2019. So having part exchanged our Fiat Autotrail (lots of problems and money spent) with a new Bailey Alliance 70-6 in February 2019 we were overjoyed with everything that was new. So before setting out on our first journey we went over the motorhome to double check that we remembered everything the tech guy told us on handover at the dealership in Canterbury. Ok fine so far, we decided to part fill up the water tank. WHAT!!! no key to open the outside outlet? So back went the motorhome to the dealership and they had to drill out the old outlet and fit a new one. Three weeks later we found the key in the front cab glove compartment. Why wasn't it put on the set of keys we were given?
So finally we could start our new adventures with Bailey. Let me add that hubby fitted a few shelves here and there. We don't need very tall cupboards everywhere, a few shelves fitted would have been a nice touch. Oh and the TV aerial and plug sockets are situated on the side of a shelf unit just above where the living room seat cushion sits. Which designer thought this was an ideal place to site these? There is a perfectly good wall above the shelf where the wardrobe/cupboard is. So we have aerial and power leads etc hanging over and down past the shelf and plugged in where someone would like to sit. Oh joy!
Sleeping arrangements have been finalised. I got fed up having to climb over the dog and hubby if I needed to get up before them, so they are now sleeping in the main living area double bed and I am in the electric drop down bed above the dining room. At least I don't get covered in hair from the dog not hubby
.
We headed off to the Norfolk Motorhome show and splashed out on a satellite dish which was fitted whilst we were there. Fantastic if the weather is rubbish we can snuggle up and watch tv. The other bonus is that all wiring and units are set in the wardrobe so no need to use the stupidly sited plugs in the living room.
As the year goes on and we have great times at various sites, hubby starts to complain about the water pump keeping him awake at night, every 15 seconds or so it would start up then stop. So we turned the pump off at night. We parked up the van for the winter in October. Fishing trips abroad put paid to further trips out in the van and no, Connie is not being used for smelly fishing trips abroad, she's only allowed on fishing trips in the UK if I'm included!
2020. So now comes Covid and we were unable to use the motorhome for all those months. Once lockdown ended we were off again. Switched on TV, no satellite! it kept running round and round and would not lock onto Astra 2. Lots of swearing from hubby and me searching on the internet to find out what was wrong. I even asked on here if anyone had the same problem and a couple of people said they had to have a software update in October 2019. So I emailed the satellite guys and told them about an update but they said there wasn't one and that we would have to take the motorhome to them to check things out - we are talking a10 hour journey there and back for something that could take just minutes to fix! A date was arranged but in the meantime I went back to Google to try to find answers.
A few weeks later before we were due to head to the dealer we got a message that we could try an update that they would send to us. Huh? didn't I ask them about this weeks ago? Bingo! the satellite locked on. You guys who told me about the update, I salute you, but why did it take weeks for the satellite guys to find this out? Now the satellite is working ok but the receiver box decided to lose all the EPG channels, was it going to have to be a trip up north? Not bloody likely, I bought a £40 Freesat box from Currys and et voila it all works, much better value.
Now back to the water pump that is keeping hubby awake at night. Do we take it back to the dealers to sort out and haggle over the fact that the year guarantee has expired even though the van was not used for months due to Covid? Nope I was back on Google and discussions with Whale and it seems it could be the pressure switch. So off come all the cushions in the living room so that I can check the pump in the water tank and the pressure switch on the other side next to the water heater (boy was that stuffed right at the back underneath all the hot air tubing. Why can't things be sited for ease of maintenance? Where do they get these designers of motorhomes from?
Well I had to push my eyes back in my head when I looked at the water tank. The cap was not fitted, but on the floor. We haven't even looked at the tank since we had the van and the only thing we can think of is the maintenance guys at the dealership left the cap off when they replaced the water inlet outside the van. Obviously they had to work from inside the tank as well to do this - that explains the black bits coming out the taps at first. Anyway since not having the cap on, all dust, dog hairs etc had gone into the water system whenever we made up the bed. After taking off the pressure switch I found a lovely ginger dog hair stuck in the valve. However just to make sure, I ordered a new switch for less than £30 and placed this back onto the system just in case the old pressure switch was faulty . Woohoo everything now works and we are really happy with the van so away we go...................................BUT
....... A couple of months ago we had the E&P levelling system fitted as we could never get the van level with ramps and we were paying out for bigger and better ones that still didn't help and broke even on first try out, so we bit the bullet and paid the cash, gulp. What a fantastic piece of kit. So much so the fridge works beautifully but now there is another problem..... the all in one toilet and shower block base has not been fitted properly. If the van is level then the water should run out of the two drains surely? Nope they run towards the door. Hey ho, onwards and upwards. The tale continues.
So finally we could start our new adventures with Bailey. Let me add that hubby fitted a few shelves here and there. We don't need very tall cupboards everywhere, a few shelves fitted would have been a nice touch. Oh and the TV aerial and plug sockets are situated on the side of a shelf unit just above where the living room seat cushion sits. Which designer thought this was an ideal place to site these? There is a perfectly good wall above the shelf where the wardrobe/cupboard is. So we have aerial and power leads etc hanging over and down past the shelf and plugged in where someone would like to sit. Oh joy!
Sleeping arrangements have been finalised. I got fed up having to climb over the dog and hubby if I needed to get up before them, so they are now sleeping in the main living area double bed and I am in the electric drop down bed above the dining room. At least I don't get covered in hair from the dog not hubby
.We headed off to the Norfolk Motorhome show and splashed out on a satellite dish which was fitted whilst we were there. Fantastic if the weather is rubbish we can snuggle up and watch tv. The other bonus is that all wiring and units are set in the wardrobe so no need to use the stupidly sited plugs in the living room.
As the year goes on and we have great times at various sites, hubby starts to complain about the water pump keeping him awake at night, every 15 seconds or so it would start up then stop. So we turned the pump off at night. We parked up the van for the winter in October. Fishing trips abroad put paid to further trips out in the van and no, Connie is not being used for smelly fishing trips abroad, she's only allowed on fishing trips in the UK if I'm included!
2020. So now comes Covid and we were unable to use the motorhome for all those months. Once lockdown ended we were off again. Switched on TV, no satellite! it kept running round and round and would not lock onto Astra 2. Lots of swearing from hubby and me searching on the internet to find out what was wrong. I even asked on here if anyone had the same problem and a couple of people said they had to have a software update in October 2019. So I emailed the satellite guys and told them about an update but they said there wasn't one and that we would have to take the motorhome to them to check things out - we are talking a10 hour journey there and back for something that could take just minutes to fix! A date was arranged but in the meantime I went back to Google to try to find answers.
A few weeks later before we were due to head to the dealer we got a message that we could try an update that they would send to us. Huh? didn't I ask them about this weeks ago? Bingo! the satellite locked on. You guys who told me about the update, I salute you, but why did it take weeks for the satellite guys to find this out? Now the satellite is working ok but the receiver box decided to lose all the EPG channels, was it going to have to be a trip up north? Not bloody likely, I bought a £40 Freesat box from Currys and et voila it all works, much better value.
Now back to the water pump that is keeping hubby awake at night. Do we take it back to the dealers to sort out and haggle over the fact that the year guarantee has expired even though the van was not used for months due to Covid? Nope I was back on Google and discussions with Whale and it seems it could be the pressure switch. So off come all the cushions in the living room so that I can check the pump in the water tank and the pressure switch on the other side next to the water heater (boy was that stuffed right at the back underneath all the hot air tubing. Why can't things be sited for ease of maintenance? Where do they get these designers of motorhomes from?
Well I had to push my eyes back in my head when I looked at the water tank. The cap was not fitted, but on the floor. We haven't even looked at the tank since we had the van and the only thing we can think of is the maintenance guys at the dealership left the cap off when they replaced the water inlet outside the van. Obviously they had to work from inside the tank as well to do this - that explains the black bits coming out the taps at first. Anyway since not having the cap on, all dust, dog hairs etc had gone into the water system whenever we made up the bed. After taking off the pressure switch I found a lovely ginger dog hair stuck in the valve. However just to make sure, I ordered a new switch for less than £30 and placed this back onto the system just in case the old pressure switch was faulty . Woohoo everything now works and we are really happy with the van so away we go...................................BUT
....... A couple of months ago we had the E&P levelling system fitted as we could never get the van level with ramps and we were paying out for bigger and better ones that still didn't help and broke even on first try out, so we bit the bullet and paid the cash, gulp. What a fantastic piece of kit. So much so the fridge works beautifully but now there is another problem..... the all in one toilet and shower block base has not been fitted properly. If the van is level then the water should run out of the two drains surely? Nope they run towards the door. Hey ho, onwards and upwards. The tale continues.
Let's hope your trouble are behind you 
