Four Months In: Udo's Updates - My RMB 670 (1 Viewer)

[Bellini]

I've had Udo for four months now.

Despite him spending the winter in heated, undercover storage, he's been slowly updated and refined.

After taking him up to see Dave Newell, it became clear that his rear springs needed work. The crosswinds we hit on the M5 and Udo's resultant scary squirrelling made me advance my plans.

I called around and decided to buy new rear springs and bushes outright. I took Snowbird's advice and had an extra 5th leaf added.

On top of that, I also wanted Udo fully serviced and given a good going over by a MB mechanic. Luckily, I found a great place specialising in Mercedes commercials 10 minutes drive from home. A great place called Master Tech in Wokingham, Berkshire.

So Udo got fresh oil, filters and a thorough going-over. I was told repeatedly how clean he was underneath. Nothing was amiss, which was nice.

MT then replaced the rear springs and bushes. I bought these from LeafSpring.co.uk.

http://www.leafspring.co.uk

The advice they gave was sound and made sense. They weren't 'salesy' and were honest and down to earth.

So Udo now sits on new uprated rear springs and with new bushes. The ride is more controlled and he doesn't lurch in corners any more. It means I can go slightly faster into corners. This is good as I was slowing down to silly-low speeds before. I think I'll have the front springs replaced with uprated units at the end of the year to complement the rears, though.

So, what did we do? We took him away last weekend to Henley-on-Thames. It's a 30 minute drive from home. There's a great campsite there called Swiss Farm.

http://www.swissfarmcamping.co.uk

Lovely facilities and decently large, flat pitches. They have a nice coffee / panini shop if the charms of Henley don't grab you.

Udo enjoying the sun in Henley:

We made the most of the clear, but very cold, night sky to stargaze huddled under fleecy blankets with some excellent single malt to keep the chill out. The Webasto kept Udo beautifully warm inside.

I used my double-skillet to heat through croissants on Sunday morning. Fresh coffee to go with them, too.

After the trip, I decided Udo's garage needed more order. We've long been a fan of Really Useful Boxes, so I measured up and ordered a selection of boxes to fit nicely without taking up all available space.

Before fitting them, I couldn't simply empty the garage without cleaning it properly. Autoglym APC and Super Resin Polish gives good results quickly and easily.

With the servicing, springs, new tyres, storage, refillable gas and water heater all sorted now, I'm planning the last remaining items to do.

I still want to organise the garage better and have found the Fiamma Cargo Strap system. Looks ideal for our Isabella chairs, and John's Cross looks to have good prices, so...

Then there's sorting a decent DAB stereo. And finally a new exhaust to replace the corroded, but sound, original. Oh, and the TV reception. I've got to call a helpful MHFun member on this subject. Haven't forgotten!

Clare's booking Udo's next trip away as I type this. :thumb:

 

[Snowbird]

Looking good pal. Any chance I can bring mine for a bit of spit and polish. I kept meaning to whilst in Spain, but you know how it is

 

[jhorsf]

It looks resplendent :thumb:

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Baldeagle7470]

What a fab looking van,a credit to the maker,previous owner and you,lovely.:thumb:

 

[Kevinthecat]

What great update, looks fantastic .
Enjoy :thumb:

 

[Bellini]

Thanks. :thumb:

The solidity of these old RMB's is still something that delights me.

We find him a little cramped inside with the four of us, but acknowledge the warmer weather will see us spending more time outside for cooking and eating.

With any vehicle, half the battle is finding somewhere or someone to maintain it properly. We have an excellent Mercedes chap who looks after our AMG E-Class but finding a good commercial Mercedes specialist who is familiar with these older models proved a bit harder.

I know these 410's are easy to look after but I value specialist care every so often. I had a few concerns on Udo's mechanicals but all were unfounded, luckily.

Keeping him clean... That's a battle in itself. I've steam cleaned his carpets twice but I'm still not happy with them. They do tend to get dirty very easily at this time of year but it's something I'll have to put up with.

The bodywork needs a really good machine polish. But that's a days work and I'm being picky when I say that. He's pretty bloody good for a 22 year old.

I keep a cleaning kit onboard consisting of Meguiars Spray Wash and Shine, Meguiars polish (also doubles for keeping his stainless wheel trims shiny), Meguiars glass cleaner and Meguiars tyre gel (essential stuff!!!!). I also keep a bottle of dilute APC (All Purpose Cleaner) handy for tougher stuff such as interior / carpets / bug splatter / grease, etc.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Snowbird]

Thanks. :thumb:

The solidity of these old RMB's is still something that delights me.

We find him a little cramped inside with the four of us, but acknowledge the warmer weather will see us spending more time outside for cooking and eating.

With any vehicle, half the battle is finding somewhere or someone to maintain it properly. We have an excellent Mercedes chap who looks after our AMG E-Class but finding a good commercial Mercedes specialist who is familiar with these older models proved a bit harder.

I know these 410's are easy to look after but I value specialist care every so often. I had a few concerns on Udo's mechanicals but all were unfounded, luckily.

Keeping him clean... That's a battle in itself. I've steam cleaned his carpets twice but I'm still not happy with them. They do tend to get dirty very easily at this time of year but it's something I'll have to put up with.

The bodywork needs a really good machine polish. But that's a days work and I'm being picky when I say that. He's pretty bloody good for a 22 year old.

I keep a cleaning kit onboard consisting of Meguiars Spray Wash and Shine, Meguiars polish (also doubles for keeping his stainless wheel trims shiny), Meguiars glass cleaner and Meguiars tyre gel (essential stuff!!!!). I also keep a bottle of dilute APC (All Purpose Cleaner) handy for tougher stuff such as interior / carpets / bug splatter / grease, etc.

The main fault I found with my RMB was the fitted carpet. Why anyone would want fitted carpet in what is basically a camping vehicle I do not know. The best thing I did was have it taken out and replaced with vinyl flooring. Its so much easier to keep clean and does not hold dust like carpet. I was a little worried that by removing the carpet the van would become noisy when on the road. These fears were unfounded when the carpet was removed to reveal the same thickness of floor that the sidewalls are made up from. 50 mm fibreglass, marine ply and aluminium. As the floor topcoat is fibreglass, this gave a perfectly flat surface to fix the vinyl. I just had carpet fitted in the cab area with a stainless steel jointing strip behind the seats. CareAvan did an excellent job.
It is no understatement to say those RMBs were built to last for ever and it comes as no surprise when motorhomers with much newer vans cannot believe the quality of build. A Norwegian with a new Carthago asked if he could look around my RMB only the other day, saying that everything he had heard about them was true. This was from a man that had just spent 250000 Euros on a van. The saying "An RMB is for life" is no understatement.