Orion Booked In

Got the van booked in at YC Leisure for Thursday to have the lights problem hopefully sorted out.

They said they may be able to do it whilst I wait,hope so.

Will keep the blog posted.

Ian

Isabella & Reich

Before we went away I returned a  noseweight gauge to Reich as for some reason I kept getting the reading the wrong way round i.e. when the hitch was resting on it the weight went down and vice versa.

First of all I sent it to the wrong address which I got out of "The Caravan Manual",they moved from there six years ago.The very helpful chap at Reich went and retrieved my parcel,tested the gauge and said it was OK,it will be returned next week.

Now what was I doing wrong ?

We had to return the awning to Isabella to be restitched after our Norfolk jape.

Very efficient set up,packaging sent,collection arranged,price given over the phone,paid for,will return to us next Wednesday.

Makes a change to deal with firms who value their customers.

Ian

A Bit of Maintenance

Was down at the van today and decided to take some silicone sealant to all the little gaps and unsealed bits that were evident,and there were quite a few,looks a lot better now.

One particular area that I noticed was in the shower where there were on or two small areas where the sealant was missing,not big areas but enough I imagine to let a bit of water in,so it may be an area that is worth checking.Under the shelf above the shower tap and at the bottom of the flat corner section where the tap is were two places and a couple of places along the shower tray.I also sealed where the shower tray meets the floor and around the sink and wall base to keep water out.

The remaining places were in the front lounge and dinette,not critical areas but it makes it neater.

Found another vertical sealing strip that was cut slightly short,this time just to the right of the washroom door,another one for the list.

Checked the 13-pin plug to see if there was anything obvious causing the light problem but couldn't see anything,best leave it to the experts.

Noticed that the breakaway cable had become damaged,how I don't know,the red sheathing was missing in one particular area so I have ordered another from Al-Ko,this time one with a carabiner attachment so I can clip it directly to the towbar instead of forming a loop.

A bit of Elsan Tank Clean down the plug holes and some Thetford spray on the toilet cassette seal and home for some tea.

Ian

Video: Orion Evo 4

Orion Evo 4

Light Problem Continues

Had the Jetta down at the VW dealers today to have the towbar electrics checked out after the van light failure problem.

Could find nothing wrong with the towbar electrics at all so it looks as if it is down to the caravan,or perhaps the 13-pin plug.

Have e-mailed the dealers to sort out returning it to be looked at.

Ian

What About One Of These ?

Just been browsing CT and someone posted a link to this :-

Caravan Trolley

Interesting ??

Ian

Keep Your "Wedding Tackle " Draught Free ( Men Only )

During our Norfolk sojourn I was standing at the sink washing up ( New Man eh ?) when I noticed that there was a strong draught somewhere about the region of my groin.

On further investigation it was coming from above the fridge where there was a gap allowing the wind in.

I was contemplating how to get rid of this using various methods when I had the brainwave of simply moving the trim down a bit.

Hey presto gap filled and no more draughts.

So fellow male Orion owners if your gonads are a bit goosepimply,simply move the trim down.

Ian

A Few Days In Norfolk or " Hold Onto That Awning SWMBO !! "

We have just returned from a few days at Reedham Ferry Caravan Park in Norfolk,it should have been a full week Saturday to Saturday but the weather was so awful that we have returned on the Thursday.

Reedham Ferry Touring Park 

We took our tandem to get a few rides in but only managd one on the Monday down to Waveney River Centre due to storm and tempest every other day,very windy and every sort of weather,especially rain.

The site itself is in an excellent location at the side of the River Yare adjacent to the chain ferry at Reedham.The facilities were clean but lacked that little bit of TLC which would have made all the difference,but at £18 or so for a "Super Pitch" I suppose I shouldn't complain.

If planning a visit at a busy time,bear in mind that there are only two toilets and two showers for men and three toilets and two showers for women.This arrangement must get very busy when the site is full.There is a new toilet block under construction but this has stalled due to the joiner going bust.

There is a wash-up and washing machines available.

TV reception is excellent but internet access ( on BT Mobile anyway ) is dire.The chap next door was on "3" I think and had good access.

The Orion proved faultless on this trip but the lights played up again on the return journey,will see what the VW dealer has to say next Thursday.

Met a very friendly couple on our arrival who were lusting after an Orion and came to view ours,they seemed impressed.

The only problem we encountered was centred around the awning.Having decided to go home on Thursday we proceeded to pack the Magnum up on the Wednesday afternoon.Took the side and front panels out to pack separately but then there was a sudden gust of wind and the whole shebang rose into the air,awning,frame, the lot and blew over the roof of the van with the frame legs stuck up in the air entangled in the branches of a tree.

We had been on our own on the site for a couple of days as everyone else had got totally pissed off with the weather and gone home,but a motor home had arrived earlier on and the occupants were just strolling past when the awning took to the skies.They offered their assistance which was gladly accepted and we all surveyed the scene wondering what to do as the whole lot was too high to reach without a ladder.

I decided to see if I could locate the aforesaid ladder,or a pair of steps,from the site but it was like the Marie Celeste on a wet Wednesday,not a soul ( in fact we had barely seen a soul all week ).Our motorhome heroes then spotted a builders ladder on the partly constructed toilet block so we untied that carted it across to the van,motorhome man held it away from the van and I climbed it to eventually release all the poles and bring the canvas down to earth.

The van wasn't damaged but the awning has damaged some stitching where it had pulled against the centre Fixon bracket so that will have to be repaired when it has all dried out.

The moral of this tale is not to remove all the pegs prior to removing the awning from the awning rail,this will not happen again !!

This morning when we set off home it had been pouring down for most of the night so,as I should have realised,there was no way the Jetta was going to pull the van off the grass and onto the adjacent track.After creating a realistic impression of a ploughed field we had to unhitch the car and move the van,via the mover, onto the road and rehitch,this will not happen again.It will be motor mover first in any similar conditions.

By the way if anyone ventures to this part of the country I can recommend “Cupcakes” tea rooms on Reedham Quay,well worth a visit.

Cupcakes:Reedham 

Ian

A Couple Of Problems.

Purchased a Reich electronic noseweight gauge at the NEC show last October.
Both times I have tried to use it it has behaved strangely in that when I wind the jockey wheel up,putting the weight on the hitch/gauge,the weight displayed goes DOWN to 1Kg.
Likewise as I put the jockey wheel UP,reducing the noseweight,the weight displayed goes UP.
Contacted Reich UK today who were very helpful and said to return it to them for testing/replacement.


Have put a posting on CT to see if anyone else has the problem.

Probably not knowing my luck.

Incidentally if anyone wants to phone Reich UK the phone number on their website is unobtainable.
The correct number is :- 01543-459243

Secondly,the lights are playing up again.

Picked the van up from storage this morning,did a light check,all OK.

Came to drive off,offside light on the van not working.

I unplugged the 13-pin plug,plugged it in again,all OK.

Thinking quality wise that the 13-pin plug was probably the weak link I called a mobile service chap ( CB Caravan Servicing,said I would give him a mention,see contacts list ) and the fault actually appeared whilst he was there.His opinion was that there was nothing wrong with the plug and it was a more than likely a problem with the car wiring not the van so I have it booked in at the local VW dealers week after next who installed it as it is still under warranty.

Will keep you informed.

Ian

Justin's Mods

Justin has posted a link to some pictures of mods done to his 430/4.

Well worth a look.

For easier access here is the link:-

Justin's Mods


Ian

No Pics

Went over to storage this afternoon to photograph the small crack on the cupboard door as mentioned in the last post.

Photos didn't come out too well so you will just have to believe me.

Ian

Cracking Gromit !!

Last time we were away SWMBO noticed with her eagle female eyes that the long cupboard door above the front window was developing a crack just above the word "ORION".

Forgot to get a photo which I will rectify next time I visit storage.

Might be worth just checking for a possible warranty claim.

It is a fine crack not a giant chasm !!

Ian