Motor Mover & Doormat

In the guise of " something to do" whilst up at storage ( apart from continuing to fill a large puddle with nutty slack ) I decided to give the Reich movers a bit of a going over.

It was surprising how much gunk and crap had accumulated both on the housing and the rollers,anyway a good clean and debris removed from the rollers had them looking better.

As I was leaving the van I noticed that the doormat was looking a little worse for wear with all the tramping in of muck from the storage yard.

I decided to attempt to remove it,it was with some trepidation as my record of breaking things whilst in the act of removing stuff is renowned.

Anyway if you get a screwdriver or similar and prise up the plastic surround it becomes unclipped,be careful as it has all the hallmarks of " I am going to break and cost you money" written all over it so it is at your risk.

When the frame is removed it is a simple job to remove the mat for a good clean.

Reversal,as all the Haynes manuals used to say,is presumably the reverse of removal.

If you wish to remove the base there are four screws holding it down.

Ian

Wheels

Whilst the van wheels are off for the winter,replaced by winter wheels,I thought I would take the opportunity of giving them a bit of a spruce up.

First up was a good wash down,front and rear, followed by touching up and varnishing any scuffs and scrapes they had collected and checking for splits or cracking in the rubber of which there was none,perhaps the result of Bailey fitting good quality Michelin tyres.

Luckily I had some car paint and varnish which matched the colour of the alloys.

Incidentally,some people say that caravan wheels don't need balancing but I noticed there was a good deal of weight added to both wheels on the inner surface.

Then I treated them to two coats of Autoglym Wheel Protector in the hope they might stay clean a bit longer,then the tyres got two applications of Autoglym Tyre dressing which leaves a nice subdued sheen not like the "tyre black" stuff of Arthur Daley fame.

I was going to replace the Bailey logoed centre caps as they are a bit faded but Bailey say they aren't available any more.

There are larger ones for their motorhome range and other vans but not for the U3,if anyone knows where they are available let me know,they are 56mm diameter.

Finally a couple of new valve dust caps with the TPMS logo on and job done.

I was quite pleased with the results.

Ian

Driving Awareness Course

Not really caravan related apart from the fact that I was towing the van when I got caught speeding near Halifax on our last trip out.

Thirty six mph. in a thirty limit so to avoid points on my licence I opted for the speed awareness course.

Now I have heard people denigrate these courses as a waste of time but I have to admit I found it very interesting and gave the opportunity to focus on your driving which I suppose is something we all take for granted.

I think it wouldn't do any harm for everyone to go on such a course every five years or so.

Yes it was £84 but £84 well spent as it turned out.

So if you are caught and given the opportunity of a course I suggest that you accept.

Ian

Winter Draws On.

Well as we had to cancel our holiday at Berwick CMC site this week due to my bad back going into overdrive we thought we may as well pack things up for winter as we are busy up to well into December and then it is of course the horror of Ch******s.

For the information of perhaps less experienced caravanners this is what I have done:

1. Water drained off using a Floe.
2.Wheels removed and replaced with winter wheels ( wheels now cleaned up and safely stored in our garage,tyres in very good nick I noted ).
3.All internal locker and cupboard doors left open to facilitate air circulation.
4.Toilet cassette removed,taken home and now full of cassette cleaner.
5.Locker,door and window seals treated with rubber lubricant.
6.All foodstuffs and liquids removed.
7.Check gas turned off.
8.All locks treated with lubricant.
9.Seat cushions and mattresses lifted so air can circulate.
10.Solar panel cleaned to make the most of any winter sunshine.
11.Battery swapped over for a fresh one ( not strictly necessary but as I have a second battery thought I might as well then I can put the removed one on the C-Tek at home ).
12. Wooden panel that covers the laundry basket in the wardrobe removed so air can circulate.
13.Taps left half-way and open so if there is a drop of water left in it's got somewhere to expand to.
14.Sink plugs left in to keep spiders out,waste pipe covers closed.
15.Handbrake left OFF ( It always is but I thought it worth mentioning ).
16.Jockey wheel removed and stored in van ( just the wheel not the whole caboodle ).

I am sure others can add to the list but the above should see you safely through winter,that is of course if you are not using it through winter and I know lots of people do.


As our van is in storage we are not able to keep an eye on it on a day to day basis so it has to be left in a safe winter state for the upcoming winter weather.

Hope this might have helped.

Ian

Anti-Rust Paper Again

Back in May I blogged about some anti-rust paper I had seen suggested to prevent the creeping brown slime affecting your towball.

Well I have to report,after exhaustive testing at our accredited laboratories,that it does indeed work.

We have a VW factory fitted set up that swings back into the bumper and even with a towball cover on got rusty after rain.

Put some of the paper inside the ball cover and not had rust since,can therefore recommend.

Ian

Chapel Lane & The NEC

Returned from two nights at Chapel Lane CMC site and a visit to the NEC Caravan & Motorhome Show.

Won't go into details of the site as we have been many times before,just to comment that I don't think some people deserve decent washrooms after seeing the state they leave them in,enough said.

Bailey had an enormous stand where we had a look at the new Pegasus Grande,personally I can't see what all the fuss is about regarding an 8' wide van,it's just more bulk to pull as far as I can see,but you pays your money etc.

Yes there is obviously more room inside but you pay for this in increased weight,other manufacturers seem to be joining in the party.

Last years must have was a centre washroom,this years seems to be the eight footers,wonder what next years will be.

There was a smattering of Unicorns but nothing particularly new.

Talking of next year it makes me wonder if motor homes will eventually overtake caravans in the outdoor recreation market,we were half way through the halls before we came across our first caravan,the range of motorhomes was astounding.

Talking of which,SWMBO had a good look round a selection of her hearts desire which is really a motorhome,I think it will have wait a bit.


Had a look at the Colapz stand who make collapsible buckets,watering cans and the like :-

Colapz

I had read they had a new form of waste water pipe which I had a look at.

The corrugated stuff really gets on my tits,it has a life of its own but this new system contracts and expands in one meter lengths and is stored in a small bag.

It is not on sale till next March I was told ( £20 ) and I can't find a link on the Colapz site to show it,the chap said it would be on next week.

Put me down for one.

To say we were not intending to buy much we left laden down with carrier bags.

I thought there were not that many people there but I thought that last year and when the figures were released there were record attendees so what do I know.

Anyway a thoroughly enjoyable day as usual with a free goody bag chucked in at the end,seven hours seemed to pass very quickly,I distantly remember seven hours at work.....................lifetime.


Ian

Fridge Vent Covers

When we came to set off from storage to Hebden Bridge I noticed one of our fridge winter vent covers was missing.

I always secure these properly so I doubt one has fallen off,I suspect one has been nicked but obviously can't prove anything.

Sourced a replacement and boy they are a barmy price for a piece of plastic.

Going rate is about £24 plus P&P but I did see them at £53 ( for one ) God help us,anyway managed to win two on E Bay for the same price so I will have a spare seller said they had only been used for ten days before she swapped her van and they wouldn't fit the new one.

Ian