Beware of parallel imports

9 May

Central RV is New Zealand’s only approved Dethleffs caravan importer

Approved imported caravans can be purchased from Central RV in the North Island or UCC Motorhomes in the South Island. Any other seller advertising new Dethleffs caravans is a parallel importer. We are currently aware of sellers in Whangarei, Christchurch and Motueka. They are not approved or supported by Dethleffs Germany who has been informed of this unapproved trading. Any new Dethleffs caravan purchased from these sellers come with the following issues:

No factory warranty

These sellers do not have permission from Dethleffs Germany to sell Dethleffs caravans in New Zealand. Therefore, despite what their listings may claim, the caravans will not have a factory warranty.

Incorrect spec’ for New Zealand use

The caravans we order from Dethleffs Germany are built to our particular New Zealand specification created by Central RV to meet the demands placed on the caravans by New Zealand roads. This includes additional strengthening between the floor, roof and walls. It is unique to the caravans that Dethleffs builds for our New Zealand orders. No other Dethleffs agent anywhere around the world uses this same build spec, therefore parallel imported caravans will not include this necessary strengthening.
All our New Zealand orders are upgraded to include heavy duty ALKO chassis and suspension. This upgrade is not commonly chosen by other Dethleffs agents for their orders.
Being custom-built for New Zealand, our caravans are fitted with New Zealand electrical sockets and a number of other upgrades specific to our national electricity standard.
Once our caravans arrive in New Zealand, we fit our own custom-made fresh and grey water tanks along with other workshop customisations specific to our Kiwi market.

Compare what is included as standard

Compare what is included as standard inclusions. All Dethleffs caravans from Central RV and UCC include everything you need to freedom camp:

fully self-contained with onboard tanks and appropriate plumbing (tank sizes range from 80-200L fresh and 90-145L grey)
lithium battery with built-in battery management/charging system and Bluetooth monitoring
solar system with MPPT regulator (200-600w depending on caravan model)
full kitchen with oven, and full bathroom with separate shower cubicle and toilet
all on-road costs including registration, 3-year WOF, gas certification, electrical WOF, and self-containment certification

Limited after-sales support

Parallel importers are not able to provide appropriate after-sales support as they don’t hold the array of parts and spares necessary to support customers, nor are they able to purchase them from Dethleffs Germany.

Parallel importers are not approved to carry out annual water ingress checks which Dethleffs Germany requires to maintain warranty validity. They are also not part of the New Zealand dealer network who work together to perform annual water ingress checks for Dethleffs owners around the country.
Our time, knowledge and the money we invest in stocking spare parts is to provide support for owners of caravans we have sold. We are unable to provide support for customers with parallel imported vans.

But it’s cheaper! Or is it?

There’s a reason the advertised price is less than you’d normally expect to pay for a Dethleffs caravan in New Zealand. These caravans are not equipped to use in a freedom camping situation, plus the cost of risk involved with purchasing a caravan not appropriately built for New Zealand use, with limited after-sales support and no manufacturer warranty cannot be measured.

Who are these parallel importers?

We are aware of a Whangarei-based seller who lists a wide selection of models from Dethleffs and other European manufacturers on its website and on TradeMe, however they hold little to no stock in New Zealand. The European retailer who has been supplying this seller has been instructed by Dethleffs Germany to cease supply.

A Christchurch-based seller* appears to have purchased its stock via a Chinese retailer, most of which has a manufacture date circa 2016. The VIN/weight plate in some of these caravans has been modified to show a fake VIN number and incorrect weight rating.

*Note, UCC Motorhomes in Christchurch is an approved Dethleffs retailer and is in no way connected to the seller described above.