 'A sure cure for sea-sickness is to sit under a tree'
The check list is only like an MOT on a motor says it was ok on the day. As i said before i think you will have a job to prove different.
The next time you have anyone service your van it may pay you to use a mobile guy so you can watch him do it and see what he ticks off as checked.
Am not familiar with Coachman but replaced the surge damper on a Bailey a while back and it was less than a tenner and fitted in about ten minutes so would query the bill. How much parts, how much labour ? May be you should complain in writing that past services have failed to identify a fault and you expect a considerable reduction in the bill......Mick
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