Clive
The Kub – The Ultimate Luxurious Motorhome? I really don’t think so.
Pro’s: -
Assuming you could start it, the van drove OK, provided you could stand the awful racket & squeaking.
It returned reasonable MPG
Cons: -
Poor external condition, absolutely not as shown in photos or description on Goboony. Lots of damage to external bodywork, various pieces of trim either missing or held on with adhesive tape.
Internal condition similar, habitation door flyscreen broken & secured with Sellotape, sliding bedroom door broken off of support mechanism, various doors & handles loose, drivers’ seat would not swivel to use when eating, folding shower door retaining strap screw missing allowing door to flap about when driving, cups left unwashed in the cupboard from previous rents etc, etc.
The heating & hot water was at best, temperamental, at worse barely functional.
The rear bed is designed to elevate via a winding mechanism to allow bikes etc to be stored in the rear garage. Despite assurances from Kub’s owner Owen to the contrary, the mechanism did not work, the bed could not be elevated & we had to partially dismantle our bikes to get them in the garage.
The van is fitted with an immobiliser, designed to prevent the van from being started when the key fob is not present in the van. Unfortunately, it also randomly prevented the van from starting when it was present in the van. We only kept the van for 5 of the 30 days we had booked and paid for, before giving up & returning it. In those 5 days, the van refused to start around 8 times, the last time when we were trying to drive off of the Channel Tunnel train, causing us to hold everyone up for around 10 mins before it just decided to work again. I could continue, suffice to say this van has had a hard life.
So why did we accept the van when we went to collect it? I have asked myself the same question many times over the last few weeks, but we had looked forward to this holiday for months, everything was booked, campsites, Channel Tunnel etc, routes had been planned. In short, we were desperate to go, but we should never have signed & driven off. As we had the van overnight before taking the Channel Tunnel, I felt we could sort a few things & we did. We tightened various door handles, put felt pads between cupboard doors to stop rattles, refixed the shower door retaining strap. The van was much quieter to drive the next morning when we set off. But we the rear bed could not be elevated, a pin was missing, nor did we know about the heating or the immobiliser issues at that stage.
Had the situation been reversed & the shortcomings of a vehicle I owned and rented out had prevented someone from having their holiday, I would have been mortified. Did Owen appear bothered, show any regret or offer any form explanation let alone an apology when we returned the van three weeks early? No, he did not.
As I see it, there only two explanations for the van being offered for rent in the condition we received it, either Owen knew very well the condition of the van & kept quiet or he genuinely believed it to be the Ultimate Luxurious Motorhome he describes it as on Goboony. If it’s the former, he’s deceitful, if it’s the latter, he’s deluded. I suggest anyone considering renting any van from any hire organisation ensure that they view & drive the vehicle prior to handing over any money.
I have never posted a negative review for any holiday I have been on over the last 50 years, but my advice would be if you are looking on Goboony or anywhere else for a Motorhome to hire & you come across one with KUB in its registration, look elsewhere.