What spare parts do you carry?

[SteveE]

Planning for an extended trip and trying to strike the balance between carrying some sensible spare parts and carrying excessive stuff that I won’t need… Sod’s Law whatever I take I won’t need!

Trying to anticipate what items might be hard to get hold of abroad or frustrating to be without for too long. Would be interested to know what parts people carry. I’m thinking a water pump will make the cut. I’m just thinking about habitation parts rather than cab/chassis side of things like spare bulbs and wheel.

 

[PaulC70]

I've not been lucky enough to have anything more than a fortnight away yet as still work, but can't wait to be doing 1 or more months away. Spares have crossed my mind when thinking about those trip and the main thing for me, like you say, would be a spare water pump I think. Otherwise plenty of gaffa tape and a sheet of thick polythene should any of the skylights or windows suffer major damage.

 

[Johnny99]

Depends upon where you are going, how adventurous your intended travels are and how off grid you have to be. Most of Europe will likely have you no more than a few hours from a spares stockists. Also how much payload do you have and how old is the van. New thing break due to defect / poor fitting, old things due to wear and tear, it the middle things are less likely to break (bathtub reliability curve). Gaffer tape, or polytunnel repair tape, cable ties, some fuses, a multimeter, a few basic tools and what ever spare wheel / puncture repair strategy you choose.

 

[PlacidoD]

Gaffa Tape, heavy duty cable ties and thick polythene sounds like a good idea!
I have yet to find where my water pump is located. When I find it and identify it I might order a spare but first base I will want the part number to hand! I can then at least park up on a campsite for a few days, order via the internet and await delivery.

 

[tonka]

In 2013 we went to Morocco... "take a spare fuel filter" was the advise..
Does anyone want to buy a fuel filter for a Ducato, NEW, UNUSED.. but has done some high milage (in the back of a van)

 

[Websters]

Apart from the obvious bulbs etc I carry 2 spare mirrors brought cheap from ebay. Probably a bit ott but peace of mind.

 

[Jon Stewart]

Specifically on spare parts...

Habitation water pump.
Heating circulation pump, perhaps pending season you're travelling.
Gas regulator

If we are getting into on the hoof repairs, then the list gets a lot longer! However, it should start with a plastic welding kit!

 

[PP Bear]

Since getting caught out when the roof light security broke, I carry one of the spare as cheap enough and no worry or hassle about securing a roof light that’s insecure.

Then bulbs, waterproof tape for coolant hoses, black nasty tape, fuses, batteries like key fobs, multimeter, nuts, bolts, washers, cable ties etc

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[Two on Tour]

Spare bulbs, fuses, fridge gas burner (glad I did as I had one failed the first night on a two month trip), gas regulator, water pump, water pipe and fittings, loo control pcb, fridge contoller pcb, fuel filter, battery circuit breakers, various tapes, glues, screws and cables, cable ties mirror glass etc.

Spent more time using our spares to get others that don't carry spares out of trouble than getting us out of trouble.

 

[gus-lopez]

In 2013 we went to Morocco... "take a spare fuel filter" was the advise..
Does anyone want to buy a fuel filter for a Ducato, NEW, UNUSED.. but has done some high milage (in the back of a van)

Throw it in the bin.I had a sealed spare in the van for just under 3 years .When I fitted it it collapsed within less than 100kms . & it was a decent make,Mann.

 

[lorger]

I don’t carry anything for the base vehicle apart from oil, I take a decent mixture of tools.
Spare hab water pump
Spare fuses
Gaffa tape
Silicon & adhesive tube
Several different water tap fittings
Cable ties
Mixture of rubber washers and Orings
PTFE tape
Rope
Gas leak detection spray Incase I have to fix anything and want to check it’s ok.
Probably other stuff I can’t think of just now, although this sounds a lot it all fits neatly on the shelf in garage.

 

[WESTY66]

Spent more time using our spares to get others that don't carry spares out of trouble than getting us out of trouble.

This

 

[Jabstatt]

Anything that is simple to buy in UK but impossible in Europe, if you are in Europe! Power socket, breakers, try to think about what you won't be able to access.

And a bucket of patience!

Tony

 

[starquake]

Something we've added is hinges for the bed recently. Sounds odd, but the type used in our van over 3 years we've found are prone to failure. As the under-bed storage is our garage, we use a lot when in europe and the hinge has broken twice. Now we carry two spares of the more modern size, as you ALSO need a drill and to realign the top box's mounting points if you use the older-style (which van came with). 2 hinges add almost no weight, but given they are used on 4 bed boxes (all same parts) and we've already had 2 fail, we carry spare.

 

[SteveE]

Thanks everyone really appreciate the benefit of your combined experiences. I know there will always be things I won’t have to hand but shouldn’t be too far away when needed. Sounds like water pump and gaffer tape are amongst the most common things carried, along side the obvious fuses, cable ties etc. cheers

 

[starquake]

Thanks everyone really appreciate the benefit of your combined experiences. I know there will always be things I won’t have to hand but shouldn’t be too far away when needed. Sounds like water pump and gaffer tape are amongst the most common things carried, along side the obvious fuses, cable ties etc. cheers

THink most useful is a multimeter. Without one you can't diagnose failed fuse versus a broken wire. We have a clamp on with multimeter probes, as then we can diagnose rogue currents too.

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[Whippet93]

I suppose another consideration is your ability to carry out a repair with the spares you carry?
Although having them might save time if you get someone else to carry out the repairs .

 

[SVMC15]

I carry a dpf filter pressure sensor. Had a light flick up which went on driving away. Check with obd and it mentioned the sensor, indicated a fault with it rather than dpf being blocked.

It's very small and not expensive so I now have a spare.

 

[68c]

Think of the worst defect you may have to fix. Take that part with you, which of course means you will never have to use it.

 

[CV20Bobby]

Drivers window wiper blade , ours ripped in France on the very day it decided to have monsoon type rain
Managed to get to pitch , tried swapping wiper from passenger side , no luck different size , managed to get generic one from Carrefour which was longer, stripped the wiper arm down and cut the new blade to correct length and rebuilt the wiper arm and fitted . Save yourself that hassle and take a spare . Hopefully it won’t rain but when you need it Sod’s Law kicks in .

 

[phil1946]

Duct tape for when it moves and shouldn't - WD49 for when it won't move and should - lump hammer for electronic problems!

 

[TGL]

I've not been lucky enough to have anything more than a fortnight away yet as still work, but can't wait to be doing 1 or more months away. Spares have crossed my mind when thinking about those trip and the main thing for me, like you say, would be a spare water pump I think. Otherwise plenty of gaffa tape and a sheet of thick polythene should any of the skylights or windows suffer major damage.

In the seven years I've had caravans/motorhomes, this is the list of spares I've learnt the hard way to keep:

- Spare blade fuses for main fuse board AND also for the vehicle be-it towing vehicle and/or the MH itself. Also a spare internal fuse for the TRUMA heater! Check your boiler model, but typically the following fuses are used:

Truma Ultrastore Gas/Electric (12V/PCB): 1.6 Amp Slow-Acting (1.6A T)
Truma Combi Boiler (230V Mains Fuse): 10 Amp (T10AH)
Truma Combi (12V DC Control Fuse): Generally 10 Amp
Truma Combi D6E / Special Models: 20 Amp fine wire fuse is sometimes required

• Super-glue to fix those things that...well...break.
• PTFE tape
• A small tube of silicon grease for o-rings etc.
• Black electrical insulation tape
• three sizes of jubilee clips for pesky pipe leaks.
• Teflon/oil spray for hinges or to help lubricate draw latch mechanisms. I've had draws jam shut due to the mechanism seizing.
• vehicle lightbulbs (headlights, indicator bulbs, etc).
• Spare internal water pump (Make sure the spare has the right connector. Often you have to swap the original over to the new pump, or buy a connection kit separately)
• Descaling solution. Used to descale and thus stop the back-flow ball valve from leaking (reducing water pressure in the taps/showers). This valve is a clip-in short bit of pipe that allows one-way flow to the boiler. Also, there is another ball valve attached to the boiler itself that sometimes needs descaling.
• For extended travels, I have kept a spare set of replacement valves and seals for the external Whale fresh water inlet point.
• Talking of the Whale brand, a spare external water pump if you use an aquaroll.

 

[StillGoing]

Spare fuses for every type of fuse I have in the moho and also hidden inside the Truma heater.

 

[Two on Tour]

I'm about to add belts for our engine auxiliaries, as they appear to be a pain in the bum to souce abroad and can hold up your trip for days going by other threads on the forum.

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[Howard B]

Other than a tool bag & consumables we carry:
Regulator
Gas burner for fridge
Mirror glass
Reich water pump
Catches for drawers
Locking latch for fridge.

 

[Orion]

I’ll add whatever kind of push locks you might have for internal cupboards and lockers. After having a couple malfunction on the mountain roads in Greece and Crete, which I managed to superglue back together, I decided to keep a few spares onboard. Just as well as another couple have let go on this trip thanks to the state of some off the Moroccan secondary roads.

 

[nicholsong]

I don’t carry anything for the base vehicle apart from oil, I take a decent mixture of tools.
Spare hab water pump
Spare fuses
Gaffa tape
Silicon & adhesive tube
Several different water tap fittings
Cable ties
Mixture of rubber washers and Orings
PTFE tape
Rope
Gas leak detection spray Incase I have to fix anything and want to check it’s ok.
Probably other stuff I can’t think of just now, although this sounds a lot it all fits neatly on the shelf in garage.

That is almost identical to what I have as spare except.........

..........I have two spare water pumps, one for the hot water and one for the cold water.......

........that was a joke. I bought the second spare forgetting I had one already - there must be some Irish in me 'to be sure to be sure'

I would not be without a spare wheel. Had a blow-out in single-lane road works with no proper hard shoulder near Leipzig, and it was on a transverse slope, which needed ADAC to use two jacks to achieve a re-fit.

My other two 'breakdowns' needed a new radiator and a new oil pressure transmitter - not the sort of spares one would normally think of, or could carry.

 

[mitzimad]

bungee straps

 

[Mark1965]

Planning for an extended trip and trying to strike the balance between carrying some sensible spare parts and carrying excessive stuff that I won’t need… Sod’s Law whatever I take I won’t need!

Trying to anticipate what items might be hard to get hold of abroad or frustrating to be without for too long. Would be interested to know what parts people carry. I’m thinking a water pump will make the cut. I’m just thinking about habitation parts rather than cab/chassis side of things like spare bulbs and wheel.

In No Particular Order: Gaffer Tape, Insulation Tape, Selection of 12v fuses, Cable Ties, GT85, Contact Cleaner. Other than that i will buy as i need. Spare Parts are usually available at most Motorhome Dealers/Fiat Professional/ Amazon. If you take everything you will ever need then you will need a support truck following you on your trips!

 

[MrPG]

Thetford flush PCB