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New User
Posts: 3
| Although I haven't read the magazine yet, I've just seen the brief test of the Auto Trail motorhome on the website. Nowhere is there any mention of build quality. The reason I mention this is that I had a look at an identical model at a local dealer and was appalled by the shoddy workmanship and flimsy fixtures an fittings. The washroom door would not close as it wasn't square in the frame, the drop-down tv wouldn't fold up again and all the hard surfaces had a cheap feel to them. I know that a specialist magazine must rely to an extent on the goodwill of manufacturers but there must also be a responsibility to the consumer to be objective. If appropriate and constructive criticism is lacking how will things ever improve? |
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New User
Posts: 4
| Are you sure you were looking at an Auto Trail? Obviously models on dealer forecourts can get abused by potential purchasers, but the quality of the fixtures and fittings is in my opinion much better than the average. In terms of value for money, Auto Trail wins hands down compared to other vans of a similar price. Before buying our Apache last year, we visited the Auto Trail factory to see the vans being made, and were so impressed that we bought one! I appreciate that opinions are subjective, but I wouldn't hesitate in recommending Auto Trail, and we have had Swift and Compass Motorhomes in the past which I would not buy again. |
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Visitor
Posts: 92
Location: Lancashire
| We have recently purchased an Auotrail Tracker RS the build quality is fine...flip up tv flips up ...all doors and drawers close perfecly the only problem with ours is the sat nav which keeps freezing but I hardly think that is autotrails fault and it is being replaced.
We have had a few motorhomes english and foreign build and the autotrail is far better than some I could mention.
Whatever you get you will have minor niggles with so far we have had none.  |
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Location: Autotrail Chieftain G
| Have to say the same , Build quality looked good. We are still awaiting delivery of ours but I am assured by others it will be good. |
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| My perception is that the newer the van the more costs - sorry I mean weight - have been cut and every new generation seems more flimsy and less durable than the last?
That said I do feel that Autotrail are as good - or as bad - as any other at this time - and a darned sight better than many! |
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Stalwart
Posts: 1256
| We had a Rapido for five years that was very well built and trouble free. We now have an AutoTrail Apachie which is every bit as well made and in some respects, especially with regard the degree of insulation, better. So far ours has been trouble free.
The only thing that lets it down is the entertainment system with the drop down TV monitor. Costs nearly a thousand pounds and looks a good idea when specified. Problem is that what don't tell you is that it will not get teletext, has no program guide, does not put the programms in order, and has poor performance. The Avtex we have in the bedroom section knocks it into cocked hat for a third of the price. The new version also includes a satnav function that is also causing problems. It must be said that AutoTrail with their legendary customer service have been very good about it but the fact is we are on our third unit now. The last one went completely round the twist. Every owner we have spoken to has wished they never specified it, and one dealer has told me they are no longer specifying it for their stock models and are not recommending it to their customers!
Why AutoTrail persist with it I have no idea.
So AutoTrail motorhomes great quality, good spec and very good value with 10 year body warranty. Just don't specify the crap entertainment system! |
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Regular Visitor
Posts: 213
Location: AutoTrail Tracker EKS July 2011
| We have an 11 month old Autotrail and this is the fourth one we have bought so cynics we are converts but the quality of fittings, design, workmanship and construction are the best by miles and leave the competition blowing in the wind. If you are worried have a factory tour where you can see the quality and talk to the workforce. The warranty and aftercare are excellent but this is let down in some instances by the dealers they use. Most are first class but even one of the biggies is crap. You will also find that Autotrail are innovators and the onboard equipment is probably the best in the UK. With the muscle of Trigano they are as competitive as they come. Perhaps you were looking at a Swift! |
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Location: Herefordshire - Motorhome = 2005 Hobby T-600 FC
| redbarron - 2012-05-31 1:25 PM
Although I haven't read the magazine yet, I've just seen the brief test of the Auto Trail motorhome on the website. Nowhere is there any mention of build quality. The reason I mention this is that I had a look at an identical model at a local dealer and was appalled by the shoddy workmanship and flimsy fixtures an fittings. The washroom door would not close as it wasn't square in the frame, the drop-down tv wouldn't fold up again and all the hard surfaces had a cheap feel to them. I know that a specialist magazine must rely to an extent on the goodwill of manufacturers but there must also be a responsibility to the consumer to be objective. If appropriate and constructive criticism is lacking how will things ever improve?
Assuming that you are referring to the July 2012 issue of MMM, there is no review of an "Auto-Trail" motorhome in that magazine. There is a review (pages 134-140) of a Tribute T-715 that is constructed at Auto-Trail's Grimsby plant, but this vehicle does not bear "Auto-Trail" badging.
The Tribute range of coachbuilt models deliberately targets the budget end of the UK's motorhome marketplace and (Dare I say it?) cheapness and hyper quality rarely go together. The 6.95m-long Tribute's price is around £38k, while a similar-size Auto-Trail-badged model (say an Apache 532) will cost about £10k more. This price difference needs keeping in mind when 'flimsiness' and 'look' are being considered. People who have so far responded to your posting have been talking about "Auto-Trails" not "Tributes".
For £38k a Tribute T-715 buyer gets a largish very well specified vehicle. and, if the furniture looks a bit cheap, well what should the buyer expect at that price? Realistically, motorhome magazine reports will accentuate the positive but, just because you saw a Tribute with build-quality faults evident at a local dealership, that does not mean the MMM on-test vehicle also exhibited those faults.
It's probable that people who buy coachbuilt "Tributes" won't buy "Auto-Trails" and that people who buy "Auto-Trails" won't buy "Tributes". The buyer's expectation (and budget) will be significantly different.
If you want to make a valid Tribute build quality comparison, I believe you need to look at similar price, similar specification motorhomes - for example, the Chausson "Flash" range. Several forum members have the latter and seem to be pretty happy with them. However, when I inspected a brand new Chausson Flash 10 at a French dealership I noted that external locker doors would not close, the bodywork was damaged and I thought the interior finish was poor. But a Flash 10 costs about £36k while an equivalent size Ford-based Hobby would cost at least £44k.
If I had £44k to spend I would not buy the Chausson because of my observations of the French motorhome but, if my funds were limited to £36k, I would not be able to buy the Hobby. |
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Location: Penwortham. Preston. Lancashire.
| My father-in-law has a Autotrail Cheyenne 630LB on a 56 plate, within the first year it had 3 damp repairs 2 of which had to be done back at the factory.
Blackpool to Grimsby is not a 10 minute journey and there and back twice cost a fortune in fuel which obviously he had to pay for. I followed him in our car to bring him back as they wanted the van for at least a week.
When the van was coming up to 3 years old he was offered an extended warranty for £350 for an extra 3 years. He thought long and hard and in the end he went for it.
What an excellent choice, because it has had another 4 damp repairs with another one being monitered at the moment.
Every window and locker has developed a leak at some stage and had to be repaired.
The extended warranty he took out runs out in September this year and he has already been told that they will not renew his policy.
The damp that is being monitered at this moment is " within limits " so it needs checking again in 3 months he is hoping and praying it is " over the limit ".
I`ve told him to put the hose pipe on it for an hour or so a couple of days before he gets it checked again and with a bit of luck it will be over the limit. |
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Location: Varies. Self-Built LD T244 www.triptruck.net
| For anyone who appreciates build quality then it's probably best to re-adjust expectations when looking at motorhomes. Mainstream manufacturers' build quality is, at best, somewhere between adequate and decent. Thereafter it plummets along a continuum to dire - depending on manufacturer and price point.
Don't be swayed by magazine articles, the press are in the business of securing advertising revenue and ensuring they are not frozen out by manufacturers. One of the worst thing that can happen to a magazine is for one of the big guns to stop releasing 'vans to it for tests. It's not in their interest to give uber-honest appraisals, assuming the journalist involved is capable anyway, and many probably aren't.
For what it's worth Autotrail, from what I've seen, build towards the decent side - at least on their flagship stuff. |
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Stalwart
Posts: 3084
Location: MOTORHOME 2003 Ducato PVC 2.8 jtd
| As said by others, magazines are not going to bite the hand that feeds them, so true objectivity will not be on their radar. The internet provides probably the best bet for finding reviews by real people that have the misfortune to end up with something crap, or something better
How many vans do you see with a sink and gas hob, but no draining board for example, or an oven that needs a step ladder to reach it, and on and on.
Water ingress still goes on, and yet with just a little design flair it should be possible to eliminate it, for example how many vans have even the slightest fall on the roof to allow rain water to drain off, rather than sitting there around the myriad of cut outs on the roof, just waiting for the sealant to fail somewhere even on quite new vans, been there done it 
Edited by 1footinthegrave 2012-06-02 1:55 PM
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Stalwart
Posts: 3133
Location: New Milton
| Autotrail build quality is probably the best of mainstream British, On par with Frankia in my estimation. We had a Scout for many years from new and it did well. From my viewpoint the worst thing Autotrail have done in recent years is only to offer motorhomes on Sevel base vehicles. Traditionally Autotrail used Mercedes but it all comes at a cost. Renault, Ford, VW are all better engineered and more substantially built than Fiat / Peugeot. if Mercs remain too expensive.
In the end if you want a high quality well built and well tested motorhome it has to be European. They have a much larger market than UK manufacturers so can afford to spend more on development, testing and tooling.
But hey ho this is no time to be UN-patriotic is it.
Long live her Maj
My flag is up, is yours?
C.. |
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Stalwart
Posts: 3133
Location: New Milton
| Autotrail build quality is probably the best of mainstream British, On par with Frankia in my estimation. We had a Scout for many years from new and it did well. From my viewpoint the worst thing Autotrail have done in recent years is only to offer motorhomes on Sevel base vehicles. Traditionally Autotrail used Mercedes but it all comes at a cost. Renault, Ford, VW are all better engineered and more substantially built than Fiat / Peugeot. if Mercs remain too expensive.
In the end if you want a high quality well built and well tested motorhome it has to be European. They have a much larger market than UK manufacturers so can afford to spend more on development, testing and tooling.
But hey ho this is no time to be UN-patriotic is it.
Long live her Maj
My flag is up, is yours?
C.. |
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Stalwart
Posts: 1256
| There was a brief problem that AutoTrail had with windows where the frame distorted and they leaked. As far as I know they changed to an all metal framed window in 2011 (possible earlier) we have the new windows and ours have been fine. I have just finished polishing our motorhome and the windows and their sealant looked fine.
They do tend to be very tall which means it can hurt if you fall off the steps like I did when polishing them. Happily all I hurt was my wrist whi h soon recovered. |
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New User
Posts: 12
| We had a '53' plated Autotrail, an Apache, and were delighted with the build quality. When looking for our new motorhome last autumn we desperately wanted to stay with an Autotrail but the quality of materials was no longer nearly as good.....they had gone from being exceptional to being okay.
Anyway that was our opinion and, very reluctantly, we went elsewhere to what we felt was similar quality but a better layout for our needs. |
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New User
Posts: 3
| The review is on this very website. Here is the link.
http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/Motorhomes/Reviews/Motorhomes/Auto-Trail-Tracker-RS-motorhome-review-Downsizers-dream/_ch1_rw1172_pg1
I understand that some of you have had good experiences with Auto Trails but all I am saying is that the Tracker RS that I saw left a lot to be desired. I am not making this up, have never even been in an Auto Trail before and have nothing against the company. I stand by what I said about poor workmanship, low grade materials and flimsiness. |
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Stalwart
Posts: 3490
Location: NE Lincolnshire - M/H - 2012 Adria Sport S572SL
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Redbarron
It would help if you said WHAT you are comparing the Auto Trail build quality against  |
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New User
Posts: 5
Location: blackburn
| I have first hand experience of Autotrail 'quality', Just paid £700 for remedial work on my 2009 Autotrail Scout. Prior to its 3rd birthday I sent it for a habitation service, this revealed water ingress down both sides of the motorhome. The sealant that Autotrail had used in construction had failed, this required the gas locker frame,rear locker frames, hook-up socket and waist seals all being removed,cleaned and refitted with ' fit for purpose sealant '.
On contacting Autotrail warranty manager I was informed because I had purchased the motorhome privately and did not have the insurance backed 3rd year warranty there was nothing he could do. He wasn't the least bit concerned that the fault had occured on such a newish motorhome. He just said thats the pitfall with buying private and if I sent them my paperwork they might consider making a goodwill gesture. In my opinion Autotrail are not a responsible manufacturer and its time for them to take ownership of the inadequate build qualities.
Just think at 37 months your on your own anyway so if theres any issues you'll need deep pockets, and this isn't an isolated incident!.
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Regular Visitor
Posts: 256
Location: Surrey Autotrail
| ray love - 2012-06-03 11:41 PM
I have first hand experience of Autotrail 'quality', Just paid £700 for remedial work on my 2009 Autotrail Scout. Prior to its 3rd birthday I sent it for a habitation service, this revealed water ingress down both sides of the motorhome. The sealant that Autotrail had used in construction had failed, this required the gas locker frame,rear locker frames, hook-up socket and waist seals all being removed,cleaned and refitted with ' fit for purpose sealant '.
On contacting Autotrail warranty manager I was informed because I had purchased the motorhome privately and did not have the insurance backed 3rd year warranty there was nothing he could do. He wasn't the least bit concerned that the fault had occured on such a newish motorhome. He just said thats the pitfall with buying private and if I sent them my paperwork they might consider making a goodwill gesture. In my opinion Autotrail are not a responsible manufacturer and its time for them to take ownership of the inadequate build qualities.
Just think at 37 months your on your own anyway so if theres any issues you'll need deep pockets, and this isn't an isolated incident!.
hi ray love
Just reading your post the fact that you bought private should have made no difference.
I bought my AT private at 2 years old and just had to pay about £20 I think to transfer waranty to my name no problem ,
the people were all very helpful and had a small job done at no charge right at the end of the third year |
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New User
Posts: 5
Location: blackburn
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Hi Dawki
The problem was when I bought the motorhome the previous owner told me it came with 3 years warranty, it was only 15 months old so I believed there was 21 months left, it was only recently when it failed the habitation check I became aware of the insurance backed part of the warranty.
However, you would think a company such as Auto Trail could build amotorhome to last longer than 3 years and if problems did arise they would take an interest in why it had failed and not focus on looking to escape any obligations.
As far as customer support is concerned there appears to be no evidence it exists.
regards
Ray |
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Frequent Contributor
Posts: 401
Location: Wirral
| I'm looking to replace my Hymer.
Auto Trail off my shopping list then. We were thinking of a Tracker as it fits the space we have available. My wife sought the decor was awful - no problem, we could pay extra for something less stark. MIRO is 3215 on a 3500 chassis. Not much room for error so it would need to be a chassis upgrade. Auto Trail's web site is pretty good on explaining weights it makes me wonder why they don't design their vans with weight in mind.
My Hymer's 7 years old and not had a damp problem and no build quality issues other than normal wear and tear. What a shame Hymer UK has gone but thank goodness for Hambilton Engineering!
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New User
Posts: 23
| Hi All
I have now had my new Auto Trail Apache 700 just over week, spending 3 nights in it already. The build quality seems excellent and everything works as it should. The model I have is the 2.3 130 BHP model with an auto box, overall the vehicle drives very well and is more than powerful enough even when fully loaded. Also i have the full satelite navigation/sat dome thing. Whilst all works and it is very easy to set up, its not the best TV Satelite system I have seen! In fact really cheap model auto trail!!! Though the Avtex tv has cracking picture and I think the reversing camera could be better set up. One to ask the dealer I think.
One last thing re quality when I went to see the van before it had been PDI,d it did look cheapish/not so well built as it was dirty and still covered in plastic. But once PDI,d it was excellent so I would ask your dealer what state it is in before inspection as it did make a big difference.
Cheers |
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New User
Posts: 36
| We had a 2006 Autotrail Cheyenne 696SE from new, after 3 years and numerous problems we traded it in when the warranty ran out. At handover during PEX we were horrified to discover serious damp in the sidewall just below the GRP awning moulding which was inset into the sidewall.
A month before (while it was under warranty) we had a a habitation check which 'reported' no damp. I am not sure who was most embarrassed, the dealer or us as it was evident the damp check had been skipped over. Fortunately for us the dealer did the honourable thing & kept to the deal we had agreed. What was slightly worrying was he was not surprised it had leaked. The GRP moulding is set into the alloy sidewall & relies totally on sealant to keep moisture out & it was this that had failed.
Problems we had with the van, apart from the damp:
floor springing (dropping 1cm) around the habitation door when anyone stood on the step; habitation door lock barrel dropped out; water leaking in around habitation door seals when windy,rear GRP panel delaminated; GRP roof panel cracked; water tank tainted with plastic taste; blisters in the GRP skirts; bulbs falling out of bulbholders in rear light clusters; radio failed; drop down monitor mount cracked; washroom floor flexing. Oven kept going out.... that's apart from loose screws, missing screws & other minor annoyances.
We loved the comfort, space & layout, just couldn't stand the poor build quality. |
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Visitor
Posts: 92
Location: Lancashire
| I think you will find that the unladen weight of the Tracker RS is 3050kg which gives 450kg of load allowance on 3500kg plate but you can have it plated at 3650kg which will give you 600kg of load allowance.
I believe that the tracker rs is the only one that can be plated at either weight before it leaves the factory.
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Stalwart
Posts: 756
Location: North East Lancs
| Auto-trail now only use Henkel sealant so I've been told. |
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Permanent Fixture
Posts: 512
Location: S E London
| As has been said here already, the Media pack needs rethinking. Mine only shows rear views when in reverse gear. Not like Pioneer, which can show rear views of trailer whenever selected to do so. Had to buy another rear view camera kit to be effective. The SatNav packed up in Brussels ! Not a good place to drive 8.3 metre van around with assistance from the nav system. Lucky IPhone 4 works.
On first use, found water leaked from shower into living area, due to poorly connected waste pipe. Hope no damage to chipboard !
The layout is as wanted, and no complaints regarding finish inside, but decals peeling at edges !
Cheap Sat Nav spoiled the package. |
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New User
Posts: 38
Location: auto-trail delaware (manchester)
| We recently bought a auto-trail delaware with the media pack (big mistake) I should have done my homework, but expected it would be decent quality. Luckily did not go for the sat option as we have dish and tripod and use our sky dish from home. In our previous van (bolero 680fb) we attached an hd tele to swinging bracket that came with van and we got fantastic pictures. Now when I came to connect the sky box to our new media pack the fun began, as auto-trail only provides a 2.5mm jack socket on the media centre to input a signal. They furnish you with a lead which on one end is a 2.5mm jack plug and the other end is 3 phono female sockets coloured red white and yellow(video). This means you need a scart plug and lead with 3 male phono jacks to connect up(a right proper bodge up). When connected a picture is shown on the small touchscreen when the unit is in aux mode but not on the drop down tv monitor which only works in DVB-T mode. Can anybody help me and point out where I'm going wrong cos theres no place to put a proper tv in the van. |
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Stalwart
Posts: 756
Location: North East Lancs
| It seems that your monitor isn't wired up properly, you might need to switch the plugs around until you get a picture. If that fails give Phil McNally a ring on 07917138561, he is very knowledgeable on electronics and is Lancashire based. |
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Stalwart
Posts: 1256
| My understanding is that your sat system needs to wired in properly and played through AV2. Mind you it is a crap system. We love our AutoTrail but do wish we had never wasted near £1,000 on the entertainment system. I have wired a TV outlet to the front enabling us put an Avtex on the small front swing table. |
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New User
Posts: 3
| Just to back up my original post, have a look at this:
http://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/auto-trail/51420-autotrail-my-autotrail-so-far.html
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