Well here we are with only two weeks before our Autumn trip to France and there is no motorhome parked on the drive. Disaster has struck twice, before we have even had an opportunity to use Billy and all his amenities.
The first horror story occurred the very first day that we drove her home from the showroom.
Dealers are rarely generous and throw in a tank of fuel, so with fumes keeping us going, ,we drove to the nearest garage, where the forecourt attendant promptly put £40 of diesel straight into the fresh water tank.
Shock, horror and tears ! Fortunately the water had been drained down and the pump was not on, so the damage has been contained within the tank, submersible pump, and entry pipe. Almost fifteen hundred pounds worth of damage but a claim was made and settled. Result you might think but getting the spare parts, before we go away, may not happen, because the factory in Germany closes for a fortnight in August.
If they don't arrive, we will still go ahead with the holiday and do the watery things manually .... Like in the good old days.
Because we felt that we needed to see how we were going to cope with travelling like this, we went on a break to the Peak District. Up hill, down dale and disaster number two. The clutch began slipping quite badly. Oh no, not another problem?
A phone call to the dealer, Brownhills, and this week we took the van back, where it was assessed and initially we were told that nothing was wrong. But it's very flat around Newark I said, you won't be using the gears as you would in hilly countryside, so can I go out with the driver. It wasn't long before the acceleration was loud and there was no forward propulsion as he moved through the gears.
Thank goodness for a warranty. A new clutch has been ordered and the work is being done this week.
Sat by the van, having arrived at the site in the Peak District, and feeling a bit glum!!
The first horror story occurred the very first day that we drove her home from the showroom.
Dealers are rarely generous and throw in a tank of fuel, so with fumes keeping us going, ,we drove to the nearest garage, where the forecourt attendant promptly put £40 of diesel straight into the fresh water tank.
Shock, horror and tears ! Fortunately the water had been drained down and the pump was not on, so the damage has been contained within the tank, submersible pump, and entry pipe. Almost fifteen hundred pounds worth of damage but a claim was made and settled. Result you might think but getting the spare parts, before we go away, may not happen, because the factory in Germany closes for a fortnight in August.
If they don't arrive, we will still go ahead with the holiday and do the watery things manually .... Like in the good old days.
Because we felt that we needed to see how we were going to cope with travelling like this, we went on a break to the Peak District. Up hill, down dale and disaster number two. The clutch began slipping quite badly. Oh no, not another problem?
A phone call to the dealer, Brownhills, and this week we took the van back, where it was assessed and initially we were told that nothing was wrong. But it's very flat around Newark I said, you won't be using the gears as you would in hilly countryside, so can I go out with the driver. It wasn't long before the acceleration was loud and there was no forward propulsion as he moved through the gears.
Thank goodness for a warranty. A new clutch has been ordered and the work is being done this week.
This is the water filler, on the side of the van, complete with picture and the word "wasser"
Sat by the van, having arrived at the site in the Peak District, and feeling a bit glum!!