It was annual service time for the campervan, and at 11 years old I decided a cambelt change was also due. The service itself wasn't too expensive, unfortunately they couldn't do the cambelt at the same time so that meant two successive Saturday morning visits to MK. They also picked up that there was uneven front tyre wear indicating a tracking fault. I wasn't surprised as the 'van has tended to pull slightly to the left.
A garage near to work offers laser wheel alignment so I booked for that and two new tyres. It took two attempts for them to get the steering wheel centred (it's still very slightly off) but they certainly made an improvement. I am going to have to watch my speed though. Rebalancing the front wheels has eliminated the slight vibration that used to come in at just on 70mph which has removed a useful warning!
The cambelt change took a bit longer than I'd hoped so the planned coffee with friends led on to brunch as well! All told it's cost me around £700 but I don't reckon that's too bad. The tracking is the only non-routine expense and I doubt I'll ever have to do the cambelt again.
Saturday 29 September 2018
Saturday 15 September 2018
End of the Trip
The last few days of the trip were spent in a hotel in Llanberis with friends. It was our third (and probably last) year there, we've decided we'll find a different area next year. I visited the Great Orme on the way, and had a minor overheating issue driving to the top. It wasn't significant, just a long steep climb and no chance really for the engine to then cool down. I did note that the bus which arrived a while later had similar problems.
The major reason for being there was to ride on the cable hauled tramway, being on the first service down I had the trams (there are actually two pairs covering the upper and lower halves of the journey) to myself. After a wander round Llandudno it was a lot more crowded on the ride back up!
Saturday I had a short train ride as the Snowdon Mountain Railway had a visiting Swiss loco giving free rides. After that we went for a walk round the lake, it turned out to be a bit further and steeper than I'd anticipated but it was a good walk. Sunday was very wet but we had a wander round Beddgelert then a short walk back over a path I used last year.
There are a couple of conclusions from the trip. I'd like to fit some permanent roof ventilation, whether that's something like a Heki rooflight or just a van ventilator may depend on how brave I am about cutting a hole in the van roof! The advantage should be a reduction in condensation on a morning and hopefully things won't get quite as hot inside. I found the two days where I could leave the 'van on site were great so when planning future trips I'll be looking for sites near railway stations and bus routes or close enough to attractions to use the bike,
The major reason for being there was to ride on the cable hauled tramway, being on the first service down I had the trams (there are actually two pairs covering the upper and lower halves of the journey) to myself. After a wander round Llandudno it was a lot more crowded on the ride back up!
Saturday I had a short train ride as the Snowdon Mountain Railway had a visiting Swiss loco giving free rides. After that we went for a walk round the lake, it turned out to be a bit further and steeper than I'd anticipated but it was a good walk. Sunday was very wet but we had a wander round Beddgelert then a short walk back over a path I used last year.
There are a couple of conclusions from the trip. I'd like to fit some permanent roof ventilation, whether that's something like a Heki rooflight or just a van ventilator may depend on how brave I am about cutting a hole in the van roof! The advantage should be a reduction in condensation on a morning and hopefully things won't get quite as hot inside. I found the two days where I could leave the 'van on site were great so when planning future trips I'll be looking for sites near railway stations and bus routes or close enough to attractions to use the bike,
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)