silverback Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 hello peeps so the wife and i have done the deed...and bought a brand new autotrail Mohawk B-) i have never ever bought a new vehicle in my life!! so the question is..have i missed owt? they are putting in gaslow,another battery, water/waste heaters,rear steadies,12v socket in garage, and a cat 1 alarm do i need to run the engine in? pick it up in 3 weeks so wanted to get all the stuff/jobs done all at one go 8-) saves going back hope you can all supply ideas and experiences of a new van purchase regards jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwyn Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 In 2006 we bought a brand new La Strada if you've done your research then basically you should have no regrets but I can almost guarantee that where you put your things and what you carry in the van in 6 years time will bear absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to what you do now!!!! We found the main thing was to choose the right van for you in the first place, everything else can be added or subtracted as you suss out your needs and really what one forum user might deem essential, another one would never carry and vice versa. I do feel a couple of shortish trips aat first are very useful for shaking things down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Not heard the term " running the engine in " for many years. But I would suggest that you take it easy with your right foot - fuel is expensive ! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Hi Jonathan and congratulations!!! You'll get 12 months membership of the Auto-Trail Owners Club with your new MH so why not get along to some of their rallies, they really are a friendly bunch! We've been to a few now and just taken the plunge and organised one ourselves later this year. If you've got any questions on anything in particular then just ask, or there is quite a lot of useful info on the ATOC website. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 Thanks Gwyn, we did some research and i think we chose right for the layout etc..but as ever had to compromise on the size..its bleeding massive 8-) (!) but we wanted the room as well for when we go fulltiming in a couple of years :-D i know what you mean about kit, weve been doing MHing 8 year now, and god knows whats lurking in the old van when we come to empty it :-S got a couple of weekends planned for the "shakedown" B-) aye Malc will go easy on the right foot, cant afford the diesel to put in it now *-) might just look at it on the drive from my window :-D i also wondered if it would be worth it getting it undersealed? while its still new seen some ads in MMM Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 thanks Keith was thinking of joining up, i fancy looking round their factory me being an engineer an all, the mrs wont tho :-D i will look into it after ive got it jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 silverback - 2012-07-09 9:54 PM i also wondered if it would be worth it getting it undersealed? while its still new seen some ads in MMM Fiat chassis & panels are galvanized these days, we live a couple of hundred yards from the beach in a nice salty atmosphere our van has just had it's 4th birthday no signs of any rust on the chassis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Re running in an engine. Read the owners manuals and carry them. For instance at one time Fiat advised that steering alignment needed checking after avery low specified mileage. Failure to get it done could wear a set of front tyres out in around one thousand miles. A friend of mine took his new van to the Nord Cap and the tread was down to the canvas half way up Norway. It took severaldays to get replacements. Its also well worth looking at all the component manufacturers websites ( Dometic,Truma,etc). Some are rubbish but others very good with some useful info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brit_Stops Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 If, as you say, yours is "bleeding massive" (ooo-er, missus!), have you thought about a rear view camera/reversing camera? Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwyn Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Meant to say we also forked out for good quality waxoyl sealing, its easy to keep a check on the paintwork for chips and scratches but not so easy to check the underside and having bought the van from new, it has got to last us for ever!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Ditto the Waxoyl................having just spent nearly 2k on our camper who has led a sheltered life in a garage..................I'd have it done ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 thanks to all so far documented lenny george will put that in the memory banks for when i pick it up, also thanks for the web pages never thought of them, yep steve its got a rear view camara and a back up..called the wife :-D gwyn, dave..think i am leaning towards getting it done cos its got to last me 8-) jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Jonathan, I don't think it will apply to your Mohawk as I believe it is on a standard Fiat chassis and not an Al-Ko, but a word of warning to others - DO NOT waxoil a galvanised chassis! All Al-Ko chassis are galvanised and waxoiling them prevents the zinc from oxidising and protecting the steel thereby putting you in a worse position than you started. I would check with your dealer if it will affect your warranty on a brand new vehicle before going ahead. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 cheers Keith yes standard fiat chassis, and will check with dealer for the warrenty jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 Hello Jonathan, In all honesty there is very ltlle that you need to do except use it! Brakes more than any other thing will deteriorate and corrode if left to their own devices, and in general engines benefit greatly from frequently being not only started but run up to normal temperature and driven under modest load (and occasionally greater load) to keep everything nicely clean and lubricated. There is no need to 'run it in' and in fact the sooner you get out there and give it some work to do, the sooner it will start to loosen up and give you the best performance and economy that it can. There has been a comment about tracking above; I have only had one van delivered that was not right and that was probably due to being mis treated by the delivery driver(!) but it is definitely something to check if you observe any strage wear on the tyres. Tyre pressures always seem to be a sore point for campers, so seek advice about that if your vehicle is not a panel van. Not only is the chassis galvanised, but the Ducato (and it's PSA brothers) are still the only vans that are fully galvanised on every metal body panel. Even when damaged, they can go for years without attention and will not rust (unlike certain German vehicles). Enjoy your new vehicle. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 13, 2012 Author Share Posted July 13, 2012 many thanks Nick, much appreciated :-D save a few hundred on not having it undersealed :-D result (!) jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 16, 2012 Author Share Posted July 16, 2012 thanks all for the replies i wont say the dealer (prob monitering anyway!) but i noticed on the invoice.. 6month road fund licience..should this be 12 month? as ive said not ever bought a new vehicle before.. is this normal? also.. the missus says we should give them the full zip awning that goes with it(its totally unused) want to give it them(i think) my way of thinking as well should it be full of fuel? as a yorkshireman this is important and i will ring em up and get this done jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroserv Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Hello Jonathan, If the vehicle is new and first registered to you the road tax can only be for 12 months. Has the dealer pre-registered it, got a refund on the tax and then taxed it for 6 months with you as the second owner? There would have been a first registration fee if you were the first registered keeper too. If it is the case that it was pre-registered; find out when so that you can confirm when your warranty runs from. It might expire sooner than you thought. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooie Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 silverback - 2012-07-16 9:29 PM thanks all for the replies i wont say the dealer (prob monitering anyway!) but i noticed on the invoice.. 6month road fund licience..should this be 12 month? as ive said not ever bought a new vehicle before.. is this normal? also.. the missus says we should give them the full zip awning that goes with it(its totally unused) want to give it them(i think) my way of thinking as well should it be full of fuel? as a yorkshireman this is important and i will ring em up and get this done jon Hi Jon, I also think that vehicles can only be taxed for 12 months at first registration, i`m sure i will be " taken to task " if that is not the case. If as euroserv says you might not be the " first registered keeper " then the dealer is being very very naughty if they didn`t tell you that. If that is the case then i hope you got a very good discount and if you didn`t this needs taking up with the dealer straight away. As for the Zip awning it all depends on what you said the vehicle had when it was being valued for trade-in. If you said it had it then yes hand it over. If you didn`t mention it then NO. Get it on Ebay. I very much doubt it will be full of fuel ( cutbacks etc. ) Mine was on empty with the light on. Regards Graham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 It may simply be that the dealer put the wrong RFL length on the docs - if it is genuinely a new vehicle then it should be 12 months, if they are able to do 6 months then as far as I know it can't be a truly new vehicle ... you need to check this out with them now - if it is a pre-registered one you shouldn't be paying anything like the orignal 'new' price! As for bits and pieces to leave in your PX van - don't ... they don't add anything to the PX value so you are giving them stuff for nothing, I've even heard that some dealers then flog off the stuff left and make a tidy profit on it ... *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 good points, as far as i know its a totally new vehicle,they never said owt, and i got to pick the number plate i will ring em tommorrow cheers jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flicka Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Well maybe it's a little bit of cheer, Jon It may (just maybe) !!!!! New vehicle taxed for 12months, but the dealer only charging you for 6 months. But then again do pigs fly (?) (?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 18, 2012 Author Share Posted July 18, 2012 no pigs dont fly john :-S cant say much on open forum mind, but the vehicle is new, and its about "margins" *-) but hey ho :D jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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