Post by hunter on Aug 20, 2007 15:21:34 GMT
My new Autosleeper Mezan is very similar to the Berlingo based Romahome but is converted from the Peugeot Partner base vechile.
I had been very happy with my Acty based Romahome for many years as it provided sufficient space for my needs.
I was not as happy with the limited up hill speed which was an inconvieniance to other road users and the eventual drying up of parts had become a problem.
A move to a German product provided much more room (not really needed) and bags of get up and go, which was.
So a return to a smaller model was called for.
Nu Venture, Romahome and Autosleeper Mezan fitted the bill but when it came down to it I just could not get hold of new or near new.
Eventually I saw a new Mezan 2.0 HDI and managed to get the price down to that of a one year old model. This appeared to make it extremely good value.
That was a few weeks ago.
Now I read with interest the tales of woe re new purchases but I would be double checking everything.
It arrived and all appeared well. It wasn't till the next day that I twigged that the rear numberplate was stuck in the middle of the rear bumper not in the illuminated recess where it should have been. Fine if you didn't want to drive at night !
I assume Black Country Caravans had ordered a straight plate rather than a square one and could not be bothered to correct their mistake.
This left me trying to buy the correct shaped plate but with no log book this proved impossible.
I found seven scratches/scuffs inside the camper but light enough to be polished out.
Detailing was bad. Much glassfibre dust. One panel was not screwed down. Screws were in the pile of the carpet.
As the week progressed the list of faults grew.
Heater not firing up.
Thick power cable underneath hanging down instead of being secured.
Drivers seat, which by luck was set right for me, jammed solid. Seat material not clipped down under the seat on the inside. White glassfibre spots dotted around the drivers side of the cab and sticky patches on the reverse of the steering wheel.
Dust in the slot of the CD player.
No washer on the tap.
Swirl mark scratches on the plastic of the new windows.
Black felt tip marks where the material of the lining has been marked for drilling then someone has drilled off to the side.
Cooker stainless top scratched in several places. This had now brought the number of scratches up to 39.
Leak from the waste water tank drain pipe.
Plastic tray on back of seat (used when passenger seat tipped forward) chipped slightly in four places.
Plus Peugeot should hang their head in shame as all the screws holding the windscreen visors were corroded as though they have been under the sea for several weeks ! I went to a local dealer who had two of the vans, brand new, on his forecourt and they were the same.
Other than that its running well. There are a couple of design faults. The bed sections are full length. This is a real pain when you want to get something out of the main storage below. My old Romahome had two short lengths. No disadvantages and so much easier.
No useful rear view what so ever through the camper. The rear door top window is small and set high (has flyscreen but doesn't open !!!). The lower is a narrow slot with an almost ground glass finish.
The 'normal' ground level 13 amp plug point.
Plus I turned over in bed the first night and there was a loud cracking noise. The seats have just about the thinist ply base that it could be possible to buy.
I would have rejected the vechile straight away but only a few faults revealed themselves at a time. Having the first really sunny day for weeks illuminated the scratches for instance.
I'm off for a short trip up the West coast of Wales tomorrow. Most of the problems I have now sorted myself...water still tastes like poison though.
Thinking back 25 years to my Acty Romahome I had three faults, all slight internal glassfibre damage.
My Hymer had six, all minor.
Then we come to the present day. My neighbour thinks I'm lucky as he had bodywork, mechanical and internal decor problems on a motorhome at near twice the price.
There is something seriously wrong that so much money brings so little quality. Heaven help the U.K. industry if Japan ever decided to go into the motorhome market in a big way.
Brian
I had been very happy with my Acty based Romahome for many years as it provided sufficient space for my needs.
I was not as happy with the limited up hill speed which was an inconvieniance to other road users and the eventual drying up of parts had become a problem.
A move to a German product provided much more room (not really needed) and bags of get up and go, which was.
So a return to a smaller model was called for.
Nu Venture, Romahome and Autosleeper Mezan fitted the bill but when it came down to it I just could not get hold of new or near new.
Eventually I saw a new Mezan 2.0 HDI and managed to get the price down to that of a one year old model. This appeared to make it extremely good value.
That was a few weeks ago.
Now I read with interest the tales of woe re new purchases but I would be double checking everything.
It arrived and all appeared well. It wasn't till the next day that I twigged that the rear numberplate was stuck in the middle of the rear bumper not in the illuminated recess where it should have been. Fine if you didn't want to drive at night !
I assume Black Country Caravans had ordered a straight plate rather than a square one and could not be bothered to correct their mistake.
This left me trying to buy the correct shaped plate but with no log book this proved impossible.
I found seven scratches/scuffs inside the camper but light enough to be polished out.
Detailing was bad. Much glassfibre dust. One panel was not screwed down. Screws were in the pile of the carpet.
As the week progressed the list of faults grew.
Heater not firing up.
Thick power cable underneath hanging down instead of being secured.
Drivers seat, which by luck was set right for me, jammed solid. Seat material not clipped down under the seat on the inside. White glassfibre spots dotted around the drivers side of the cab and sticky patches on the reverse of the steering wheel.
Dust in the slot of the CD player.
No washer on the tap.
Swirl mark scratches on the plastic of the new windows.
Black felt tip marks where the material of the lining has been marked for drilling then someone has drilled off to the side.
Cooker stainless top scratched in several places. This had now brought the number of scratches up to 39.
Leak from the waste water tank drain pipe.
Plastic tray on back of seat (used when passenger seat tipped forward) chipped slightly in four places.
Plus Peugeot should hang their head in shame as all the screws holding the windscreen visors were corroded as though they have been under the sea for several weeks ! I went to a local dealer who had two of the vans, brand new, on his forecourt and they were the same.
Other than that its running well. There are a couple of design faults. The bed sections are full length. This is a real pain when you want to get something out of the main storage below. My old Romahome had two short lengths. No disadvantages and so much easier.
No useful rear view what so ever through the camper. The rear door top window is small and set high (has flyscreen but doesn't open !!!). The lower is a narrow slot with an almost ground glass finish.
The 'normal' ground level 13 amp plug point.
Plus I turned over in bed the first night and there was a loud cracking noise. The seats have just about the thinist ply base that it could be possible to buy.
I would have rejected the vechile straight away but only a few faults revealed themselves at a time. Having the first really sunny day for weeks illuminated the scratches for instance.
I'm off for a short trip up the West coast of Wales tomorrow. Most of the problems I have now sorted myself...water still tastes like poison though.
Thinking back 25 years to my Acty Romahome I had three faults, all slight internal glassfibre damage.
My Hymer had six, all minor.
Then we come to the present day. My neighbour thinks I'm lucky as he had bodywork, mechanical and internal decor problems on a motorhome at near twice the price.
There is something seriously wrong that so much money brings so little quality. Heaven help the U.K. industry if Japan ever decided to go into the motorhome market in a big way.
Brian
