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sharynstars

Hi just bought new motorhome 2006 ace roma great for the kids, except only 2 rear belts inside it and ive got 3 kids! but thats not the problem, dealer was asked repeatedly if i could drive it, told insurance of the date i passed test, etc... no one picked up the problem till i did!!!!!! oops thats was an oversight so im told, well im 35k in the claggy stuff here so what can i do

id be happy to take the test HGV and have enquired but who pays could i ask the dealer??????????? they say they can replate it to 3500 but id be limited to what i can carry so i aint to impressed, also what would happen if it was replated whats the effect on me????????? what would happen if i was in an accident.

please help in worried sick in the mean time how long do you think replating takes and will i hvae to do anything special?????????????

cheers !!!!!

Hub

Just had ours replated (uprated). Took about 2 weeks. In our case didn't need anything actually doing to the MH so it was all done by snail mail.
£230 odd at

ScotJimland

Hi

Sorry to hear about your problem but it really wasn't the dealers responsibility to ensure you had the correct licence when you purchased and insurance companies aren't concerned one way or the other.

My advice is to speak to the dealer about trading against another motorhome that your licence covers you to drive, he may be sympathetic and you may not lose much .. if anything.

I imagine downplating would leave the van next to useless, I could be wrong, check what payload would be left afterwards..

Let us know what you decide, best of luck ..

Jim

sharynstars

Well i want to keep it but ive also been told that in 2009 i wont be able to use it to carry 6 people what i was sold it for because of the new seat belt laws, it only has 2 rear and will only be for 4 people and there are 6 of us! so what do i do, i am going to speak to swift and ask them if i can have lap belts fitted if not then it will have to go back, if any one knows of a north east seat belt fitter id be interested thanks im so upset this was my dream and ive spent all our savings on a van i cant drive and wont be able to use in 2 years time!!! any advice please

Mat7

Sigeee

...take the LGV test.....£88 IIRC, you only need to spend hundreds if you require training to pass the test....in which case you need training to drive a large vehicle anyway..... no brainer..... invest £35k in your van and several hundred in yourself and your family's safety....

des

hi sharynstars. sorry to hear of your predicament. no doubt there are many in this situation, but don't know it. my opinion (sorry not fact) is as follows:
1. you are unlikely to get into any trouble with the law over this. at least not in the short term.
2. downrating is not a good idea. we all struggle with payload, and losing 350kgs is an enormous amount - extremely unlikely to remain legal at this. however, you could temporarily downrate, which would make your licence legal, as v. few mh's put on weighbridges by the law. then uprate after passing an additional test.
3. with regard to taking a C1 or C test, I have already commented on this on another thread.

pauwilson

Sharynstars,

When I got my 3850kg one they would not let me take it until the got my licence to copy it, I am sure they said it was something to do with a legal requirement they had - have you tried trading standards, after all to sell someone a gun you need to make sure they have a licence first!!
Anyway here my advice, similar to Des.

I assume the Ace is very similar to the Sundance and the garage version should not be hugley different unladen weight to the rear lounge Get your van onto a weighbridge, you may be suprised and downrating may be possible, my van got weighed fully freighted going away in the summer, full tank, full gas etc and two adults & two kids = 3550kg, the spare capacity is all on the front axle where you have no space to store anything. If I emptied the fresh tank I would have been under 3500kg.
Easy short term fix to let you get using it, but further oncost to uprate it back later on.

Long term take the HGV test, if you are unsure of large vehicles go for the C1 but as it will problably be the same price and not that different to drive you can jump C1 and go straight to class C - I sat my class C at the start of the year along with a guy that had never drove anything bigger than a transit van and we both flew through it so dont be concerned about driving a lorry. Try to get this ASAP as our instructor told us the rules were changing (next year I think)and test vehicles would need to be split gearboxes and fully laden and with seatbelts for the examiner, again dont be overly concerned if you need to use this type of vehicle as thats what we used and passed first time. Go class C, then you can upgrade to a big American job in the future - at least thats the way I look at it, although it is subject to winning the lottery!!
Go to your local HGV DSA centre and have a chat with them,explain your situation and see what they recommend locally.

Extra seatbelts, keep an eye on the forum - I am in a similar position and my dealer is pricing retrofitment of rearward facing three point belts to the dinette seat as per the new vans.

Good luck

Paul