Do you find some motorhome technology more of a hindrance ? (3 Viewers)

[Northernraider]

I am glad we have not got much electrical technology- our overcab bed, windscreen blind etc. are manual.

Our N+B Arto, and Martin's Flair have double aluminim sandwich walls/roof which is structural with no internal wooden support. I think that is where the money on 'improvements' should be going rather on 'Gadgets'.

Hymer have started to produce some models with this construction, as do some of the very upmarket manufacturers, but it does require expensive tooling, which requires a long pay-back period, and it is probably cheaper to stick in a few electric motors and give them prominence in the brochure.

I know which I would prefer they spent the money on within a given price - and for longer life with fewer hassles.

Geoff

Yes my Frankia has aluminium tubing reinforcement between the roof and wall sandwich which is good , and the service locker I find great as for connecting up the water etc.
I think the problem is they keep adding stuff to encourage folk to be lazy ...but in the long run it's more hassle.

 

[funflair]

Agree about the front screen electric shutter, works great never a hiccup. But fully understand nervousness when using, during our handover we asked what happens if an electrical fault how do we get the bed up, guy explains it and points us to a page in the handbook, ok what about the metal shutters? Aaah, sorry you cannot raise them manually so what do you do Hmmmm, not sure...., still waiting for a sensible response 3 years on .

Frankia service locker is a great concept, neat, well built and apparently according to the marketing been copied by lots of people and it works very well keeps everything neat and tidy but the electric cable hookup can be a PIA. Instead of fumbling around threading a plug though a hole in the locker then faffing around connecting it up, why not just have a covered socket on the side of the van, same for filling with water, really simple and easy.

Tec Tower ovens work fine, but the grill is just a useless piece of metal that reduces the size of the working oven but at least they can claim it has a grill function.

Thanks, this thread has set me off, I now want to have a moan about window locks, Alde instructions, Avtex TV channel lists, all the temperature displays in the van, electric steps, sat navs, led strip lights, fridges there is so much .... so I'm having a herbal infusion to regain my karma

Hi Neil and Jacqui

Should should have an access point up top right or left side of the blind where you can put a winder handle I, do you have a handle you have not found a use for.

Martin

 

[peterc10]

Tec Tower ovens work fine, but the grill is just a useless piece of metal that reduces the size of the working oven but at least they can claim it has a grill function.

Neil I agree with you about the oven, but not the grill. It browned the top of the large lasagne I made very nicely indeed. Granted it is useless at toast, just warms the bread. But you have to understand that it is a European oven and they are only just beginning to understand sliced bread, so they are nowhere near understanding toast yet.

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

 

[golly]

I keep thinking back to our first camper holidays in hired VW T2s had great times, with no fancy gizmos, but you could get to anywhere you fancied no matter how narrow a lane . We are now on our fourth mh in nine years, having spent thousands and thousands on them, do we enjoy the holidays any more because we have hot water or showers in the van? I don't think so. I am often tempted to get a basic camper again but I think Mrs G would have other ideas.

 

[Lenny HB]

Ours has an aluminium front blind, Manual thankfully but quite a few are electric and seem to keep going wrong, so yes some thing use technology just for the sake of it KISS.

Martin

Didn't want to hear that, mines electric. At least I have a handle if it fails but then you have to drop the bed and unclip the bed curtain.

 

[Jim]

i struggle with the indicators............

but that may be because my daily drive is a bmw.....

BMW and indicators. They just can’t do it. Sians got a BMW the indicators do their own thing. To cancel you need to touch them with no more weight than a heavy mosquito or you’ll indicate the other way. I’ve owned half a dozen bmw bikes. The switch gear on those is just as awful and even after years of riding it’s not intuitive.

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

 

[RogerThat]

Do you find some motorhome technology more of a hindrance ?

Yeah, my bloody radio won't stay on for longer than 20 minutes

 

[funflair]

BMW and indicators. They just can’t do it. Sians got a BMW the indicators do their own thing. To cancel you need to touch them with no more weight than a heavy mosquito or you’ll indicate the other way. I’ve owned half a dozen bmw bikes. The switch gear on those is just as awful and even after years of riding it’s not intuitive.

Ours did that Jim until I realised that you just switch it the same way again to cancel

Martin

 

[Lenny HB]

Yeah, my bloody radio won't stay on for longer than 20 minutes

Easy fix just rewire it to the hab electrics.

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

 

[tedontour]

Yeah, my bloody radio won't stay on for longer than 20 minutes

There is a fix for that by entering a set of numbers.This can be found on the internet

 

[Theonlysue]

The double glazed cab windows are dangerous. I found they reflected between each other to the point where I couldn't see the external mirror
Others have had the same problem.

 

[CazPaul]

And yet, despite this thread, we then buy the van and continue to add expensive, electrical complicated technology that goes wrong\has the potential to go wrong.
We have seen on sites satellite dishes stuck in the upright position, expensive levelling jacks cannot be retracted, caravan motor movers broken so the caravan cannot be moved even manually, to name just a few.
We are worse than the manufacturers
Cannot wait to get our bloody hands on a van to start adding ''goodies''

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

 

[stewartwebr]

My Frankia has an electric operated dometic skylight above the front lounge which has a built in rain sensor somewhere so it automatically closes if it's raining .....ive been caught out with this before when I accessed the roof via the skylight and the bloody thing closed on me.
But my main issue is that it doesn't know the difference between rain and condensation ...which means when I'm cooking and I open it to let steam out the bloody thing keeps closing.
Now I know what your thinking why not use another skylight ....well here's the thing I do ...I open the one directly above the cooker but the steam still travels forward and the only other skylight in the front is above the bed which you can't access with front bed raised. So I've no choice but to open the bloody electric one.

But it keeps closing grrrrrrrr

The van has an extractor fan but it's so noisy I don't use it.

So is there any modern gadgets on your van you just wish they had left as good old simple.

I mean how much effort does it take to open a skylight.....youve even to keep the feckin button pressed constantly to close it which takes an age.

Same issue with our extractor fan in the kitchen area. It's very easy to disconnect the sensor. I just pulled one of the terminal off the circuit board which detects the moisture.

The thing that got me on the last van was the electric drop down bed. It had limit switches which could go wrong, it had an emergency wind up handle, a remote control and it used valuable power to lower and raise. I found absolutely nothing wrong with using gas struts, the process was easy and very little to go wrong. Don't get me started on automated dump valves!

 

[stewartwebr]

The double glazed cab windows are dangerous. I found they reflected between each other to the point where I couldn't see the external mirror
Others have had the same problem.

Can't say I have ever had this issue and I have had 3 vans with DG side windows, would not be a problem on the Morelo as the mirrors are viewed through the front windscreen as opposed to the side windows. You do however have a slight issue when using the sun shade when the sun is low. The shade is intentionally short at each end so you can see the mirrors, but is even shorter on the drivers side. But being LHD the more important frequently used mirror is the passenger side and the shade does cause a restriction on the upper long range mirror lens. The button to raise and lower is on the central console so I can have the passenger function it if I need them too.

 

[Blue Knight]

I have a few pals in the automotive design business and they keep telling me that most modern electronic car components are expected to survive 10-years max.

If we apply that methodology to modern MoHo's then I can soon see how most of these high end motorhomes will begin to cost a small fortune to maintain in the future.

Stewart mentioned a really good point about electronic beds in terms of them becoming a future headache for their owners; I just wonder how many of those will be working at the 5 and 10 year point.

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

 

[Neilfg]

Hi Neil and Jacqui

Should should have an access point up top right or left side of the blind where you can put a winder handle I, do you have a handle you have not found a use for.

Martin

Nope does not exist on our version . In theory it has been built so well that it will not be required

 

[The Dudess]

Frankia service locker is a great concept, neat, well built and apparently according to the marketing been copied by lots of people and it works very well keeps everything neat and tidy but the electric cable hookup can be a PIA. Instead of fumbling around threading a plug though a hole in the locker then faffing around connecting it up, why not just have a covered socket on the side of the van, same for filling with water, really simple and easy.

Totally agree. Not only is the elec cable a PIA but also the grey waste extendable pipe which has to defy gravity in order to empty properly, which means you're usually left with 20% grey even after emptying.

 

[funflair]

Nope does not exist on our version . In theory it has been built so well that it will not be required

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

 

[JJ]

I don't have any of these tech problems.

My roof lights open when I open them and close when I close them.

My door is the same.

My fridge works on the energy supply I choose.

My engine runs without the need for any electronic management system with its flashing lights and computer plug in points.

My lights come on when I choose and turn off the same way.

I am in control... not a bunch of sensors operated by electrons.

1987 Hymer 660S (Mercedes of course).

The King Of Motorhomes.


JJ

 

[nicholsong]

Nope does not exist on our version . In theory it has been built so well that it will not be required

Well they have never heard of Murphy's Law then or owners that let the batteries go flat

 

[stewartwebr]

Reading the updated posts jogged my memory and made me laugh, proving the point we are all making. When I owned my Flair, I received a letter notifying me that the habitation door required a .....wait for it.......software upgrade... I rest my case

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

 

[nicholsong]

Reading the updated posts jogged my memory and made me laugh, proving the point we are all making. When I owned my Flair, I received a letter notifying me that the habitation door required a .....wait for it.......software upgrade... I rest my case

Somebody must have complained about you slamming it too hard

 

[funflair]

Somebody must have complained about you slamming it too hard

If you remember the thread it was actually Erik at TW doing the slamming but Yes I get the "pun".

Martin

 

[EuroTrotters]

Yes!

Our Modern Frankia Schaudt used to shut all the 12v system down if the battery was a little bit poorly.

Our Old Hymer with and old Schaudt system is far less fussy.

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

 

[PeteH]

I’ve owned half a dozen bmw bikes. The switch gear on those is just as awful and even after years of riding it’s not intuitive

Hmm! Not my experience, the switchgear on my 1984 100RS, was positive and substantial. The Battery was prone to fail, but that could have been due to having to store it for long periods when abroad. The Brembo brakes where a great improvement on the earlier ones though!.

 

[maison]

Not with the habitation part but the FIAT Ducato windscreen washer reservoir filler pipe is in a totally stupid position. I need an additional funnel to top it up.

An extra couple of inches would have made all the difference.

(Now, where have I heard those words before)?

 

[Feltwell]

Remember when you wanted to open your motorhome's windows. You popped them out to EXACTLY where you wanted them and then turned a thumbscrew on the arm to keep them there. What was wrong with that, nothing. Now they have these auto arm things that you push up and they are supposed automatically lock, then just push up again to release. But they don't. I'm sure they know it's me.

Silicone spray Jim. Works a treat on the clickety-clickety type window stays (technical term!) and it's a clean, dry lubricant. When I had to have all my Polyplastic windows replaced at their UK agent (another story...) the chap fitting them said my van was the only one he'd ever done where all the stays worked!

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

 

[Feltwell]

The skylight in my previous m/h was too high to reach.

Resist inflammatory comments about short people..... Actually being tall is not so good in an MH, I've enough headroom in the back but the driving position isn't great, seat won't go back far enough so I have to have it up high to get enough legroom which means the top of the windscreen is a bit low. I think Ducato's are built around sub-6' Italians!

I'm chief skylight opener in our MH, due to being the only one who can reach! When Mrs F was away with the kids once on her own I had to buy her a folding step to enable skylight operation. On tiptoe

 

[Lenny HB]

Hymer forgot to put a door on the drivers side of the cab...

Your fault for getting them to put the steering wheel on the wrong side, I've got a driver's door.

...and the grey water drain tap is buried deep inside the cave, and is operated by cable so is difficult to shut off properly. So I'm probably another leaky traveller...

I'm feeling smug (until it goes wrong) my Hymers got a switch on the dash for mine.

And it's impossible to fill the windscreen washer bottle.

Yep, that's fun and games.

 

[Feltwell]

It seems a bit silly that if a boiler dump valve opens in freezing weather the pump will run to try and refill the boiler and will empty the fresh water tank.

Surely if the dump valve opens it should shut the boiler inlet pipe at the same time, or override the sensor.

Yep, been caught by that one - at the last service. Van came back and I didn't notice they'd left the pump switched on, dump valve tripped overnight so pump was whirring away dry for about 12 hours - not good!

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