CoolCampers.co.uk

[dan71westy]

Hi Everybody just wondering if any of you have dealt with CoolCampers.co.uk?

I bought my 71 westy from there after having a good run with my previous '77 westy. However i seem to have been stung pretty badly this time.
I bought the van with a years MOT and a years tax (free but thats not the point here) I gave the van a really good going over (or so i thought) i did find a few niggles but hey its 36 years old!
On further inspection when i got the van home it was clear after the 70 mile trip that i was going to have a few problms. I got a family friend who is a sympathetic mechanic with older vehicles to give it a more thorough once over. What he found was quite concerning!
The nice shiny new MOT wasn't worth the paper it was written on!
1 the steering rubber flex coupling was severly perished
2 the steering box had seriously excessive play and needed replacing
3 the rear brakes were over adjusted
4 There was a pretty serious problem with the brake servo - it was full of brake fluid due to the master cylinder seals giving up many years ago
5 The carburettor was way too big for the engine and was seriously lean
6 The headlamps were still LHD and no attempt to deflect the beam had been made
7 The front callipers were seized solid
8 The rear anti roll bar linkages were absolutely shot
9 and the wiring which had been "professionally converted to RHD spec" had to be completely undone then re-done as after a few days every time i broke smoke came out of the dash board and i lost all my rear lights

When confronted about the problems found he seemed ok and offered to put some money towards the repairs however he then seemed to develop amnesia and changed his mind

I reported the Bent MOT to DVLA who did nothing except say i had 30 days to report it and this was the 31st day!!! and when i came to tax it last week the mot certificate hadnt even been registered with the dvla

Is this bloke a complete con artist or what. I daren't go and have a go cos i'll be up on a ABH charge here

Anybody else had similar experiences?

 

[Justin & Muttley]

You need to get some professional legal advice on this one - if they're doing dodgy MOT's and selling unroadworthy vehicles (as a vehicle trader) then they should be brought to book.
Contact your local trading standards officer, contact the DVLA again, and see a solicitor (an initial meeting shouldn't be pricy and they can lean on your seller on your behalf - if nothing else it will show that you mean business).

Hope you can get it sorted, good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Justin & Muttley]

Have you checked here? It suggests that the Police might be interested...

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Mot/DG_4022113

 

[gninnam]

Complete bar stewards comes to mind :twisted:

I got stung with mine, but mine was a private sale so I know how you feel (mine came with
an MOT which was not worth the paper it was printed on!!!! :x )

I'd look at the stuff that J&M has pulled up to see if you can get these buggers banged to rights :!:

 

[dan71westy]

Cheers for the advice i'll get onto that in the week.
Thing is i've had the vehicle nearly a year now and it'll get questions being asked why i've done nothing sooner. I have done the bulk of the work now at great cost to myself (were talking about £1500) for the would be Mot failures alone. There have been other things i've found but theyre quite minor however would have constituted a failure themselves.
Dont get me wrong its a beautiful van now its just been one big headache and the mots due thursday!

 

[Speedman]

I bought my 71 Campmobile from Gary at CoolCampers, had an issue with the dynamo on the way home from collecting it which he sorted within 24hrs, he was really good about it and the rest of the van was as advertised.

TBH with that list of problems it sounds like the initial look over the van wasn't as thorough as it could have been, when we bought ours we had a mechanic with us and he was over it like a rash checking everything then a long test drive to make sure we were happy before parting with any money, a year down the line is a long time to have waited to get it sorted.

Just my 2pence

 

[Justin & Muttley]

I bought my 71 Campmobile from Gary at CoolCampers, had an issue with the dynamo on the way home from collecting it which he sorted within 24hrs, he was really good about it and the rest of the van was as advertised.

TBH with that list of problems it sounds like the initial look over the van wasn't as thorough as it could have been, when we bought ours we had a mechanic with us and he was over it like a rash checking everything then a long test drive to make sure we were happy before parting with any money, a year down the line is a long time to have waited to get it sorted.

Just my 2pence

The points you make are fair enough and I don't even know the guys at CoolCampers so I don't want to get involved in unwarranted slagging-off, and a year is a long time after the event - but I'd still be curious to know how the van passed an MOT with LHD lenses etc?

 

[dan71westy]

Reason its taken so long is i've only just found this forum to have my moan on. Its also taken this long to work through the faults and rebuild the various bits and pieces to assess the extent of what was needed in the first place and i've done most of it myself.
The mot side of things - i'm no mechanic not by a long shot but i do know my way around a vehicle however being told it was in a dangerous condition and driving it on the road would be very unwise i just feel something needed to be said. I chased the garage who issued the mot and that led nowhere.
Bits like the roll bar linkage are obviously minor details but theres just no way it should have passed an mot.
By the way nice van - pale blue and pastel white same shades as mine.
Think it was yours i saw in the carpark at vanfest - mines got a very similar numberplate!

 

[speedwell68]

After a year I think you'd have trouble getting any redress. I was stung on my bay by a company whose initials are KK. Advertised as solid and rust free, once the belly pans were removed it told a different story. There only comment was sold as seen mate. Trading standards weren't interested as the vehicle was so old. I'd chalk it up to experience and move on.

 

[Speedman]

By the way nice van - pale blue and pastel white same shades as mine.
Think it was yours i saw in the carpark at vanfest - mines got a very similar numberplate!

Cheers, wouldn't have been mine though as i only bought it in january, theres a few out there 8)

 

[carole]

Sympathies my friend.......

however as some have already said, a year on and you're probably too late to be able to do anything.

it is very difficult when looking at a van, I bought a late bay a few years ago, again described as 'rot free'. I had a good climb all over it, and it looked pretty straight. Bought it, ran it around for a little while and then booked it into the paint shop for a 'bit' of bodywork and a respray.

4 weeks later and I had bought just about every panel out of the Schofield catalogue..... :shock: :shock:

As well as being completely broke, I felt like a prize pr*tt !!......it was our 3rd bus and I was pretty confident of knowing what I was looking at.......but we got there in the end, and the van looked great when it was finished.

In the end I just swallowed it and got on with it, you just have to put it down to experience.... :wink: :wink:

These buses would be no fun if they didn't give us the odd headache...

 

[68only]

I know what it's like being on the buyer and sellers side, I also know Gary at Cool Campers and he has always been very nice in dealings I had with him. I also know that MOT's can be very subjective and at the discretion of the tester. I have had vehicles fail on ridiculous stuff sometimes and taken them elsewhere, where they have passed on the items that failed at the 1st place, only to fail on things the 1st place missed.
I would think If gary sold you an MOT'd van then he was satisfied it was MOT'd. I know when I get an import in the 1st thing I do is put it in for an MOT to see what it fails on, then work from a list. Obviously if I see anything else I will address it, but you would normally trust the MOT tester to point out anything unsafe.
I will ask gary to have a look on here and see if he can address your problems.

 

[Dan]

Just to add to the last post - I too have experience of both the buyers and sellers side of things and can empathise with both, however, I've had dealings with Gary at Cool Campers and have never found him to be anything but honest, wanting nothing more than people to be happy with their van.

As for moaning about it on a public forum, is that really the best way to address issues you have with an individual? Seems to be a slightly odd way to go about things to me.

Just my opinion.

Dan

 

[Dan]

Gary has asked me to post this on his behalf as he is not registered on this forum:



I am disappointed that Dan71Westy is unhappy with his beautiful early bay as I have read above.

Just to ask: Why would you return your business after being satisfied with your 77 Westy for a year and why would I part-exchange it against your 71 Westy if I am a "Con Artist"?!?!?!?!?!

I find it strange that after one year of ownership that you have posted your feelings on this forum about how upset you are that you think that you have been "stitched" with a "dodgy" MOT. Your Initial teething problems were made clear to me and if you're honest with yourself I tried to work with you on these. I am not an MOT inspector and nor claim to be one. Pre- MOT work is carried out by myself and also any MOT failure work. Once an MOT is issued I am confident that the garage has re-deemed the vehicle in road worthy condition.

Out of curiosity you came to me with a budget like practically everyone does and more than likely you had in your mind the condition you wanted the vehicle to be in. As you have said the vehicle is 36 years old and for the condition you took it in it was beautifully presented and rust free. Perhaps in the long run you are more suited to a T5 as I know other VW enthusiasts will agree a Classic Volkswagen Camper Van are a compromise to a new one.

As a last note I am confident with the vehicles that I buy and sell and have many happy customers drive away. I find it upsetting that you feel that GBH is a resort but if you are seriously unhappy and feel that you have taken on a headache then feel free to contact me 07979726763 and I will be happy to buy back the 71Westy in order for others to appreciate like Speedman.

 

[Araon]

I know other VW enthusiasts will agree a Classic Volkswagen Camper Van are a compromise to a new one.


:shock:

Could have sworn it was the other way round, give up on all that air cooled fun, the highs and the lows, never, though a well specced T5 wouldnt go a miss now and again.

I've been watching this thread with some interest and I have to say that most of us have been stung at one point or another... some of us should have learnt after the 1303 but oohhhh nooo I did it again with a 74 bay

What we forget is that many points that should fail an MOT are in fact in accessible and arent readily at hand in the time it takes to get a vehicle through its MOT. indeed the MOT is not really worth the paper its written on, no sooner you drive out the door the police/VOSA etc.. can deem your vehicle unroadworthy.

You will need to have it fully examined by a reputable garage and have all structural points snagged and addressed....

MONEY :shock: yes it hits you or the previous owner in the pocket real big........... but hey it helps keep my internal organs cleaner after all if its not the bus my spare cash goes on its more alcohol

Anyway we shouldnt really be dragging peoples names through the mire without giving them a chance to fight their own corner.. I have to admit it he does appear to have acquited himself quite well on this one.

 

[Scampi]

After a year I think you'd have trouble getting any redress. I was stung on my bay by a company whose initials are KK. Advertised as solid and rust free, once the belly pans were removed it told a different story. There only comment was sold as seen mate. Trading standards weren't interested as the vehicle was so old. I'd chalk it up to experience and move on.

Good words my friend!

I really don't know what to say about th is one either. One year is a long time to leave it. Personally I would take it on the chin and use it as one of those VW experiences we all have at one time or another.

My first van was purchased with MOT and tax and I didn't really now to much about them at this point except I wanted one. So I purchased one with no help and to be quite honest, it was fucked bigtime when the Belly pans came off.

You just don't know what to expect sometimes though?

Hope you sort it anyway guys :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

Guys - as much as I like issues like this to get sorted out, it is difficult to get the full picture on a forum like this - can I suggest that this is taken up directly between both parties - I dont think this forum is the right place to try and resolve the issue,

Mike.