Just to throw in my 2p’s worth – owned a Trafic for nearly 5 years now and I’ve had two major bills during this time, one was for a recon gearbox (known roller bearing issue with the PF6 gearbox) and the second was for a replacement injector. The injector wouldn’t have been too bad if it wasn’t seized in solid. In my view the reliability of vans is proportionate to cars, its the cost to fix van’s that seems to be a little more expensive.

I reckon you either get a ‘proper’ sized van, or stick with the A4 estate. You mentioned you have lots of kit, a berlingo might give you a little more space, but its still going to be packed and not as nice to be in / drive as your Audi…..

There must be something in the air….

I have an 11 plate Trafic with the 2.0 engine. Low mileage, 72k. Converted camper. Sport edition, air con, tow bar, its a nice van.

Last week injector no.4 copper seating washer has failed. Its been in my local garage all week and the fella simply cannot get the injector clamp bolt (let alone the injector itself) undone, its stuck.

I’ve arranged for a mobile specialist injector removal person to go and fix it for next week. It’ll probably be costing me around £700 ish plus his travel fees.

The injector issues on this engine are sadly really common. I’m paying to get mine fixed and keep plodding along. I’ve looked after this van and to buy something similar is just a silly amount of money right now.

Taken our spaniel out many times, he’s well trained now and sticks near the back wheel. I attach a small bell to his collar so I can hear him. However I am aware that he’s not one for running all the time, as @tonyd mentioned he does like to explore and have a good sniff etc.

Mine enjoys it best when we’re out sessioning short downhill sections rather than big loops. He gets the 2/3 mins of bonkers chasing, followed by the exploring as we pootle back up the climb. Never taken him to a trail centre and I very much doubt I will unless its a super quiet time (e.g a term time Monday / Tuesday morning)

It was talked about in chat a couple of weeks ago, but a K9 Sport Sack gives you some great options when you want a longer day out on the bike with the dog….ours is used a fair bit and the dog enjoys it.

K9 sport sack – https://www.k9sportsack.com/

Not cheap but it was the best solution for us. I have the ‘knavigate’ version for our 15kg cocker spaniel. Required a little training for our dog to get used to it but is absolutely great with it now.

We have the Atera rack too on our Trafic camper with barn doors. Being able to get into the back really does help lots with a small camper. Previously we had a Thule towbar bike rack and it was a massive pain having to unload the whole thing.

My only gripe with the Atera Strada DL is loading it. There’s possibly a way round it but my Orange Alpine has to go on last as the holding arms for the other bikes simply can’t go through the frame as the shock gets in the way. It’s the heaviest bike as well, I’d much rather it be first on.

Yes – built my own using a dual motor base from Amazon (£179) and a laminate oak worktop.

It’s absolutely rock solid and is the exact width and depth I wanted it to fit the room.

The hardest thing for me about having a sit stand desk is making sure I actually use it standing up. Sometimes I forget I have the ability to do so!

Had a similar issue on our Fiat 500 1.2 petrol. Started up from cold fine but if you tried to start it again from warm, randomly it would just refuse to start.

Cause: Fuel pump. When turning on the ignition you can normally hear the fuel pump prime for a few seconds (its a small car so easy to listen for). However when it was refusing to start the fuel pump simply was not working. An old school tap with a hammer got it going again for a few days until I fitted a new one.

No codes logged either – no EML light or anything.

If the fuel pump is under the rear seat bench – maybe take that out and listen for it? Not familiar with the MX5 but I imagine its a very easy swap and fairly cheap to buy.

His dog is a beagle, it’s like suggesting he teach a lion not to eat things.

Ridiculous statement. A lion is a wild animal. The beagle breed has been domesticated for hundreds of years, just like most other dogs that we keep as pets. Beagle’s can (and should) be trained like other domestic dogs for recall and in the other posters case, being comfortable in a harness. I have friends which are beagle owners and they are fine to be off lead with perfect recall. The key is thorough, consistent reward based training.

I’ve got one of these canopy’s from https://wildearth.online/

Basically the same as what ‘db’ described. It’s essentially a lightweight tarp made out of good quality ripstop fabric with a kador strip sewn on one side. Takes minutes to put up and down and isn’t expensive. My only negative feedback on it would be is that the poles are powercoated steel and do suffer from a little surface rust on the edges.

It survived a very gusty night on isle of skye (too many beers and I forgot to put it down before bed!) where a fair few awnings were a little wonky the next morning….

Apologies for slight thread drift but are the recommendations above better at stopping the dog “backing out” of the harness?
Currently using a Halti anti pull harness and only asking because of an embarrassing 20 mins yesterday chasing a Beagle around 3 fields…..

The harness is not the issue. You need to train your dog.

I’ve got two ruffwear harnesses for my cocker. One standard ‘front range’ harness that’s 3 years old now and hardly any signs of wear. This is daily use from local walking to full day trips out in forests, hills etc. Plus it’s been in the washing machine loads of times from when he decides to wear some ‘eau de fox sh*t’!

The second one is the ‘doubleback belay harness’ but that’s only used for when its more climbing than hiking. It’s seen much less use but still holding up perfectly.

The ruffwear range is probably the best range out there. As someone mentioned above, it’s used by mountain rescue teams and for good reason. If the issue is that the harness is getting destroyed when your dog is running free then you need to take the harness off before you let him off and play.

I’ve got the ‘knavigator’ rucksack from here: https://www.k9sportsack.com/ there’s a few online shops that are uk based.

We’ve not had it long, My cocker spaniel spaniel is still getting used to it, but does enjoy it so far. He hates the bike trailer (and so do I!).

They are a bit pricey but I’ve not found anything else like it on the market….

JL Vans in Cheshire. I didn’t end up buying from then in the end, but they were very helpful when I was enquiring a year ago. They are more than happy to hunt down the right van for you as well.

With July 15th being the date where Scotland can open it’s campsites, I was gutted to find out that the Glenmore campsite is staying closed till 2021! We had three bookings there for this year.

Amazingly today I’ve managed to secure a couple of nights at Loch Lomond followed by Skye and Loch Ness starting from July 15th. Not our usual choice of placed to go, but I’m just happy we’ve got something to look forward to. I can’t wait. First time away in the camper this year!

We’ll be trying our hardest to spend some money in the local areas. Will see what’s open / pubs doing takeaways etc.

Anyone else got anything booked from July/August?

I recently upgraded our wireless network using the Netgear Orbi kit. It’s a bit over your budget (approx £180). My setup and situation is similar to yours. I’ve put my ISP supplied router into modem mode and let Orbi do all the heavy lifting. Currently have 24(!) wireless devices all bumbling along nicely and have had zero drop-outs. My second Orbi satellite is upstairs which connects wirelessly to the main Orbi base which is next to the router (connected via ethernet)

I did a fair amount of research. I nearly went for the Ubiquiti Alien kit but watching some youtube reviews shown that the Orbi was faster over longer distances. What’s good about the Orbi is that it has a dedicated wireless backhaul connection between each of the units – basically its own wireless highway to transfer the traffic between the satallites without any of the connected devices taking up the same bandwidth. Nearly all the others I looked at must be wired in order to have the same backhaul.

However even my Orbi setup won’t quite reach all the way down to the garage, which to be fair is at the bottom of the garden. I’ve just got a cheap TP Link powerline adaptor running in there as it’s only me who uses it for Alexa and things.

I think my only critism would be the setup, although it was ‘easy’ it was faffy – I spent a good hour or two setting it up just the way I wanted it, doing a firmware upgrade, making sure the satallite had a strong connection to the base (there’s the official mobile app you install which tells you) but it was time well spent. Zero complaints from anyone since!

My Trafic camper conversion is running 205/65/16. Currently have fitted the Agilis CrossClimates (van flavour) They are squishy if cornering hard, but nice and comfortable and they are wearing ok as well. Drives nice and stable on the motorway.

Yup, DVD drives are long gone! Easiest thing to do is buy an external usb DVD drive. They’re fairly cheap now.

£600 won’t get you much I’m afraid. You’ll need to spend at least a grand. Based on your needs (important bits being a 2060 and 17 inch screen) here’s two options:

Budget: https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-nitro-5-an517-17-3-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-rtx-2060-256-gb-ssd-10206002-pdt.html

(My)Reccomendation: https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-omen-17-cb0588na-17-3-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-rtx-2060-1-tb-hdd-512-gb-ssd-10193589-pdt.html

Difference between the two: 144hz screen (makes a huge difference for gaming), double the ram, double the m.2 ssd storage space (and a HDD), and it has a Thunderbolt port. For some Thunderbolt doesn’t mean much, but it gives a hell of a lot of flexibility, including the option to attached a desktop grade GPU via an enclosure in the future. You can’t upgrade the GPU’s in laptops (there is the very odd exception) so its worth keeping in mind.

I’ve had gaming laptops for years now. I’m currently on a HP Omen and I’d recommend them. It gets loud when the fans are at full tilt but its the same for any gaming laptop really.

If you were considering going on holiday in Scotland where would you be looking (top 5 places/areas if you are feeling generous!)?
Our favourite places in Scotland (highest ranked first) is:
Cairngorns (specifically Glenmore / Aviemore)
Shegra / Sandwood Bay
Applecross
-We’ve not been Glencoe yet so we’re doing that for Easter this year. Will report back if this is a new favourite!
-Also not done the islands, that’s on the to do list this year

We have a campervan so this feedback is mainly campervan specific. However we absolutely love Aviemore / Glenmore as nearly all outdoor activities are on the doorstep. Watersports on the loch, lots of MTB, winter sports (during the winter!), hiking, and plenty of paid for activities at Rothiemurchus. We now go up there at least 3 times a year (from Cheshire).

We did spend Christmas at Pine Bank Chalets staying in a log cabin in Aviemore and had a brilliant time. Close enough to the pubs / bars, and still having all the outdoor stuff a short bus ride/drive away. I have noticed they are building a rather large Premier Inn next door to the log cabins though…..

What times of year would you consider?
Our general rule is campervan during BST, glamping or log cabins during DST. Not my rules…..other halfs!

Would glamping be of interest, and if so would you be looking basic or luxury?
Personally we prefer a more luxury glamping experience, but this is biased as we’d only pick this option during the colder months.

What length of stay would be most attractive (weekend/mid week/full week/multi-week)?
If in the van then long weekends are what we do. Drive up Thurs or Fri, leave on Monday. For glamping or log cabins we usually book 7 days.

Other feedback – we have a dog, so dog friendly accommodation is an absolute must. What we also look for is any sort of pub/bar within walking distance that is dog friendly. If there isn’t one nearby then we wouldn’t stay for more than a night or two.

That’s a shame….did he not plug it into diagnostics and tell you of any codes that were logged? RAC did that for me last time when I was still figuring mine out. I had code: P0087,Fuel Rail/System Pressure – Too Low .

I had this exact same issue with my 1.8 TDCI connect. Probably the same engine. Mine was down to a cheap euro car parts fuel filter. Swapped it out for a proper Bosch one and all issues resolved. If it is the same engine then they’re meant to be ‘self bleeding’ and I think the fuel filter plays a part in that.

If this has only started since swapping that fuel filter, then focus round there.

If you are running a Bosch one, it could be faulty, but rare. Always worth trying another and it’s the easiest option. I guess you’ve checked all the connectors to make sure they’re all properly on, o-rings are still ok etc, any fuel leaking anywhere? If you can’t see or smell any diesel fuel then try another filter.

@doubleu what bike cover are you using?

Just this cheap one from amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01CIE270Q withan extra bungee round it. Does the job ok.

To be fair this can be done with any recreational vehicle, and even tents if you are efficient.

Yep I agree with that, we did it with tents for a few years. Now we don’t have to deal with a wet tent after getting home!

I bought a campervan at the start of the year, I’ll give you my views on some of the points you’ve raised.

For starters, our’s isnt a VW. Its a Renault Traffic Sport SWB with a full conversion inc pop-top. Its essentially the same all over minus the VW scene tax.

I sold my car in order to buy and run it. For me, I can’t afford to run two vehicles but my other half has a car so we do have another car in the household. I commute 3 days a week to the office, and WFH for 2. I commute in the van and its no issue whatsoever.

With regards to mileage, we’ve already done 10k so far this year but we’ve hammered it. Been Scotland 3 x times, Cornwall once, lots and lots of weekends in Wales. My yearly commuting mileage is only around 3k. I wouldn’t get hung up about mileage, its there to be used so make the most of it. The more important thing is looking after the van – regular servicing, decent tyres, regularly cleaning and taking care of all the insides etc. I reckon we’ll hit 18k this year with the remaining trips planned.

Running costs – yes its more but not hugely so. For fuel its working out around 38mpg. Servicing is more expensive. Tax is £240? My insurance cost is no different from having a car.

Day to day usage – the only thing you may struggle with is some multi-stories (depending on van roof) and skip runs. For the rest, if a car can park there so can a SWB van.

Pop top – I’ve slept up in ours once but really its for the kids. If you get a thermal wrap around for the colder months its fine. We have an electric oil rad for winter (and we’ll get hookup as well) or get a diesel heater fitted.

Bikes on the outside – I was wary of this to begin with. But I’ve got two huge secure gold rated locks which lock the bikes to the towbar itself whilst on the (towbar) bike rack, and a cover to go over them all. Never had any issues at all. Obviously I still wouldn’t leave them unattended in a dodgy carpark etc, but campsites have been absolutely fine.

It’s been a revelation having it though. There’s been many times we’ve finished work on a friday, packed some clothes, chucked some beers and wine in the fridge and hit the road, and a few hours later all setup somewhere awesome ready to go hiking/biking/(insert outdoor activity) for the weekend.

The last bit is important – my view is that they’re suited to outdoor active lifestyles where you need to bring your own equipment and there’s not normally the option of accommodation nearby. If its mainly just general sightseeing stuff then it may not be for you.

We had a sort of similar situation when we took on our cocker spaniel, re-homing him from another family. A confident 4 month old dog, however after a week or so simply refused to go for a walk not far past our driveway! It was clear that he was not happy and scared of something.

It took us about 8 weeks to get him able to walk from the front door, but we persevered and used various techniques. The best one that worked to start with was to drive out somewhere and walk back to the house, whilst at the same time making the walk the most fun thing in the world – lots of games, tug-of-war, treats, praise for even just walking alongisde etc. We had to create the mindset that a walk was going to be super fun and safe. Once the confidence grew, we started walking from the house, and constantly mixed up the routes whilst keeping up the praise, treats etc.

One mistake we did make to start with was using an extendable lead, in the hope that giving him a bit of freedom to roam wound help. It didn’t and it actually made things worse. By switching to a normal lead and keeping him fairly close, making lots of fuss and giving treats just for walking by us allowed him to build that trust in us and the walk.

I was there last month – its still free. The road to get up to it however is exceptionally steep and single lane. Also the carpark itself has craters bigger than the moon.

Thank you – after looking into it that I think that’s the closest we’ll get. It looks to work by reserving your weekly slot by making a suggested order 6 days in advance – and you simply go in and edit that order before the cut off date. That will work for us.

I have to order at least once before I have the ability to use the reserved option – that’s easy.

Wait, so in 2 years the oil wasn’t changed?

When I leased a Yeti a while back on a 2 year deal that didn’t require a service. It was on the ‘long life’ VW servicing schedule. My deal was 10k mileage per year and I did 19k overall. The service was not due until 22k…..

I did pay for the maintenance option on mine though. It was an extra £13 a month, however I had two punctures during the term both in the sidewalls which needed new tyres. All covered for within the maintenance package. I just rolled up into an ATS garage and they changed it straight away. No problems. For me it was worth it.

A few weeks ago I picked up an 11 plate swb Trafic sport with full conversion. Its got 6 gears, air con, sat nav, alloys, towbar etc. Low mileage too at 45k. Its the 2.0 dci 115. I love it, drives great. I use it as my main vehicle. I’m currently getting 38mpg according to the trip computer.

Not sure if the injector issue has been fixed on the new ones (that you’re looking at) but the main cause for it on the older ones was a leaking scuttle panel seal allowing water to pool in the injector housings, causing them to seize and fail. There’s loads of videos online on how to strip and re-seal properly. I had a garage do mine, hopefully should prevent it from happening.

The Yeti will fit 2 enduro bikes in upright with the rear seats out and just the front wheels off the bikes and droppers down. Did it for 2 years when I had mine.

If that compromise is a bit too much, just get a van :)

We did it last year in September and had a great time. Only really had midgies when we stopped at places with no wind. It wasn’t too busy and the weather was amazing.

We used this stuff for midgies and it works wonders. Just make sure you put it on any bare skin as they will go for places you have missed. I didn’t get bit once. The midgies will still land on you but fly away almost immediately. – https://www.lifesystems.co.uk/products/insect-repellents/expedition-100-plus-spray

I took my frame to a lbs yesterday as I wanted two headset cups pressed in. Already had the headset bits from Superstar. I always feel a bit bad going into a lbs just to get such a simple (but requires a specialist tool) job, so I make it as quick and as easy as possible. Two cups ziptied to the frame which was stripped bare.

Job done in 10 mins, cost £5 and even chucked in a new gear cable outer for me as I wanted to buy one. Winner

We did it last year in the camper and took the bikes. I suggest the camper option myself. I’d really recommend planning in a stop at Sandlewood Bay. It’s not accessible by road, but there is a small car park with public toilets and a donation box. A 4 mile walk/mtb ride and the reward is the nicest beach I’ve come across so far in the UK. Take a picnic and enjoy it.

If you stop at Ullapool, there is only one campsite which doesn’t take pre-bookings but its very big and you shouldn’t have any problems getting on.

Yep – 07 transit connect here. Had it for 18 months now. Previously had a lease on a yeti which was up, my commute at the time was 3 miles so decided to buy a cheap van. Wouldn’t go back.

If you have a second car in the household then its easy. The only thing that gets annoying is not being able to do runs to the council tip. Need to apply for a permit.

Company car for me in your position. Fixed cost which you’ll benefit from when your skint with a new mortgage next year.

Actually I didn’t think of it like that – you’re right. Savings will be minimal at best for a while after buying. If something catastrophic did go wrong with a cash runner then I’d be struggling.

I did have a mooch at some PCH deals but after adding on excess mileage charges and maintenance it didn’t seem great.

Still keeping the van though :D

There is a spotify app – I dont think its properly official but does the job (to a degree)

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/watchify-for-spotify-on-watch/id1012564934?mt=8

Wallop – I’ve just checked for you – and yes there is a BBC 6 Music playlist on Apple Music :lol:

Can’t comment on spotify I’m afraid as I ditched it in return for the free 6 months apple music subscription for joining EE. From what I can see though the Spotify app doesn’t allow you to download to the watch for offline playback – you must have your phone nearby.

Thats where apple music differs – you can download the songs/playlists to the watch.

Apple music interface in general isn’t as slick as Spotify, but I’ve got used to it now.

On another note, was in the gym last night with just my watch – I had the watch app gymaholic running whilst listening to apple music over bluetooth. The other half called me, and I was able to take the call perfectly. I was amazed how it all worked so seemlessly. Its great!

Battery life yesterday 7am-11pm with 1.5h workout, some music and a 15 min call – 60% remaining.

To some its a dealbreaker the 4G thing and I get that. The usual riding spots I go to do have 4G so for me its fine. I guess for others it may not be.

Wearing it on the trail – yes its a risk. You can buy ‘ruggedised’ cases for them on Amazon. I’ve yet to decide whether to try one but they are available.

The LTE does have 16gb storage as opposed to 8gb

Oh it will easily do that. The killer battery feature is making / receiving calls on it (cellular version)

Which ironically is one of the main reasons I bought it. When I now go riding the usual trail centres I no longer need to take my phone. If I did need to call because of an emergency then the watch will do it. One thing to note – it only works on the 4G frequency. EE do have great coverage though.

Now I just realised you’re after the non-LTE

Anyway my first apple watch and I’m very impressed with the information it can give. After the run tonight it’s even given me an estimate v02 max. Strava, Mapmyrun, MyfitnessPal, Gymaholic apps all seamlessly integrate and speak with each other now so I literally have so much data to play with.

Got my Apple S3 watch on Friday. Not been riding with it yet. So far its fantastic. Did my 20 min calibration run tonight whilst listening to music via bt headphones on apple music. Battery so far is holding up well. Not used the cellular features much yet but I have enabled it.

Any questions fire away…

The thing is with the indoor karts, they weigh so much, have plastic tyres and little power so are completely different machines to what ‘proper’ karts are like.

Smoothness is the key. Use the whole track and make sure your corner entry speed is right so your not still trying to slow down halfway through the bend. You need to keep your momentum up as much as possible. Nearly all indoor karts have a device on the pedal cables to prevent you pressing both the accelerator and brake at the same time, so trail braking isn’t really possible.

To be honest, as someone mentioned you shouldn’t really need to use the brakes at all with indoor karting, mostly just letting off for the tighter bends does it.

One thing I personally like to do is use one of the seat inserts to make the seat tighter. The seats are usually massive and its much better to be held in properly.

And if you really want to be competitive, get down there the day before and do some practice laps! :lol: