Friday 26 October 2012

No Going Back Now.

Well that's it,summers over,it's official.

Took the wheels off the Orion today and fitted Winter Wheels.

One tip that I think is worth passing on,I imagine we all leave the fridge door ajar so mould doesn't grow over the winter but don't forget the freezer compartment door.

I just happened to check ours and there was a very small amount of mould in it already so have jammed the door open to let the air in.

Ian

Thursday 25 October 2012

Oh Well Never Mind.

We should have been going to Durham Grange CC site today for a few days but SWMBO woke up this morning with a touch  ( a big touch ) of the "unmentionables" so we have had to cancel,incurring a black mark for being a naughty boy from the Caravan Club.

This will probably be it until the spring I think and yes I know people caravan through the winter but I can't say it really appeals to me,don't mind the cold but wading through ice and snow,no thanks.

Have set the Orion up for the lay off,all fluids drained,fridge vent covers on,cushions up-ended to air,cupboard doors opened and some moisture traps scattered about.

Ordered a wash and wax from a chap who does it on our storage.

Just need to put the winter wheels on and that is it.

I hope we get away a bit more next year than we have done this and for some longer stays as well.

Don't forget to put your clocks back.

Ian

Saturday 20 October 2012

Thoughts From The NEC

We visited the Caravan & Motorhome Show at the NEC last Thursday and had a really good day ( despite losing my digital camera so if anyone found one................... ).

On the surface ( i.e. without counting them all ) there appeared to be many more motorhomes than caravans this year and with new prices starting at round about £40K there must be some money around somewhere.

It never ceases to amaze me at such shows when there are lots of vans together how much variation can be created in the interiors of a big white box on wheels.

On the Bailey stand the Orion made a very lacklustre appearance with one 400-2 and one 430-4.The main emphasis was of course on the new Unicorn 2 ( there were three Cadiz's ) supported by the Pegasus and Olympus.

The new Unicorn wasn't presented in the best light with excess mastic around the windows,a poorly attached front panel which moved up and down and poor seals generally.

Of course speaking to a rep.these are models that were "rushed" out for the show but one would have thought that you put your best models in the shop window ( not that there should be such a thing as a "best" model ),and how long would it have taken to remove a bit of excess mastic from around a window.

I think as far as QC goes then Bailey have definitely taken their eye off the ball.

The presentation of the Orion was so poor it made me wonder if there wasn't an update in the pipeline or even discontinuing it altogether.

The time from the Unicorn 1 to the Unicorn 2 was about two years and the Orion is approaching two years old.

If they do discontinue it I think it would be a shame for such a smashing little van.

I must admit though that when on our travels we see plenty of Unicorns,Pegasus and Olympus but very few Orions ( single figures I would think ).

I hasten to add that this is just my musings and I have no "insider knowledge" at all.

Away from Bailey we were impressed by the offerings from Eterniti,albeit at a price of about £25K.

Now with one of those and a VW Toureg to pull it,it would have to be a lottery win.

I liked the fact that any mobile technician who is MCEA registered can service it and keep the warranty up instead of hauling it to a dealers.

So with a few bargains from Isabella it was a good day all round

Ian




Wednesday 10 October 2012

Kitchen Drawer Removal

Mr.Spock,a contributor on CT,has received some instructions from Bailey on how to remove the cutlery drawer on the Orion if it ever the need arises.

Over the phone the dealer suggested it may have to dismantle the kitchen to do it but it appears this is not necessary,the instructions follow :-


1. Pull kitchen drawer all the way out until it stops.

2. Underneath the drawer you will see two metal lugs halfway towards the back and some plastic clips just in front of them.


3. Unclip the plastic clips from the bottom of the drawer (there should be 4 places to unclip - 2 per side).


4. Try to prise the drawer off the runners (I used my fingers) from about halfway down. The drawer will lift off and leave the metal runners behind.


To put back is roughly the reverse, but:


1. Put the drawer back on the runners.


2. Hold the metal lugs as you push the drawer back on the runners - this will ensure that it is seated correctly.


3. When seated correctly  (check both runners are same distance from the drawer front) pop the plastic clips back into their slots.


4. Close the drawer, it should work perfectly. If it goes a bit to one side, or seems otherwise a bit wonky you may need to take it off again and readjust. It takes a little shoogling, but it's not too bad.


5. DO ALL THE ABOVE AT YOUR OWN RISK, IT WORKED FOR ME, BUT DON'T COME CRYING TO ME IF YOU BREAK IT!


Hopefully this may be of help to some Orion owners, I imagine the whole range uses the same drawer.

The dealer wanted to remove the sink or the whole kitchen unit! I dread to think of the labour involved in that! 


Ian



Monday 8 October 2012

More Torque Talk

Quite unexpectedly I today received another e-mail from Bailey regarding wheel nut torque :-



To Mr Broadhead
Thank you for your email.
We did change the wheel bolts and the torque setting around the time you purchased your van.
The way to tell is to look at your wheel bolts. If you have shiny wheel bolts the torque will be 110Nm and if you have dull grey wheel bolts the torque would be 120Nm.
I hope this helps.
Regards
Jo Barrington (Mrs)
Bailey Caravans

So as we have the shiny bolts it is back to 110Nm.


Ian


 





Thursday 4 October 2012

Wheel Bolt Torque

When I had the van in for service I had to sign to say the wheel bolts had been torqued.

As the chap did it I commented that the handbook states that the torque should be 110Mn and he was torquing them to 120Mn.

He replied that they torque them all to 120Nm now.

I have checked this with Bailey and he is correct,this is the reply I received to my e-mail enquiry :-

Thank you for your email below.
Your service agent is correct that all wheel bolt torques across the Bailey range have increased by various degrees, the Orion’s torque has been increased from 110nm to 120nm. There is no problem with this increase in torque as extensive testing was carried out by “Bolt Science UK”, Bath University, TUV GMBH, AL-KO Kober etc. etc. prior to the increase.
Regards,
Ian Turner
Retailer Services Manager
Bailey Caravans

So there we have it,120Nm it is from now on.

Ian