Glad Have An 'older' Van .. Are You ? (1 Viewer)

Aug 27, 2014
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I do mourn the passing of being able to work on vehicles easily yourself. My Audi, despite being a 55 plate so by no means a new car, is definitely a garage job if anything needs fixing - there really is no (and I mean no) space under the bonnet and pretty much everything needs the diagnostic computer.

It was brought home to me a bit by my taking pity on one of the lads who works for me who is skint and was having a problem with a coolant leak on his 16 year old Astra - "bring it round on Saturday and I'll have a look for you". All fixed within an hour, loads of room around the engine, no need to take anything off first.

Trouble is I want the comfort, performance and economy of my newer car. My Dad has a very nice convertible Triumph Herald, for sunny day use only. It produces about 50hp I believe - my Audi makes about 6 times that and the mpg is not dissimilar!

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Daveo2006

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Jan 25, 2013
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kent
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If an older fridge packs up , do you get an error code ?
Totally agree - my rear lights have been held on with gaffa tape for at least 6 years :)

Gaffa tape aint what it used to be though. :LOL:
 

Langtoftlad

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Apr 12, 2011
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Great things about having an older MH:
1. No drama about dinking or scratching the less than immaculate bodywork
2. Manual equipment, if it works, it tends to keep working.
3. If something stops working, the rest of your kit doesn't throw a wobbly...
 

funflair

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Dec 11, 2013
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Not strictly true...... as my hubby is related to Joseph Swan he gets VERY annoyed when people say Edison invented the light bulb.

"Starting in the early 1800s, inventors looked for ways to convert electricity into light. Sir Humphry Davy, an English physician, successfully passed an electric current through platinum strips in 1801. Unfortunately, the strips evaporated quickly and Davy was unable to create a light that lasted more than a few minutes.

In 1809 Davy created what would become known as the Arc lamp. He made an electrical connection between two charcoal rods connected to a battery. The light from this was very bright but small.

For the next 50 years, others sought ways to lengthen the amount of time the light source would remain. In 1840 Warren de la Rue, a British scientist, placed a platinum coil in a vaccum tube. When he passed an electric current through it, light was formed. This design was efficient and the light lasted longer, but platinum was very expensive which made it impossible to be distributed on a commercial level.

In 1841 Frederick de Moleyns of England was given the first patent for an incandescent lamp. His design used powdered charcoal. He heated this material between two platinum wires in a vacuum bulb.

Joseph Wilson Swan was born in 1828 in England. He worked as a physicist and chemist. Swan wanted to produce a practical, long-lasting light source. He used a carbon paper filament in his light bulbs. In 1878 he received a British patent for his light bulb. Swan began placing light bulbs in homes throughout England. By the early 1880s he had started his own light bulb company.
Thomas Edison was busy in the United States. He experimented with thousands of different filaments. His goal was to find materials that would light well and last for a long time. He brought in various metals and supplies from all over the world.
  • When the question is asked,who invented the light bulb, Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison are usually given credit. However, both of these men worked off of previous inventions. Historians estimate that over twenty inventors worked toward the creation and design of the light bulb.
  • It is appropriate to credit numerous inventors that lived during the 1800s. Even after Swan and Edison, others continued to improve the light source. The light bulb as we know it today, is a result of much time and effort.

There is a Joseph Swan exhibition (or was in May) at Cragside house in Northumberland, and I believe two of his lights in the library which were originally run off hydro electric.

Martin
 

gibbon

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Feb 25, 2013
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Just been reading the thread on DPF filters, what a rediculous state of affairs !
I'm all for reducing emissions but a £700 bill after 12,000 miles!!!!
Just to get into an LEZ.
Ok, & save the planet a bit.
It's only going to get worse!
Again, KISS, older motors rule for me(y)
 
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Puddleduck

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Jan 15, 2014
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On and off for many years.
There is a Joseph Swan exhibition (or was in May) at Cragside house in Northumberland, and I believe two of his lights in the library which were originally run off hydro electric.

Martin

It's on until 1st November so we will be going (again) as it's quite local to us and we are NTS members so get in for free :)

Well worth a visit and the gardens are glorious at present.
 

funflair

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It's on until 1st November so we will be going (again) as it's quite local to us and we are NTS members so get in for free :)

Well worth a visit and the gardens are glorious at present.

Went in May but too early for the rhodedendrons, there is a nice CL at Snitter and then a Bike ride over the tops to the house.

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Dec 27, 2014
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Newer cars are absolutely fantastic.
Fantastic for me that is.......... Ain't so difficult to relieve owners of a few grand to upgrade when all the modern crap goes wrong :D..... Not so good when we have to mend it though. :mad:
Still, every cloud reveals a silver lining..... For some !
Have a new(ish) merc... I say me but really 'she' drives it... It Gives grief now and again but that's OK when repaired in house..
I drive an old 1998 c250 diesel that will never die.... Typical attitude of the cobler towards his children.....run around with the soles out of the shoes !... Doesn't trouble me to drive an older model but after 30+ years in the business I have about seen all of it.
 
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Apr 28, 2013
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80,206
Alentejo,Portugal
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Since the '80,s
15 year old Chausson Welcome 80,previous owners were elderly but cared for it well.People often say what great nick for an old van.Only 1.9TD but with just a K&N air filter and the blocked cat removed gives me just enough speed to pass the long lines of trucks we get in this part of France,particularly in Landes.
I can do most of the essential maintenance easily,based on a Citroen Jumper it has the normal Fiat Ducato rotting panel below the radiator which I shall replace later this year other than that still going strong and giving miles of smiles.
 

Shrimp

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May 27, 2015
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Hymer B584
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I am totally with Mr ScotJimland on this where motorhomes are concerned.

My 1987 Hymer 660S has...

A 3 way, manually operated fridge.

If I want 12 volts, I switch the 12 volts on.

If I want mains, I switch the mains on.

If I want it on gas, I switch on the gas and operate the igniter by pushing the button to make a spark.

The gas hot water heats the hot water, thats all...

The room heater heats the interior.

A fan can be switched on to circulate the warm air around the space. I can control the speed OR I can switch it to automatic, thermostatic control.

The cooker rings light with a match or lighter thingy.

And this continues through the van with the air cooler and the kitchen extractor fan and so on.

If one item malfunctions (a rare occurrence) it doesn't stop anything else working.

In my opinion, all the gizmos and flashing lights are put in so the salesman in a suit, who has possibly never spent a night in a motorhome, can tell the prospective customer, who has possibly never spent a night in a motorhome, how ESSENTIAL they are.

It makes me think, "Lambs to slaughter".

JJ :cool:
Ditto for us, except I have a piezo ignition on my hob/oven!

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Aug 15, 2014
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Exiled in Yorkshire
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There is a Joseph Swan exhibition (or was in May) at Cragside house in Northumberland, and I believe two of his lights in the library which were originally run off hydro electric.

Martin
Thank you for reminding me, I will be in the area this weekend so will call in there, thanks again.
 
Aug 6, 2013
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Ditto for us, except I have a piezo ignition on my hob/oven!
I've never understood the need for AES. On some Dometic models the switches allowed you to leave both mains & 12v switched on. So if you were on EHU you were stationary so 12v wouldn't come on; if the 12v supply was forthcoming it meant you were moving so no EHU & therefore no mains. If you were stationary and not on EHU you needed the gas on. One decision for one particular set of circumstances. So I ask: what does AES do other than save you making one simple decision?

My current MH has a Thetford frig. with a rotary switch to select mains, 12v, or gas. A backward step from the earlier system in that I have to remember to select the correct input. From my description above why does any 3 way frig need switches (or switch positions) for 12V & mains?

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funflair

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Dec 11, 2013
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I've never understood the need for AES. On some Dometic models the switches allowed you to leave both mains & 12v switched on. So if you were on EHU you were stationary so 12v wouldn't come on; if the 12v supply was forthcoming it meant you were moving so no EHU & therefore no mains. If you were stationary and not on EHU you needed the gas on. One decision for one particular set of circumstances. So I ask: what does AES do other than save you making one simple decision?

We leave ours on AES and then when there is enough spare solar power the solar regulator switches the fridge from gas to 12 volts and then back again when the batteries go down.

Martin
 

Ginge3685

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Jun 5, 2014
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I quite agree with all the comments, I have a 1990 Pilote R850S 100,194 miles and everything still works. We had a look at some newer vans but this one "felt" right. Only £200 of work and it sailed through the MOT, not many modern cars can boast that!
 

smiffy502000

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I think anything you buy these days is a throw away and replace it item. you don't get many if any t.v or radio repair men these days you just chuck it away and buy another, same with most household white goods. just take a look how many flat screen TV's are lying around next time you visit the local tip !

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Viking

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Oct 1, 2014
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Whats wrong with a tent got the wifr for heating ib winter take the girlfriend aswell pub at nigth for a scran breakfast in bed cooked on campfire not an ecu in sigth
 

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