GandJP

I am having my 2018 registered Ford Transit based Chausson done in May as they now say 6 years or 60,000 miles. I aked what the job entailed and this is the reply along with the quote by Allen Ford of Swindon. "I have spoken to my parts team and we can confirm your vehicle is eligable for the timing belt replacement which would include: Renew Fuel Injection Pump Drive Belt Where Appropriate. Includes: Time To Renew Tensioner And Idler Pulleys £1060.04 including vat and fitting time".

Yes Derek, having a Chausson I thought it might be useful for odd info.

Just seen this on a Chausson Facebook forum that indicates the 90 day rule can be got round. Anyone else seen this and has something to say? It cant be right surely or it would be known about on here for sure! "For any stay in France exceeding 90 days, you are required to apply in advance for a long-stay visa. In this instance your nationality does not exempt you from requirements. Whatever the duration of your planned stay, the duration of your long-stay visa must be between three months and one year. In order to extend your stay beyond the period of validity of your visa, you must apply for a residence permit at a prefecture. During its period of validity, the long-stay visa is equivalent to a Schengen visa, enabling you to move around and stay in the Schengen Area outside France for periods not exceeding 90 days over any period of 180 consecutive days, under the same conditions as if you held a Schengen visa."

I found this on a website https://www.hoylesdenholme.co.uk/detail/1046451/used-rapido-786f-one-owner-from-new-rear-fixed-bed--twin-sofa--1000-s-of-extras-bradford and it looks to me that it shows a battery in the floor and a second in the box that looks to have been added. Hope this helps.

Exactly! I’ll be doing that again in a few weeks time and after 6 vans and some 12 years of no problems no reason to do other wise. Concerning the use of Milton, I always have and would only ever use Puriclean, its designed to do this job whereas Milton isn’t.

We bought two single fitted sheets for our Chausson single beds (narrow at feet end) from a company called Jonic who the wife found on line. They are really well made and have improved things comfort wise for us massively as ordinary sheets just didn't fit and when tucked in come loose. They needed little information as they already knew the exact sizes needed. Not cheap but are top quality and highly recomended.

I fitted the stickers to my last MH and when I decided to sell it I decided to remove all four of them as they looked so bad and what an almost impossible job it was. The actual sticker material did all come off but left the adhesive which I never really managed to clean off completely but I should add that I did not scratch any of the vans finish or remove any paint from the cab part. I have often wondered if anyone finished the job of removing the goo I left. Nothing I tried seemed to really touch it.

I have a Chausson that had the Deisel heater as standard and I have to say I am very impressed with it. Yes it has its faults like some noise and battery consumption when off EH but all that aside its really good at what it does. My van has little capacity to hold enough gas to have gas as a fuel anyway so its not an option. I do very little in this country as far as touring and go to France as much as I am able to and getting gas there is not an issue as you can get it just about everywhere so when I come back I ensure I am as full as pos so I rarely if ever need to buy it over here now.

I have never had to do anything major when getting ready for a trip big or small as everything is on going throughout the year as we use our van as and when, whatever the month is. I do however always empty both water tanks and loo when I have returned from a trip and drain everything down at all times in the winter just in case. As I keep my van at home and it is plugged in to EH so the batteries never go flat. I will add that last year I spent some time in hospital shortly after returning from a February trip to France and being rushed in I didnt give things much thought and ended up with a cab battery needing replacing and a damaged shower valve split due to freezing but that isnt my norm. I always clean the van within a short time of a return so very little to do when going off again. Tyres etc etc are a continuous 'job' so never have any need to do a big prepare even if I am going to the continent for a few weeks. I do spend several days 'loading' things and getting all our paperwork ready and making sure I have everything and touch wood the only thing we have ever forgotten was a charging lead for my wifes ipad, it is different to mine, and had to buy one in France. Might be different if I put her away for the winter and probably would take many things out that could deteriorate I but cant think I would do much more.

We travel all over France and have never found an aire to be a problem for anything, apart from the winter months when water is usually turned off, we have never found one closed unless it is for good or because of roadworks or similar. We do pay occasionally but rarely and have had 12 fantastic years touring the country almost totaly free. As to other countries we have only used campsites and even then rarely so its France I know best. I recall one aire being out of action due to a bycicle race so we just drove to the next one a few miles away and another due to some road works. When we have used a C-CP site we have always thought of them really good sites and so easy to use. The card is acquired at the site, not sure they will send it to you and like it has been said if there is a problem they sort it on the spot. The telephone reception or wifi strength has not been an issue and doubt any of their sites have an issue either. We did see an issue with a payment for another motorhomer and spoke to the office on their behalf on their machine and not our phone, they spoke good English anyway. We usually use the one in St Paul Gaultier as the aire in Fresnay Sur Sarthe has closed but its always a pleasure to go to there and up the road there is a small but really good supermarket. A lake is there so if fishing is your thing then fish away, as far as I know it's free. When did you last hear that word in this country? As to the rude folk that parked badly then that is just life I am afraid, the world is full of shit like them!

I appologise if this has already been said but as far as I know a Crit-Aire sticker is mandatory on all vehicles whatever it is or the fuel it uses and at all times so as and when you do enter a 'zone' then you can be identified as being compliant or not and if you don't enter a zone then there is nothing to be accountable for or to anyone. I went to France three times last year and never encountered any roadsigns that applied to me but there again I do not go into large towns or cities though I do remember a slower speed to ease pollution at some point. I usually use the Ouistrehem ferry so I skirt Caen on the Periphique both directions, I go through parts of Tours on the motorway on the way down so thats not an issue and that's about it for me where large towns are concerned as I drive mainly rural roads on my return. As and when I come across an area that is not for me, I am green, then I will simply turn round and find another route.

I always travel Brittany ferries, three times this year so far, and have never heard this announcement.

That sounds about right, are our wives sisters?

Never seen a trailer with a socket, none I have ever owned (2) have had one but there again they were only small simple trailers.

Does a trailer have a socket?

My problem Brian with carrying a spare wheel is that should I carry everything spare I might need like, a spare engine, gearbox and everything else to be found in an engine compartment and of course an engine lift, all the spanners nessessary, two batteries of course, a fridge, water heater, water pump, water tank etc etc etc, just where does it all finish. If you have a sparewheel fitted as standard, well your sorted and it would be crazy to take it off but My Chausson hasn't got a spare wheel, it wouldn't fit through either locker doors and I have no jack anyway. Incidently I wouldn't want to be changing a wheel on my van with a supplied jack at the side of a busy road, lethal! Personally I can't live my driving time worrying about every failure that could happen and so like most of my driving life I will just have to hope that I will have no breakdowns with any part of my unit and I can get home in one piece. I of course have breakdown cover both here and abroad and think I have done everything I can to keep myself safe. What ever happens does and I will have to deal with it as and when and not forgetting if of course. Oh, I can see from your two questions and answers that you will not be buying a Chausson anytime soon.

I read that as wanting to add a Camping car icon onto the screen but may be wrong. I dont have an answer to that so didn't but as often happens here and on another forum I belong to folk never seem to come back let alone add any information.

I have just done a bit of maths adding up all the miles I have ever done in a MH over the last 12 years or so and come to the grand total of about 80,0000 plus and have never had a puncture. My present MH is the first one I have ever owned without a spare and although I am still a little apprehensive about not having one I have decided to go with it and not get one and go with the spray and pump system supplied. If the need arises I have roadside assistance whether here or abroad and will have go along with that if the need ever arises. So like stevc176 fingers crossed but its.not something that will make me lose sleep over any. more than any other potential mechanical problem.

I think i would be replacing them before i went away, after 10 years anything coukld happen and it's just not worth the risk of having problems while away and then what do you do apart from struggle? Just bite the bullet and get them sorted now and go away with peace of mind.

Its not just something simple like a lack of oil on the running gear is it? I had this once when I first got an auto close step. I will add that it looked like it had no power but did of course, no movement at all. The other thing is that it most likely shares a fuse with something else so check everything else is working including the fridge as they are sometimes combined.

onecal, My searches never brought them up and I ended buying one made by Reimo who are a German company and cost me £30. Had a look at yours and yes they too look the job but too late this time for me. Thanks and I am sure others here will be grateful as and when, certainly Chausson owners will be thats for sure.

Derek, Wife's iPad is less than a year old so it will be the more powerful one but she has it with her (gone out) so cant check it. I can only presume by plugging it in simply put too much on the shoulders of the charger and it died because of. There are no visual signs or smell that it did anything more than that so at least no over excess heating or fire evidence. This appars to be a long running problem with Chausson and you would have thought they might have sorted it all out, perhaps they have but without looking at a brand new vehicle I cant say either way. Why concerns me is the low quality items I am seing on Fleabay and Amazon and even MH dealer sites. As far as I am concerned no CE mark = no purchase.

Hi Onecal,. Finding one that is "good" is the problem. So many are just crap, you can see that from the photo's and the price of about £7 speaks volumes. I wouldn't want to fit one that isnt any better than the one that I have taken out just not worth it and so many of the others have bright led displays and at night thats not good. Not sure many show the CE kite mark either so made in China rubbish most like.

Hi Onecal,. Finding one that is "good" is the problem. So many are just crap, you can see that from the photo's and the price of about £7 speaks volumes. I wouldn't want to fit one that isnt any better than the one that I have taken out just not worth it and so many of the others have bright led displays and at night thats not good. Not sure many show the CE kite mark either so made in China rubbish most like.

Hi Keithl I have now found a charger made by a German company so really good quality for about £30, CE of course and an exact replacement power wise just need to confirm the company have one in stock if so I will take a trip down to Weston Supermare tomorrow pick it up and have fish n chips while we are there, being retired gives us the time, I think the socket and adapter would work fine but feel its not good practice so will only do that if forced to.