I think you're right about the market and I don't see how so many converters can be sustained. Of course Autohaus were long established and not exactly one of the Covid boom startups.
Well, some good news, I stopped by at Tottingon Motor Company (TMC) today and had a chat with the ever amiable sales manager Gavin, who unhesitatingly told me that they would honour the three year warranty on the conversion
(Hopefully I'll never need it, of course).I asked if he thought if Autohaus might rise from the ashes again; he said he hoped so. TMC owner Jason is friends with Tony Payne (Autohaus owner) and they're still in contact with each other. Watch this space! Their other campervan supplier is Bespoke of N.Ireland, and he's clearly not so keen on them (mainly for logistical reasons)
Their aftersales (Greg) and technician (John) also sorted out my leisure battery issue and put my mind at rest (discussed on another thread). Still happy I bought an Autohaus, and TMC are good people to deal with. They're obviously very busy - I booked the van in for a habitation service and the first available slot was first week of April
All very strange. I was going to leave a belated (positive) review over the weekend and discovered the dead website. They converted my T6.1 in Oct/Nov 2024 and everything seemed ok. They didn't rush to demand payment, they did a good job, on time and no problems so far althought the winter has been c**p so haven't done much. The conversion business is a hard one to make money from - it's all about quality of the conversion work and service. And in their case, CNC machines for the woodwork. Otherwise it's all bought-in parts. 15 or so people will have lost their jobs, and Minehead is miles from other centres.. I wonder if the Employers' NIC increases were the last straw? It does seem from press reports but not Companies House (yet) that Acare is in administration. As someone said, the warranty is probably worthless, unless someone buys it out of administration with the brand and takes on the warranty to protect the brand reputation. I did save their website onto the Wayback Machine Archive when they had my vehicle for conversion, and I am pasting the Warranty Ts & Cs below for anyone interested (they are not in the User Manual). As you can see, it applied both to new and used base vehicles, on the conversion only and not the 3rd party bought-in bits:
"Terms and conditions of Autohaus Leisure’s Conversion Warranty.
Customers who purchase their conversions from Autohaus are provided with a three-year warranty on the workmanship on the it’s campervan conversions. If you have a problem, we will discuss the issue with you and where possible have one of our qualified technicians try to resolve the problem with you by telephone (Where possible and relevant, it is helpful to email pictures of the problem to us at [email protected] ).
If the issue cannot be resolved, then the vehicle must be returned to the factory for assessment. Once the extent of the work is fully assessed you will be advised as to what work will be carried out under the terms of the warranty. The warranty is limited to the agreed repairs and does not cover travel costs and incidental expenses. A courtesy vehicle is not provided.
For new vehicles that are converted the warranty commences from the date of registration. For second-hand vehicles, the warranty on the conversion commences from the date the conversion is completed. Providing Autohaus is informed by the owner of the vehicle that they have sold or are selling the vehicle the warranty may be transferred to the new owner.
Our warranty provides cover on the workmanship of our campervan conversion only.
Third party appliances and components fitted to the conversion such as ovens refrigerators are protected by the manufacturer’s standard 12-month warranty.
The warranty does not cover campervans that are used for commercial purposes unless a separate agreement has been made. The usual maximum warranty is for a 12-month period.
If you purchased your vehicle from a Dealer other than Autohaus you must check the warranty cover provided and consult that Dealer first if you think you have a warranty issue. It is up to the Dealer to consult with Autohaus regarding the problem presented and determine if a warranty issue exists. Autohaus will only enter into discussion with the owner of the vehicle once the Dealer has contacted Autohaus regarding the issue, after which arrangement will be made as set earlier in this document.
The warranty does not cover damages through accident, misuse, or lack of maintenance by the customer, including the failure to undertake an annual habitation service. The warranty is null and void if “do it yourself attempts” (DIY) have been made to remedy the problem or the owner has taken it upon themselves to involve a third party without the written consent of Autohaus.
Autohaus will not be liable for any costs to third parties whatsoever where third parties have been used without the written consent of Autohaus.
In some instances, Autohaus may approve warranty work to be carried out by a Third Party known to and employed by Autohaus for such work.
If the owner of the vehicle asks for the warranty work to be carried out by a third party of their choosing, Autohaus will cost the work as if the vehicle had been returned to the factory. Autohaus will pay up to but not exceed the amount of that costing to the Third Party. This amount will be paid on receipt of an invoice from the Third Party. Any costs not agreed are the responsibility of the vehicle owner. Work carried out by any Third Party is not protected by the Autohaus Warranty.
In all instances Acare Leisure reserves the right to request the vehicle is returned to Acare Leisure to carry out the warranty work. "
"Terms and conditions of Autohaus Leisure’s Conversion Warranty.
Customers who purchase their conversions from Autohaus are provided with a three-year warranty on the workmanship on the it’s campervan conversions. If you have a problem, we will discuss the issue with you and where possible have one of our qualified technicians try to resolve the problem with you by telephone (Where possible and relevant, it is helpful to email pictures of the problem to us at [email protected] ).
If the issue cannot be resolved, then the vehicle must be returned to the factory for assessment. Once the extent of the work is fully assessed you will be advised as to what work will be carried out under the terms of the warranty. The warranty is limited to the agreed repairs and does not cover travel costs and incidental expenses. A courtesy vehicle is not provided.
For new vehicles that are converted the warranty commences from the date of registration. For second-hand vehicles, the warranty on the conversion commences from the date the conversion is completed. Providing Autohaus is informed by the owner of the vehicle that they have sold or are selling the vehicle the warranty may be transferred to the new owner.
Our warranty provides cover on the workmanship of our campervan conversion only.
Third party appliances and components fitted to the conversion such as ovens refrigerators are protected by the manufacturer’s standard 12-month warranty.
The warranty does not cover campervans that are used for commercial purposes unless a separate agreement has been made. The usual maximum warranty is for a 12-month period.
If you purchased your vehicle from a Dealer other than Autohaus you must check the warranty cover provided and consult that Dealer first if you think you have a warranty issue. It is up to the Dealer to consult with Autohaus regarding the problem presented and determine if a warranty issue exists. Autohaus will only enter into discussion with the owner of the vehicle once the Dealer has contacted Autohaus regarding the issue, after which arrangement will be made as set earlier in this document.
The warranty does not cover damages through accident, misuse, or lack of maintenance by the customer, including the failure to undertake an annual habitation service. The warranty is null and void if “do it yourself attempts” (DIY) have been made to remedy the problem or the owner has taken it upon themselves to involve a third party without the written consent of Autohaus.
Autohaus will not be liable for any costs to third parties whatsoever where third parties have been used without the written consent of Autohaus.
In some instances, Autohaus may approve warranty work to be carried out by a Third Party known to and employed by Autohaus for such work.
If the owner of the vehicle asks for the warranty work to be carried out by a third party of their choosing, Autohaus will cost the work as if the vehicle had been returned to the factory. Autohaus will pay up to but not exceed the amount of that costing to the Third Party. This amount will be paid on receipt of an invoice from the Third Party. Any costs not agreed are the responsibility of the vehicle owner. Work carried out by any Third Party is not protected by the Autohaus Warranty.
In all instances Acare Leisure reserves the right to request the vehicle is returned to Acare Leisure to carry out the warranty work. "
I guess the warranty doesn't really cover very much in reality - poor workmanship on the actual conversion / installation of various components I suppose? I hope you / we never have any issues that may have been covered. We did have Tottington (the dealer) fix a couple of minor snags early on (end piece came off the awning rail; side window by the kitchen not closing properly, an LED light that wouldn't fully turn off) but thankfully nothing since.
@wheelnut we're off tomorrow for our first nights away in the van since before Xmas. I hope you have many fun-filled adventures with your Autohaus
@wheelnut we're off tomorrow for our first nights away in the van since before Xmas. I hope you have many fun-filled adventures with your Autohaus
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Documents published at Companies House. Statement of Affairs makes grim reading, particularly if you’re a creditor. As @wheelnut said above, very sad for all the staff who I feel we got to know and they looked after us well. We’ve just sold our Autohaus but will remember it very fondly.
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
ACARE LEISURE LTD filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK
ACARE LEISURE LTD - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
The build quality on the Autohaus conversions is absolutely superb but sadly their after sales service wasn’t good. When a customer is spending £50k to £80k on a vehicle that’s a serious amount of money and from any company you’d expect to have a good relationship with them for after sales. It’s a real shame they’ve closed but I’m surprised they didn’t sell the company as they built 187 vehicles in 2024.
