De-snagging

After our stopover in Adriers we ordered up some parts. The parcel arrived on Tuesday whilst we were out cavorting but The Driver was able to start work on Wednesday. (The grey waste issue was previously sorted on our arrival home from Adriers.) The hab door is now firmly held back when opened and no longer prey to capricious breezes. The broken roof vent came off only to discover that no screws were included with the new one, necessitating a trip to the local Brico store on Thursday as overnight rain was forecast and the job was in need of finishing.

The roof vent is now completed.

The bathroom door problem has not been reproduced since we came home.

A cargo net is waiting to be fitted. Once that is done then the current ticky list is completed. Our next trip may reveal further issues but we can at least hope that it does not.

We should be away some time in the next couple of weeks for a night or two, then we will start packing for a larger adventure.

Further preparations

Vincent has his new fog lights fitted and working and the top bumper cover and number plate have been replaced. He is looking very smart indeed. His GB plate has also arrived.

Mr Snail’s thoughts are turning to the MOT, due in August but which we shall probably have done earlier –  in good time to address any issues before going to France. He believes that new shock absorbers will be required and is considering getting on and fitting them pre-test.

I have been busy pruning my wardrobe down to a volume that I hope will squish into Vincent’s nook and crannies.

No passports yet.

A little change here, a tiny tweak there…

You may recall that when we were  down south over the winter there was a slight argument with a large boulder, resulting in damage to  that part of Vincent that I never knew how to name. Well, it turns out that it is called a bumper cover.

We  bought some materials at a B&Q somewhere and eventually a repair was effected after we got home, having driven many miles with the thing held together with waterproof tape.

Unfortunately another wee accident recently not only ripped the original repair apart but did further damage. When research showed that the ugly plastic thing on the front actually hid a perfectly nice chrome bumper beneath, Mr Snail did the only sensible thing and discarded the offending material.

That was just one of the many tasks that he has been engaged in. I doubt that I can remember them all and no doubt he should probably write up this stuff himself in order to have an accurate record but here goes, I’ll do my best:

  • bumper cover removed
  • chrome bumper polished
  • trim from above the bumper removed, rejuvenated and awaiting replacing
  • new rear camera fitted, to work with GPS
  • old radio removed and  
  • new radio fitted
  • new runners fitted to galley drawers
  • replaced broken cupholder with new one
  • issue with table leg resolved
  • bathroom doorknob fixed so it no longer falls off every five minutes
  • replaced broken sink drain
  • waterpump adjusted
  • passenger seat behind driver removed and
  • replaced with a cupboard unit sourced from our bathroom
  • reversing light replaced
  • replaced fiddly wee doorknobs wii’ summat to grab hold of
  • repaired ceiling fan
  • replaced dodgy outdoor locker handle
  • released sticking gas valve
  • repaired leaky air suspension
  • single power socket in glazed top cabinet aboved wardrobe replaced by a double. Cupboard now designated for electronics storage and safe recharging station.
  • moved thermostat to accommodate new cupboard unit
  • removed superfluous seatbelt mountings

The latest job is an attempt to resolve the radio interference caused by installing the solar panel. The manufacturers say that the issue is to do with the connecting cables and suggest shielding them with aluminium foil.

Tasks remaining:

  • Fit new front fog lights, when they arrive
  • Replace ducts on Eberspächer when they are delivered
  • Fit magnetic locks to drawers as required
  • Fit new wipers – awaiting vendor’s reply as they sent a mismatched pair.
  • ?

The bathroom cupboard is providing a no-cost proof of concept. If things do not work out we can simply junk it on the way south. If it works well we may replace it with something a little more attractive and possibly with slightly more volume.

The van’s MOT is due in August but that is a little close to Le Depart so we will probably take Vincent over to Kirkwall a little earlier than necessary and will be booking that in fairly soon now.

Two door cupboard has one dividing shelf inside and a drawer above

So far I am liking the change with the seat out and cupboard in. We have not gained a great deal of space as the storage below the seat has gone and we can no longer access our bottle store in the seat arm. There is however some additional storage space and all of it is more accessible than the previous arrangement. The van feels more spacious too, with more room for manoeuvre on entering the habitation door.

Not exactly sure yet on how we will use the storage but current ideas include housing our toiletries in the top drawer now that they are displaced from what is now the charging cupboard. We may need to fit a few bottles of wine in the bottom… but mainly I think we shall have a shelf each for our clothes, freeing up the rear clockers for some kitchen items, spare bedding and a pair of camp chairs.

Vincent’s Facelift

Vincent is losing his satellite dish today. After all, we don’t use it and would not. We are going to put his roof space to better use and he is therefore getting a solar panel fitted instead.

We will be able to test the installation next weekend when we go over to the Orkney Folk Festival.

I really must write up our journey home from D&G before we go away so that I can be a little more up to speed when I have that trip to do as well.

Today I woke with the intention of finding a way to move the images from my laptop onto the PC to help me do the articles more easily and more quickly. I switched on my PC, which promptly failed to boot. So, here I am, back on the lappie and struggling with Lightroom and WordPress with a small screen, stupid flat keyboard etc.

Looking on the bright side, at least I have access to the right images!

If the PC cannot be fixed I can at least make progress on the project, albeit more slowly than I had intended.

Vincent has had lots of little repairs and improvements since we came home. I shall try to get Mr Snail to write ’em up.