Stupid things you’ve done to your van (1 Viewer)

[hilldweller]

Bugger... you know where I live

The irony of my post is lost it seems, years ago I detailed how I ripped the EHU point off a wall.

Next time it was less costly, the plug came out.

Last time wasn't because the Swift has a loud buzzer if the engine is started when hooked up.

 

[Minxy]

Many years ago with our first 'proper' MH, hubby had parked it at the side of the road and in front of it was a tree branch which I said to be careful of when we came back ... you guessed ... he drove forward into it!

I have pranged a previous MH ... twice! But it wasn't my fault 'occifer' ... truly it wasn't! The first time was when hubby had 2nd degree sunburn (long story, won't bore you), so couldn't drive so I had to instead which was 'fun' as it was a Rimor over 24ft which I'd never driven before ... I managed perfectly, despite also having quite severe sunburn, and got us onto aires etc without incident but in the morning being in the driver's seat I couldn't see a lot on the passenger side so hubby was watching via the mirror as I slowly reversed out ... and hit a bl**dy high kerb at the side of a driveway with the corner of the rear bumper ... he 'missed spotting it'!!! The second time was on the same holiday when again he was looking out from the passenger seat and missed the flipping tree right behind us on his side ... the bike rack outer track got a little bit bent ... fortunately at work they had machinery to straighten it for me! Needless to say after that I didn't bother asking him for any 'help'!

 

[hilldweller]

Many years ago with our first 'proper' MH, hubby had parked it at the side of the road and in front of it was a tree branch which I said to be careful of when we came back ... you guessed ... he drove forward into it!

so hubby was watching via the mirror as I slowly reversed out ... and hit a bl**dy high kerb at the side of a driveway with the corner of the rear bumper ... he 'missed spotting it'!!! The second time was on the same holiday when again he was looking out from the passenger seat and missed the flipping tree right behind us on his side

Yours is clearly the FUN Ultimate True Love Story. The man is obviously a liability yet you stick with him through thick and thicker. A big "Ahhhhhhhhhhh" for Minxy.

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[Minxy]

Yours is clearly the FUN Ultimate True Love Story. The man is obviously a liability yet you stick with him through thick and thicker. A big "Ahhhhhhhhhhh" for Minxy.

Love isn't the first four-letter word that comes to mind when things like the above happen ... (it begins with a 't' by the way, not 'f'! ) ... but if I didn't keep him I'd probably starve as he does the cooking and his roast dinners are to die for ... ... and he does most of the cleaning too ... .

 

[Richard n Ann]

Everybody! Just walk round the van before you set off. It's the only thing you need to remember
For EHU and ramming things anyway

 

[Makingtrax]

Everybody! Just walk round the van before you set off. It's the only thing you need to remember
For EHU and ramming things anyway

What about open drawers, open roof lights, toilet door shut, clean reversing camera lens etc. Her indoors typed a little list on a card that sits on the dash. A bit OTT but have learnt from experience how much things cost to replace.

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[Guigsy]

Stupidest thing I've done so far is trying to make this left hand turn because the satnav told me to:
Google Street View

I was busy swinging on to the wrong side of the road to try to make the turning circle wider... and annoying the traffic coming the other way and down the hill. Meanwhile my wife was telling me to 'watch the rock on the inside'... but I was otherwise occupied with not hitting the cars. I ended up riding up over the inside curb on the sill just in front of the rear left wheel. Minor bodywork damage coming to about £500.

Most painful bit is my wife citing this as an example to anyone and everyone about how I never listen.

 

[Campervanannie]

I have 375w solar panels and 3x 120 gel batteries but in the winter I went on a site on hook up to give them a boost completely flattened them as I did not notice that the bollard needed switching on what a waste of an overnight £15 stopover.

 

[Makingtrax]

Stupidest thing I've done so far is trying to make this left hand turn because the satnav told me to:
Google Street View

I was busy swinging on to the wrong side of the road to try to make the turning circle wider... and annoying the traffic coming the other way and down the hill. Meanwhile my wife was telling me to 'watch the rock on the inside'... but I was otherwise occupied with not hitting the cars. I ended up riding up over the inside curb on the sill just in front of the rear left wheel. Minor bodywork damage coming to about £500.

Most painful bit is my wife citing this as an example to anyone and everyone about how I never listen.

That’s some turn!

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[Jaws]

Too many cock ups to remember !
But the only times I have hit something ( both times a tree at La Toretta ! ) I was being seen on to a pitch by two people.
Pitches are tight and you cannot see the top of the van in the mirrors

 

[Wagoneer]

On returning from a European trip, reversed the van onto the driveway.....bang, hit the house garage door with the bike rack. I had forgotten about the extra metre of bike rack.

Needed new rack and a bit of work on the rear MH wall to hide the dent

 

[Makingtrax]

We piled up spare towels on a lower wardrobe shelf and one off those flimsy plastic shelf supports broke with the weight, I guess with the movement of the van.

I got 4 new ones on eBay and fitted them . . shelf as good as new. I called the wife to look at my handiwork and she knelt down to inspect the shelf and looked up pleased. She then leaned on the shelf to her help get back up . . 2 more broke.

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[Wee Bold Davy]

On my first ever trip in my van two weeks ago, we'd say outside enjoying the warm evening till very late. We then went in and had to make up the beds for the first time which seemed to take forever (may have had something to do with the bubbly we'd consumed to celebrate) We then lay in bed talking for ages and I was dropping off to sleep Mrs Wee Bold Davy asked me if I had locked the doors. I said that I hadn't and she suggested that it may be a good idea.
So after groping around trying to find the keys I locked the doors using the fob. I then put the keys onto the cabinet and they fell off. Around 4 minutes later all hell let loose when the alarm went off. Could I find the keys? No!
After much searching which seemed to take forever I found the keys and managed to stop the alarm. Silence? No not quite. Dogs, lots of them were barking, children were crying in the nearby tents. Then the alarm went off again, and again, and again!! The time 2.10am.
I think if Donald Trump was there he would have been more popular. I've since learned how to properly arm the alarm while you're in the van

 

[fireblade2000uk]

Removed the outer locking plate of my wheel clamp. Got distracted and then tried to drive away with the frame still attached! Fortunately the drive suffered more than the MH........2 blooming great ruts in the tarmac!

 

[Makingtrax]

On my first ever trip in my van two weeks ago, we'd say outside enjoying the warm evening till very late. We then went in and had to make up the beds for the first time which seemed to take forever (may have had something to do with the bubbly we'd consumed to celebrate) We then lay in bed talking for ages and I was dropping off to sleep Mrs Wee Bold Davy asked me if I had locked the doors. I said that I hadn't and she suggested that it may be a good idea.
So after groping around trying to find the keys I locked the doors using the fob. I then put the keys onto the cabinet and they fell off. Around 4 minutes later all hell let loose when the alarm went off. Could I find the keys? No!
After much searching which seemed to take forever I found the keys and managed to stop the alarm. Silence? No not quite. Dogs, lots of them were barking, children were crying in the nearby tents. Then the alarm went off again, and again, and again!! The time 2.10am.
I think if Donald Trump was there he would have been more popular. I've since learned how to properly arm the alarm while you're in the van

You have to be a contortionist to make up our French bed. After a few beers it would be almost impossible!

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[cruiser]

Just parked up in billing aquadrome for the balloon festival a couple of years ago. When a very large yank van was reversing in along side me. When a large goose flew of the lake straight in to the back of the van.One very upset driver and a really badly damaged van. And the goose flew of.

 

[Pia]

The day before the ferry from Brindisi to Igumenitsa in May this year we went off for a cycle ride on a beautiful calm morning.....about an hour later had a call from the camperstop owner...we'd left our awning out and the wind had got up whilst we were out (we were by the sea) we rushed back on the bikes to find the awning collapsed in a mangled heap and a hole in the top side of the van where one of the brackets had come away. Our campetstop owner phoned the local motorhome garage who came out to us and took the awning off then we followed them to their garage about 30 km away where they all downed tools on their other jobs and set too to fix our motorhome - a beautiful job... but we had to go off to Greece without an awning. On the way back, a month later, we stopped by for them to fit a new awning which they had ordered for us....but...it was half a metre too short (they had ordered the wrong size) After they fitted it since it didn't quite cover the door I refused to keep it (we didn't notice it was too short until it was fitted)....they ordered the correct size and sent us off with the short awning. It was into the mid 30s at this time and very sunny and there was no shade at the camperstop by the sea, so having that awning was pretty essential. We waited 3 days for the new awning....they took off the wrong one fitted the new one (no quibbling nothing more to pay) and we set off for home 3 days later than scheduled. What could have been a total disaster really turned out to be a challenging and in the end a rather pleasant experience. Whilst on the campsite waiting for our awning not only the owner but other campers kept us plied with fruit - mostly figs and cherries, fresh each day for the 3 days....and the extra days were really rather enjoyable. We now have a rather sswish new awning to enjoy and a lesson well learned.....NEVER...leave the awning out when not at the van...AND....ALWAYS secure the feet...(My poor hubby forgot to peg the feet down...can you imagine how bad he felt....I did remind him that it could have been so much worse...either one of us could have broken a bone or had a heart attack...and anyway I should have been more attentive and noticed that he hadn't pegged things down)...."All's well that ends well"

 

[Southdowners]

you can buy a stainless steel door retainer as fitted to horseboxs,,,Bullet proof,,can't fail and they are only about £7..00. Even top of the range vans like Concord are fitted with those stupid useless plastic ones..BUSBY,,

Concordes have stainless steel retainers on the garage and gas filled struts on the hab door. They work far better than the plastic things

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[mitzimad]

ok i put petrol in mine last year

your not alone full tank 117 lires exspensive day

 

[Makingtrax]

The day before the ferry from Brindisi to Igumenitsa in May this year we went off for a cycle ride on a beautiful calm morning.....about an hour later had a call from the camperstop owner...we'd left our awning out and the wind had got up whilst we were out (we were by the sea) we rushed back on the bikes to find the awning collapsed in a mangled heap and a hole in the top side of the van where one of the brackets had come away. Our campetstop owner phoned the local motorhome garage who came out to us and took the awning off then we followed them to their garage about 30 km away where they all downed tools on their other jobs and set too to fix our motorhome - a beautiful job... but we had to go off to Greece without an awning. On the way back, a month later, we stopped by for them to fit a new awning which they had ordered for us....but...it was half a metre too short (they had ordered the wrong size) After they fitted it since it didn't quite cover the door I refused to keep it (we didn't notice it was too short until it was fitted)....they ordered the correct size and sent us off with the short awning. It was into the mid 30s at this time and very sunny and there was no shade at the camperstop by the sea, so having that awning was pretty essential. We waited 3 days for the new awning....they took off the wrong one fitted the new one (no quibbling nothing more to pay) and we set off for home 3 days later than scheduled. What could have been a total disaster really turned out to be a challenging and in the end a rather pleasant experience. Whilst on the campsite waiting for our awning not only the owner but other campers kept us plied with fruit - mostly figs and cherries, fresh each day for the 3 days....and the extra days were really rather enjoyable. We now have a rather sswish new awning to enjoy and a lesson well learned.....NEVER...leave the awning out when not at the van...AND....ALWAYS secure the feet...(My poor hubby forgot to peg the feet down...can you imagine how bad he felt....I did remind him that it could have been so much worse...either one of us could have broken a bone or had a heart attack...and anyway I should have been more attentive and noticed that he hadn't pegged things down)...."All's well that ends well"

Uplifting story.

This thread demonstrates that looking after a van is actually quite difficult. Accidents are easily done, but there are often some genuinely helpful and kind people at hand.

 

[Kingham]

Caught the handbrake in my shorts breaking the plastic surround. Replacement was sorted thanks to a link from a fellow funster.

Can you please provide me that link, as I did that exact same thing a couple of weeks ago

Fortunately I'm heavy enough not to have been left hanging upside down

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[Makingtrax]

Can you please provide me that link, as I did that exact same thing a couple of weeks ago

Fortunately I'm heavy enough not to have been left hanging upside down

View attachment 244003

Really pleased this thread has been useful. Hope more people put on their stupid things. In reality of course they’re not stupid . . it’s all part of being human.

 

[Candapack]

I recently spent a week on Berneray (Outer Hebrides), wild camping. Lovely.
Coming home, parked up off road to make dinner, phoned wife to say when I'd be back, told her how much I'd saved on not paying site fees or EHU.
Setting off, horrible crunch, electric step destroyed by boulder. £500. Policy has £500 excess.

 

[Jonno1103]

Can you please provide me that link, as I did that exact same thing a couple of weeks ago

Fortunately I'm heavy enough not to have been left hanging upside down

View attachment 244003

This is the link fellow funster BwB gave to me. It's a Sevel based dealership in Swansea, fast delivery too.

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[Jonno1103]

Can you please provide me that link, as I did that exact same thing a couple of weeks ago

Fortunately I'm heavy enough not to have been left hanging upside down

View attachment 244003

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIAT-DUC...137996&hash=item56a8967ea0:g:zBkAAOSwhiZaXMG1

This is the Ebay link given to me by fellow funster BwB. This particular one has ended but Days Motor Group are huge in South Wales so will probably have more if you give them a call.

 

[Viennese]

Great thread and I'm glad other people do the same daft things as us. And no, I shan't tell you what I did!

 

[scotzsue]

should have a warning about shorts and handbrakes, but no we get told not to drive with the blinds closed

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[Spawn_e_git]

Ok, someone I know quite well reversed off his drive before removing the the wheel clamp, which damaged the wheel arch and the only way to get it out was to drive forward again. He was not happy

was that the same person I know who had only just brought the new van a few weeks earlier....and is/was an engineer???

 

[Minxy]

Great thread and I'm glad other people do the same daft things as us. And no, I shan't tell you what I did!

That's not fair ... if you don't spill the beans you're not allowed to read the thread!

 

[Viennese]

So stop me then!!!

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