News & Advice

How to Maintain Your Motorhome or Caravan Manufacturer's Warranty

In the last few weeks we have seen the unfortunate spectacle of a motorhome and caravan manufacturer going out of business in addition to two dealerships. This has led to us being inundated with basically the same question: "What happens to my warranty?".

Here we try and unpick each situation and the possible consequences for owners. Hopefully you will find the information useful, but if you have any questions, just get in touch and we will be happy to answer them for you.

What Happens if the Manufacturer Goes Out of Business?

First, we need to define the term "Going out of business". There are two stages to this process. Going into administration and going into liquidation. Administration is the first stage and an administrator is appointed to oversee the business and either find a buyer for it if it continues to trade, or find a buyer for the assets if it ceases trading. If the business is bought out of administration as a going concern all warranties will remain valid. If the business ceases to trade and the assets are bought out of administration, the buyer has no obligation to honour the warranties, but may choose to do so. This is the current position with Lunar Caravans.

If a buyer for the business or assets can not be found, the business goes into liquidation i.e. ceases to exist. In this situation all warranties become invalid and will remain so.

So for instance, if you are a Luna owner, your warranty may yet be valid. So if you are due a habitation check or caravan service to maintain your warranty, it would be prudent to get it done just in case. This can be done at a Lunar dealer's or by us - Lunar is one of a growing list of manufacturers for whom we can carry out warranty servicing.

What Happens if My Dealer Goes Out of Business?

If the dealer you bought your motorhome or caravan from ceases trading you face a different problem. Your manufacturer's warranty is still valid, but you may face a problem getting a habitation check or caravan service carried out.

As you may know, it is difficult enough getting your warranty service booked in at the best of times. So dealers may not be too keen to carry out warranty servicing on a motorhome or caravan sold by another dealer.

Can You Use a Service Company that is Not a Manufacturer Main Dealer?

A growing list of motorhome and caravan owners are allowing Habcheck to carry out warranty services on their products. Most just need proof that we have carried out the service in order to maintain the warranty i.e. a copy of our inspection report if a warranty claim is made. Some, like Auto Sleeper, require you to notify a main dealer that we will be carrying out the service so that the service information can be added to their system. Some require us to undergo manufacturer specific training before we can carry out a service for them.

So in summary, if you are finding it difficult to get a warranty service done on schedule, we may well be able to help you.

What To Do Next if You Are in Any Doubt About Your Situation

If you are in any doubt, just contact us. We will guide you through the situation with regard to your manufacturer or dealer. Click contact details for the different ways you can get in touch with us.