Al-Ko Responded Eventually

Ahh............at last a response from Al-Ko to the dealers.

I have to return the jockey wheel to the dealers who will forward it to Al-Ko for them to assess it and decide if they will replace it under warranty.

Evidently Al-Ko don't deal directly with the general public,you can say that again.

I think when/if it gets replaced I will change the whole jockey wheel assembly for one with a pneumatic tyre then it may roll over the rough ground of our storage more easily and hopefully avoid further damage.

Pity the present contraption doesn't take a pneumatic tyre,or it was possible to only buy the lower half of the jockey wheel, but then Al-Ko wouldn't be able to sell you a complete assembly would they ?

Ian

Alarmingly Good

Visited the van in storage today to let a bit of air through it.

For the first time I forgot to switch off the alarm before entering,within a couple of minutes or so Phantom sent me a text followed shortly after by a phone call asking if all was well.

When I got home a message had also been left on our landline,so Phantom certainly works.

Glad I did it in a way,feel more reassured now.

Ian.

Tread Carefully

As can be seen from the above pictures the tread has started to come away from the jockey wheel after only two short trips.

E-mailed Al-Ko to no avail,never received a reply so I have e-mailed the dealers to see if it can be replaced under warranty.

A word of warning if intending to replace the wheel provided with a pneumatic one,it won't fit,or at least the one I bought wouldn't fit.

I thought a pneumatic would roll better with the mover over the recycled colliery slag that covers our storage.

The tyre was too wide for the metal supports.

It wasn't an Al-Ko but one I got from the dealers.

Update:- The dealers are sending my pics to Al-Ko to see what they say.

23.11.2011 :- Still nothing from Al-Ko,pretty poor for such a large company.
                         Asked dealer to give them another prod.

Ian

Winter Draws On,I've Got Mine On !!

As for various reasons we won't be using the Orion for a few months I decided I would swap the ordinary wheels for winter wheels today to avoid flat spotting the tyres.

All went very well,used the Al-Ko side jack for the first time and found it a very good bit of kit,easy to put in position and winding the van off the ground was a doddle.I made sure the van was connected to the car at the time as recommended.

Feel rather more confident now should we have a puncture out on the road.

When we bought the Orion I specified Tyron Bands and asked for the wheels to be balanced.As I stored the wheels in the garage I noticed that there was 45g on one wheel and 40g on the other which seems quite a bit to my untutored eye.

I am sure this must make for better running.

Ian

Thetford Reply

Received this reply from Thetford regarding the flush tank adaptation:-


Thank you for your enquiry with regards to the C250 drain tube.According to our records your toilet does not require the modification.
Your toilet has been fitted with a reinforced drain tube so swapping it
over to the new style is not necessary

Kind regards,

Thetford Ltd.





So unless Bailey have been using a secret cache of antique bogs that they have found in a cupboard under the stairs on some vans then us Orion owners it would seem are in the clear.


Ian

Toilet Adaptation Contd.

I have e-mailed Thetford with the details of our toilet as requested so we will wait to see what they say.

Ian

Thetford Cassette 250 CWE Adaptation To Avoid Freezing

I have been following this thread on Caravan Talk:-

http://www.caravantalk.co.uk/community/topic/56076-thetford-c250-cassette-toilet-winterising-u-bend/

From about the 4th post down there is mention of an adaptation available from Thetford to alleviate the problem of water freezing in the flush tank U-bend,basically fitting a drain tube.

It is said that this only affects toilets manufactured after April 2010 but looking at the photo's the "problem" pipework looks very similar to mine,a free pipe for home fitting is available from Thetford if it is.

http://www.thetford-europe.com/en/about-thetford/news/2011/improved-draining-solution-for-c250-cwe.aspx

If you e-mail Thetford with the asked for details in the link above they will tell you if your toilet is affected and send you a spare part if it is.

Next time I go to storage I will check ours.

Ian

Wash & Brush Up Sir ?

Spent a while today giving the Orion a bit of spit and polish before the winter sets in although we hope to perhaps get a few days away in a week or two.

As there is no water at the storage site I used some Care-avan waterless cleaner/polish that is recommended by Bailey and I have to say I was very impressed.

http://care-avan.co.uk/Waterless-1000-Cloths.html

The microfibre cloth provided was soon filthy but it continued to clean and as far as I can tell there are no scratches on the van at all,it is like silk,concluded  by buffing up with a clean microfibre cloth and then used some Care-avan window cleaner to finish off.

Took about two hours to do the van but I couldn't do most of the roof as I couldn't reach.

Used about 0.75L of the cleaner.

I have no connection with Care-avan at all.

Swapped the battery over,the new one has kept its charge for a week so hopefully the motor mover disaster is behind us now.

Gave the Thetford toilet seal an application  of Thetford seal lubricant and squirted some WD40 in the 13-pin plug to keep the damp out.

Up-ended the cushions to avoid damp.

Huffed and puffed down the shower pipe to get rid of the last of the water,also put a tyre inflater to the water pump inlet to get the remaining dregs out but it wasn't that successful.Was thinking of buying a Floe but think I will save my money.

Had one disaster,apart from falling off the ladder,went to get a tea bag out of the overhead cupboard and a cup fell out which dented/cracked the work surface where the TV stands.

SWMBO will not be amused,will have to get something to cover it up but like all women she will be drawn straight to it,I may have to confess in advance to reduce the pain.

When we have the first service next year I may ask if they can replace it,it doesn't look a difficult job but if I try it it has all the makings of a cock-up waiting to happen.

Ian