Hymer Activ - anyone know of problems?

[Boca-RV]

I am looking at a 2019 Hymer Activ, and was wondering if anyone is aware of inherent mechanical or electrical issues with this unit? Hymer had internal money issues - so I am checking to see if there are problems - since warrantees, etc. may not be available.

Thank You,
Bill Comiskey
bill.comiskey@exclusiveprograms.com

[mumkin]

EGHNA is dead and gone. The Hymer family incompetently allowed the company to tank, dumped all the debt into Roadtrek, tossed the remains into bankruptcy, pocketed millions from Thor for the European company... and disappeared into Germany laughing all the way to the bank. Roadtrek remains were purchased by the French company, Rapido, and they are back in business trying to rescue Roadtrek's past glory. Meanwhile Hymer and Carado owners were all left in the lurch as orphans.

As to warranties, the Promaster one is still in effect (and there are two lurking recalls that probably need to be done if it is a 1.0 and one if it is a 2.0... easy fixes, but took them a couple years to supply the parts). If it is new, there should warranty left on some of the add-ons like the fridge, etc. No warranty on the conversion itself.

Yes... there are numerous electrical issues that likely are still there. All are fixable, and if you are handy and understand electrical systems, many owners are doing it themselves. Assuming you are in Florida, there is one good service department that can do it at Sunshine State RVs in Gainesville. (avoid La Mesa... will be most expensive and if you didn't buy it there, it will take you months to get in)

There is a very informed Hymer Aktiv Owners group on Facebook. They have rallies and do the necessary tweaks for each other. (and/or just interesting upgrades and ideas) They are the ones who engineered the required fixes. On their page, they have a files section with instructions and videos on how to fix the most common issues.

The other issue is that some of the parts are from Europe and difficult to get. Right now they are negotiating with Thor (who now owns the European Hymer company, but screwed off all the North American owners) to assist them in sourcing the parts.

You didn't say whether this is a new or used Aktiv. If used, some of the fixes may have been done. If you are at all serious about purchase, I would hit that Facebook page.

[coss370]

Unless you are getting it for dirt cheap (unlikely in this day), I just don't see why you would want to mess with them. RV repair is hard to find and expensive. RV is also a leisure item, you don't want it to die while you have the time off. I have a car with parts availability issue, trust me it is frustrating and you don't want to deal with that in an RV

[wny-pat]

https://www.rvinsider.com/Hymer-RV-R...iews_container

[mkguitar]

some of the units produced during that timeframe are subject to a safety "recall" or warning for the seats/restraints- as I recall falsified safety certs were submitted.


there is a recall for exhaust melting bumpers as well



https://www.therecord.com/business/2...-concerns.html

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

some of the units produced during that timeframe are subject to a safety "recall" or warning for the seats/restraints- as I recall falsified safety certs were submitted.

There is a recall for exhaust melting bumpers as well

https://www.therecord.com/business/2...-concerns.html

Your link is behind a pay wall.

That seat recall is only for certain Sprinter models built by Roadtrek and sold under the Roadtrek name going back to 2013. None of the Promasters had that floor plan or issue... and all Hymers are built on Promasters.

The melting bumper issue was on the first year or two... not on the later units. As I recall, it was related to rear tire mount.

https://www.rvinsider.com/Hymer-RV-R...iews_container

I glanced at these and they are all for their tossed together entry level super cheap models sold under the Sunlight name at Camping World and the slightly better Carado brands.

[markopolo]

I'd be concerned about the drain on the batteries from the battery management system. Two PDF files in this post: https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f...tml#post111637

From the "2018.10.15 Lithiums dead - reset procedure and checks" PDF file:

In addition, when turned on, even if there are no lights on in the coach or anything running on battery, the lithium modules will have an inherent self-discharge due to the internal relays and electronics of between 5 and 10 Amps per hour that will continue to drain them (Battery Management System).

[Boca-RV]

Agreed - thanks for feedback

[michael budig]

I own a 2017 Hymer Aktiv 1.0. I am generally satisfied and the concern about the loss of the warranty was alleviated largely by information available from the great community on the facebook page for hymerownersandwannabes. It is a great resource. We have had a few issues, which have been generally addressed by this group and really enjoy the van overall and especially its thoughtful layout. I think there have been real problems with the air conditioner on the Aktiv 2.0.

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by mumkin

Your link is behind a pay wall.

I can see it- maybe browser settings, I block a lot of the javascripting


It runs down the number of recalls for seats, electrical, brakelines, exhaust and even brakes/axles on hymer trailers- recalls on Hymer, and various R/T models.

The falsified safety certs didn't happen on the factory floor- that's an executive decision and the number of recalls across product lines shows cost cutting/disregard

quote:
"When asked how the RV manufacturer could sell vehicles with second-row seats that may not have been certified as safe, Neff [ NHTSA] said: "We have regulations ... but part of that is the good faith that you're conducting your business to be compliant.."


"The seat issue was first discovered in April when a former employee of the company provided Rapido with a test report from November 2016 [under Hymer Ownership] that alleges the second-row seats in certain Roadtrek RVs did not pass Canadian or American motor vehicle safety standards known as "pull tests."

any shopper should get all the info they can on an "orphan", paywall or not

mike

[stevegoldfield]

I bought a Banff in 2018, about 7 months before EHGNA collapsed. There are two recalls on the Promaster, which I have had done: the shift cable and the engine cooling fan. I haven't had any issues that would have fallen under the Hymer warranty fortunately. I did have to rewire it since Hymer wired the coach batteries wrong, especially for the type H batteries I have. A 2019 should have the much better type Ls, but a buyer should check. Note that the KS2 (Ecotrek battery manufacturer) recommended wiring diagram is also wrong for type H batteries. Sam Carswell is the authority on that. My big issue right now is with the hot water heater. Suburban is sending a replacement. We will ship the failed one to them, and they will inspect it to see if the tank warranty (3 years) will cover it. The full warranty expired in July. Overall, I'm glad I bought it. My RV tech says it is better constructed than Thor products and other competitors, and those cost a lot more. In addition to the Hymer Activ FB group that was recommended and which I joined, I would also join the Carado and Sunlight and the Roadtrek groups. I learn new things from all of them as well as from this site. You can never know too much about systems this complex.

[TheMatrix]

We own a Hymer Aktiv 1.0 Loft and love it. Yes, we have had to address some issues on it such as the battery wiring issue. Here in California we found Dan Neeley, who is a mobile RV technician and specializes in Hymer and Roadtrek Class B's. He gave our Aktiv the once over and everything works great.

[mumkin]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

any shopper should get all the info they can on an "orphan", paywall or not

For sure, but the shopper needs to know which refer to a vehicle that they are considering. None of these relate to any of the Promaster models. The seats that had no pull test were all on Roadtrek Sprinter based units. (and the owners had to pay about $2000 per seat to get them repaired and off the recall list)

The Hymer trailers were a dog's breakfast of issues, but fortunately there were very few of them completed and/or sold. Not like the hundred or more (?) Sprinters with illegal seating.