Forums

baldybazza

Hi All

It’s taken me quite a while to put pen to paper but after another spot of excellent service from our dealer I have decided it’s about time they and others were mentioned

We had been looking for another MH most of 2007 and finding the right layout for us was extremely frustrating to say the least. Although we don’t intend to fulltime as such we wanted to be able to spend several months at a time away, either in the UK or Europe so there were certain criteria to be met and we had to agree on the model. We saw a few MH’s that had possibilities but I wasn’t prepared to wait 8 months for delivery (too impatient) but then on our way home from another exhaustive search we called into our local dealer Manhattan Motorhomes at Sandy, Beds on the A1. Delivered the day before was a new Auto-trail Cheyenne 840D and guess what we fell in love with it. It met all our criteria: long lounging sofas we are both tall and slobs, an island bed which meant easier night time loo visits, a huge fridge so plenty of room for the beer as well as food, a separate shower and stacks of storage. There were lots of other plus points for us but I won’t list them all. The only downside was its length at 8.5 metres, I had always said I wouldn’t have a long van but after several days thinking about it we went ahead and ordered it. If we needed to we could always hire a car or even tow one so the decision was at long last made and we sat back to wait. This was December and delivery was due in early April.

While waiting we sold our large electric bikes and bought 2 smaller electric folding ones as previously we had had a garage and there wasn’t room for them in the locker. We booked Van Bitz to have a Strikeback T alarm, an Alden Phenix self seeking solar panel & a Alden Orbiter Satellite dish. We had heard of Eddie and his reputation years ago and this time we decided to use him ourselves despite living some distance away.

The Cheyenne arrived in the middle of April just in time for our trip to Taunton for the above to be fitted and then on to Peterborough showground where we joined our first MHF rally. We understand now why Eddie and his team have the reputation they so truly deserve, we had friendly efficient service and they had minor problems not of their making to contend with, in fact we have been twice since as we had a couple of queries and they couldn’t be more helpful. What a pleasure it is to deal with such an efficient company that serves excellent chocolate drinks as well. (We still haven’t met Eddie but I am sure we will one day).

We have expected problems to occur with the Cheyenne having read about them on here with other Auto-Trail models and sure enough we have had a few.
The lounge window leaked fairly early on, so we contacted Nigel the manager of Manhattan Motorhomes and within a couple of days he came and collected our MH took the window out, resealed it and brought it back the same day. The heating pipe under the cooker had broken away so he also brought a spare piece of heating pipe so we could lengthen the run under the cooker. Next on the list was the electric water heater wouldn’t work but we discovered it does help if you turn the switch on and we are supposed to be experienced Motorhomers.

We have been away several times and our last visit was to Devon where we have had plenty of rain and guess what both the bedroom windows started to leak. We contacted Nigel once more and when we came back at the weekend he collected the MH yesterday took them both out, resealed them and brought the van back today. Our front Heki gear mechanism has broken so that part is on order from Autotrail and we are sure he will repair it as soon as possible. The other problem we have had so far is the slow drainage of the waste water in the bathroom sink. Nigel has drilled another air vent in the waste tank so we are hoping that will cure the problem.

We have been in touch with Auto-Trail and had a very quick response offering to collect our van and take it into the factory for investigation, however, as our dealer has been so good we don’t feel as yet we need to go down that route but it is reassuring to know Auto-Trail will help us if we still have further problems with the waste water drainage.

The Fiat X250 drives like a dream, the modified scuttle has been fitted as well as an engine cover and it doesn’t leak. We haven’t had a chance to reverse uphill so can’t comment on that problem but we had already had the same problem in a previous van on a Peugeot Boxer base.

We used Jonic for the new bedding which we are really pleased with. Paintseal Direct for the paintseal treatment another excellent company to do business with and we bought an Avtex TV which is another great bit of kit.

I saw a post on MHF in the last few days about the naff grills that are put on MH’s and I would definitely agree with that as all our previous MH’s have had naff ones until this one - this is brilliant and its great to know if it is raining outside I can still grill our steak to perfection quickly inside.

As I mentioned we bought our MH from Manhattan Motorhomes and I understand they are no longer a dealer for Auto-Trail although will still carry out our warranty work but I believe they are soon to be dealers for a different brand. They are a small company with friendly staff who are always prepared to go the extra mile for you so it’s a pleasure to recommend them

Jan

DJP

Rapide561

Hi

That's a nice review - thankyou.

Could you supply more info about Paintseal, the proceddure and cost etc?

Russell

baldybazza

ab1451

Hi Jan
We live in Bedford and could help but notice that on our travels down the A1 Manhattan seem to have closed down (they did mention that they were re-locating to Devon) it seems a shame though as they used to have a lot of stock on the forecourt.

Alan and Jean

brisey

Drove past there on the way home Sunday evening, place looked to be deserted, no vehicles at all, office building appeared empty.

baldybazza

baldybazza

We have also seen the empty premises but they are still there part of the day and Nigel has told us they will be acting for another group so we will have to wait and see. It would be a shame to lose another dealer.

Jan

Suenliam

How nice to read a post about good dealer etc. experiences.