Lessons Learned

[Chrisvh]

I joined the forum back in June and after much research, and assistance from forum members, we purchased our first motorhome at the end of August. After a brief two day shake-down trip locally, we set off in mid-September for a month in Germany. An easy choice as it was just about the only option. Helped by having lived and worked there a long time ago and speaking reasonable German. I thought I would jot down lessons learned, purchases that worked and those that did not for info of other new members and the entertainment of the old sweats.

We have a Knaus Sun TI Platinum 700. 7.45m with two fixed single beds at the rear. it has a double floor and Knaus advertise it as "winterised". Purchased from Premium Motorhomes in Doncaster. No dealer complaints at all. The vehicle was well prepared for delivery and everything worked as expected. Premium were easy to deal with and I would deal with them again.

The vehicle came fitted with an Oyster satellite dish and TV. Not something I had considered at all but was a godsend on early dark autumnal nights. This worked perfectly until we went out of range of Astra 2 in Garmisch Partenkirchen. There we used Amazon Firestick and my Iphone and this was seamless too.
I had a Sog unit, additional leisure battery, Gaslow 2 x 6kg system and 160w solar panel fitted prior to delivery. All worked perfectly and I would recommend them. We had 4 nights off grid and the additional battery and solar panel meant this was without a hitch. Re-filling with LPG was easy after viewing a few Youtube videos and refill prices were minimal.
I had one glitch following an LPG refill where the Alde heating/hot water system showed a fault after turning the gas off. Eventually after assistance here, and elsewhere, I worked out how to disconnect, and reset the system. It worked perfectly after that. Whenever I encountered a problem, and these were entirely due to operator error, I managed to find a solution on Youtube or the internet. Particularly this forum. Search is a wonderful tool. The Knaus manual is quite good and actually reading it is recommended. I had to refer back to it on many occasions.
We mainly used Stellplatz. Easy to use. Usually well laid out and the locals were friendly and more than happy to help out. A collection of coins is a must as we needed combinations of 2 & 1 Euro, 50,20 & 10 cent coins plus a few 5 and 10 Euro notes to buy tickets and load electricity meters. EHU was easy. When you arrive identify the EHU points first and then select your pitch. Emptying toilet cassettes and grey water was a mystery at first. I just sat back and watched a few do it. Always position yourself upwind!

I trawled this forum for ideas on what I would definitely need in the vehicle. Ignoring the sage advice of the old sweats on here I put too much in:
Colapz bucket. Excellent except I could not top up fresh water as the spout was too short. Defeats the object really! Now adapted with a pipe to reach the filler cap.
Collapz Flexi waste pipe kit. excellent. Saved the day on a couple of occasions when grey water drain was in a ridiculous location. Ridiculously expensive but works. I am sure a cheaper option could be cobbled together. But comes in a natty bag.
Gaslow Wave bluetooth gas level. Excellent. Now fitted to both bottles. With the Iphone app easy to monitor gas usage and plan refills.
Votronic blue tooth connector. With the app on my iphone I can monitor the performance of solar panel and batteries in minute detail. I do not understand it but fascinating.
HEO water fill connector for fresh water. Makes life very easy. Good investment. Vicarious books do a version that looks similar at half the price.
Milenco Trident levellers. Massive, heavy but seems to fit 16" wheels well. Will have to assess if they justify the weight.
Lavazza Modo Mio Idealo coffee maker and Milkup frother. Brilliant! Essential as both coffee addicts. Best capsule coffee I have tasted. Compact and easily stowed. Capsule not available in Germany. Will carry extra stocks in future.
Tefal Ingenio stainless steel pans. Excellent. Easily stowed. Heavy but bombproof.
SilverScreen windscreen cover. Brilliant! Kept us snug when the temperature got down near 0c. Prevented condensation. Highly recommended. Purchased as a second on Ebay.

I hope that isn't too long winded and may give some pointers to others in a similar position.

 

[Mr porky]

You seem to have had a lovely time discovering the joys and pitfalls of the motorhome life. Well done.
I’m intrigued by the gas level monitoring system.

 

[nicholsong]

Chrisvh

Excellent post.

As you say, maybe you have bought too much but you seem to have made life easy and have settled into the MH life after the couple of learning sessions. You did your research and have been rewarded.

Keep posting and enjoy the MH.

Geoff

 

[Kirsten]

Great post ! We went to Germany for the first time as France was out of bounds- loved it and had similar experiences with the coin -operated tickets on the Stellplatz. You certainly seem to have had it all to a T. Only thing I would add for future planning [not strictly Moho related ] is that we bought copious amounts of posh marzipan as presents for Loved ones [we hate the stuff] and now I have discovered it is cheaper to purchase from Lakeland Christmas catalogue !

But watch out as you have mentioned the C- word [coffee maker!] and there was a storm brewing on a previous post about these .... but it may add a frisson to the post

 

[Chrisvh]

Thanks for the comments. I have travelled extensively in Germany on a motorbike, as well as having lived there, and the roads and traffic are easy to negotiate for me. We had a fantastic time. Normally we would do museums and galleries but this was not an option this time. We tended to visit picturesque villages, towns, vineyards and castles.The bikes were used extensively and the German bike network is excellent. nearly as good as as the Netherlands. Driver courtesy to bikes was exceptional.
We did eat out a bit. Either al fresco at lunchtime or early evening before places were busy. Things were pretty relaxed and we felt safe and secure. Mask wearing was universal and being Germany rule observance was the norm. I would recommend Germany as a destination. Great variety of terrain and landscapes. Wine that amply repays a little research. Food is not that inspiring though we had some excellent meals. People are friendly and relaxed and on the whole speak excellent English. They are very pro UK but bemused by our current travails and political choices.

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[lorger]

Glad you enjoyed your maiden voyage, we have the Sun TI 650 MEG platinum and love it.

 

[Stealaway]

A collection of coins is a must as we needed combinations of 2 & 1 Euro, 50,20 & 10 cent coins plus a few 5 and 10 Euro notes to buy tickets and load electricity meter

We've just returned from a five week trip of east Germany.
As we now use a credit card 90% of the time, not changing paper money meant we were continually searching for 1&2 euro coins. The shops were not happy simply changing 10 euro notes.
We struggled at times.
But hey ho a small problem really

 

[Riverbankannie]

is that we bought copious amounts of posh marzipan as presents for Loved ones [we hate the stuff] and now I have discovered it is cheaper to purchase from Lakeland Christmas catalogue !

You should have tried the cakes from the Niederegger shop! Delicious

 

[Chrisvh]

You should have tried the cakes from the Niederegger shop! DeliciousView attachment 436365

The cake shops were our undoing. Some of them were simply stunning.

 

[DBK]

I've bought coins from banks. They come wrapped in a paper tube called a "rollen" I seem to recall. A Sparkasse charged me a nominal amount but a Commerzbank didn't charge anything.

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[Chrisvh]

I will try that next time. I still have a Deutsche Bank Account.

 

[DerryW]

Great Post. Takes me back to our first proper trip abroad which was only a couple of years ago. Sounds like you had an enjoyable and uneventful trip. Looking forward to future posting

 

[Chrisvh]

Our Knaus has the new Fiat 9 speed auto gear box on a 160 BHP 2.3 engine. Very impressed with the gearing. Very smooth and relaxing to drive. I have an auto Volvo car and it compares very well to that. We did circa 3000 miles in the month. As it is a new engine I have not calculated fuel consumption but it was as expected. It does seem to drink Adblue as I had to top up twice.
One other issue that may assist newer members. In the Alps the outside temperature dipped to just above 0c. We were off grid and the fridge would not function on gas. After a little research I realised that this was to be expected without winter covers on the fridge vents. Needless to say the vents could not be sourced in Germany. Now sourced and fitted for the winter and storage.
Very happy with the Alde heating system. We found that it warms up quickly on gas and then switch over if on EHU. Ample hot water supplies. Shower works as a shower should. Certainly no compromises there. Van is warm and snug even when there is a frost outside. I am sure the Silverscreen cover is a big factor in this. We had temperatures ranging from 30c to about 1c. We were comfortable throughout.
I had installed Froli bed systems on both singles. Comfort was excellent and certainly no worse than the bed at home. No bed comfort problems at all.
Ventilation when cooking is limited to opening the window by the hob. I am considering a Maxxfan installed over the kitchen area to reduce steam/cooking smells and to aid airflow when it is hot.
If I think of any other pearls of wisdom I will add them here. This sort of post was invaluable to us when researching our first MH and it may assist others.

 

[Decker]

Our Knaus has the new Fiat 9 speed auto gear box on a 160 BHP 2.3 engine. Very impressed with the gearing. Very smooth and relaxing to drive. I have an auto Volvo car and it compares very well to that. We did circa 3000 miles in the month. As it is a new engine I have not calculated fuel consumption but it was as expected. It does seem to drink Adblue as I had to top up twice.
One other issue that may assist newer members. In the Alps the outside temperature dipped to just above 0c. We were off grid and the fridge would not function on gas. After a little research I realised that this was to be expected without winter covers on the fridge vents. Needless to say the vents could not be sourced in Germany. Now sourced and fitted for the winter and storage.
Very happy with the Alde heating system. We found that it warms up quickly on gas and then switch over if on EHU. Ample hot water supplies. Shower works as a shower should. Certainly no compromises there. Van is warm and snug even when there is a frost outside. I am sure the Silverscreen cover is a big factor in this. We had temperatures ranging from 30c to about 1c. We were comfortable throughout.
I had installed Froli bed systems on both singles. Comfort was excellent and certainly no worse than the bed at home. No bed comfort problems at all.
Ventilation when cooking is limited to opening the window by the hob. I am considering a Maxxfan installed over the kitchen area to reduce steam/cooking smells and to aid airflow when it is hot.
If I think of any other pearls of wisdom I will add them here. This sort of post was invaluable to us when researching our first MH and it may assist others.

I would be interested to know your fuel consumption when you can in order to compare it with the comformatic gear box which I find very thirsty.
Thanks for posting.

 

[Leisure man]

I joined the forum back in June and after much research, and assistance from forum members, we purchased our first motorhome at the end of August. After a brief two day shake-down trip locally, we set off in mid-September for a month in Germany. An easy choice as it was just about the only option. Helped by having lived and worked there a long time ago and speaking reasonable German. I thought I would jot down lessons learned, purchases that worked and those that did not for info of other new members and the entertainment of the old sweats.

We have a Knaus Sun TI Platinum 700. 7.45m with two fixed single beds at the rear. it has a double floor and Knaus advertise it as "winterised". Purchased from Premium Motorhomes in Doncaster. No dealer complaints at all. The vehicle was well prepared for delivery and everything worked as expected. Premium were easy to deal with and I would deal with them again.

The vehicle came fitted with an Oyster satellite dish and TV. Not something I had considered at all but was a godsend on early dark autumnal nights. This worked perfectly until we went out of range of Astra 2 in Garmisch Partenkirchen. There we used Amazon Firestick and my Iphone and this was seamless too.
I had a Sog unit, additional leisure battery, Gaslow 2 x 6kg system and 160w solar panel fitted prior to delivery. All worked perfectly and I would recommend them. We had 4 nights off grid and the additional battery and solar panel meant this was without a hitch. Re-filling with LPG was easy after viewing a few Youtube videos and refill prices were minimal.
I had one glitch following an LPG refill where the Alde heating/hot water system showed a fault after turning the gas off. Eventually after assistance here, and elsewhere, I worked out how to disconnect, and reset the system. It worked perfectly after that. Whenever I encountered a problem, and these were entirely due to operator error, I managed to find a solution on Youtube or the internet. Particularly this forum. Search is a wonderful tool. The Knaus manual is quite good and actually reading it is recommended. I had to refer back to it on many occasions.
We mainly used Stellplatz. Easy to use. Usually well laid out and the locals were friendly and more than happy to help out. A collection of coins is a must as we needed combinations of 2 & 1 Euro, 50,20 & 10 cent coins plus a few 5 and 10 Euro notes to buy tickets and load electricity meters. EHU was easy. When you arrive identify the EHU points first and then select your pitch. Emptying toilet cassettes and grey water was a mystery at first. I just sat back and watched a few do it. Always position yourself upwind!

I trawled this forum for ideas on what I would definitely need in the vehicle. Ignoring the sage advice of the old sweats on here I put too much in:
Colapz bucket. Excellent except I could not top up fresh water as the spout was too short. Defeats the object really! Now adapted with a pipe to reach the filler cap.
Collapz Flexi waste pipe kit. excellent. Saved the day on a couple of occasions when grey water drain was in a ridiculous location. Ridiculously expensive but works. I am sure a cheaper option could be cobbled together. But comes in a natty bag.
Gaslow Wave bluetooth gas level. Excellent. Now fitted to both bottles. With the Iphone app easy to monitor gas usage and plan refills.
Votronic blue tooth connector. With the app on my iphone I can monitor the performance of solar panel and batteries in minute detail. I do not understand it but fascinating.
HEO water fill connector for fresh water. Makes life very easy. Good investment. Vicarious books do a version that looks similar at half the price.
Milenco Trident levellers. Massive, heavy but seems to fit 16" wheels well. Will have to assess if they justify the weight.
Lavazza Modo Mio Idealo coffee maker and Milkup frother. Brilliant! Essential as both coffee addicts. Best capsule coffee I have tasted. Compact and easily stowed. Capsule not available in Germany. Will carry extra stocks in future.
Tefal Ingenio stainless steel pans. Excellent. Easily stowed. Heavy but bombproof.
SilverScreen windscreen cover. Brilliant! Kept us snug when the temperature got down near 0c. Prevented condensation. Highly recommended. Purchased as a second on Ebay.

I hope that isn't too long winded and may give some pointers to others in a similar position.

Brilliant Chris. We bought the same van from further South as premium didn’t have one and Servicing is a bit of a drag. Your PDI report most helpful as our dealer failed miserably on that, I do hope premium will take us on.

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[Graham Mew]

I joined the forum back in June and after much research, and assistance from forum members, we purchased our first motorhome at the end of August. After a brief two day shake-down trip locally, we set off in mid-September for a month in Germany. An easy choice as it was just about the only option. Helped by having lived and worked there a long time ago and speaking reasonable German. I thought I would jot down lessons learned, purchases that worked and those that did not for info of other new members and the entertainment of the old sweats.

We have a Knaus Sun TI Platinum 700. 7.45m with two fixed single beds at the rear. it has a double floor and Knaus advertise it as "winterised". Purchased from Premium Motorhomes in Doncaster. No dealer complaints at all. The vehicle was well prepared for delivery and everything worked as expected. Premium were easy to deal with and I would deal with them again.

The vehicle came fitted with an Oyster satellite dish and TV. Not something I had considered at all but was a godsend on early dark autumnal nights. This worked perfectly until we went out of range of Astra 2 in Garmisch Partenkirchen. There we used Amazon Firestick and my Iphone and this was seamless too.
I had a Sog unit, additional leisure battery, Gaslow 2 x 6kg system and 160w solar panel fitted prior to delivery. All worked perfectly and I would recommend them. We had 4 nights off grid and the additional battery and solar panel meant this was without a hitch. Re-filling with LPG was easy after viewing a few Youtube videos and refill prices were minimal.
I had one glitch following an LPG refill where the Alde heating/hot water system showed a fault after turning the gas off. Eventually after assistance here, and elsewhere, I worked out how to disconnect, and reset the system. It worked perfectly after that. Whenever I encountered a problem, and these were entirely due to operator error, I managed to find a solution on Youtube or the internet. Particularly this forum. Search is a wonderful tool. The Knaus manual is quite good and actually reading it is recommended. I had to refer back to it on many occasions.
We mainly used Stellplatz. Easy to use. Usually well laid out and the locals were friendly and more than happy to help out. A collection of coins is a must as we needed combinations of 2 & 1 Euro, 50,20 & 10 cent coins plus a few 5 and 10 Euro notes to buy tickets and load electricity meters. EHU was easy. When you arrive identify the EHU points first and then select your pitch. Emptying toilet cassettes and grey water was a mystery at first. I just sat back and watched a few do it. Always position yourself upwind!

I trawled this forum for ideas on what I would definitely need in the vehicle. Ignoring the sage advice of the old sweats on here I put too much in:
Colapz bucket. Excellent except I could not top up fresh water as the spout was too short. Defeats the object really! Now adapted with a pipe to reach the filler cap.
Collapz Flexi waste pipe kit. excellent. Saved the day on a couple of occasions when grey water drain was in a ridiculous location. Ridiculously expensive but works. I am sure a cheaper option could be cobbled together. But comes in a natty bag.
Gaslow Wave bluetooth gas level. Excellent. Now fitted to both bottles. With the Iphone app easy to monitor gas usage and plan refills.
Votronic blue tooth connector. With the app on my iphone I can monitor the performance of solar panel and batteries in minute detail. I do not understand it but fascinating.
HEO water fill connector for fresh water. Makes life very easy. Good investment. Vicarious books do a version that looks similar at half the price.
Milenco Trident levellers. Massive, heavy but seems to fit 16" wheels well. Will have to assess if they justify the weight.
Lavazza Modo Mio Idealo coffee maker and Milkup frother. Brilliant! Essential as both coffee addicts. Best capsule coffee I have tasted. Compact and easily stowed. Capsule not available in Germany. Will carry extra stocks in future.
Tefal Ingenio stainless steel pans. Excellent. Easily stowed. Heavy but bombproof.
SilverScreen windscreen cover. Brilliant! Kept us snug when the temperature got down near 0c. Prevented condensation. Highly recommended. Purchased as a second on Ebay.

I hope that isn't too long winded and may give some pointers to others in a similar position.

Thanks for your time in compiling the info, a great read.

 

[Notts Archer]

Our Knaus has the new Fiat 9 speed auto gear box on a 160 BHP 2.3 engine. Very impressed with the gearing. Very smooth and relaxing to drive. I have an auto Volvo car and it compares very well to that. We did circa 3000 miles in the month. As it is a new engine I have not calculated fuel consumption but it was as expected. It does seem to drink Adblue as I had to top up twice.

We had to top up the Adblue twice during our first long trip last year but when I questioned it with a Peugeot dealer he was not surprised as he said that its not unknown for the the vehicles to come of the production line with the minimal amount. I have since filled to the brim and so far no problems.

Have a great trip.

 

[Rodneyplonker]

I would be interested to know your fuel consumption when you can in order to compare it with the comformatic gear box which I find very thirsty.
Thanks for posting.

Hi, we have the 9 speed auto box on our Burstner heavy chassis 4.25t, which we also find is really smooth and changes are imperceptible. I also used all three settings for the box to test them out In different circumstances. We have only covered 850mls so far - due to restrictions since we collected it in July. The on board computer states 26.9 mpg if that is any help. There was mixed motorway and slow meandering driving both in the Dales and along the North Norfolk coast in the busy season. Hope that helps?

 

[pandas]

You seem to have had a lovely time discovering the joys and pitfalls of the motorhome life. Well done.
I’m intrigued by the gas level monitoring system.

Have a look at the offers with the C&MC shop this month where they have some good Truma systems on 10% discount. From remote turning the heating/hot water on to a torch like gismo that is a simple and cheap way to check the gas levels.