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Anyone had a PV bespoke conversion done?

Wirehaired

By Wirehaired
in Motorhome Matters

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snowie Mentor

snowie

Posted
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Wirehaired - 2014-12-11 6:59 PM

 

Just wondered if anyone decided to have a bespoke PV conversion done,if so any pros and cons.

Cheers don.

 

Hi Don;

we had our van done over four years ago now, and I'd say the decision was a good one; for us at any rate.

There was nothing on the market, new or used that ticked enough boxes.

There are things I would have had done differently, if I'd known more about the technicalities of van plumbing and electrical systems in particular, but some of those adjustments can still be done, others really aren't that significant.

I made a balsawood model which helped us understand what we were doing and I'm sure that helped.

Finding a van was the hardest part, and we had to accept a white van. (an 08 Ducato, and I love driving it!)

I can't think of any disadvantages: yet: and even if we decide to sell it at some point I think we should be able to sell its positive features,

regards

alan b

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Wirehaired Collaborator

Wirehaired

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Thanks Snowie,i am hoping to be looking for one from next year,i was just thinking it could be an option but would need the job done by a conversion company,not sure of the cost of conversion,but I understand thats a little like asking how long is a ball of string,but will be interested to hear from any others who have taken that route.

thanks again.

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Muswell Mentor

Muswell

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I did. It was 14 years ago and there was less choice on the market. I didn't like the furnishings on offer, not my taste at all and the conversion companies charged list price for extras. I was going for the biggest engine, auto, ABS, air-con, electric windows etc and got a really good discount from the VW dealer. This more or less paid for the conversion. That was one big pro. We had VW fabric to match the cab seats....no swirls or flowers, no fridge, no EHU, no under vehicle tanks and no external flaps, plugs and vents to show it was a camper. That was another pro. Another pro is that the guy who did the conversion will sort out any faults or mods you might want...we had a hardtop added after 8 years. If you get a good converter and you go through the design and specs with him you should get the design and quality which suits you.

 

The downside is when you come to sell because I think people generally are happier buying a recognised name.....even though the quality of the conversion work on our van was a lot better than the usual flimsy rubbish. In fact when we were looking for a replacement I rejected a couple of the biggest names because the quality was so poor, bits falling off the showroom models etc. And if your design is too idiosyncratic you might put off a lot of people. Another downside, maybe, is that because it is a one-off I don't think it would be easy to get some of the flashy bits.

 

I would be very tempted to get another bespoke conversion, but I don;t think it would suit my wife.

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T8LEY Collaborator

T8LEY

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I think one of the big advantages of bespoke is you can spend as much or as little on the base vehicle as you wish. Ours was five years old by the time it was converted, so that was a good saving on new. Alternatively, if you're buying new, with no exchange, you can probably get all the toys included for the basic price, as previously said.
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Tea Cup Community Regular

Tea Cup

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As posted earlier I've done this twice and would love to do it again but this time with a new van. If the van is already old when you start, it has a more limited life, so after all that effort, you have to start again. But you do learn alot along the way. I'm talking about self-build with some professional help to speed things up. Cutting metal and the like.

 

I've just got to pluck up courage to tell the mrs .....

 

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grahamw Collaborator

grahamw

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I am about to collect a bespoke conversion that is simply waiting for its IVA certification. I sourced the vehicle with the help of the converter which gave me full choice over options and all at a discounted price saving some £15,000 on list price. The discount available allowed me to include base vehicle options that I would not normally consider from a cost point of view. It's an X290 in the colour of my choice but at this point in time although it is finished I have not been able to use but hope to be collecting in the next couple of weeks. I've been an avid user of caravans and then motohomes for some 30 years and have based my design of what I have learned from that experience.

 

I prepared a ten page document for the converter which included layout diagrams along with my own sketches and drawings of features that I wanted and details of preferred appliances and extras such as twin Banner leisure batteries and solar panel. This document was supported with a variety of photographs taking from other converters vehicles which helped the converter to visualise what I required. I also provided specific measurements of aspects that I regarded as critical such as the height and depth of seats along with the dimensions of the backrests. So often I find that seats are just not comfortable simply because they are fraction too long, short, low or high. The ten page document appears to have worked exceptionally well as the van has turned out exactly as I had visualised and of equal importance of the quality that I wanted. I also specified the exact cooker, microwave, fridge/freezer and heating system which pleasingly could all be accommodated. Whilst the water tanks are underslung along with an LPG tank an absolute minimum of pipework remains outside the van. I also wanted the wall carpeting, so beloved of converters, reduced to a minimum as I believe it gives rise to a light dust of fibres especially if the ceiling is covered in it

 

Of importance to me was to find a converter who considered his workshop to be an open house for customers who wanted to see work in progress. This ensures that communication is effective and that time and money is not wasted by undoing work that is not to the customers liking. The conversion has taken about seven weeks and I traveled every week in order to answer any questions and view progress. I attended on several occasions in the first week when the process of squeezing the proverbial quart into the pint pot took place. This needed decisions on the spot about the size of the shower and its relationship with the heater which I had preferred midships if a good boot space was to be made available. This commitment was appreciated by the converter who did tell me of customers who turned up with a single rudimentary sketch and nothing else and then left them to it.

 

The vehicle can be best described as the front end of a Devon Aztec and the rear end of a Vantage Neo on a 6.3 metre base vehicle. The rear lounge floor is raised which I know is not to everyones liking but I asked for this so that, apart from the direct drop pipes to tanks underneath, all heating and water pipes could be run internally. The other advantage is that the height of the boot space available is also increased as is the space under the seats with the seats being higher. I had got use to a raised floor in the lounge from my ownership previously of a Vantage Sol motohome.

 

If I compare the finished motorhome with offerings from companies such as IH or Vantage and include all their options to get the closest match then it has still given me a saving of about £9,000 on their prices and a vehicle that should remove the desire to change and last long term.

 

 

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Rod_vw Collaborator

Rod_vw

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I guess if any work done during the conversion was proved to be responsible for a failure that failure would not be covered by the warranty.

 

Having converted four VWs that were either new or minimal mileage ex demonstration vehicles and had a couple of warranty issues over the years which have always been attended to without any problem.

 

Our current camper suffers with sliding window leaks as most VWs of this model do. With luck the latest version of windows will be better when they are fitted under warranty in a week or two,

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Guest Joe90

Guest Joe90

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My guess is the only problem may come some years down the line if trying to get a PX deal from a dealer, salesmen refer to the equivalent of a Glasses guide, and speaking for myself I barely lost a penny on an IH Savannah Tio I owned for a few years, doubt I'd have fared so well with a one off conversion they'd never heard of, so probably swings and roundabouts as to any savings that initially may be had going the bespoke, or self converting route, and the eventual residual value any such van may have.
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Rod_vw Collaborator

Rod_vw

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Joe90 - 2014-12-13 8:55 PM

 

My guess is the only problem may come some years down the line if trying to get a PX deal from a dealer, salesmen refer to the equivalent of a Glasses guide, and speaking for myself I barely lost a penny on an IH Savannah Tio I owned for a few years, doubt I'd have fared so well with a one off conversion they'd never heard of, so probably swings and roundabouts as to any savings that initially may be had going the bespoke, or self converting route, and the eventual residual value any such van may have.

 

I can concur with that reasoning from experience.

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