Author: admin

So occasionally the grandad in the van gets to contribute. Today, this is my first post.

Let’s get this out, straight off the bat, we still love Vanlife. No regrets. No wishing we’d never started. However, these last three months have been tough and we can confirm it’s not all sunsets and beaches. More about that later but let me take you back to the beginning and paint the picture. 

The day we picked our lovely converted van from Russ from @trimporters_van_conversions, in late June 2023, it broke down and was popped onto a low loader around midnight to be taken back home. This was just a week before go-live, with notice given on the flat and all the furniture gone. Not a great start. However, we got that fixed, it was the Nox sensor, part of the emissions system. Expensive, but not fatal. Phew!

Following this our next (big) issue was in September 2023, we were due on a ferry in early October and our handbrake was failing. We just kept visualising the van sliding back and forth smashing into the other vehicles as we crossed the Irish Sea. However, we had to travel north to Glossop near Manchester first and en route were looking for a place to get it fixed. That was resolved in a very random way when I was in a tyre, exhaust and brakes place in Stockport that couldn’t help, but a guy walked in who could. That was a definite lucky break moment. Getting to Ireland safely was assured. 

Then, after a couple of weeks spent relaxing with family in Co Tipperary we set off on our first extended trip along the Wild Atlantic Way, travelling south to north. Well, as you can imagine the October to December period on the WAW was a fun ride, with named storms, heavy rains and strong winds. Guess what though, we sprung a leak in the skylight when in Bantry Bay. We got to work though and thought we’d sorted it, no leak after another wet night. So we headed off to the lovely Helens Bar in Bunaw in Co Kerry. We had a few beers and got back to the van and lo and behold the bed was soaking and the leak had sprung again. Next morning we decided to head back to Co Tipperary and get some help to fix it. On the way back, we hit a horrendous pothole and the collision damage sensor kicked in and we sailed slowly to the side of the road with no power. Fortunately Jules remembered where the reset button was and, with no tyre damage, we headed off, got the leak sorted and set off again. 

Another time we were in Devon, staying on a site with friends for a lovely sunny weekend. On the Monday as we left we managed to catch a bracket holding the fresh water tank underneath the van on a sleeping policeman. This managed to completely dislodge the tank and we had to look for a safe place to pull over and try to fix the problem. Long story short, we ended up near a factory that happened to have a shift in on the bank holiday Monday and a very kind gent from there helped with a trolley and skills/knowledge I didn’t have and we were back on the road again in a couple of hours thanks to the kindness of strangers. 

Just prior to our first full European Tour (France and Germany) in September to November 2024 the diesel heater was playing up. Thanks to Russ at Trimprorters we managed to remove the heater and send it off the Autoterm UK. They tested it and found out it was water damaged, so repaired it and then sent it to Glossop, where we were again before heading to Europe via Ireland for a family wedding. We managed to find a fitter who then got it in place for us just in time. 

Added to these we have also had issues with a melted solar panel connection, and separately a melted inverter plug, which made us realise we needed a smoke alarm in the garage. Especially as we sleep above it. Problems with reversing into a tree and smashing the taillight housing and we’ve lost two wing mirrors in side swipes with other vans. Our sink tap also worked its way loose a couple of times which means we have to remove the fridge to get to tighten it up, we’ve had blown fuses on the inverter and on the diesel heater and a whole host of other small issues.

Now, back to the last three months, Jan to Mar 2025. First off we lost the diesel heater, again. This time during the really cold snap in the early part of the year. The team at Autoterm were great and, though we had to go there twice as the first fix didn’t work, we got it resolved. However, the final fix only happened after we also lost our van heating after the thermostat housing cracked and subsequently the radiator burst meaning we were absolutely freezing for a few days. I also learnt new skills as a mechanic as I was helped to remove the front end of the van, replace the intercooler, radiator and air con units then rebuild the front end of the van. 

That was a long day and an expensive few days too. Not the end of it though as, the Sunday after a gig in Gosport watching the amazing Alan Finlan, the starter motor jammed up. Once we’d got that replaced we headed to Birmingham where we ended up with an emissions system issue, which we hope has been resolved now.

So, as I think you can see, vanlife is definitely not all sunshine and beaches but full of challenges along the way. However, we are still loving it and have learnt a lot of stuff about stuff we didn’t know we ever needed to know along the way.