What did you do to your van today?

[saxonborg]

Arrived home late afternoon yesterday. Just enough time to get Brunhilde booked in for a full service, brakes check and brake calipers check/clean on 16th May, just about in time for the Hollingworth Rally, so fingers crossed there are no problems! Travelling the A34 on Wednesday night, I hit, not so much a pothole as a scale model of the Grand Canyon. There was a hell of a bang, and I thought there might be a cracked wheel or a damaged tyre; but the M/Home steers straight [short burst of hands off the steering wheel driving and no movement of the steering, no vibration or noises], and we drove a further 400+ miles without incident. Visual check in daylight seemed OK, so I might hhave been lucky. Something for the garage to check ...

Steve

You need hole avoidance radar fitting...... seriously hope everythings ok.

 

[Peregrinator]

Just about to put the chairs out to sunbath, about time, it's been sunny and hot but for the last week there as been a chill wind, here in Algarve Motorhome Park Falesia

 

[gasgas]

........Continued my search for the annoying rattle that has been getting worse over the last few months. .........

That reminds me of a rattle I heard about many years ago on a new Vauxhall of some sort. The owner couldn't figure out this knock each time he drove round a sharp corner. Back to the supplying dealer many times and they gave up. Then one day the car was in a collision of some sort needing a new passenger door. So it went for repairs. The body shop took the door off and inside the door card found a piece of string hanging, with a bolt tied to the end of it. Attached was a note saying "You've found it at last!".

 

[gasgas]

Think I need a rebore and new valves.

And new pistons, and 101 octane 5 star fuel. Remember that? It was 3/11d a gallon. I remember thinking well I suppose Rolls Royce owners could afford it. I think Jaguar E types needed it.

 

[The laird]

Filled and bled water system
Washed birds deposits off
Put extra chairs in garage
Checked fridge temp

 

[runnach]

Filled and bled water system
Washed birds deposits off
Put extra chairs in garage
Checked fridge temp

Did you check Fiona’s purse, or have you bled that dry already?

 

[gasgas]

Yesterday I removed two wheels from Polly Pollensa which being 25 yrs old were rusty. I machine-wire brushed them down and repainted with Hammerite. Today I'll do the other two, or three if I have the time. Then study them to see which ones need new tyres. Then the agonising decision of do I need truck tyres or will commercial van tyres do for a 3300kg camper? And do a bit of research - is a tyre over 10 years old illegal or just 'recommended to change', since it was the spare with loads of tread, no cracks or bulges, and as it was stored underneath no UV degradation.

Today . .. . Very strange. I bought Polly the Pollensa (oh how I hate it when people give their vehicle a name, but what are you supposed to call a Pollensa?) last month so today, having got the new V5 I went on Gov UK to SORN it. To my surprise it said "TAX/SORN status: Taxed not due. Your vehicle is not due to be taxed until 01 April 2025"
I don't recall taxing it. Apart from my terrible memory and the fact that even allowing for that I would rememeber lashing out £350 or whatever it is on tax, I cannot have taxed it since I haven't insured it yet. It was delivered to my drive by the previous owner and has sat there ever since. I'll wait and see if I get an email from DVLA telling me to sorn it or face a fine. I think they do give you a warning before issuing a fine.

Another vehicle I have is a 1983 car which I have just registered as Historic. I know that you have to tax a Historic vehicle, even though the tax due is £0. So again I went on DVLA to tax it and again it said "Your vehicle is not due to be taxed until 01 April 2025". They must have 'taxed' it at the same time as re-registering it as historic but they didn't say so in the notification.

Has anyone else tried to tax their vehicle today and got the message that "Your vehicle is not due to be taxed until 01 April 2025" or is someone in the DVLA feeling very generous today?

 

[trevskoda]

Yesterday I removed two wheels from Polly Pollensa which being 25 yrs old were rusty. I machine-wire brushed them down and repainted with Hammerite.

No no no not the dreaded hammerite.

 

[gasgas]

Smooth Hammerite, not hammered Hammerite. In my experience it is a very good long lasting tough paint . . . . ..
or am I wrong?
We'll see. In any case it has to be an improvement on horrible looking rusty wheels.

 

[The laird]

Did you check Fiona’s purse, or have you bled that dry already?

EMPTY

 

[wildebus]

Smooth Hammerite, not hammered Hammerite. In my experience it is a very good long lasting tough paint . . . . ..
or am I wrong?
We'll see. In any case it has to be an improvement on horrible looking rusty wheels.

For the steel wheels, I used to use thinned Hammerite applied with a spray gun and worked well.
But the wheel needs to be pretty cleaned up for it to be decent - if the wheels are lumpy, I think the hammered version might work better than the smooth?

 

[Sharon the Cat]

Finished the dinette seat covers. The van is new and the Italians seem to think that thin, pale, light cream coloured seating is a good idea. A couple of fleece throws off the market and a few hours with a sewing machine, job done. All I bought was the throws, total outlay £25. I had no choice for the fleece colour, but at least I know I can wash mine and get them back on again afterwards.

 

[wildebus]

Finished the dinette seat covers. The van is new and the Italians seem to think that thin, pale, light cream coloured seating is a good idea. A couple of fleece throws off the market and a few hours with a sewing machine, job done. All I bought was the throws, total outlay £25. I had no choice for the fleece colour, but at least I know I can wash mine and get them back on again afterwards. View attachment 72618

you may not have been able to chosen the colour, but it was a lovely choice none the less super job.

 

[Scotia]

That's me n the dug packed, as usual Christina is at the coo's erse!

 

[trevskoda]

Smooth Hammerite, not hammered Hammerite. In my experience it is a very good long lasting tough paint . . . . ..
or am I wrong?
We'll see. In any case it has to be an improvement on horrible looking rusty wheels.

In my biz it was of the books as sh one t, s blast and prim with 2 pack epoxy and finnish with 2 pack poly.
Hammerite is just a form of household paint containing zylen.

 

[saxonborg]

Smooth Hammerite, not hammered Hammerite. In my experience it is a very good long lasting tough paint . . . . ..
or am I wrong?
We'll see. In any case it has to be an improvement on horrible looking rusty wheels.

I used Hammerite on a small trailer I made using box section and angle iron, it has been in the open for 20+ years and the Hammerite has faired well. People have been using this paint for years and it works.

 

[wildebus]

I used Hammerite on a small trailer I made using box section and angle iron, it has been in the open for 20+ years and the Hammerite has faired well. People have been using this paint for years and it works.

If it isn't 2-pack expoxy and poly, no paint is "real" paint for our Trev

 

[trevskoda]

If it isn't 2-pack expoxy and poly, no paint is "real" paint for our Trev

Industrial standards must be met, only thing we ever sprayed with a hammer finnish was old school lockers, when we did jobs the contractor had the paint spec shed which we had to follow, and it had to be the correct thickness.

 

[wildebus]

Industrial standards must be met,

trev, he is painting bloody motorhome wheels! industrial standards DON'T have to be met

 

[Burge]

Arrived home late afternoon yesterday. Just enough time to get Brunhilde booked in for a full service, brakes check and brake calipers check/clean on 16th May, just about in time for the Hollingworth Rally, so fingers crossed there are no problems! Travelling the A34 on Wednesday night, I hit, not so much a pothole as a scale model of the Grand Canyon. There was a hell of a bang, and I thought there might be a cracked wheel or a damaged tyre; but the M/Home steers straight [short burst of hands off the steering wheel driving and no movement of the steering, no vibration or noises], and we drove a further 400+ miles without incident. Visual check in daylight seemed OK, so I might hhave been lucky. Something for the garage to check ...

Steve

Bet you were near us (Stoke / Staffs) the roads round here are a Total Disgrace & the Council are the same.