Hello there (1 Viewer)

[Jo May]

Hi
We live on a boat (in Belgium at the moment) but have a UK address, and have the opportunity to buy a 1992 Talbot van as an experimental 'toe-dipper'.
It's from a friend, just MOT'd, 68k miles. Looked ok in the dark but it may need a closer look! Seriously, he's a straight-shooter so not overly worried but would like any heads up on basic pitfalls.
E.G. is the Motorhome Annual Habitation Service required supplementary to the MOT? Dumb question probably, but at this stage I don't know the answer.
Anyhow, hello
Jeremy

 

[jollyrodger]

If a UK registered van then there is no annual requirement for a habitation check.
The annual MOT is a requirement before it is road legal.But the fact that it has a valid MOT is not a garrantee that it is in a safe and usable condition .

 

[jaykay]

Hi Jeremy and welcome.
I previously had a 1990 Talbot 2.5d and enjoyed it. It did prove we like motorhoming, although we didn't have it long. It wasn't a good one, and had been bodged all over. The main thing I didn't like was how noisy cruising it was, due to being like an old bus. If you dont plan on going far then why not. That said, I have seen many Talbot owners touring Europe so maybe mine was aa bit of a dud? They are still popular.
The habitation check is not mandatory, but is obviously worth doing for safety reasons.

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[DBK]

It's a 22 year old vehicle so expect the sort of problems you should expect from a vehicle of that age like corrosion, electrical fizzles etc. I suspect the MH bit won't cause you a lot of problems but the base vehicle will probably need TLC.

I guess you are not paying a lot for it and if the idea is to see if you like motorhoming then go for it but if you are happy living on boat I don't see why you should find it much of a culture shock.

 

[Jo May]

If a UK registered van then there is no annual requirement for a habitation check.
The annual MOT is a requirement before it is road legal.But the fact that it has a valid MOT is not a garrantee that it is in a safe and usable condition .

Yes, UK registered I believe. Thanks. I know that MOT is no guarantee but they have just come back from Portugal in it, then been to the UK and he's offered to drive it up from France for me to Belgium so there must be half a chance it's OK.
Thanks too jaykay. Our friends bought a 30,000 Euro Burstner in France and even that was noisy. Perhaps I'll just rig up a decent stereo. Mind you our boat makes a racket so I'm fairly used to it.

 

[Jo May]

It's a 22 year old vehicle so expect the sort of problems you should expect from a vehicle of that age like corrosion, electrical fizzles etc. I suspect the MH bit won't cause you a lot of problems but the base vehicle will probably need TLC.

I guess you are not paying a lot for it and if the idea is to see if you like motorhoming then go for it but if you are happy living on boat I don't see why you should find it much of a culture shock.

Thanks, yes I know it's an old one. The boat is 110 years old so the MH is only a juvenile.

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[johnp10]

Hi and welcome.

 

[Shazrick]

Hello

 

[f6c]

Welcome aboard

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[Janine]

Hello and welcome to the Fun!

 

[Baycott]

Hi and welcome to the fun.

 

[Rob and Val]

Hi, Jeremy, and a warm welcome.

We have owned a 1994 Talbot for the last 4½ years. The usual problems with the Talbot Express seem to be rust around the windscreen, the wheel arches, bottom of cab doors and bonnet front. Some are better than others.

The gear linkage on a Talbot can be a bit sloppy but this is relatively simple to cure.

If it’s a diesel engine, then ask when the cam belt was last changed because if that snaps you could suffer catastrophic engine damage. In general, the cam belt needs to be replaced every 60,000 miles or every 4 years - whichever comes first.

A major problem with older motorhomes is damp, as this can wreak havoc and be very expensive to repair. Use your nose - does the habitation area smell damp? Look at the ceiling for tell-tale signs of water ingress. Look behind the seating cushions for mould and also inspect inside all the cupboards.

A habitation service is like an MOT for the living area of your van. The service engineer should check EVERYTHING in your van including gas, electric - 12v and 240v - all water systems including taps, pipes etc, all windows, blinds, doors, hinges, drop test your leisure battery and, most importantly, do a DAMP test and check all seals on skylights, awning rails, locker doors, GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) panels etc. The service should ideally be done annually and normally costs, in the UK, around £120. This cost is nothing compared to the cost of damp repairs or repairs/replacement of appliances. Also it covers you insurance-wise if anything goes wrong in the habitation area [i.e. a fire]. You can prove to the insurers that your van was serviced by a qualified engineer.

Hope this helps.

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[irnbru]

 

[Momo]

Hi Jeremy and welcome to the Fun!

 

[scousebird]

hello

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[mitzimad]

you dont say what type of van it is coachbuilts and a classes can suffer from damp but panel van conversions rarely do we had a talbot rambler as our first toe in the water van driving old vans can be a bit of a culture shock especially the lack of power steering but you get used to them we loved our rambler\ and it taught us a lot about what we wanted in the next one

 

[Puddleduck]

 

[Wildman]

hi and welcome to the fun.

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[Jo May]

Hi, Jeremy, and a warm welcome.

We have owned a 1994 Talbot for the last 4½ years. The usual problems with the Talbot Express seem to be rust around the windscreen, the wheel arches, bottom of cab doors and bonnet front. Some are better than others.

The gear linkage on a Talbot can be a bit sloppy but this is relatively simple to cure.

If it’s a diesel engine, then ask when the cam belt was last changed because if that snaps you could suffer catastrophic engine damage. In general, the cam belt needs to be replaced every 60,000 miles or every 4 years - whichever comes first.

A major problem with older motorhomes is damp, as this can wreak havoc and be very expensive to repair. Use your nose - does the habitation area smell damp? Look at the ceiling for tell-tale signs of water ingress. Look behind the seating cushions for mould and also inspect inside all the cupboards.

A habitation service is like an MOT for the living area of your van. The service engineer should check EVERYTHING in your van including gas, electric - 12v and 240v - all water systems including taps, pipes etc, all windows, blinds, doors, hinges, drop test your leisure battery and, most importantly, do a DAMP test and check all seals on skylights, awning rails, locker doors, GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) panels etc. The service should ideally be done annually and normally costs, in the UK, around £120. This cost is nothing compared to the cost of damp repairs or repairs/replacement of appliances. Also it covers you insurance-wise if anything goes wrong in the habitation area [i.e. a fire]. You can prove to the insurers that your van was serviced by a qualified engineer.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, useful information. I'll pay heed.

 

[pamie]

Hello from Dorset