Well the good news is that the Orion passed her service with flying colours,couple of warranty jobs done as requested including resealing all the shower cubicle,so here's to another year.
But oh deary me,I have lost the adaptor for the locking wheel bolts somewhere.
Wandahome put it back in the van for certain,but can I now find it,you must be joking.
Looked in van,car,clothes,back to dealers,no sign of it.
Of course divorce lawyers were hovering in the background if I mentioned it again.
I have e-mailed Bailey,as they were Bailey bolts,to see if they can provide another adaptor but I don't hold out much hope as they have changed the design of the wheelbolts to the new WSL ones but one can live in hope.
( Incidentally you can no longer talk to Bailey,all Customer Service enquiries have to be e-mailed, customerservices@bailey-caravans.co.uk).
I have found a man local to our storage who should be able to remove the bolts and then it looks like two new sets of the posh bolts at £65 for the lot as our insurance specifies locking wheel bolts.
Life eh,I thought things were going well.
Ian
Thursday, 5 September 2013
Sunday, 1 September 2013
Scarborough,Service & A Suggestion
We have just returned from a short break at the Caravan Club site at West Ayton near Scarborough.
Contrary to some of the reviews on the Caravan Club web site we found it an excellent and well cared for place and no the wardens weren't like little Hitlers which some people seem to think.
No problems with the Orion,although I did manage to break the handle on the toilet cassette whilst emptying it and the broken bit sailed down the disposal hole never to be seen again.
Oh and another clip broke off the fridge retaining bar,I wonder if they get brittle after a while ?
The van goes for its second service on Tuesday so fingers crossed all is well.
It has been polished and cleaned from top to toe inside and out so it looks the part anyway,also connected the Al-Ko ATC to the car for 12 hours to clear the memory which may stop any red light problems for a year.
Have switched dealers from YC Leisure to Wandahome at Knottingley as they are only ten miles/15 mins away whereas YC Leisure were forty miles/ one hour distant.
No cafe at Wandahome though,bit of a bummer.
Just the front window blind to look at,plus the area where the laminate peeled back,mentioned a post or two ago,to ensure there is no water getting in,none evident.
The front window stay anchorage also requires fixing.
I am also going to ask them to reseal the shower as I had a go at doing it myself and to be honest it looks a bit of a pigs ear.
Whilst clearing out the van ready for the service I noticed that at the rear of the fuse box under the front bench seat the wiring was all exposed just ready to be damaged by some of the things I put in the under seat locker.
Had a think and found an old plastic container that mushrooms come in from the supermarket and taped that to the rear of the box to try and protect the wiring,the bonus being that it weighs virually nothing.
Had to cut a couple of slots in the accommodate the wires.
I know it looks a bit Heath Robinson-ish but if it helps to protect the wiring all to the good.
If I come across something more suitable I may swap it so I shall see how it goes.
Ian
Contrary to some of the reviews on the Caravan Club web site we found it an excellent and well cared for place and no the wardens weren't like little Hitlers which some people seem to think.
No problems with the Orion,although I did manage to break the handle on the toilet cassette whilst emptying it and the broken bit sailed down the disposal hole never to be seen again.
Oh and another clip broke off the fridge retaining bar,I wonder if they get brittle after a while ?
The van goes for its second service on Tuesday so fingers crossed all is well.
It has been polished and cleaned from top to toe inside and out so it looks the part anyway,also connected the Al-Ko ATC to the car for 12 hours to clear the memory which may stop any red light problems for a year.
Have switched dealers from YC Leisure to Wandahome at Knottingley as they are only ten miles/15 mins away whereas YC Leisure were forty miles/ one hour distant.
No cafe at Wandahome though,bit of a bummer.
Just the front window blind to look at,plus the area where the laminate peeled back,mentioned a post or two ago,to ensure there is no water getting in,none evident.
The front window stay anchorage also requires fixing.
I am also going to ask them to reseal the shower as I had a go at doing it myself and to be honest it looks a bit of a pigs ear.
Whilst clearing out the van ready for the service I noticed that at the rear of the fuse box under the front bench seat the wiring was all exposed just ready to be damaged by some of the things I put in the under seat locker.
Had a think and found an old plastic container that mushrooms come in from the supermarket and taped that to the rear of the box to try and protect the wiring,the bonus being that it weighs virually nothing.
Had to cut a couple of slots in the accommodate the wires.
I know it looks a bit Heath Robinson-ish but if it helps to protect the wiring all to the good.
If I come across something more suitable I may swap it so I shall see how it goes.
Ian
Sunday, 25 August 2013
A Bit of Fridge Advice.
Any one with the Thetford N112 fridge in their Orion ( or possibly other Thetford models as well ),be very careful if you remove the white plastic retainers that sit on the edge of the shelf to stop things sliding off.
The clips at the ends break very easily and ( naturally ) you can't buy just the clips so you have to get the whole shooting match at about £4.50 or so.
When I sourced a replacement at the dealers they commented that they are always breaking and they have tried to order just the clips from Thetford but they won't play ball.
I e-mailed them with much the same request but never received a reply.
Ian
The clips at the ends break very easily and ( naturally ) you can't buy just the clips so you have to get the whole shooting match at about £4.50 or so.
When I sourced a replacement at the dealers they commented that they are always breaking and they have tried to order just the clips from Thetford but they won't play ball.
I e-mailed them with much the same request but never received a reply.
Ian
Thursday, 22 August 2013
Whoops...................................
Got a call from Phantom last evening to inform us that there was a "power down" on the caravan battery,in other words it was flat.
Strange as it had not occurred before.
Visited storage this morning to swap the battery over to discover we had left the master switch on and the light on the voltmeter had flattened the battery.
Lesson learned,check the master switch before locking up.
At least Phantom were on the ball.
Ian
Strange as it had not occurred before.
Visited storage this morning to swap the battery over to discover we had left the master switch on and the light on the voltmeter had flattened the battery.
Lesson learned,check the master switch before locking up.
At least Phantom were on the ball.
Ian
Thursday, 15 August 2013
Orion Replacement ???
Saw this on CT with regard to what will be on show by the various manufacturers at the NEC show :-
Bailey
Bailey are bringing all their models with them including an all-new, low cost, light-weight, entry level range (yep, built with Alu-Tech) as well as two new Unicorns - the single axle Vigo and twin-axle Cordoba.
Seems to describe what the Orion was meant to be.
Ian
Bailey
Bailey are bringing all their models with them including an all-new, low cost, light-weight, entry level range (yep, built with Alu-Tech) as well as two new Unicorns - the single axle Vigo and twin-axle Cordoba.
Seems to describe what the Orion was meant to be.
Ian
Friday, 2 August 2013
Well Done Caravan Guard.
We have the Orion insured with Caravan Guard as they provided the cheapest premium along with a decent reputation when we bought the van.
Got a call from them today to check all was well with the policy as it is due for renewal,added legal cover for £10 and increased the equipment level from £4500 to £5000.
Despite this,the premium had again dropped,this time from £206 to £186 ( it dropped from £220 to £206 after the first year ).
Saga quoted us over £600 for the first year and the Caravan Club over £400.
At this rate in ten years my insurance will be free !!
I rang them back today to query something on the policy and received a phone call within the hour from a manager saying my concerns would be addressed.
Well done Caravan Guard,I hope they are just as efficient if a claim is made.
As is usual I have no interest in Caravan Guard apart from being a customer and received no incentives of any kind for this post.
Just a quick tip for new caravanners,I imagine old hands know about it,when you get an insurance renewal quote always make sure it is for a new van replacement should the worst occur.
Ian
Got a call from them today to check all was well with the policy as it is due for renewal,added legal cover for £10 and increased the equipment level from £4500 to £5000.
Despite this,the premium had again dropped,this time from £206 to £186 ( it dropped from £220 to £206 after the first year ).
Saga quoted us over £600 for the first year and the Caravan Club over £400.
At this rate in ten years my insurance will be free !!
I rang them back today to query something on the policy and received a phone call within the hour from a manager saying my concerns would be addressed.
Well done Caravan Guard,I hope they are just as efficient if a claim is made.
As is usual I have no interest in Caravan Guard apart from being a customer and received no incentives of any kind for this post.
Just a quick tip for new caravanners,I imagine old hands know about it,when you get an insurance renewal quote always make sure it is for a new van replacement should the worst occur.
Ian
Thursday, 25 July 2013
Window Worry.
Was up at the van today and decided to open the front window to let a bit of air through.
I noticed that the right hand fastening for the window stay ( as you face forward in the van ) had come loose.
It appears that the two screws holding it have pulled out of whatever they were screwed into.
A job for the upcoming service in September I think.
Might be worth keeping an eye on such fittings as I have felt previously that the front window is very heavy when it is open and the fittings do seem a little flimsy for the weight.
Perhaps a divided window may have been a better bet.
Mind you a possible Orion Mk.2 may have the large picture window that seems popular now,who knows.
Ian
I noticed that the right hand fastening for the window stay ( as you face forward in the van ) had come loose.
It appears that the two screws holding it have pulled out of whatever they were screwed into.
A job for the upcoming service in September I think.
Might be worth keeping an eye on such fittings as I have felt previously that the front window is very heavy when it is open and the fittings do seem a little flimsy for the weight.
Perhaps a divided window may have been a better bet.
Mind you a possible Orion Mk.2 may have the large picture window that seems popular now,who knows.
Ian
Monday, 22 July 2013
Wharfedale CC Site.
Just had four days at the above and found it most enjoyable,despite taking a wrong turn in Bradford both going and coming home,and that is with a Sat.Nav.
The site is well laid out and the washrooms are spotlessly clean with all the usual facilities present,including a drying room for wet coats and boots.
There are many walks in the local vicinity including a short stroll into Grassington.
The Orion was well behaved and I was particularly impressed by the fridge.
On CT one hears constant tales of fridges ( quite often on Baileys ) that don't work on gas,don't work on electric,don't achieve the correct temperature etc.
I put a cup of water in the freezer compartment for a quick cold drink,forgot about it and it froze solid despite an ambient temperature well into the mid 20's or above.
Yes I know fridges are supposed to do that but a lot of caravan ones seem not to do so.
This being the start of the school holidays it was quite amusing to see those without offspring beating a hasty retreat home on the Sunday morning ( us included ) before the little darlings arrived en masse.
If you visit the Wharfedale site it is worth walking over to the Long Ashes complex next door,especially if the weather is inclement.
There is a gym,pool,pub with restaurant and a lounge/bar/cafe area which non-members can use,we had rather a nice lunch there.
I picked up a tip on CT that I think is worth repeating.
To avoid damage to the 13-pin plug cable,from dragging on the floor etc.,cover it with some of the plastic "tubing" that is used to keep hi-fi cables together and secure it with insulating tape.
I saw one other van with it on so perhaps it is well known but as a lot of Orion owners ,like us,are relatively new to the game I thought it worth mentioning.
Also,when putting the awning up if you use the Isabella Safelocks as I usually do leave one on the front of the awning rail,then next time you put the awning up you can quickly put it in same place each time.
Ian
The site is well laid out and the washrooms are spotlessly clean with all the usual facilities present,including a drying room for wet coats and boots.
There are many walks in the local vicinity including a short stroll into Grassington.
The Orion was well behaved and I was particularly impressed by the fridge.
On CT one hears constant tales of fridges ( quite often on Baileys ) that don't work on gas,don't work on electric,don't achieve the correct temperature etc.
I put a cup of water in the freezer compartment for a quick cold drink,forgot about it and it froze solid despite an ambient temperature well into the mid 20's or above.
Yes I know fridges are supposed to do that but a lot of caravan ones seem not to do so.
This being the start of the school holidays it was quite amusing to see those without offspring beating a hasty retreat home on the Sunday morning ( us included ) before the little darlings arrived en masse.
If you visit the Wharfedale site it is worth walking over to the Long Ashes complex next door,especially if the weather is inclement.
There is a gym,pool,pub with restaurant and a lounge/bar/cafe area which non-members can use,we had rather a nice lunch there.
I picked up a tip on CT that I think is worth repeating.
To avoid damage to the 13-pin plug cable,from dragging on the floor etc.,cover it with some of the plastic "tubing" that is used to keep hi-fi cables together and secure it with insulating tape.
I saw one other van with it on so perhaps it is well known but as a lot of Orion owners ,like us,are relatively new to the game I thought it worth mentioning.
Also,when putting the awning up if you use the Isabella Safelocks as I usually do leave one on the front of the awning rail,then next time you put the awning up you can quickly put it in same place each time.
Monday, 1 July 2013
Naburn Lock
We have just returned from a few days at Naburn Lock Caravan Park which is four miles south of York.
A very pleasant little spot adjacent to the lock and the River Ouse ( in which we were told there are some mighty sized salmon ) which is unfortunately very prone to flood at the drop of a hat,hence the electrics are positioned well up a pole.
We managed to "have words" before we even left the storage site,surely some sort of record.
The facilities at Naburn are spotless,despite some peoples determination to thwart all the work of the cleaners to keep them so and the proprietors work had to run a tight site.
If we visited again I think we would ask for a pitch in the Adults Only section for obvious reasons.
I do think a charge of £2.50 for a visitor is a bit steep though.
The Orion wasn't totally perfect as when we put the water pump on it wouldn't switch off.
After a hearty lunch courtesy of SWMBO I traced the problem to a broken Whale pump fitting at the far end of the blue tubes.
As we always carry a spare pump disaster was averted ( let that be a lesson to you young caravanners,always carry a spare water pump ).
On the Friday it teemed it down so we went into York on the bus and I purchased another pump assembly from Go Outdoors.
There was only a few pounds difference between just buying the pump bit and the whole thing so the whole thing it was.
I bought the high flow version but was hard pressed to tell the difference in flow rates.
In my last post I mentioned the peeling of the laminate and queried perhaps water ingress.
Well after the very heavy rain all was as dry as a bone,will still have it checked at service though.
Just as an aside,why do I worry about towing,it could be a lot worse:-
Ian
A very pleasant little spot adjacent to the lock and the River Ouse ( in which we were told there are some mighty sized salmon ) which is unfortunately very prone to flood at the drop of a hat,hence the electrics are positioned well up a pole.
We managed to "have words" before we even left the storage site,surely some sort of record.
The facilities at Naburn are spotless,despite some peoples determination to thwart all the work of the cleaners to keep them so and the proprietors work had to run a tight site.
If we visited again I think we would ask for a pitch in the Adults Only section for obvious reasons.
I do think a charge of £2.50 for a visitor is a bit steep though.
The Orion wasn't totally perfect as when we put the water pump on it wouldn't switch off.
After a hearty lunch courtesy of SWMBO I traced the problem to a broken Whale pump fitting at the far end of the blue tubes.
As we always carry a spare pump disaster was averted ( let that be a lesson to you young caravanners,always carry a spare water pump ).
On the Friday it teemed it down so we went into York on the bus and I purchased another pump assembly from Go Outdoors.
There was only a few pounds difference between just buying the pump bit and the whole thing so the whole thing it was.
I bought the high flow version but was hard pressed to tell the difference in flow rates.
In my last post I mentioned the peeling of the laminate and queried perhaps water ingress.
Well after the very heavy rain all was as dry as a bone,will still have it checked at service though.
Just as an aside,why do I worry about towing,it could be a lot worse:-
Ian
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Wheel Covers Update
Just been browsing back through some earlier posts and I noticed that I never reviewed the Specialized wheel covers as promised when I bought them back in February.
Well the actual covers are fine and fit well to the wheel and stay in place even when windy,unlike the previous ones I had.
The only rather annoying problem with them is that the retaining/securing straps are not very long and passing the "longer" strap around the back of the wheel to secure it to the shorter "static" strap is a PITA.
To overcome this problem I bought some thin cord and tied it to the end of the longer strap and then tied a nut ( anything will do really ) to enable me to throw it more easily round the wheel and pull the longer strap with it.
This procedure works but beware as last time we returned to storage I must have got a bit over enthusiastic with the throwing and wound the cord around the brake hub and axle which entailed removing the wheel to extracate the cord and nut.
Needless to say I was not amused and neither was SWMBO as you may well imagine.
Ian
Well the actual covers are fine and fit well to the wheel and stay in place even when windy,unlike the previous ones I had.
The only rather annoying problem with them is that the retaining/securing straps are not very long and passing the "longer" strap around the back of the wheel to secure it to the shorter "static" strap is a PITA.
To overcome this problem I bought some thin cord and tied it to the end of the longer strap and then tied a nut ( anything will do really ) to enable me to throw it more easily round the wheel and pull the longer strap with it.
This procedure works but beware as last time we returned to storage I must have got a bit over enthusiastic with the throwing and wound the cord around the brake hub and axle which entailed removing the wheel to extracate the cord and nut.
Needless to say I was not amused and neither was SWMBO as you may well imagine.
Ian
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