Buying an Ex Rental Motorhome has its attractions , mainly the very reasonable price . However your attention needs to be drawn to ….
A few recent enquirers have involved the Warranty of Motorhomes that have been used for rental . ( normally for sale @ 12 months old. )
Many are from large companies , some are Dethleffs own rental arm “Mc Rent ”
We have had a definitive answer from the factory for Ex rental vans and 24/7/365 occupation.
On the 2 year Manufacturers warranty I quote from the factory ,
“ ‘for commercially used vehicles, the manufacturer’s warranty period is reduced to 1 year instead of 2 years.
The tightness guarantee is not affected by this.’ ” This does of course rely on your Manual being fully stamped up and having resists for the hab check damp inspections.
This means that they do not have the standard 2 yr warranty with the Factory from new, and hence nothing passed on to the new owner.
Some have a 3. or 6 month private warranty supplied by the dealer and not the manufacturer.
It does appear that the 6 yr Water ingress warranty is applicable , BUT, the records are needed in your Manual with date stamp, signatures and the can sticker. Dethleffs are very strict on No sticker in the book will void the complete 6 years.
This last point has been the stumbling block , often not discovered until your ownership and its time for the annual checks . You cant “buy back” previous warranty / stickers as they were possibly never allocated to your van , plus the 6 years must be continuous to maintain it.
( the exceptions to the Anniversary Date service day are all explained in the FAQ sections on our web page . )
The other issue has been the 24/7/365 “full timers” .
Dethleffs and other Manufacturers stand is Motorhomes are not robust enough or built for Full Time occupation and hence that will void the complete warranty . For example , Hymer will state they will only cover vans used for a maximum of 60 continuous days
The hint here is also with the majority of insurance companies who specify more than once during their documentation that they will not cover 24 / 7 /365 use.
So please be advised that it is entirely your personal choice to take the ex rental van route if it is the van you want and can afford etc, but there are some hidden details that only come to light after you have paid your hard earned money.