What Have You Bought Today?

[Bigsidavies]

After over a week of searching in southern Spain finally found a motorhome dealer with a spares shop.
And…. Got a bit of rapport with the lady serving me who had great English and asked for a discount for cash. She did it for me for €77.

 

[TallPaul_S]

And…. Got a bit of report with the lady serving me who had great English and asked for a discount for cash. She did it for me for €77.

And what about the MPPT controller?

 

[TallPaul_S]

A cheap 'remove before flight' red lanyard.

This will be on my passenger sliding door so when I'm camping and in the van, the key will be clipped onto it. It's red so when I get out the van I'll remember to unclip the key and take it with me! Thus (hopefully) preventing any locked out scenarios!!




I might work out a better way of attaching it to the door grab handle.

 

[Sackmycook]

You need a lanyard to attach that lanyard to....

 

[Bigsidavies]

I put mine in my pocket. I never leave the van without my pants on.

 

[TallPaul_S]

I put mine in my pocket. I never leave the van without my pants on.

Ahh but to remember to put it in your pocket, you have to know where you put them in the van, and remember to take them with you when you get out the van.

That's my idea anyway! If I've woken up, and the keys are 'somewhere' in the van, it's highly likely I'd get dressed, get out the van, and forget them. Especially before a morning coffee! This way, they're there in your face every time I open or close the door.

 

[Ayjay]

@TallPaul_S. Maybe I'm being thicker than usual but how do you manage to lock yourself out of the van when the keys are still inside? I'm an idiot and I'm sure that if it were possible, I would have found a way after nearly 5 years ownership but no!

 

[moomin-j]

A cheap 'remove before flight' red lanyard.

This will be on my passenger sliding door so when I'm camping and in the van, the key will be clipped onto it. It's red so when I get out the van I'll remember to unclip the key and take it with me! Thus (hopefully) preventing any locked out scenarios!!

View attachment 232948


I might work out a better way of attaching it to the door grab handle.

What about hiding a "surf" key on the outside of the van, just for emergencies?
In a small magnetic key safe?

 

[Bigsidavies]

Ahh but to remember to put it in your pocket, you have to know where you put them in the van, and remember to take them with you when you get out the van.

That's my idea anyway! If I've woken up, and the keys are 'somewhere' in the van, it's highly likely I'd get dressed, get out the van, and forget them. Especially before a morning coffee! This way, they're there in your face every time I open or close the door.

I’m very ocd with routine. Lock the van, key goes on the worktop in the corner. Wake up, unlock the van and put it in my pocket.

 

[TallPaul_S]

@TallPaul_S. Maybe I'm being thicker than usual but how do you manage to lock yourself out of the van when the keys are still inside? I'm an idiot and I'm sure that if it were possible, I would have found a way after nearly 5 years ownership but no!

I'm not sure if it can happen but tbh I'd rather be safe than be locked out van, hundreds of miles away from home. I know if you unlock only the tailgate and then shut it with the key inside it locks itself.

I think they lock themselves if you unlock and then don't open a door, right?

What about hiding a "surf" key on the outside of the van, just for emergencies?
In a small magnetic key safe?

Yeah that would be another option.

 

[TallPaul_S]

I’m very ocd with routine. Lock the van, key goes on the worktop in the corner. Wake up, unlock the van and put it in my pocket.

I'm not. Lol

I'll happily put something down, then 30 seconds later be 'where the F did I put that?!'

 

[roadtripper]

I'll admit to locking myself in the Caravelle early on. Parked up for fish and chips, got in the back around the table, kids got a bit cold with the wind so I slid the side door shut.

It was only as the soft close did the final lock I remembered that the child locks were on

 

[TallPaul_S]

Just done a quick test and the van does lock itself if you don't open any doors, after about 15 seconds. Opening a sliding door stops this. So that's good.

However... Have the sliding door open, then inadvertently press the 'lock' button (easily done accidentally) and then close the door, and the van will auto lock once the door closes. Regardless where the keys are!! I don't know how long the timer on that is. It's longer than a minute or so, as it still did it after that time.

 

[TallPaul_S]

I'll admit to locking myself in the Caravelle early on. Parked up for fish and chips, got in the back around the table, kids got a bit cold with the wind so I slid the side door shut.

It was only as the soft close did the final lock I remembered that the child locks were on

Locking yourself inside is fine! And of course you can just walk into the cab and open the front doors.

 

[Johny]

Locking yourself inside is fine! And of course you can just walk into the cab and open the front doors.

Not if it has a bulkhead

 

[roadtripper]

The Caravelle is not a bulkhead thankfully, but "walk" doesn't quite describe the ungainly kid friend profanity limbo around the table full of dinner, between the mid seats and then through the seat gap all with no raised roof.

I guess at least they are both captains chairs in the front and not a 2 seat double.

Anyway we now have the locks off as the younguns are mostly sensible and I don't want to go through that again.

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

I'm not sure if it can happen but tbh I'd rather be safe than be locked out van, hundreds of miles away from home. I know if you unlock only the tailgate and then shut it with the key inside it locks itself.

I think they lock themselves if you unlock and then don't open a door, right?



Yeah that would be another option.

IIRC the "re-lock" feature can be disabled using VCDS

 

[Burner]

The hydra had arrived

 

[TallPaul_S]

About £80's worth of cable, connectors, terminals, fuses etc from 12v planet for the wiring in my kitchen pod.

And this is what £80 of 12v bits looks like...

It's no wonder these things costs as much as they do, there's hundreds in 'bits' everywhere

 

[TallPaul_S]

And some new toys to help with fitting all the above. A ratchet crimper (insulated jaws but comes with 5x spares for other crimps), cable stripper's, and a big honking set of crimpers for the 10mm² and above cable.


The only thing I'm missing is a way to cut/strip big cables like 25mm² or 35mm² stuff.