What reaaaally bugs you about your motorhome?

[Stretto Boy]

The dinette lights which can't be turned on independently of the main overhead lighting so its like Blackpool illuminations (I know other Carthagos don't have this issue).

In our Carthago - a different model to yours - the sprung light switches in the lounge area have a dimming facility and go very low on maximum dim. Do you have the same?

You may think it a silly question to ask but it took me a year of ownership to discover this feature

 

[huck999]

Fiat Ducato comfortmatic - Push up to change down and push down to change up.

So intuitive!

 

[corconx]

Our last van had a heated waste water tank. All well and good, but someone - in their infinite wisdom - put the switch at foot level under the table.

Firstly, we kicked it on without realising it, but we also couldn't tell because we couldn't bl∞dy see it! Clever.

What annoys you about your van?

I’ll start here; I’m 5 foot nothing, and my motorhome was designed by a 6 foot six left-handed German.

So I can’t reach the cupboards without a stool to open them as you’ll have to pull them so far up, That also means, I can’t open the Hekki

Yet the biggest drawback for me is the kitchen, it isn’t at all like the kitchen in the motorhome we ordered, they have swapped the hob and the sink around, so I have to stand on the left to do the washing up as the sink is now on the right hand side and as I’m so short I’m on tiptoes and my clothes get wet if it’s winter because where you put them to dry in a collapsible bowl on the right you get wet.

Also when we ordered the motorhome, the table to eat from was one that you could lift in and out from the sidewalk, but when the motorhome arrived 11 months later, it was one of those huge fixed one that go up and down.

The other bugbear, which we did know, Is the shower is the smallest we’ve ever had, a bit too narrow.

No I don’t like my motorhome, and seriously considering selling it, and actually giving up altogether.

We’ve owned six motorhomes in 31 years, so we should know what we want, you would think so wouldn’t you?

Carol
www.carolweaver.co.uk/Travel

 

[Clarky]

It’s not a problem for us because I’m the household chef and I’m a lot taller than SWMBO.

Perhaps you could try this solution Richard.

 

[Russell's Dad]

Front windscreen scoosher filling point in the Ducato. No way is a bottle of ready-mix screenwash is getting anywhere near the very well concealed, tiny filler cap.

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[ecky]

Trying to clean the windscreen, inside and out. too damn tall to get to.

 

[Guigsy]

Fiat Ducato comfortmatic - Push up to change down and push down to change up.

So intuitive!

That's the racing car pattern. Going faster you're pulled back. Slowing down you're pushed forwards.

It was the same on my previous Ford and BMW. But I drove a Lexus with it the other way around and I couldn't get used to it.

 

[Clarky]

My gripe is the blind spot the mirrors create when entering a roundabout. I'm bobbing and weaving like Anthony Joshua on the approach.

Ah yes, I’d forgotten the mirrors.
Not so much a problem in the U.K. as we are LHD but a bu&&er in France.
All those pidly little cars the the French love so much just disappear as they charge onto the roundabouts flat out.
Perhaps it’s time to replace these huge mirrors with cameras.

Richard.

 

[Insider]

The 'droning' noise from the passenger side.

I had something similar - more of a high pitched irritating whining noise. Sorted it with some gaffer tape.....

 

[Rapides]

Too many warranty repairs in first couple of years of ownership. Very stressful, eased slightly by finding a dealer much closer to home than the one we bought from.

The crazy cost of keeping the Hymer water ingress warranty going.

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[kevenh]

Ah yes, I’d forgotten the mirrors.
Not so much a problem in the U.K. as we are LHD but a bu&&er in France.
All those pidly little cars the the French love so much just disappear as they charge onto the roundabouts flat out.
Perhaps it’s time to replace these huge mirrors with cameras.

Richard.

"bugger"?

 

[JinxJetJock]

Getting the handbrake stuck up your shorts when getting out

Ooooh errr - missus.

 

[L' Hobo]

We wish that the water heater could make use of the waste heat from the engine so that when you stop after a drive that there is immediate hot water! We had a narrowboat (share) for some years and that had a link between the hot water and the engine. On Bertie we have to put the Truma on when we stop and wait half an hour for hot water. Other than that the only real gripe is engine noise - this is not major but does get a bit tiring after a couple of hours. Whilst we love Bertie very much and have slept on board for almost 400 nights in the last 6 years, the one thing that might tempt me to an upgrade would be a quiet smooth driving experience! I dream of an electric motorhome but I know that we could never afford one of these even if a good one became available. I did wonder about a conversion but the costs are HUGE!

My Murvi does just that, uses the engine heat to heat habitation water, as for the hard to see dials and low handbrake. These were both addressed when I removed the little used swivel from the drivers seat on my Ducato as it lowers it by a couple of inches. Hope that of help?

 

[Fishie]

Not being able to read the Ducato speedo when in shadow. Easy fix would be to change to white background with black numerals. Unfortunately Lockwood don't sell a conversion for the 250 only the later vans.
Also agree with all the comments regarding the steering wheel stalks.
Fiat really need to get there act together if they want to stay top of the go to chassis supplier, especially now the transit is 1k cheaper

 

[Tony50]

I served my apprenticeship on 5 cylinder Gardners.

Great engine in its time

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[Tony50]

Handbrake. Way too low and half the time I cannot be arsed to make sure it is fully released followed by an annoying warning beep/bleep/tone.

 

[Tony50]

My biggest gripe is with the Designers , to stick a Telly up near the roof is not good on the neck.Plus I find it hard to believe that whatever Motorhome you own there is not something you find annoying

 

[Ladylinda54]

What niggles my other half is the oven being so low down in our Rapido. Doesn't bother me, as he does all the cooking. I never use it.

 

[Graham Mew]

Our last van had a heated waste water tank. All well and good, but someone - in their infinite wisdom - put the switch at foot level under the table.

Firstly, we kicked it on without realising it, but we also couldn't tell because we couldn't bl∞dy see it! Clever.

What annoys you about your van?

MKk

Rattles, rattles, rattles, rattles, rattles, rattles.
Ps - I own an Elddis

Buy an IH, no rattles.

 

[Flairy]

Nothing?

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[Derek’soldvan]

The fixed table that was supposed to go up & down but didn’t & took every opportunity to bruise limbs until it got stashed in my loft.

 

[Minxy]

In our Carthago - a different model to yours - the sprung light switches in the lounge area have a dimming facility and go very low on maximum dim. Do you have the same?
You may think it a silly question to ask but it took me a year of ownership to discover this feature

I checked this out not long after we first got it as someone else mentioned that they might be dimmable but no joy I'm afraid, I was intending to alter the wiring so the two lights directly over the table could be switched independently but I'd rather not if I can help it so have been looking at alternatives but not come up with anything so far (not that I've done a lot of 'looking').

When I was rummaging in the attic a couple of weeks ago though I 'discovered' a forgotten light - it's a clamp-on LED desk light, not good enough for when I do jigsaw puzzles (hence why it ended up in the attic) but might be okay for the MH. It's meant to run on 230v but when I checked the 'transformer' block I found it just converts it to 12v so I'll see if it's provides sufficient light and if so I'll run a cable from the side 12v socket in the cab (live all the time when the control panel is on) and clamp the light over the table.

 

[syelad]

Ridiculously large table in our Bailey. Once it’s up you either can’t get into the seats or if you’re already seated that’s you stuck.

 

[tonyidle]

That will give us former 'yotties' an edge.

My gripe is the blind spot the mirrors create when entering a roundabout. I'm bobbing and weaving like Anthony Joshua on the approach.

You obviously have the same trendy top mount mirrors as me

 

[Minxy]

My gripe is the blind spot the mirrors create when entering a roundabout. I'm bobbing and weaving like Anthony Joshua on the approach.

Same issue with our mirrors, earlier models had the mirrors attached lower down so you could at least see over the top of them, but we've got the top mounted 'coach' type ones which not only block the view for the driver but also means you miss some of the lovely scenery trying to peek round them. If the camera systems were cheaper I'd seriously consider replacing ours with their set-up.

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[Lenny HB]

The crazy cost of keeping the Hymer water ingress warranty going.

Depends where you take it we only pay £60 for a damp check.

Do wonder if it's necessary with the inner wall aluminium.

 

[cyberyacht]

I suppose the upside is that, unlike Clarky, I shall be OK 'over there' where, given the kamikaze propensities of Gallic drivers, it will be more important.

 

[Nanniemate]

Paying to run it

 

[Adriaadventure]

Its got to be the back window on our Adria, the window is a push-open to latch, push further to release the latch. The window is in the toilet/shower room at the rear of the MH and is required to be opened regularly when the motorhome is in use.
On the outside of the window is the Thule bike rack and this limits how far the window opens. It opens enough to reach the first 'latching' point but wont open further enough to unlatch it.
We have a solution to live with this issue, carefully wedge it open with a used toilet roll inner cardboard tube. However open the window just a little to far and it latches needing the 2 window stay units to be unscrewed from the window frame in order the open them out and return them to the closed position.
We have to keep a cross-head screwdriver at hand for this operation.
Does anyone know of a 'fix' for this ? ( apart from removing the bike rack, which we use on most trips ).

 

[Landy Andy]

Its got to be the back window on our Adria, the window is a push-open to latch, push further to release the latch. The window is in the toilet/shower room at the rear of the MH and is required to be opened regularly when the motorhome is in use.
On the outside of the window is the Thule bike rack and this limits how far the window opens. It opens enough to reach the first 'latching' point but wont open further enough to unlatch it.
We have a solution to live with this issue, carefully wedge it open with a used toilet roll inner cardboard tube. However open the window just a little to far and it latches needing the 2 window stay units to be unscrewed from the window frame in order the open them out and return them to the closed position.
We have to keep a cross-head screwdriver at hand for this operation.
Does anyone know of a 'fix' for this ? ( apart from removing the bike rack, which we use on most trips ).

Couldn’t you drill a couple of new catch holes, so it catches less open?

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