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  1. High altitutide hazard

    We drove along the Route des Cretes at the Gorges du Verdon while we were in France two weeks ago, and made an "interesting" discovery. The road goes up to about 1,200m above sea level and at this height the air is thinner. So much so that when I opened the sealed slider over the toilet...
  2. Emovis/Liber-T tag location on a Relay

    I've just received a new Emovis (Liber-T) tag for France next week. We had one on our old van but always found it a bit hit and miss. Now we have a Relay, wondered if anyone with a Relay/Ducato/Boxer has found where it works best, or where not to put it. We have the 'reflective windscreen'...
  3. Emergency leak stopper?

    Just saw this and wondered whether to buy a can. Anyone tried it? Suppose you're away in the wilds of somewhere and get a leaking rooflight? Or window? Allegedly slap some on and job done til you get home...
  4. Garages

    Our van (Citroen Relay-based) is just coming up to 3 years old, so it needs an MOT and, arguably, a service. We called our two nearest Citroen dealers, both of whom we've used in the past, and one of which we bought the van from. Both said they are no longer prepared to service, repair, or MOT...
  5. Thinking about a new build

    I'm just starting to mull over a new build. One item on my list is how to sell my current one. Wondered whether people had good or bad stories about any particular route for selling? I saw a post somewhere ages ago about a broker who was highly recommended; not a route I'd have thought of, but...
  6. Yikes - new battery price

    I posted a while ago about whether my Citroen Relay starter battery was shot. I've had more trouble starting, and having checked and tightened all connections, I am wondering about it again. So I thought I'd find out how much a new one costs. The answer is around £480- £500. It seems the...
  7. Are remote gas solenoids worth it?

    I have a bog ordinary orange gas cylinder in the garage and when I built the van I decided against having a remote solenoid. My habit is to turn the gas off at the cylinder when I'm driving and I feel comfortable that's safe. And I thought a remote solenoid was one more thing to go wrong...
  8. Battery only lasts 2 years and a bit?

    My vehicle battery shows signs of dying: voltage is reasonable, but the engine turns over so slowly I reckon it won't start one day. It's a November 2020 van, but mileage is crazy low - 6,000 - and was hardly used in the first year while I built it, so I'm thinking it's not been discharged and...
  9. Webasto

    Asking for a friend (yes, really). He had a Webasto diesel heater fitted to his VW Bilbo conversion a few years ago and it’s never been quite right. It now billows white smoke all the time. He’s been to there different places to get it looked at, they all say they’ve fixed it - but still the...
  10. Victron VRM Geofence

    I think I must have been asleep at the wheel... how long has VRM supported a Geofence? And does it therefore have a kind of built-in tracker capability? (I have a 'proper' tracker, but just wondered.)
  11. Upgrading alarms

    My van is based on a 2020 Relay with the factory alarm and immobiliser. People say you should fit a 'better' alarm and talk about systems that cost £600-£1,000 - but I'm not seeing the value. You usually fit an expensive alarm to a coach built, because the habitation door isn't on the factory...
  12. Victron Orion starting too quickly?

    I've been tracking down an issue I had with the van on Dec 7th. I went to start it after it had been sitting for a few weeks to give it a run and charge the batteries. It started fine, but after a couple of seconds, the engine faltered, almost stalled then picked up. As it did so, the engine...
  13. Is this normal? Absorption to float transition

    I've just brought the van home to give its batteries a good charge and I've been looking at the VRM traces. See below... The Multiplus was in absorption mode for about 30 mins and then switched to float. But when it left absorption mode the charge current was still around 30A. I thought that...
  14. Victron Orion

    Random question...I'm just making sure I can account for the current draws I'm seeing when my van is parked up in storage. I see from the data sheet for the Orion the "no load current" is specified as "<80mA" and the "Standby current" is "<1mA". I'm probably being dense, but what's the...
  15. Tank sensor for Victron

    I may be talking nonsense here, so forgive me... I‘m probably going the Victron route for electrics and read that the monitoring stuff is able to do tank level reporting, but requires a specific sensor type - “European resistance” I think. I looked into this a while ago and they were...
  16. Two models of Victron

    Afternoon Been looking through Victron stuff again and found two models of the inverter I've got my eye on: https://www.onboardenergydirect.co.uk/shop/victron-phoenix-multiplus-inverter-charger-12-1200-50-16-c.html#SID=40...
  17. Tools for tired hands

    I'm looking to buy/replace some tools. An issue is that my hands are getting arthritic and my grip isn't as strong as it used to be. Wondered if anyone had recommendations for crimping tools and rivnut tools that might be easy to use: longer handles, ratchets etc... Thanks
  18. Ducato windscreen

    I'm giving the current van a serious clean, given I've time on my hands. How do other people clean the windscreen properly? I can wash it using a brush on the end of a pole, in the usual way, but I want to reach it properly to give it a deep clean. I just can't get close enough on any steps...
  19. Upgrading tyres

    The base van I want to buy (Relay/Boxer) comes with 215/70 R15 109 tyres. I think these might be marginal on load if my build ends up with us running on the weight limit, so I was looking at how to upgrade them. They offer an option to upgrade to 225/70R15 112 tyres, but on the price list you...
  20. Remote 12v master switch

    I decided I wouldn’t have a control panel, like a CBE one, since I’m doing battery and tank monitoring, and pump control other ways. But I would like to have a remote 12V master on/off switch mounted some distance away from my electrical stuff. I was thinking of using a suitable automotive...
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