Colin170CR

Yep. The wife want's to do that. Probably drive up & hire a camper locally or, drive it in my car & book stop off's along the route. We could always sleep in the back of the Superb estate - it's long enough!! Judging by the news today any sort of holiday might be a way off if the 2nd wave hits. The wife is not happy even going to the local Co-op let alone going away on holiday anywhere. Looks like we are going to stop at home for the foreseeable future.

I think hiring a van for a few trips is the way to go & save myself a pile of cash for other projects / holidays & to help the kids out. Scotland is definitely on my list of trips to make. I've been to the USA & other European countries more times than I've been to Scotland, Wales & Ireland put together. Been to Glasgow on business a few times but that's about it. Same for Ireland. A few business trips to Belfast then on to Dublin & back home to recover I have roots in Ireland so that's an itch I have to scratch at some point as well. The problem is you never see the country when you visit on business. You only see the inside of a taxi, plane, hotel room, factory / office, restaurant & back home. The best way to see a country is to tour / travel in it & keep away from the tourist traps. I guess that's why getting a campervan was on my radar. I think hiring a camper for the UK trips & a fly / drive to other countries (when possible) is the way to go & will stretch the funds further & for longer. Thanks for the links & pointers.

I can't say it was ever a dream. It's more of nice to have treat / retirement present for us both. That said, it would cost twice what I paid for my 1st house which I cannot quite get my head around. I get the the investment argument & the fact that they hold their value but as you say it would tie up a load of dosh which could be used for other things - including hiring one if needed.

I think that's where I am with this. I can't justify what would probably be a cost upwards of £50k for a custom build on a 1-2 year old base van or, a brand new van build. The lower cost Japanese import conversions are too old & don't have all the bells & whistles I would need. Even for the £25k the Japanese imports cost would pay for a lot of city breaks & long haul trips & if I really feel the urge I can always hire a campervan for a week. We already have a 4 berth Vango Air Beam tent which goes up in around 12 mins & all the gear to go with it so that will be our "good weather" summer holiday option. I also have an 8 berth tunnel tent from when we used to take the kids camping in France when they were younger but that its far too big for just the two of us. You're right about the availability of camping gear, motorhomes & camper vans. Covid has created a perfect storm for anyone in the leisure industry. Looking at the camper van websites most companies have very little stock for sales & lead times on new build vans are getting longer & longer. Well that's my mind made up I think. For once in my life my head has overruled my heart.

Ha ha. Don't somehow think I would be able to get that on my drive or into a multi storey car park. I'm currently looking at T6, Renault Traffic & similar size SWB van conversions with a pop top roof as these are about the largest I could accommodate & live with on a daily basis. Sussex Campervans do a diddy Nissan NV200 based camper which is available as a petrol auto Sussex Campercar However, this might be just a bit too small for us. For the eco warriors out there Sussex CV's are also about to launch an all electric version of the NV200 Campercar Electric campercar Still not enough range for me & I bet the price is even more expensive than a fossil fuel van, so north of £44k! The problem I have is that like most blokes I would like all the mode cons like hot water, a shower, toilet, reversing camera, climate, diesel heater or underslung LPG fed heater etc etc. All squeezed into a van that can double as a daily drive - simples This rules out a used van conversion as these generally will be more basic conversions, which pushes me towards a custom / purpose built conversion of a used van or, a new van conversion, both of which come with a hefty price tag. The cost of the whole thing is making me wonder whether to ditch the whole campervan idea & spend the money on conventional holidays during the winter months & tent camping based trips during the summer. We already have a load of camping gear & a Superb Estate & roof box to put it all in so no extra outlay would be needed. It's a head vs heart thing & I think the head is starting to win the argument.

Thanks...

I agree the extra space in a motor home is nice to have but a 6m+ long / 2.7m+ high Auto-Sleeper or similar is not going to fit on our drive & cant be used as a daily driver. I also agree the lack of a proper toilet / shower (especially right now) is a problem (according to SWMBO). I have found some VW transporter size campers with fitted toilets / showers (normaly 5.3m LWB models) but they do take up valuable space & force you to go to a larger vehicle. A portable chemical toilet is more common in these size of vehicles. We definitely want to use the van all year round so good insulation & a separate heating system are also needed. If possible I would also like to go gas-less or have an under-slung LPG tank that can be filled at a garage rather than use bottled gas. A diesel heater is another option. However, the problem is once you start adding all the nice to have options to a campervan you can actually pay more than the larger Auto-sleepers & some coach built models that are twice the size.

A caravan is a no go. I don't have the space to store it & don't want to pay someone to store for me either. Also being limited to 50mph makes long distance trips a chore & getting down tight country roads would be hairy as well. I discounted a trailer tent for the same reason.

Thanks for the links. I have considered hiring one first before shelling out any cash. Scotland & Ireland are both on my list to visit.

Hi all. For a while now I’ve been considering investing some hard earned cash in a camper van so that the Mrs & I can get away for long weekends & take some longer trips abroad, when this becomes possible again. The question is what type, size or make of van is the best bet? The van would have to double up as a daily driver as well so the base vehicle can’t really be any bigger than a short / medium wheel base van & certainly not higher than 2.1m so it can still access most height restricted car parks. It must also have an auto gearbox available so I don’t have to use my knackered left knee to change gear. My sister & brother in-law have a VW T6 Transporter camper which they’ve been all over Europe in. VW vans are the most popular vehicles to convert into a smaller size camper & there are loads of companies out there that specialise only in VW Transporter conversions. However, even 2-4 year old base vehicle VW camper van is quite expensive so I’m looking for some more cost effective alternatives to consider. I’ve seen quite a few companies online that import rust free MPV’s from Japan & convert them into campers (Toyota Alphard / Nissan Elgrand). These are less than half the price of a VW bus but are often 16+ years old with big thirsty petrol motors & 60k miles or more on the clock. I’m not too worried about the petrol motor but a 16+ year old vehicle (even a Toyota) makes me wonder about reliability. · Existing campervan owners, what made you choose what you have & what has been your experience with it? · Even though VW Transporter campers are expensive their re-sale values seem to hold up well so, all things considered are they the best financial option in the long run? This exercise is turning into a bit of mission so if anyone has any other suggestions, ideas, experience or comments on the subject I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance.....

My 2016 280 L&K alarm has just decided to start going off at 2 am for no apparent reason- why is it always in the middle of the night? The neighbours must love me..... Funny thing is that after weeks of lock down, short local journeys & a flat battery at one point (dash cam left on) the engine start-stop stopped working. During this time I had no alarm issues at all. Until that is the other day when after a long run the SS started working again which I assume was because the battery was back up to full strength. Then the other night the alarm decides to go off at 2 am - 3 times with a 20 min delay between each event! Only when I trudged downstairs & opened the drivers door & re-locked the car did the alarm not go off again. Then last night the alarm decided to go off again. Again three times before the 3rd remote reset finally silenced it. There does not appear to be any reason why the alarm is triggering. The doors / boot are all closing OK, no errors on dash, no animals or kids left in the car & it starts up on the button every time. Battery issues could be the cause but that seems unlikely now the car is having longer runs & the SS has started working again - intermittently. That said I have read a number of threads about battery issues with different Skoda / VW models at 2-3 years. As far as I know my car (bought Feb 2019) still has the original battery which is nearly 4 years old now. Does anyone have any ideas before I shell out for a new battery?

I guess that's part of my problem. I no longer have to commute anywhere so when I do get out in it it's a bit more of a novelty than it was when I was doing an 88 mile daily grind up & down the M1. I will try the Eco coast mode though.

I just filled up (1/2 a tank) with 99 Momentum, reset the display & drove like a nun for a bit & got it up to 35mpg since refuel in 7 miles. I then blew it by a little sprint on a dual carriageway - it's now reading 22mpg 😒

Coincidentally these arrived in the post just now. Surprisingly they have a reference to Germany on the back which is not shown on the Amazon page pics. Probably a marketing ploy for a Chinese factory somewhere. I'll see how they fit a bit later. Whether they last is another matter but for £19 on Amazon not too bad.

Do you run in ECO mode most of the time?

Makes my current 24.3mpg look a bit lame but that's purely down to all local stop start driving. Looking forward to a longer run somewhere to see what it's capable off.

I'm still using some square profile Halfords bars I bought years ago for my then Audi A6 Avant which had aluminium rails similar to the Superb estate. They fitted my last S2 Superb estate & 🤞 still fit my current S3 2016 Superb estate (haven't needed to fit them to latest car yet but a dry fit a few weeks ago looked OK). I have a narrower Thule ski roof box which allows me to get a couple of bikes (top/tail) on the roof as well.

Hi. I had a stage 1 Revo remap done recently at VAGTech in Bletchley / MK. They are VAG specialists https://www.vagtech.co.uk/ All OK & car was re-coded as part of the package. Car also went in for a fuel canister replacement at the same but that's another story. Mine's a petrol 280 - now running at 360bhp. Revo do re-maps for Diesels as well. Depending on what 2ltr model you have up to 238bhp/380lbft should be possible. https://www.onlyrevo.com/product-details/software/skoda/superb-mk3-2015-/324/stage-1 Depending on how you drive it & where (motorway / local), the fuel economy should stay the same or get better. Shop around for insurance as it varies widely. My insurer wouldn't touch my car with any sort of modification let alone a stage 1 re-map on it so I had to switch to LV which, on a multi car policy with my wife's car, actually worked out cheaper.

Would spacers not been a cheaper route for a wider track or was it just the best option to achieve a solution on multiple cars? I'm about to change my wheel centre cap badges which are suffering the all too common corrosion problem. Mine will stay the Skoda black/silver emblem variety although I did flirt with the idea of finding a different centre cap design altogether & of better quality to avoid having to do it all over again in a few years time. In the end I stuck with some cheaper one from Amazon🤞

OK I'll bite. What's with Audi wheels / Wheel badges?

I'm not sure a Golf R Estate vs a Superb 272/280 Estate is a valid vehicle comparison. A Golf R vs a Leon 300 Cupra or an Audi S4 maybe but not a Superb. For me the smaller Golf R with it's lower stance & shouty quad exhausts attracts too much attention (normally the unwanted type from other boy racers &, the boys in blue). The Superb 272/280 estate (L&K in my case) is the epitome of a "sleeper" / Q car & except for a pair of fairly well hidden muted exhaust tips, has no outward signs of what lurks beneath. Add a stage 1 re-map for 360 bhp & it really flies. Admittedly unless the suspension is modified it is never going to go around corners like a Porsche but the DCC in Sport mode (std on the L&K) firms it up quite a bit. I run mine in Sport mode most of the time unless "her in doors" is in the car when Normal or Comfort mode has to be adopted to protect her delicate rear end. My now low annual mileage means that fuel costs are no longer a major issue so 36mpg on a run or 25mpg around town are acceptable. For me it's the straight line acceleration that is most useful for quick safe overtaking when needed, effortless cruising, huge boot / rear passenger space & the sure footed 4 x 4 system when the weather gets a bit inclement. The perfect all rounder IMO.

After many years driving petrol cars (diesel was for tractors & lorries) I then switched to diesels & have recently switched back to petrol. Thankfully I've not managed to mis-fuel - yet. 🤞 I can understand why petrol can be mistakenly put into a diesel tank because the petrol pump nozzle is a smaller diameter than the diesel filler. But I don't understand how diesel gets put into a petrol tank when the diesel pump nozzle diameter is larger so should not fit into a petrol filler neck. Am I right or wrong with my logic?

Ape hangers - yes. I seem to remember the Raleigh chopper bikes had them as well. After push bikes I built myself an NSU Quickly moped based on bits I found from the same dump as I used to build the track bike. The moped was similar to the one below the most important features of which were, 3 gears (instead of 2 on the std model) & a long seat & foot pegs for a pillion on the back (girls) - even though I was not supposed to carry passengers on L plates. Cars followed soon after so the moped didn't last long & my time on 2 wheels was over - until now. I never had pocket money either. I don't think it was a "thing" or even expected back then. None of my mates had pocket money either. My paper round & a Saturday job in an old fashioned hardware store was my only income until I started work as an apprentice at 16. I kept the hardware store job on until I was 18 because the shop owner said he'd double my money if I passed my driving test at 17 which would allow me to deliver orders in his clapped out Thames van - remember them? I crammed 5 lessons in & passed my driving test 3 weeks after my 17th birthday. Canberra to Sydney is some ride. The furthest bike ride I ever did was to Southend in Essex & back to Kingsbury in North London (a round trip of approx 100 miles) - in one day. I went via the A406 North Circular Road, A12 & A127 dicing with lorries & other traffic all the way (no M25 to take the bulk of the traffic in those days). I arrived home really late at night to a very angry set of parents who had no idea where I was, or where I been. Later that night my appendix burst & I was carted off to hospital for an emergency operation & blood transfusion. That got me off going to school for around 4 weeks😉. I have Shimano 3 x 6 speed on our Falcon's but they are the more common twist grip variety which compared to my old Simplex 5 speed, which had a lever on the down tube to operate them, are state of the art to my eyes as well. Now I have more time I have toyed with taking up a home based hobby. Fettling some push bikes or small capacity mopeds or motor bikes in my garage might be an option. Looking online restored versions of my old NSU moped are selling for £500+. I saw one going for £2,800🤑

Here are some pics of our Falcon's hanging in the garage. I have only just uncovered them after a major garage clear out & tidy up. Up until this week I couldn't actually see the bikes which were totally boxed in with all sorts of other stuff. I bought the Falcons new in 1986 from the local bike shop when we moved to our current address (shop sticker is still on them). The idea was to cycle around all the local redway paths near where we live & get to know the area. Well, due to work & other life stuff that never really happened so apart from the odd trip out & taking one bike on a camping trip to France, when my son managed to buckle one of the wheels doing bunny hops, they've hardly been used for the last 34 years & are pretty much in mint condition. Last year I decided it was time to dust them off & use them so I got the buckled wheel replaced & replaced the tyres & tubes - originals. What a pain that was. Apparently 26" wheels are no longer a standard size any more & the shop had to get one specially made to order? Well by the time the wheel was sorted out the summer was over so the plan to use them was put on ice until this year. Then Covid struck & while that's not an excuse for not using the bikes the wife was not happy about leaving the house for the first three months. The plan is to get the bikes up & running again so I've just added some missing mud guards, bought a micro pump & I have a rack & pannier bags on order so I can carry enough of my fishing gear to ride to some local spots without having to use the car. Having recently retired I now have more time (& no excuses) than ever before to make more use of the bike. When I was a kid our bikes were our first method of transport & freedom to get around. For quite a few years all my bikes were "hand me down's" from my cousins until my dad won a small amount of money on the football pools & bought me & my sister new bikes for a Christmas present. My sister got a mini Moulton & I had a drop handle bar BSA 5 speed with Simplex gears & side pull brakes. I quickly found out that Campagnolo gears & centre pull brakes are what most kids were after in those days but I guess my dad's budget didn't stretch that far. I rode that bike for many years on my paper round & all over the place in & around London where we lived at the time. I also built my own "track" bike out of parts I found at the local dump. The most expensive part of that bike were the cow horn handle bars which I bought new & were all the rage back then😎 I'm never going to be another Chris Froome & I certainly do not want to be a MAMIL but the bike is a way to get some much needed exercise into my life. Just need to remember all the training I got when I did my cycling proficiency lessons / test back in the early 60's!!

I bought one of these for my daughter to get about on recently during lock down. She lives in a 2nd floor apartment so a folding design was needed for easier storage. I had a go on it before giving it to her & I have to say I was impressed. For the price (sub £500) it was quite well made. A bit heavy though so not something you would want to carry too far. This model has no gears (optional) & has 3 modes - normal pedal, assisted pedal & pure electric on a twist throttle & has a battery range of 25-35km. Disc brakes, front headlight, rear suspension & it can even re-charge your phone while riding, what's not to like😎 I think my wife & I will stick to our matching pair of 35 year old 18 speed Falcon Majorca's which I'm dusting off as we speak - at least for the time being. That said, the attraction of a folding electric bike that can fit more securely in the boot of the car rather than having to be strapped on the roof is starting to make me wonder. Roof mounted bikes are also too high for a lot of height restricted car parks unless you take them off before entering which is a bit of a faff. Then again if the boot is full of folding bikes there's not much room for anything else. I did consider buying a couple of electric conversion kits for our existing bikes but tbh its now almost cheaper or the same cost to buy a pukka electric bike & get a better overall product. Humm. Decision time is looming......