Q: My van is one of the more recent vans with a fibre glass protected floor. My dealer says it needs to have the damp spray as part of its habitation check. A Spanish dealers says it doesn’t ?
R: Direct from Isny.
“It doesn’t matter if there is a fibre glass or a wooden floor, you have always to spray the mentioned areas around the connections between sidewall and floor, as well as the holes for the wires and pipes.
Only thing which has changed is the matter that the direct fibre glass has not to be sprayed instead of the wooden one.”
Remember of course, it will affect you 6yr water ingress warranty if you don’t maintain the damp spray
The guarantee begins on the day of the initial registration or delivery of the vehicle to the customer, 1 year at the latest after delivery to the dealer, and is valid while the vehicle is in use, for 6 years at the longest. If initial registration of the vehicle precedes taking delivery, the warranty commences on the vehicle’s initial registration date (warranty qualifying date). A change of own[1]ership of the purchased object has no effect on the guarantee obligations. The guarantee expires if the terms outlined in Paragraph 3 are not complied with. The performance of guarantee work does not increase the guarantee period.
Why do I need to have this Damp Inspecton maintained ?
In respect of a member, not having a recent service will impact it how easy it will be to sell. A full-service history on a valuable asset is essential in the sales process to provide confidence to the potential purchaser that they are not buying a lemon; given the numerous horror stories of new buyers being burned by doing so with hidden issues, it just reinforces the expectation that it should be provided.
If one isn’t provided, then it could be assumed that there are known faults that aren’t being declared; that will add risk to the transaction and will simply raise eyebrows and questions will be asked. If there is risk, then that may lead to prospective purchasers walking away, or putting in offers lower than market value to compensate for any potential risk.
The cost of a service is negligible, will support the sale of the vehicle with increased confidence, almost certainly generating offers closer to market value. If the motorhome is within the warranty period and the leakage warranty can remain validated, you’re adding further perceived value. If there’s a lot of motorhomes on the market, then it’s very easy to look at two side by side and compare the positives and negatives, so a vehicle with a service history from a reputable service partner with valid warranty will certainly have an advantage over those that don’t.
Why are Dethleffs the only company that have this Damp Spray and some form of warranty ?
The German brands consistently have additional requirements over just the damp check to validate, with stickers or an online registration charge incurred.
Adria Damp check
Auto-Trail Hab check
Carthago Damp check and leakage test (visual assessment following soaking)
Dethleffs Damp check and damp spray
Hymer Damp check and leakage test
Niesmann Damp check and leakage test
Pilote Damp check
The habitation check and water ingress requirements are optional for all brands, customers just have to accept the risk of invalidating their warranty. The damp spray for example, as with the leakage test force customers to return to a Service Partner of the manufacturer who is factory trained, understands the vehicle construction and has access to the systems to register the test. If any Joe Bloggs was able to perform the damp check, without knowledge of the vehicle construction there are nuances that would mean that false positives could be generated for example; there can be aluminium in the walls / garage floors that will show areas of ‘damp’ when it’s not present. There are other areas that don’t necessarily need to be checked with some vehicle manufacturers, particularly the British ones and in the case of Dethleffs we are not permitted to use the two pin probes in some cases. As I say, it’s simply a measure of control from the factory with respect of being able to trust the accuracy of the reporting from the partner performing the tests.
The cost of getting it done is not significant and will help the sale, but that’s there risk; try without and if they learn the hard way then they can get it done. They might just be lucky and it sells, but I think that’s less likely. I don’t know what they are trying to achieve in the chat, as you say get it done or don’t and they either win or lose, or the next owner does.
ALSO SEE ::: WHAT IS THIS STICKER IN MY OWNERS MANUAL FOR
