Water ingress warranty void for second owner

hi everyone,

I’m quite close to buying (yes it’s taken a lot longer than planned!) and it’s looking like a 2017 Broadway via a broker. I should get balance of AS warranty as the habs and service have been done but my belief is that the 6 years water ingress warranty expires at the point of transfer to the second owner. It is what is it but I’d like  to ask the hugely knowledgeable group of owners on here their views on whether anyone has claimed on it given the modern construction methods of AS. I’m retired and on a budget and to buy new will probably be £12k more even if I could stretch to it. I understand this is VAT driven in the early period of ownership. 
I’d appreciate people’s experiences on whether they’ve heard of water ingress cases on the late model Broadways or other models or thoughts on whether it’s worth worrying about. Kind regards

You'll presumably get a warranty from the dealer/broker so even if the AS warranty doesn't transfer to you, any water ingress would be covered by the warranty from the dealer for whatever period that is.

As I understand the position, the 3 year warranty, the transferable bit, covers water ingress. So if you buy a 2 year old van you will have 1 year water ingress cover subject to paying the fee to transfer the warranty. You are right in that the 6 year part is non transferable. Does the broker supply any additional warranty. Check the terms carefully.

We have a 2015 Broadway and had damp at 40% after the first habitation check. AS dealt with the repair and the van has been ok since. The cause of the water ingress was the electricity/gas/ sockets on the near side fitted incorrectly.

I would recommend you get an independent fitter to do a damp test and then you will know if you have any problems. We had one done when damp was found and it was considerably more comprehensive than that done by a dealer. 
https://www.approvedworkshops.co.uk/find-approved-workshop

The above link is to the Approved Workshop Scheme where you should find someone registered in your area. I believe the cost will be money well spent.

Good luck.

Paul, yes but I think the granting of the warranty depends upon them getting the selling price but it is peace of mind. 
Harry, you are right on the validity of the unexpired portion of the hab warranty (will include 18m water ingress if currently 18months old) but you have to have had the first anniversary hab checks completed otherwise potentially null and void. It’s £120 to transfer and must be done within 2 weeks of purchase evidenced by an invoice too!

None transferable warranty, dose not inspire  build quality confidence .

Harry can I ask you how much AS charged for the repair if its not too cheeky and how long did they keep it for? Did you know what the problem was before they had it?
We have been told we have over 40% in two areas which was a big shock as the same dealership told us it was bone dry a year ago. But there was some damp recorded the year before when the same technician as now, checked it so I am a bit suspicious. Going to get a second opinion although we have potentially booked it in for the work to be done but likely to be expensive.
Thanks HH

Molly3 wrote:None transferable warranty, dose not inspire  build quality confidence .

  Ive been preaching that to the A/s 'fan boys' for years. For what is sold as a premium product with associated price tag  the warranty and specific terms lag well behind the competition including some of the cheaper brands under the same organisational umbrella. If they have such confidence in their product and its build quality , the warranty should be cast iron and industry leading in terms of length.

happyhelen wrote:Harry can I ask you how much AS charged for the repair if its not too cheeky and how long did they keep it for? Did you know what the problem was before they had it?
We have been told we have over 40% in two areas which was a big shock as the same dealership told us it was bone dry a year ago. But there was some damp recorded the year before when the same technician as now, checked it so I am a bit suspicious. Going to get a second opinion although we have potentially booked it in for the work to be done but likely to be expensive.
Thanks HH

Our van was only a year old when damp damp was detected at the first service. The dealer that did the service told us just to monitor it, but we were unhappy with that. We contacted AS and initially were told to replace the fridge covers (this was a common problem area) which we had done immediately under warranty by the dealer that did the check (not the one we bought it from). We had it checked again 3 months later at our own expense and found no improvement so we claimed under our warranty from AS. They had the van just over a week. We test it with our own meter and it has had two hab services since and all is dry. We didn’t know the source of the water ingress before it went to AS, but suspected these inlets on the near side. The only part our dealer from whom we purchased it played was to process the warranty claim.

Good luck with sorting yours out. AS certainly did a good job, but I’m sorry I don’t know what the cost will be. Not sure how long you’ve had your van, and no doubt whoever is repairing it will find the source of the water ingress. If you have no warranty in place shop around for the work. Had we not had warranty we would have used a well regarded repairers near to us and not a main dealer.

We have no warranty on the van its 12 years old now. Going for second opinion and then will reassess. The fridge vents has been mentioned as a possible cause but keeping an open mind. Had thought to get our own damp meter but they seem to be very cheap and possibly not reliable or only measuring very low levels of moisture or very expensive. Which one do you have?

Thanks HH

We paid £25ish from Amazon, sorry can't recall the make. The one used by the last hab fitter worked by rolling it along the panels. I imagine that was probably very expensive. A 2nd opinion is a good idea. Hope you get it sorted.