Looking to buy a 2021 Kemerton XL

I am John and looking for advice before buying a Kemerton XL looking around it seems  the dealers only want to sell you what they have in stock  with so many  2020 models  forsale  and the new 2021 models  showing as sold  i wonder what is different  from 2020/21 

I have looked at buying the Fiat 9 speed  automatic which i am told is only available on the  Fiat   AL KO  chassis , i asked the dealer that it appears that this has dual  Air con in cab and living area  also i asked what specification is on this engine configuration   as looking at the fiat Van  it comes with  7" display radio / sat nav/ DAB / Bluetooth/ phone    LED headlights  and apple play  
I also want Premium Pack   and  winter pack  

does anyone know  what type of TV and the location  in the Kemerton   as i am told  19" is max  can fit  the dealer told me  we fit a bracket  though the wooden upright next to work top/sink  below the aerial connections  if anyone could send me a picture of there installation

The dealer has told me he can fit a factory  dome sat dish  for £1900 is the van pre wired  down to the aerial socket  and has anyone  fitted there own 

Lastly i am told TVs now come with  the SAT receiver build in so one less control box 

Its a lot to ask but its a lot of money  but looks a fine  MH and better than a coach built van  

Thank you in advance but is my spec  too much to ask for 

John

Sorry i forgot to ask  is this  spec found in the 2020 models

John
take a look at my post kemerton xl improvements this will help with some of what you have asked

Hi, The attached photographs show my alternative to permanent TV mount in a Kemerton XL, hopefully self explanetary, the bracket came from Wickes as did the self adhesive felt pads which provide a little resistance / cushioning & also stop marking the panel. TV removed for travelling & stored above cab wrapped in towel. The power supply for TV is permanently tucked in top pocket of the storage pockets on the wall fed up behind curtains out of sight from extension lead under the seat & plugged into socket in base of seat near front. 
I will include two other subtle mod's, a catch to hold the lid of what is our shoebox open when required & an additional spotlight to match the original that allows you to read when sitting in the rotated passenger seat without the glare from the main lights or the strip-light just above the front seats interfering with their TV viewing.

johnguppy wrote:I have looked at buying the Fiat 9 speed  automatic which i am told is only available on the  Fiat   AL KO  chassis , i asked the dealer that it appears that this has dual  Air con in cab and living area  also i asked what specification is on this engine configuration   as looking at the fiat Van  it comes with  7" display radio / sat nav/ DAB / Bluetooth/ phone    LED headlights  and apple play  
I also want Premium Pack   and  winter pack  

John

Welcome to the forum

It sounds like the one to which you are referring is the "Marquis Special" ie. it has Hab. A/C (which adds more weight) and only Marquis (and of course A/S) will know precisely what the build std was - it was never in the official A/S brochure.

From all of the discussion on this forum, I don't thing anyone knows precisely what the build specification is or was for these specials. 
The only engine available was the 140bhp and there has been some doubt as to which chassis Fiat have fitted to this version - ie. heavy or light.

It would appear that is was a job lot of chassis from the early Fiat production when they first introduced the new 9 speed auto box sometime last year. I don't think the dash board and its displays is any different from the standard A/S brochure model - a lot depends on what build std. Fiat were producing off the line at the time of build!

Higher rated engines (160 and 180bhp) are now coming off the Fiat line and are available to order but I suspect that the dealers want to get rid of the older 140bhp stock first and are therefore inclined to be more generous with their discounts on these models.

Have a look at this thread below where you'll see photos of glyne's TV a similar similar mount in our Kemerton XL. Both of us fitted on the sliding door side a 2nd aerial socket and 12v supply, it's a serious DIY project, well it was for me needing much help from glyne via PMs.

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As far as I know when A-S sold the Kemerton they provided a TV on the sliding door side with an aerial socket close by, I believe there was some provision for TV stowage behind the single seat. With the Kemerton XL there's no similar provision on the sliding door side, no TV mount no aerial socket, why, were they too busy?  When we started using our Kemerton XL we wanted to continue as we did on our Duetto and watch the TV when sat together on the bench seat. Watching the TV if parked near the sink would mean us both screwing our heads round to watch. You could watch TV from the rotated front seats as I know some other Kemerton XL owners do. After precariously perching our TV behind the single seat and the aerial cable going above my head I'd had enough and installed a 2nd TV socket and mount.

The plastic TV mount as shown in the picture allows our TV to be easily slide into place and be removed for transit. After I fitted the mount in the lowest place possible, looking up at our TV still felt like I was in the from seats at the cinema, so I bought a second mount and made a plywood extension to lower the TV, the plywood extension slots into the existing plate you can see in my photo. A larger metal TV mount as used in the Kemerton would have been another solution.

I'd suggest as a minimum you require your A-S dealer to fit a 2nd TV socket and 12v supply on the sliding door side as part of your deal, though they'll want to sell you what they've got in stock.

Thanks Liam 
Yes it seems like a Marquis Special 140 engine  the sales guy told me they own  the factory  they are all 2020 models  and as you sale special builds  i think  should i buy or  buy a normal  6 speed very little information is around very few road test reports  of the fiat vans my concern is i can only find 3 automatics   all white  and they are all from the same dealer my concern is  every radio fitted in new cars has apple play  most important for me as i use google maps  but it seems the same radio as all vans  is not the same fitted to new vans 
I feel a little unsure with a special built van  does it mean they used up a lot of stock the air con is nice but it was included in this special build  and could be a problem in the future but as a new purchaser  where else can i get what i want

With regards to the gearbox, John, I can say the 9 speed auto seems extremely good. Being a TC box, it's smooth and the 9 speed means it’s never hunting for gears. 

We changed a manual Peugeot for the Fiat auto purely to get the auto g/box as shoulder problems were making the manual a struggle to drive. We could only get the 140 engine but so far it seems powerful enough for our 6m 3500kg van.

There have been build quality issues with the conversion but, sadly, that seems to be normal these days no matter what base vehicle AS build on. There were also dealership issues and I swear never to buy from Marquis again.

AS own Marquis and, as I understand it, AS had the chance to get a batch of 140 engine Fiat autos all in white which they converted as Marquis Specials to include the air con and a pack or two. Bearing in mind that the glass windows don’t open, we thought the air con to be worth a try. It's pretty quiet as air con units go.

johnguppy wrote:Thanks Liam 
Yes it seems like a Marquis Special 140 engine  the sales guy told me they own  the factory  they are all 2020 models  and as you sale special builds  i think  should i buy or  buy a normal  6 speed very little information is around very few road test reports  of the fiat vans my concern is i can only find 3 automatics   all white  and they are all from the same dealer my concern is  every radio fitted in new cars has apple play  most important for me as i use google maps  but it seems the same radio as all vans  is not the same fitted to new vans 
I feel a little unsure with a special built van  does it mean they used up a lot of stock the air con is nice but it was included in this special build  and could be a problem in the future but as a new purchaser  where else can i get what I want

John,

I think you will find that the A/S Group Factory owns Marquis not the way the sales guy told you!!

I can't help you with the radio question but perhaps someone who has one of the latest models will chip in with a helpful comment on that.

As to the practicalities of A/C and do the benefits outweigh the negatives, we have one on our Malvern and have found it very useful when in very hot France or Germany but these were very few occasions. On balance and taking into account cost, additional weight (particularly on a van conversion) and indeed, noise when operating, we would not bother again. 

Unfortunately, if you want one without the Marquis add-ons you will have to order to the A/S brochure and wait for its delivery.

I would have thought an order placed now should be ready for the 21 summer season - but with the virus around who knows when it might be!!

Hi
We have a Marquis version of the old Kemerton called the Sussex EB.
It’s basically the AS Kemerton with the extras pack fitted.
The TV sits inside the cupboard on the side of the wardrobe with swing out mount, 12v power and aerial all in the cupboard. 
We use the air on quite a bit especially useful on the timer function to enable the van to either be cool or warm when you return from a day out, it is a bit noisy though.
Couldn’t understand why AS have dropped the TV fitting.
Not really had any issues with the van although Marquis were not very helpful when trying to resolve registration issues  and minor out of warranty issues, always pointing us to the dealer we purchased as it was a secondhand one year old when we bought it.

All the best with whatever decision you make.

Good luck with your purchase. A note of caution with the add on ie. automatic, aircon etc. Watch your payload as it will be eaten up very quickly!

some 'payload' reading 
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I'll add a note about build quality on our Kemerton XL. We've had an issue with an inadequately sealed upper fridge vent causing water ingress. Where the upper vent is fixed, the van side is slopping, so a straight rectangular vent is being required to mate against a curved metal surface. In our van when it rained water could find a way down into our floorboards. I spent hours this summer reducing the damp levels in our van's floor to avoid A-S keeping the van for 3 weeks, and all sort of other problematic logistical issues at this end.

We had a lot of bother with a stiff bathroom mixer tap becoming unscrewed, trips to the dealer and A-S were needed before this was sorted. I hope they've change the stiff bathroom mixer tap otherwise you'll be like us needing to return to the dealer a few times.

One of the tank heater pads became unstuck which I sorted out.

As for the EC700, this caused no end of bother, trips back to Sargent in Beverly and the dealer, I'm not sure if it's been x2 or x3 to our dealer. Hopefully for new owners this should be a thing of the past.

Today i went and road tested a 2020  kemerton XL automatic  must say it drove like a dream  but  and a big but   my son closed the bathroom door  and guess what  wrong catch on the door  inside so i was stuck  and had to release myself  out of the rear doors   , 5 of the cupboard door catches  broken , Mifi unit  unit missing  , both smoke and gas detectors   broken , usb socket been ripped  out of the dash panel ,  wood floor  looks like  a heard of cows had walked though and all scratched,  waist drain pipe clip broken   heat pad on water tank  was dragging  the road  , passengers door  blind  badly fitted and does not fold back , now this is the van they are expecting me to buy at full retail price , now most of the problems  are factory build  problems and the rest is letting  people and kids run riot inside  then someone is going to buy it ,
When i asked about the  TV location sitting on the couch   i would have had to look  look behind me so i said it should be  over above the door   " we can bung some cables  across  will take a day :(
On the road test   the microwave  rattled and was loose , hob rattled  and the class  top rattled all down to loose screws  , if you open the blinds they all vibrate if you leave all the privacy  blinds down this stops this , on checking another model the toilet door has a vertical bolt  and would be very difficult to change without holes being seen in the door  the table stowage in the back  was 1/4" too short and will require re drilling  holes ,  I told them i want a full tank of fuel/ full LPG and AdBlue and after they have fitted my free  TV and  Sat. system i want it taken to be weighted  yes it will all be done sir  
Last Friday i was told we own Auto- sleeper  was told he had made a mistake   they are all owned by a French   very upsetting to feel i would part with over 60K

I've been caught out by a sticking bathroom door catch.  I filed a bit off metal off the striker plate, I also fitted a loop of thin braided polyester line on the inside of the door catch. When closing the bathroom door it can drag on the carpet, I sometimes have to close the door by pulling on the loop rather than the knob. Pulling on the knob can push out the catch before the door has been closed.

The rattling microwave I sorted with some silicone tubing jammed between the top of the microwave and the surround. Others on ASOF have used more technical measures.

I had replaced the CO alarm under warranty in the first 6 months, and needed to replace the batteries in the smoke alarm a few months ago.

Our blind in the sliding door rattles and I'll need to sort this out. There plenty on ASOF about how You can sort it out.   It seems the attachments A-S fitted are rather inadequate.

Our door catches have otherwise been OK except the bottom drawer catch which binds when the draw is opened or closed.

The toilet roll holder soon came loose. I used some hard epoxy to beef up the holes so the screws had something tough to bite into and it's been firm since. I used a short piece of silicone tubing on the end where the toilet roll fits to stop the toilet roll falling off when on the road.

There have been many recent posts about poor build quality on current AS vans for  which I would not defend them. Whilst many can be sorted to get the van we should have got from day one,the van you tested seemed to have more problems than usual.It would seem many were a problem produced whilst in the dealers custody,including items they should have found and rectified together with defects possibly caused whilst on their forecourt. I had issues with my van but it did get sorted and I love it,however I walked away from one before it and changed dealers as I found mores issues than I think I should have and most could have been easley sorted before it was displayed on forecourt.You have not said what you will do to move forward but I feel for you having to decide how to spend that money.I do hope it all turns out good in the end and you get the van you want and camp happily ever after.

AS make PVCs that are very appealing to the UK market, they are popular layouts and have plenty of showroom style....
but, as Kdc says, there are many threads regarding the under skin manufacturing robustness and some of the design issues...
having had the disappointing recce that the OP has just experienced, id want to know how well AS really shapes up in the quality stakes. 
id be looking at other top 'quality' brands to see how things really compare...for a 'reality' check of the current market, just nose around an Adria, a Malibu or a Hymer....ok, not the right layouts but a chance to see how things are done in other factories.
also, perhaps do a direct quality/design comparison on, say, a Kingham and a Dreamer Select D62 Limited which deliver the same layout van with different style/design interpretations...the Dreamer is about £5k less, similar spec.
...and to rate the Kemerton specifically (a fairly rare layout) do the same with a Morello or an IH van...both these brands have very good 'quality' reputations, certainly worth putting them back to back.
if I was spending £60k-£65k on a PVC id get my head inside a few vans as a check of what is out there.
at the end of the day, the Kemerton (warts and all) might be the van for the OP but id be checking out the competition.

I'd agree with Chris, above.
The OP doesn't even have it yet, here's my thoughts for what they're worth

Many, many posts on here are to do with problems on new vans.
This one is a PVC, that's good
Has lost payload, before it even has a teaspoon in it, with....Auto gearbox, yes, apparently very good, but heavier than a manual, Air con on the roof, yet more weight and in the worst possible place... up high.
Being new it will have the latest unfathomable Sargent abomination so he should look forward to hours on the forum trying to make sense of that.
The air con has to be carried on the vehicle for the life of the vehicle yet will be used, I am willing to bet, circa 1% of the time. That roof space would be far better used by a solar panel.
Worse still, it may well have a "smart alternator" the recent posts on these are interesting, to say the least.
Personally, I could afford to but that van, but wouldn't touch it with someone else's barge pole.
A 2 yr old van with all the apparently inevitable problems ironed out by some other poor soul who has spent a lot of useable life en route to/from the dealers, and probably less than 10k miles on the clock would make a lot more sense, to me at least.
I know what I have said is perhaps controversial but a trawl though these pages will show that is usually troublesome to buy a new MH (I know someone has to or I couldn't buy secondhand ones!!!)
Good luck whatever you do.

Hi 
    I would have a very good look round at all the alternatives on the market, I understand that there are limitations if you want an automatic Fiat seem to be cornering the market, There is the Mercedes but I understand the body is rather narrow and of course it is dearer I think but just have a good look as once purchased you are stuck with it or wacking loss of cash if try and part exchange
Regards
Alan

Hi Gents 
I take on board all your comments   this time we want to get it right , i agree about the air con  and yes a extra solar panel is better but  i would want to add  2 140w panels  and i understand the new control panel  on work on 120w  seems silly  but i dont think you can buy a 80w panel these days  yes the stop start system was good on my VW but can be turned off , what is hard to understand is why a vehicles of this size  does not have two leisure batteries and a 140w  solar panel you could go away for whole weekend wild camping its not all plugging in the mains  as to problems as far as i want is a new van with what i want  all working  as per the shinny colour pictures i am being shown  
Why do people sell there van with less than 3-10k  ? is it they cant stand it any more or they  don't like it  the way i look at it  our life on this earth is unknown   wasting time and effort on stress  is wasteful
The frustrating thing is  if you bought your new van as delivered  to me  first  i would  make sure it was 100% any faults with electrics would be fed back and put right  if every Van had 2 leisure  batteries and 140/180 via 2 solar panel's   you would feel safe 
Everyone wants TV  should be fitted standard  and in a location you can see it or have a choice lets face it the layout is what we wanted  that's why they make it  its a very good product let down by people who just want your money and for you to go away 
It would be nice if we had more postings saying we are so pleased  with out van and information was more of improvements  that the factory took notice off

there will be loads of reasons why folk change vans after a shot time but i i can think of three regular ones straight away...
1) change of circumstances (personal, financial, etc)
2) layout all wrong despite thinking it was what they wanted
3) despair/exasperation following a series of failts that just arent getting resolved

the layout thing is always a (changing) connundrum...kids grow up (come along) that makes the van work less well, folk spend longer 'away' and get fed up with making up beds and go for something with a proper/decent bed, apprehension of driving ensues as folk get older and move to a smaller van...

all these things and many more cause newish vans to come onto the forecourt before their time...as above, great for those who prefer a sorted van.

johnguppy wrote:
Why do people sell there van with less than 3-10k  ? is it they cant stand it any more or they  don't like it 

It doesn't matter how much research you do, you don't understand how a van will suit you until you use it; our second van was bought at 9 months old having done 1600 miles.  I know many people who been through this process and changed vans again after a few months.

The factory build what the dealers want and the dealers want what people will buy.  The vast majority of owners always camp with EHU and only have an interest in solar if they have to store away from EHU so large capacity not needed for panels or batteries.

Many owners are not interested in TV and these days many others stream to a tablet.  I think the days of finding a new van has either sat dish, tv aerial or TV as standard fit are almost over.

Experience show that if you post how good your van is, you will immediately get a response from someone who has had a bad experience (in their opinion) and seizes every opportunity to remind forum members of that.

Peter 
So true that's given me a totally diffident  view  in fact just 5 mins ago have been offered a  Kemerton XL auto  with 600 miles  who is changing to a Warwick XL as wife did not like layout  and at 70 cant see me camping in a field to be honest

bolero boy wrote:there will be loads of reasons why folk change vans after a shot time but i i can think of three regular ones straight away...
1) change of circumstances (personal, financial, etc)
2) layout all wrong despite thinking it was what they wanted
3) despair/exasperation following a series of failts that just arent getting resolved

the layout thing is always a (changing) connundrum...kids grow up (come along) that makes the van work less well, folk spend longer 'away' and get fed up with making up beds and go for something with a proper/decent bed, apprehension of driving ensues as folk get older and move to a smaller van...

all these things and many more cause newish vans to come onto the forecourt before their time...as above, great for those who prefer a sorted van.

I'll add 4) - people with caravans try to replicate the space and layout of their Cvan in a MH. Too late they discover this results in having a huge van that’s totally unsuited to using as anything other than a 'static' on site.