# OK Brace yourselves - 1st round of Questions



## mauramac (May 24, 2005)

Any help on the following would be very welcome  We have to let Dealer know by next Monday as they are preparing Pollensa for collection and fitting any 'bits' on it for us that we request.

AWNINGS:
Dealer has suggested we have an Omnistor awning fitted to the Pollensa - his reason being the arms/brackets are stronger than Fiamma. I'm not sure I really like the patterns available with Omnistor and always thought Fiamma was the better quality ..... Any thoughts?

ALARMS/TRACKER
We are thinking of StrikeBack alarm and maybe a tracker but not sure if to wait to get Tracker fitted till later. Van Bitz just down the road from collection of van at Highbridge so could organise fitting there. Surprised that no alarm at all on this van, do most people not bother?


MISCELLANEOUS BITS:
Hoses, levelling blocks, connectors etc etc.
Should we make a list and get these at time of collection from Dealer (they don't come with MH) or as we starting from scratch, can anyone suggest a good place & list to pick up the majority of things we will need to get us started. There are 2 gas bottles on the van.

SAT TV & other stuff 
Totally flummoxed as to what I need for this and what is the most economic way to go about it. Van has TV aerial socket and thats about all. Would a flat screen TV cost all that more than conventional TV. Any companies/makes you can suggest I look at? Will want to carry laptop with us and we both use mobile phones so will need to charge up/supply power to these. This may be something we could leave till later but I keep thinking we may be able to get wiring for this done at same time whilst van is being worked on anyway. Trying to be organised 8O 

Thanks for any help -always grateful :wink: 

Maura


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Extras*

Hi

The chances are that to have an awning fitted now by the dealer will work out cheaper than having one fitted later. Ask him the price and then phone another dealer asking for supply and fit. As for brand/type, sorry I am useless.

TV - Satellite TV - no real rush for this - various types on the market such as a manual dish through to an all singing all dancing automatic type. There does not seem to be any fluctuation in the price of the automatic version. Expect to pay about £2000.00 fitted.

Alarm - I do not have on e but check your insurance will cover you without one. What is the value of the van? Instead of an alarm, I had two extra habitation door locks fitted and will be having dead locks fitted to the van later. All brand new vans SHOULD have a CAT1 immobiliser.

Other bits - hoses, levelling blocks etc and probably cheaper elsewhere, but I know it is tempting to buy from the supplying dealer.

Check out

www.argos.co.uk

www.riverswayleisure.com

http://www.caravanpartsonline.co.uk/index.php?product_id=435861&option=Prod_detail

www.outdoorbits.com

https://sslrelay.com/olearymotorhom...nid=15449c43ed0253b/shopdata/index.shopscript

Plus of course the pound shop, Woollies, ASDA living, Halford and more!

Enjoy and a belated welcome to your new home!

Rapide561


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

We had an awning on our last van, but this time round we have bought a 3mtr.width sunshade umbrella with heavy base. this is portable and lets us keep in the shade where ever the sun is.the other alternative is one of those pegola's with sides.seen them in green or white.the money saved can give you a lovely trip to europe or pay for all your bits. As to your question, the omnistor does look more sturdy than the fiamma.the tracker fitted can reduce your insurance premium,only you know if you need an alarm as well.you should get a 25mtr electric cable with the van if new.yes make a list and ask dealer for a discount if you buy it all from him, if you have time shop around for your bits. just remember that you have to store and carry in the van all the items you buy.if it rains have you got room to keep inside.
its a great life though enjoy.


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Hi Maura

My advice would be to do nothing in a hurry except buy the essentials (hook-up lead, kettle, bedding etc.) Take delivery of the van, drive it around, take it away for a night or two (or spend a weekend on the drive in it) and you'll soon find out what *you* need as opposed to what other people regard as essential.
Then book into one of the show rallies and go shopping with a list and a bulging wallet. You'll pay less for everything and have the benefit of lots of choice together with the experience of other members to advise you on the best items to buy and who to buy them from. It's common to have awnings fitted at shows so why not try that option? No need to have one immediately you get the van. Obviously the alarm might be more of an immediate necessity, dependent on where you are keeping the van and how you intend to use it. I believe that Vanbitz have a good reputation so they might well be a good choice if you think you need one fitted immediately. Be sure to ask for a MHF discount!
Satellite TV (and I do recommend it as the best option) needs a lot of thought - but can be installed very cheap if you have some DIY skills. With a roof mounted dish you're looking at anything from £300 upwards but a portable set-up can be bought for less than £100. For things like phone chargers, laptops etc, buy a small inverter (150 or 300 watts) from Maplins. These are very cheap and will always be useful as a standby even if you buy something more sophisticated at a later date.


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## Mike48 (May 1, 2005)

AWNINGS

Omnistor is slightly more robust. I have a Fiamma and it is fine.

ALARM

I personally would'nt bother but it depends on your degree of nervousness. Others will no doubt vehemently disagree. Remember your Transit is already immobilised. 

MISCELLANEOUS BITS

Your dealer should really give you a lead. I don't think you will need much more to get you started. 

SAT TV

I would'nt bother for present at least. A cheap stop gap option for foreign travel is to get a small DVD player with loads of pre-recorded DVDs. Some foreign sites have installed TV points which simply involves plugging in your TV aerial lead to a pitch side bollard. Make sure any TV you buy is multi standard with PAL B/G for Spain and SECAM(???) for France. 

In the UK a TV aerial with suckers is OK for the short term. Definitely go for a flat screen TV. Most are multi standard. Remember everything you take consumes valuable space. So before you buy anything think where it is to go and if you need anything buy small/compact. Whatever van you own storage is nearly always at a premium.


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## mauramac (May 24, 2005)

Right, thats good advice and have taken it on board. Will just stick to the essentials to get us started and will go to one of the shows with my list....I blooming hate shopping....but maybe this will be fun   

We made the mistake of asking for an awning to be fitted and it got added in with the price negotiation so not sure if I can pull out of that one.

We do have a factory fitted immobiliser but the 2 Insurance companies I have contacted for a quote are saying that Cat 1 alarm is a must unless I want to pay higher premium - being close to Van Bitz for the pick up made me think might be easy to go there. However - Dealer might be prepared to put on alarm instead of awning if I ask him. Would save a bit of time for us. If MH has to go to Van Bitz we will have to stay down there for a few days. Aha another option to think about.

Thanks again for replies will rewrite my "Must Do's" and get on with other stuff. Have to get my applications filled in for the MH Clubs now.

Cheers
Maura


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Shopping*

Hi again Maura

The thing to remember is that where motorhomes are involved, they seem to enjoy costing their owners money!

Not including obvious items such as crockery, pans etc, my shopping list to date has included...

Thick rubber matting for the under floor boot
Restraining staps for things in the boot
Thin rubber matting from Poundland
Various storage solutions such as the infamous crockery holder
Large plastic boxes for in the boot
Wall mounted liquid soap dispenser
Extra oven shelf
TV/DVD combi
Silver screen covers for the windscreen
The motorhomes "own" sets of bedding etc
First aid kit
Hi viz jackets
Warning triangle
Hose pipe and various connectors
Gaslow European adapters

This is in addition to the factory fitted occasional coffee table and Gaslow system!

Awaitng delivery/installation (both these are delayed due to the van's niggles) are Dometic roof mounted main/engine powered aircon and an auto satellite dish.

The best part of all - was it not for Oscar I would never have got involved with vanning!

In the short term, I rob things from the kitchen for my trips etc.

Come next January all the domestic pots and pans will be moving in to the Kontiki too.

I think Jim said that George was bursting at the seams - I know the feeling!

Enjoy your new van and let's have a photo as soon as you can!

Rapide561


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

Muaramac

Be sure to check EVERYTHING.
The new Pollensa I collected a few weeks ago was missing the rear ladder (now to be retro fitted by the dealer).

Apart from a few niggles - the Pollensa in the "muts nuts"


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## haydntal (Jun 20, 2006)

SHOPPING

Yeah, you could write out what seems like a never-ending list. We bought our first van in March after trailer-tenting for years and though we added a lot of extras before it left the shop (awning, gaslow, bike-racks, top-box) we are still short of a number of items (probably non-essential) and could spend a fortune if we got carried away.
One piece of good advice we got was that we should buy an awning that was as big as the van could take. We had a 4 metre Fiamma fitted and are very pleased with it. There is enough room for a large table & chairs plus bikes & other bits & pieces. Handy if it rains!!
Get your supplier to pipe the gas to the side of your van for your barbrecue. This will eliminate the need to carry an extra cylinder.
For the first couple of months we carried a 15" portable TV with us but it took up too much space. We surrendered in the end and have bought an Avtex W115D six in one flat screen for £400. It plays DVds, Connects to a computer, is a radio and can read camera smartcards. We connect it to a satallite dish on a tripod outside. It works well. We did get the dealer to wire two points (for SKY Plus) on the outside to connect the cable from the dish to our box. We paid about £50 for the dish and LNB & about £35 for the stand. Best deals from www.satellitesuperstore.com

Good luck


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## trevorf (May 16, 2005)

Our last van had Fiamma awning, present one has Omnistore which we find much better. More robust and easier to fold the legs away. 

As for accessories, I would try somewhere like towsure or Outdoor Bits. If you are planning to attend a show in the near future then some good bargins and plenty of choice can be found there. 

I will have to pass on alarms and Sat TV as we have neither. 

Trevor


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## 89564 (May 28, 2005)

Mauramac

As i know you value my opinions i thought i should let you know.

I have no tv in the van but then i do not have one in the house.
I do not have an alarm, although i do fit a 'Clutch Claw'
The van arrived with an awning but it has never been unfurled in sunny anger.

I have however got a saucepan. :lol: 

So i agree it is best to wait a while and see what fits with Y O U R motorhoming style.Birdsong & sunsets might become more important than East Enders whilst you are away. 

An electrical lead/gas/toilet chemicals are probably indispensable.

Any help?

Nick


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## mauramac (May 24, 2005)

Moondog Nick, you are barking :lol: I don't even want to know what the saucepan might be for.

Eastenders???? whats that?????

Birdsong and sunsets already very high on our agenda, living in lovely part of Kent and with Irish farming family background, we definitely prefer the outside views to the inside ones. 
TV purely for those days when good old British weather just too nasty to put a toe out and a few other programmes we both enjoy. 
Must have Laptop to keep in touch with my family or I really can't relax (sad but true, and the curse of most Mums I think)....even sadder is that they both in their 30's and also think I'm nuts for worrying about them  

Always a real pleasure to read your words of wisdom :wink: 

Keep barking.....

Maura


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## mauramac (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Shopping*



Rapide561 said:


> Hi again Maura
> Silver screen covers for the windscreenRapide561


Eeeek forgot all about them :?

Will be going to the next big show with a bit of luck and a large purse 8O

How is it going with the Dealer then Russell, did you manage to get your few probs sorted out. Hope so, and thanks for taking the time to be really helpful. There are a few photos already posted under the Off topic forum headed We've got one at last, Rob kindly put them on for me as I couldn't work out how to do that 

TonyT...You got a Pollensa and live in Essex? we must almost qualify for a Rally :lol: did you ever get those pickles?? Will bring you some good old Kent ones soon as we get the MH. Our Pollensa has its rear ladder thankfully as it is 1 year old. Also has a bike rack, bit of a laugh as last time I tried to ride a bike I fell off...You DO forget how to ride a bike.

Trev and others, thanks guys, you have reassured me about the omnistor and also the sales guy at Highbridge who told me exactly same thing.

:evil: Blooming list keeps changing tho. :evil:

Cheers

Maura


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## Bagshanty (Jul 24, 2005)

I'm with Moondog.

We tried an awning on our last van - waste of money, space and weight. It rarely gives you shade - you'd need to be on the equator for it to be f=effective, then only at noon! Instead, we have used a 3 metre umbrella for a few years, but have just migrated to an easy put up pavilion thing, which you can put up wherever. 

TV - we don't understand how people can't imagine life without a TV - we don't have one at home (contrary to whatever the TV licensing gestapo think).

A mistake to avoid is thinking every accessory is a must. It ain't, and just makes life complicated. Keep things simple, and it's all easy. Get used to your van in plain vanilla mode, then see what you REALLYT need. Suppliers will relieve you of your money in no time, persuading you you cannot do without the lastest gizmo. Resist, until you've used the van in anger for some time.


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