Malibu PVC owners hints and tips

[Billylou]

Hi, we hope to pick up our Mailbu 540 DB later this month. Coming from a VW T6 Cali we expect to learn a lot considering the two vehicles are so different but thats to be expected.

So my question to other Malibu owners is: "What problems should we look out for (small up to large), what improvements can we make that are unique to a Malibu and do you have any Malibu specific hints and tips"

Many thanks

 

[Crazyj]

Hi. We picked up our Malibu 540 a few weeks ago, loving it so far. How are you getting on with yours?

Jason

 

[Wombles]

Not Malibu specific but some van specific mods here https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/foru...vc-modding-accessories-discount-codes.184590/ in case that helps.

 

[Billylou]

Hi. We picked up our Malibu 540 a few weeks ago, loving it so far. How are you getting on with yours?

Jason

Hi Crazyj
Pleased to hear you are enjoying your Malibu 540, they are cracking vans. Did you get yours from Tyne Valley? Unfortunately we landed up handing ours back to the dealer as it broke down on the motorway 50 miles after picking it up. We then waited for Fiat to repair it and after a couple of weeks waiting, despite daily calls, we became really concerned as they were unable to find the fault despite their best efforts. The thought of being away worried that the fault might return made us really uncomfortable. Needless to say this was a Fiat problem and not a Malibu problem. Fortunately the company we purchased the van from were excellent and made a stressful time as good as they could. Funnily enough despite no longer owning the van we got a call from Fiat 10 weeks later to say it was fixed. Malibu are great vans which I’m sure you’ll have years of happy motoring with. Good luck and happy travels.
ps. Beautiful dog by the way.

 

[Crazyj]

Oh dear, I’m sorry to hear that. Yes, we bought ours from Tyne Valley also. Hope we didn’t end up buying your rejected van lol! Actually, it was not registered when we bought it and had only delivery miles on it although it had been sitting there for a while….was yours the same colour? Did you end up getting another Malibu or another van?

We do sometimes wonder if we should have gone for a 600 or even a 640 but as soon as we realise how easy ours is to park and manoeuvre we soon dispel any regrets, and the bed isn’t too bad size wise. The heating is amazing too!

Hetty the border terrier loves her travels

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[Billylou]

We didn’t purchase the van from Tyne Valley however I did have my eye on yours as it was so well specified and looked great in that colour. It literally came on the market a couple of days after we’d purchased ours. I’m sure whoever now owns our van will have a great van and will have nothing to worry about.
We decided to go for a Westfalia but won’t see it, if we’re lucky, until next summer. Until then it’s Airbnb.

 

[Crazyj]

Ah…yes, we were drawn to the spec and we added a gel leisure battery, solar panel, Wi-Fi and TV. Interestingly, our first choice would have been a Westfalia Columbus but there were none available at that time and we’re just too impatient! Is it another 540 you’re going for?

 

[Billylou]

You have a very nicely spec’d van, I don’t think you could improve it anymore.
Yes it‘s a 540 Amundsen in Iron Grey. It had to be a 540 for us as it needs to fit on the drive. Having said that I think we’d still have gone with a 540 for the same reasons you’ve mentioned Even if we could have got. 600 etc on the drive. We’d sold our T6 to purchase the Malibu so this made the decision to hand it back even harder as we knew we’d land up with a long wait for a van regardless of which one we went with.

 

[Jimjo]

Hi. We have a Globecar 540 Summit Prime. I think it’s pretty similar and one thing we had modified was the access the to the garage under the bed. On ours you have to slide the section up to access the garage which is a pain as you have to lift the bed - so we had a door put in which works very well. May be of interest . Regardless, hope you enjoy your new Van.

 

[Crazyj]

That’s a clever mod Jimjo - I agree, it’s a pain having to go outside all the time to access the garage. I had a custom mattress topper made which is one piece and 5cm thick. It’s quite heavy so splitting the bed isn’t really an option. Looks like a nicely finished job, too

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[TheMachMan]

Had our 6m for 2 years next month. In hindsight should have gone for a 6.4m just for the convenience when in bed, Otherwise apart from wayward trim we love it.
Though interested to hear about your mattress topper as ours is comfortable but a little more support where the 2 sections join is a consideration.

 

[Crazyj]

Wayward trim? Do you mean rattles or things falling off…or both? The mattress thing was really just me gilding the lilly. It was comfortable before but it’s now a De Luxe sleeping experience…apart from when one of us needs to disturb the other for a nocturnal loo visit. Which I guess is what you mean by the extra bed length in a 640. Interestingly you can get a 600LE which has longitudinal beds. But I think the rest of the van is identical to the 540 DB.

 

[TheMachMan]

Where did you get the topper from?
Yes some trim came adrift in extreme heat during the summer, will be sorted when in for habitation service.
We have friends with a 5.4m and another with 6.4m you hardly notice the difference externally. For the width of a PVC is the biggest benefit and parking is a piece of cake.

 

[Crazyj]

Here you go https://www.duvalay.co.uk/campervans/comfort-custom-topper

 

[Jimjo]

That’s a clever mod Jimjo - I agree, it’s a pain having to go outside all the time to access the garage. I had a custom mattress topper made which is one piece and 5cm thick. It’s quite heavy so splitting the bed isn’t really an option. Looks like a nicely finished job, too

Yep - would highly recommend the guys that did it for me - ‘Get Sheet Done’. Also did a Perspex splash guard by the sink as it was poorly designed and splashed the bed when using the sink

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[Guigsy]

We had a 5.4m for several years. You can fit it in a standard parking space (taking the Mick only a little bit). So versatile as you can park it anywhere that doesn't have a height barrier.

But we wanted to start working from the van. So we've gone up to a 6m a-class. It feels 3x bigger inside. We can both walk about at the same time. But it takes more planning about where we've going and where we'll stop.