The Good The Bad and The Ugly

[Corras_t]

Hi all, it’s my first post on here so hello all….wanted to share some of my recent experiences of van and trip and also to ask for some help and advice.
Firstly we have a T6.1 and decided to test it out on a trip down to Spain through France, were mid-way through and currently in Alicante where we’re stopping for a couple of weeks before driving back up. Three stops on the way down, Le Mans, Bordeaux and then in Northern Spain before driving across to Alicante….so my experiences of the van so far..
The Good - The van is outstanding, very versatile, we have the LWB and it does make a difference. Sits comfortably at 70 on the roads and is returning 32 / 34. Fuel so far is roughly £230 since leaving Folkestone…good or bad?? I’m happy with that over 1450 miles….
The Bad…..it feels like the vans limited to 75, it won’t go any faster, it’s a 109bhp, Pendle remap to 150 and getting to 75 is no issue….it just won’t go over that….any thoughts?
The Ugly……ok so a couple of problems where I need some help, 1) The Fiamma Awning leg broke under weight of a storm in the Pyrenees and I’m hoping I can just buy 1 new leg as it’s just a nut and bolt for the bracket but does anyone know if that’s possible and where I would go for that?? 2) the rear barn doors are refusing to open, they’re showing as open on the dash but they won’t budge open, feels like there jammed in….the alarm goes off to say the doors are open and that’s going to be annoying with another 1500 miles to head home soon….any thoughts welcome.

This site has been a really useful source of info in planning my trip so thank you all….

 

[JumpShip]

Our vans a 102bhp and will do more than 75mph (downhill with the wind behind it admittedly ) .
Have you tried the rear doors from inside aswell as outside?
Wind out awning shouldn't be left out in a storm and should always be pegged and strapped at all times to stop the wind whipping them up.
Always pitch them with one leg longer than the other , never flat else the water pools on top .
But yes you can buy each part separately to repair anything that needs replacing .

 

[fax001]

So far as I know you can buy pretty much every Fiamma part to make repairs, whether that be a full replacement fabric or just a pin

Fiamma awnings, Fiamma Bike Rack and Fiamma Ultra-Box for motorhome and caravan from Agent Fiamma

Fiamma awnings, Fiamma Bike Rack and Fiamma Ultra-Box for motorhome and caravan from Agent Fiamma

 

[fax001]

My barn doors have been known to refuse to open.
When this has happened I have reached over the rear seats and opened them from the inside.

 

[Corras_t]

My barn doors have been known to refuse to open.
When this has happened I have reached over the rear seats and opened them from the inside.

Yeah I tried that but the mechanism wasn’t releasing….have now had chance to investigate in more detail and the slave door seems to have become jammed, it’s now free with some BFI from the inside….just need to look at the awning when I can. Thanks though for the info

 

[burnsy79]

Hi all, it’s my first post on here so hello all….wanted to share some of my recent experiences of van and trip and also to ask for some help and advice.
Firstly we have a T6.1 and decided to test it out on a trip down to Spain through France, were mid-way through and currently in Alicante where we’re stopping for a couple of weeks before driving back up. Three stops on the way down, Le Mans, Bordeaux and then in Northern Spain before driving across to Alicante….so my experiences of the van so far..
The Good - The van is outstanding, very versatile, we have the LWB and it does make a difference. Sits comfortably at 70 on the roads and is returning 32 / 34. Fuel so far is roughly £230 since leaving Folkestone…good or bad?? I’m happy with that over 1450 miles….
The Bad…..it feels like the vans limited to 75, it won’t go any faster, it’s a 109bhp, Pendle remap to 150 and getting to 75 is no issue….it just won’t go over that….any thoughts?
The Ugly……ok so a couple of problems where I need some help, 1) The Fiamma Awning leg broke under weight of a storm in the Pyrenees and I’m hoping I can just buy 1 new leg as it’s just a nut and bolt for the bracket but does anyone know if that’s possible and where I would go for that?? 2) the rear barn doors are refusing to open, they’re showing as open on the dash but they won’t budge open, feels like there jammed in….the alarm goes off to say the doors are open and that’s going to be annoying with another 1500 miles to head home soon….any thoughts welcome.

This site has been a really useful source of info in planning my trip so thank you all….

View attachment 257834

I’ve got a similar spec to you, T6.1 LWB 110ps with barn doors. Not sure I’ve tried to push much past 80, just because the 110ps with 5 speed box is slow I suppose. Do you have a 5 speed box? Maybe the gearing is just not up to it.
Did you get your barn door issue sorted from inside? I haven’t had that yet.

 

[Corras_t]

I’ve got a similar spec to you, T6.1 LWB 110ps with barn doors. Not sure I’ve tried to push much past 80, just because the 110ps with 5 speed box is slow I suppose. Do you have a 5 speed box? Maybe the gearing is just not up to it.
Did you get your barn door issue sorted from inside? I haven’t had that yet.

I think it’s perfectly fine for the UK roads as there’s not a lot of chance of keeping it to 75 for long drives whereas through France it needed a little extra and yeah it’s a 5 speed box, door issue is now kinda resolved for now. I don’t know what the van was in a previous life but the rear doors need to slammed shut and I guess that’s what caused the problem.

 

[Lubrown]

I’ve got a similar spec to you, T6.1 LWB 110ps with barn doors. Not sure I’ve tried to push much past 80, just because the 110ps with 5 speed box is slow I suppose. Do you have a 5 speed box? Maybe the gearing is just not up to it.
Did you get your barn door issue sorted from inside? I haven’t had that yet.

My SWB has the 102 engine (no remap) and 5 speed box. Happily cruises at an indicated 80 and can get above that although it’s blooming loud with wind and road noise then. Doubt it goes past 90 though.
To me it suggests the remap is limiting the top end somehow?

 

[ginkster]

The Bad…..it feels like the vans limited to 75, it won’t go any faster, it’s a 109bhp, Pendle remap to 150 and getting to 75 is no issue….it just won’t go over that….any thoughts?

Welcome. What’s the history of the van? Could it have a speed limiter fitted by the previous owner (like many fleet vans or RAC/AA vans)? If it genuinely has 150bhp it should go much faster than 75 - my standard 150 will easily do over 90 in 5th (out of 6). Or possibly the remap is limiting it for some reason.

 

[Badjamin]

Maybe get some WD40 in the mech for the door catches at the bottom and cautiously added to the top ones with tissue to catch excess. If the internals are wedged with insulation it can possibly affect the mechanism, I know when I had mine apart for insulating that it wouldn't open when everything was back in place. If the panels will come off easily you could have a look inside perhaps. As below, these rods clip in tothe plastic and a bit of stray insulation could certainly impded them. Have you tried leaning in the door/pressing it further shut and then pulling the handle? As far as the limiter goes I think they can either be coded to be limited or there is a box - I could be wrong. If it's been remapped they may only have tested it on acceleration when it was coded, they may not have checked for a limiter. You should be getting more than 75 if it's been remapped though. Mines a 149ps and it'spretty rapid so am assuming it's been remapped as I have had 100mph out of her... on the autobahn... just outside Huddersfield...