Rotorua<\/a>), the vehicle\u2019s clutch failed and it became undrivable. <\/p>\nThe pair contacted Discount Campers again and were asked to consider returning the vehicle to Auckland for inspection and repair, but it was not feasible because of the cost to tow it back to Auckland, Laurin said.<\/p>\n
They arranged a mobile mechanic, who fixed the problem for $757.<\/p>\n
However, a few days later the vehicle broke down again, near Tauranga. <\/p>\n
The couple reported sudden and rapid overheating and a \u201cstrong smell and visible smoke\u201d from the engine bay.<\/p>\n
The vehicle was towed to a nearby repair workshop.<\/p>\n
Laurin and Alex contacted Discount Campers again, and were asked once more to have the vehicle towed back to Auckland for inspection.<\/p>\n
After weighing up the cost compared with fixing it themselves, they decided on the latter.<\/p>\n
After calling multiple repairers in the area, they found Tauranga business Herbs Vehicle Repairs, which had not yet closed for Christmas.<\/p>\n
Laurin said they had no idea New Zealand closed for several weeks over the Christmas break, which added to their woes, but it worked out okay in the end.<\/p>\n
He agreed there were worse places to be stranded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were stuck in Hot Water Beach [on the Coromandel Peninsula] for two months. We couldn\u2019t go anywhere. We couldn\u2019t even get to the grocery store reliably.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we hadn\u2019t found jobs before the van broke down, we would have been totally screwed,\u201d Laurin said.<\/p>\n
Stuffed radiator and corroded cooling system <\/p>\n
Herbs Vehicle Repairs identified the van\u2019s radiator was severely deteriorated, with significant corrosion and active leaks. <\/p>\n
Laurin said the business also recommended they lodge a claim with the tribunal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no clue about this thing that New Zealand does for people, this tribunal process,\u201d Laurin said.<\/p>\n
He said Herbs Vehicle Repairs wrote a letter of recommendation along the lines that the company did not think Laurin and Alex had been given a fair deal in their purchase.<\/p>\n
Yousufi told NZME his company prided itself on helping tourists, but no matter how much they tried to help in some circumstances, tourists tended to \u201cdo their own thing\u201d.<\/p>\n
He reiterated he had tried to help several times, but it had not been convenient for the couple to have the vehicle towed back to Auckland.<\/p>\n
Laurin said his girlfriend worked solidly for two to three months doing research to present the case to the tribunal.<\/p>\n
![\"US]()
US tourists Marcus Laurin and Jane Alex have been awarded $3500 by the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal towards the cost of repairing their campervan, which needed a new engine. Photo \/ Marcus Laurin<\/p>\n
In a tribunal decision released in March, adjudicator Crystal Euden said, the vehicle repair business also discovered the vehicle\u2019s cooling system showed signs consistent with prolonged operation using water rather than coolant, resulting in internal corrosion. <\/p>\n
The radiator was replaced just before Christmas at a cost of $1545.<\/p>\n
The vehicle repair business also found the van had a \u201cbadly blown\u201d head gasket, the cooling system was pressurising and the cylinder head was suspected to be warped. <\/p>\n
It was further suspected the engine had seized at some stage due to excessive heat, resulting in a failure to start, Euden said.<\/p>\n
The couple were told further investigation would require dismantling the engine and that the vehicle should only be driven very short distances, if at all.<\/p>\n
Welcomed by the community <\/p>\n
Laurin said they enjoyed their time being part of the local community at Hot Water Beach. <\/p>\n
\u201cI met some local surfers, I met some really good friends where we were staying at Auntie Dawn\u2019s Place.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe owners, they let me replace the whole engine in their yard and I couldn\u2019t have done it without them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey would cook us dinner and stuff. They made us feel welcome knowing that we were broken-down and stuck.\u201d <\/p>\n
In February this year, Laurin said a second-hand, 3-litre Toyota diesel engine bought online was installed by a mechanic friend and fellow whitewater kayaker, David Friday, who had arrived in New Zealand on holiday from the US.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the one that led the charge on being able to replace the engine,\u201d Laurin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m mechanically inclined, but I\u2019m not a master. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew every piece which needed pulling apart and putting back together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tribunal noted Friday did not charge for his labour.<\/p>\n
While collecting Friday at the airport (via a shuttle service), they met hitch-hiker Ignacio. <\/p>\n
![\"US]()
US tourist Marcus Laurin (shirtless, nearest van) replacing the van engine with a little help from his friends Warren Nelmes (seated), David Friday (yellow shirt), Sean Alex (green shorts) and Ignacio the hitchhiker (obscured). Photo \/ Marcus Laurin<\/p>\n
\u201cHe needed a ride to Tauranga, and we said, \u2018come on, get in\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ignacio continued his travels, but texted a few days later and offered to come back and help fix the van.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of crazy, because I was like, \u2018oh, my God, thank God this guy is here\u2019, because he was like the biggest wrench-turner you\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also on hand was Jane Alex\u2019s brother, Sean Alex, who also happened to be nearby and stepped in to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Dave hadn\u2019t offered to fix the engine, I wouldn\u2019t have been able to afford to fix it. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe would have probably gotten the money and sold the van for parts,\u201d Laurin said.<\/p>\n
Claim partially upheld by tribunal <\/p>\n
The couple claimed reimbursement for all repair costs, including the engine.<\/p>\n
Discount Campers disagreed it was liable. <\/p>\n
Yousafi alleged some of the claims in this instance might not have been genuine.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas the engine really damaged? I don\u2019t know because I never had the opportunity to see it,\u201d he told NZME.<\/p>\n
He told the tribunal the vehicle was sold to the couple on behalf of a private owner, and that his business was not given a reasonable opportunity to inspect or repair the vehicle before third\u2011party repairs were undertaken.<\/p>\n
The tribunal agreed for the most part, but found there were failures with the vehicle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am satisfied that, viewed cumulatively, the clutch failure, radiator failure, and resultant engine damage constitute a failure of a substantial character,\u201d the tribunal adjudicator said in her decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaken together, a reasonable consumer, fully informed of the nature and extent of those defects, would not have acquired the vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Discount Campers was required to compensate the pair for the \u201creasonable costs incurred\u201d in replacing the vehicle\u2019s engine, in the total amount of $3495.<\/p>\n
Yousufi told NZME it was \u201cvery unfortunate\u201d they had been forced to go through the legal process, but \u201cwhat\u2019s done is done\u201d.<\/p>\n
Laurin confirmed Discount Campers had paid the money owed.<\/p>\n
On the road again<\/p>\n
Once back on the road, the couple made it to the South Island<\/a>. <\/p>\n\u201cWe put another 10,000 kilometres on that car. I mean, we went all over the damn map.\u201d<\/p>\n
The van was on-sold when Laurin and Alex ended their travels, for half what they paid for it, but comfortable in the knowledge it was \u201cprobably the best running van in New Zealand\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s bulletproof now. We put all the parts that could possibly break back together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laurin said while it had been a stressful time, they loved New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ\u2019s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"US tourists Marcus Laurin and Jane Alex pictured on a hike near Mount Cook. Photo \/ Marcus Laurin…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":429804,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[80514,34842,220194,3241,27126,138,3013,8414,6097,2082,305,121854,189,702,130,111,139,69,2847,10142,131,8229,1529,9182,1733,220193,11427,6736,4518,1316,10119,19135,4741,80],"class_list":["post-429803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-80514","tag-17k","tag-bargained","tag-bought","tag-break","tag-business","tag-but","tag-couple","tag-down","tag-for","tag-have","tag-hiace","tag-holiday","tag-it","tag-more","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-only","tag-paid","tag-than","tag-they","tag-three","tag-tourists","tag-toyota","tag-undriveable","tag-van","tag-was","tag-weeks","tag-when","tag-within","tag-working","tag-young","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429803\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}