Ready to pick up your new motorhome? Some tips to help you on 'hand-over' day

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Handover day

Handover day for Bryony was so exciting and rather scary at the same time. One of us slept soundly the night before. And one of us didn’t! He ran lists of things to check in his head all night and at 3am typed up a check list of things to go over with the dealer during the hand over. (See the bottom of this post for our list of things to check). Other than that, our hand-over day went relatively well but we did do some ground work before and on the day. Here are our tips:

1.   We called up the dealer a few days before the handover to check that everything was as arranged and that pre delivery checks had been done and nothing untoward had cropped up.

Bryony at Manor Farm, Seaton - hidden by the little garden of Giant Sunflowers 

2.   We checked all paper work and the contract before we went so that we understood the terms and conditions.  We downloaded the manuals for our motorhome so that we had at least a basic understanding of the systems. Our dealer helpfully emailed us some ‘how to’ videos as well. For Autosleeper owners or prospective owners these can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvodEb4RYgk&list=PLqSjUai73XKk9wXQ2_GBKgZxfFqvWQ7JG    

3.   We listed all the extras we had asked for, researched them briefly so that we understood what they looked like and how they should function and then summarised them on one sheet of paper. We indicated which were factory or dealer fitted as well.

4.   We sorted out insurance – both the general (we went with Comfort) and also the gap insurance (having searched a range of providers, our dealers Gap insurance proved to be the best option available). We were very specific with the insurer about what security features we had on the boxer cab and the habitation unit along with what was happening at our storage site.

5.   On the day, the dealer insisted on doing the paperwork first and naively we went along with this. We nearly got caught out! The tow bar, fitted by someone the dealer recommended, wouldn’t allow our bike rack to attach to the tow bar. This for us was a major issue and we almost point blank refused to take away the motorhome. However, because we had already signed the paperwork beforehand, we couldn’t argue this. Fortunately, the situation was easily resolved by the tow bar fitter – who fitted a spacer and new tow ball for only a tenner and then waived labour charges. For those in Devon and Cornwall, our outstanding tow bar fitter was BMCtowbars.  Long story short, we suggest you get out your checklists, go through the motorhome to check all is as it should be and then sign the remaining paperwork after that. Certainly, do it before stumping up any remaining outstanding balance.

At Portland Bill, off to explore coastal wave patterns!

6.   Our dealer demonstrated how everything works at a pace we could follow. Do not let your dealer rush you. Ask the questions you have and then seek clarification if you are still unsure. We asked so many questions and all were patiently answered. Don’t just get them to demonstrate things with the electric hook up working, check all gas appliances work as well. Then unhook the EHU and make sure that the 12v system works – we didn’t do that and it was a mistake. It has taken us ages to work out how to do everything off grid.

7.   Our dealer was happy for us to video what he was doing and to pause frequently so we could make notes. And we did. We have referred to them several times subsequently. It helped that we had done some reading before hand. A huge blue bag of handbooks was handed over and we quickly ran through this pack to ensure there was a handbook for every appliance and additional dealer fitted fixture. Our Peugeot boxer cab handbook was very disappointing and it is only recently that we have discovered you have to download the full handbook from the internet!

8.   We used YouTube to download instructional videos relating to our motorhome. We used several to do with the heating panel and they have been very useful.

9.   On our handover day, other than the tow bar issue, which we describe more fully in our blog post on buying equipment for Bryony, (go to the section about the Thule velocompact cycle rack) we didn’t find anything else wrong or untoward and so were happy to drive her off the forecourt. If you find anything you are not happy with – arrange for it to be fixed and then arrange a new collection date. Don’t be coerced into driving away and then having to bring your motorhome back another time. Obviously, it helps to be close to the dealer you are buying from. Ours is ten miles up the road! Alternatively, you could get written agreement that any ‘snags’ will be fixed at a later date. We did that and we also went away almost immediately for a weekend with the dealership promise that the following week they would put right any issues that cropped up. (See our post about our first outing to Dartmouth). On this first trip we soon discovered where the toolkit and towing eye was located. On the second trip we became very familiar with the fuse box.

10.Before leaving the dealer, we checked warranties, servicing agreements, habitation check timescales etc. We added them to our calendar so that we wouldn’t forget them and to ensure no future warranty claims become invalidated because we missed key deadlines.

Good luck with collecting your motorhome. Drop us a comment and/or email us a photo of you in your new pride and joy so we can post it on the blog for others to enjoy and celebrate. Share a postcard with us when you start going ‘on tour’. In the meantime, if you think we missed something important off the list above, drop us a comment and we will amend the list accordingly.

In the meantime, have fun, stay safe and enjoy your new motorhoming!

Steve and Maggie  

(If you would like to find out more about us then visit: https://wherenexthun.blogspot.com/2020/10/welcome-to-our-blog.html

 

Below are the things we looked at just before we paid a deposit, when we went to collect Bryony on hand-over day and on our first overnight trip out to Dartmouth.

Exterior – bodywork check for scratches, blistering, poor seals at joins of body panels (couldn’t access roof ad so had to take this on trust). Checked all fittings and covers to various outlet/inlet feeds on sides. Operated all doors with keys and made sure that central locking worked – we discovered faults with both sets of keys programming and activation of alarm etc. Locker door mechanisms checked and doors correctly sitting in their recess (since then discovered upper lock on toilet cassette door has broken – being fixe under warranty).

Windows – open correctly, all catches work, close correctly and sit in recesses perfectly.

Wheels and tyres – check for tread depth and sidewall damage; check rims and trims for scratches and fractures; examine for flat spots and that tyres are correct pressures. Spare wheel – where located, tyre tread and condition, location of wheel changing tools.

Awning – get dealer to open it and demonstrate how it works; check for mildew, that legs are straight and that it extends and retracts cleanly. 

Refillable gas tank – how to switch off the gas supply; check connections and spigots and dates on any hoses. Where internal gas taps are located. Get dealer to explain how to fill gas tank. What gas nozzle adapters might be required.

Batteries – how to charge vehicle battery and how to disconnect it; ditto with habitation battery; how to use harmony panel and app to check battery charge levels. Jump start procedures.

Chassis and cab – jack points and towing eyes, reversing camera and sat-nav. Lights, wipers etc all working.

Habitation electric step – check that it retracts at push of button and when engine starts.

Toilet cassette – check seals and that flap works. Check condition of cassette and the locker it sits in. get dealer to demonstrate how to fill toilet cistern.

Electrical – locate EC700 unit and test trip switches. Locate all fuse banks. Get dealer to demonstrate 12v and 240v systems. Check all light switches, plugs, USB points. Switch on all electrical appliance and check they work. Switch on and EHU procedures. Solar panel charging system and how to switch charging between batteries. Check that Harmony panel software has been updated to latest version.

Water and air blown heating systems – get a demonstration of the Truma and Harmony panels. Test all heating systems and icons. Check all vents open correctly. How to use winter tank heaters.

Water system – find the main drain own switches; check how to fill water tank using both exterior whale pump and normal hose pipe; get demonstration of using the water features on the Harmony panel and how to empty the waste water and fresh water tanks. Check all taps and shower work. Make sure internal water pump is working.

Cooker – check that both gas and electric hob bits work. That all oven trays are present. Check microwave functions.

Fridge – check that it operates on 12v, gas and 240 EHU.

Cupboards, draws, lockers and doors – all draws run smoothly, fit and close correctly; ditto with lockers. Check for loose catches.

Interior – work all curtains, blinds and screens, making sure they flow/move easily. Check all cushions are present and in good condition with no marks, wear and tear or fading.

TV and radio – remote controls work; TV and bracket fit and move smoothly. TV tunes in correctly.

Alarms – check that CO and smoke alarms work; check that any fitted vehicle alarm works when vehicle is locked.

Paperwork and manuals – instruction manuals for all appliances and vehicle present; and for all additional fixtures.

Tracker alarm – warranty, type fitted, tracker app subscription and registration completed.

Tow bar – fitted correctly and accepts the bike rack we had (it didn’t and the independent fitter had to come and add spacers and a new tow ball).