Dipping my toe in to Campervan life with a Westfalia Nugget

[LincolnLovin]

You never know, I might be lucky and get both

[LincolnLovin]

I think thats whats keeping me in so far, I was given plenty of time to look at the car when viewing and anything I wanted fixed was done without quibble.

[LincolnLovin]

Renting is certainly an option to consider, we've got a summers worth of camping already booked in so we'll need *something* to do it in and I'm still not a fan of tent life.

[LincolnLovin]

Yup, we'll just have to wait and see - always nice to have some extra drama eh?

[LincolnLovin]

Small update, car has gone for its gas/habitation check today then its going back to get the tailgate hinge rust looked at. I received the invoice for the sill repair which was...spartan but I've googled the place that did it and it looks decent as far as I can see, so that goes some way to allay the concerns - I will be calling them tomorrow to discuss what they did etc.

I'll be heading down next Thursday to collect, I might even record the journey there and back.

[LincolnLovin]

Not ready for the caravan stage of life just yet. Bad enough getting a campervan.

[LincolnLovin]

I've kept an eye on the market over the last few weeks and even fairly shagged T4 Westfalia's with 150-200k miles are coming up for £10-13k, and as they are T4 based they have a limited lifetime in our ownership due to the size of our growing family.

[LincolnLovin]

So I finally collecting the Nugget yesterday. It’s in lovely condition and the sill job is decent. The resprayed front bumpers and wheels really lift the car. It drove the 3 hours back with no issue, even though it’s a manual with no cruise it’s a relaxing drive.

Things to work on:

It needs a detail (booked), a new stereo as it’s only got a CD player but it did have a bonus Take That greatest hit CD and possibly a new leisure battery. I’ve got a smart charger on it and we’ll see how it gets on.

[LincolnLovin]

Somerset next weekend for a festival style wedding!

[LincolnLovin]

Any reccomendations?

[LincolnLovin]

So on further investigation the leisure battery installed is a gel one that has been deep discharged so whilst it powers the lights I am not sure how much life it has in it.

I've ordered another alongside a new stereo

[LincolnLovin]

Only got the one picture to hand, but here she is!

This week has mostly been:

Sorting the leisure battery
Fixing a small leak in the sink,
cleaning (inc washing the curtains)
Replacing some rusty screws in the furniture.
Fitting new front tyres (the existing ones were fine but old)
Installing a cheapo bluetooth head unit
Sanitizing the water tanks

[LincolnLovin]

Thanks for the vote of confidence?

[LincolnLovin]

Can't stand caravans, plus I'd need a new car to tow one and then the cost of storing it somewhere.

[LincolnLovin]

One bonus was that a was cleaning the van and found some of those self leveling ramp things mentioned earlier, pure profit!

[LincolnLovin]

Its pretty cheap looking,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08K4DT5TW/ but it works well enough so far.

[LincolnLovin]

Ooo that's a proper motorhome that is!

I've now got a second key! I foolishly forgot to ask if it came with a spare, £70 later and I have a safety net.

[LincolnLovin]

I realised I recorded some footage for this thread and never uploaded it, here is the van 3 hours into my ownership:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4b7a0pKWYY...

I’ll be doing a bunch of 2022 season preparation over the next month, as we have 3 trips booked including a month in the summer in Europe (assuming the Russia situation has calmed down by then).

Last year we had three trips, it really is a great campervan, we visited the caravan and camper show last week and there isn’t really much that seemed a massive upgrade. I suspect when the kids are older we’ll switch to a 6m Westfalia Columbus, but that is a long time away for now.

[LincolnLovin]

So my starter list for Europe:

Install deadlocks
Two small bits of surface rust
Gearbox oil change
General service
Improved interior lighting
Roll out awning
Some form of driveway
Clean water tank
Luggage rack
New rear tyres & check/replace spare

[LincolnLovin]

I've not updated this for a while but progress is continuing with getting the van ready for the 2022 camping season.

I've purchased 6 person folding table, 6 person collapsible day room, whilst a drive away awning (DAA) would be nice, I can't assume that I will have a second pair of hands to help assemble the thing. As we are going to be doing a multiple sites & countries in August, speed of assembly/tear down + lightness is key.

I fitted a new table latch so it is securely locks itself away, £15 well spent and only a 2 minute job, leaving plenty of time to take care of some surface rust that was starting to show in a couple of spots, sadly the Ford silver paint I got from halfords wasnt an exact match but it will do for now.

I also got deadbolts fitted to the car - five in total (two in the tailgate, one on the sliding door and both sides of the cab), the standard ford locks aren't up to much and the ford key is easy to copy. It makes each door feel really secure and will provide some much needed deterrent (I already have a steering lock and clamp).

Two new additions remain to be sourced - a wind out awning and an aftermarket cruise control setup, research indicates that the AP900 with stalk control CM30/35 should be an almost OEM experience. I have a lot of driving to do in the van this year and so having CC would be a real benefit.