We are now experiencing our 2nd break down of a Webasto appliance - our instant hot water system.

The previous was our freezer.

Both times - we have run into a problem that Webasto do not carry spare parts & only place an order from Germany each quarter, so if all parts are sold from the previous order & you need a part before the next order period then you have to either wait...or pay for air cargo to have the part sent to Australia.  I can perhaps understand it happening once, but now to me it appears that they do not deliberately carry enough stock.

Both of these appliances were less than 12 months out of 'warranty!' (* see below)  Of course.....but even @ >3 years of age to have 2 of our Webasto appliances both with major parts breaking down, it seems this brand is not a reliable brand.

We are new to caravanning, purchasing a used van - 2013 model, but appliances were purchased by the van builder in a bulk purchase 6 months prior to our van being finished & handed over to the original owners....apparently another 'grey' area that owners fall into...........Webasto starts it's warranty periods from time of purchase, so now we are in 'consultation' with the van builders as the freezer was within the 2 years of handover, the heater is now 6 months out of the 2 year handover period.

Have we just experienced bad luck with Webasto or have others also experienced major break downs of their appliances within 2 - 5 years.

My perception is that we should not have experienced any problems for at least 5 years.