Apart from sounding good on a web page, what on earth is the nationwide warranty that AL use to promote themselves?

Surely a warranty is a warranty and isn't limited to, say, just Bournemouth? By the same token I've not heard of folk being 'rescued' by a roving band of AL technicians constantly waiting for a distressed Eribanaut to phone in from Auchtermauchty or wherever.

I notice that AL actually feature a question about warranties under their FAQ section of the website, but even though they say it's a question that's frequently asked, there is no content for an answer.

This may give a clue, maybe the phrase 'nationwide warranty' itself has no meaning.

I bought a Familia from AL in 2012, I live in the North West so I wasn't going to do a 400+ mile round trip for a service. I contacted Hymer and they said any Hymer dealer (not just an Eriba dealer) can carry out the service/ warranty work in the UK. I contacted Lowdhams who were a Hymer dealer and not an Eriba dealer at the time and they carried out the service and some warranty work.

It would be interesting to know if AL would reciprocate if the van was not bought from them, I can't see it been a problem as its Hymer in Germany who has to stump up the money to pay for any remedial work?

With respect my query isn't about where you can get an Eriba serviced or where you can get it repaired under a Hymer warranty, but rather what is meant by AL's bland assertion that ALL their vans have a 'nationwide warranty'?

I was going to get my Golf serviced by a VW dealer, believing that the right stamp in the book is the most important thing, but then discovered that the VW service involves sucking the old oil out, rather than draining it. This leaves ~25% of the old oil still in the sump. The DSG gearbox service does not include a filter change, unless they feel it needs it. I would want a £15 filter to be replaced regardless.

I realise this is not Eriba related, but it makes me wonder if the 'official' dealers are the best place for an Eriba service or warranty work to be carried out, or if someone that really knows about caravans and all their nuances (damp, chassis, fridges, gas, electrics etc.) might be the better option. Open to debate?

Quote: steamdrivenandy wrote in post #3

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With respect my query isn't about where you can get an Eriba serviced or where you can get it repaired under a Hymer warranty, but rather what is meant by AL's bland assertion that ALL their vans have a 'nationwide warranty'?

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For the basics any good caravan tech will do, as most stuff is generic. However there are idiosyncrasies in the Touring range (bodywork, electrics and furniture) that might make it preferable to use an experienced Eriba Touring dealership for work on those parts.

Hopefully finding a dedicated Eriba dealer nearby won't be a problem like it was a few years ago with just two in the UK (Poole/Edinburgh). It appears that Hymer has been ramping up the Eriba UK dealerships for the last 5 years....

Quote: swa49 wrote in post #4

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it makes me wonder if the 'official' dealers are the best place for an Eriba service or warranty work to be carried out, or if someone that really knows about caravans and all their nuances (damp, chassis, fridges, gas, electrics etc.) might be the better option. Open to debate?

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Perhaps the warranty is under written by the nationwide building society and you still have to take back to the dealer hence the "nationwide"

or, even better your local nationwide branch does the warranty work, I can just imagine dropping ours off on Sheringham high street for a hinge replacement

It seems that it's what I suspected, a worthless bit of copywriting that seeks to suggest that somehow an AL warranty will be supported by a nationwide network that doesn't exist. Presumably that's why they can't answer their own FAQ. The wording seeks to suggest that AL have a better warranty on ALL Tourings than any other dealer, when plainly they haven't.