Hymer BS640 Starline - ownership

Not quite! It was never our intention to lay up for the winter but to use him throughout. I reckon he'll get a reasonable amount of usage coming up, what with us renovating the house somewhat when we first move in. We'll likely either spend most weekends during that time at the house, sleeping in the van, or taking it away somewhere. But I hope not to have to lay it up in the truest sense of the word - instead just decommission him when we come back from wherever we've been (empty tanks and purge pipes etc) and then top up before we go away. Unlike a lot of people do where they really fully decommission the vans for the whole period until Spring. That was never our intention since it makes ownership relatively expensive and not very adventurous either!!

 

So, just back from a 150mile round trip to Thetford Forest for a night away.

And reintroduced to the joys of motorhoming - only one night but batteries (ours and the vans) full recharged! 30quid in fuel and 17quid in campsite fees and everyone had a ball.

Van proved faultless on the motorway and a-roads so can only assume that the problem is now fixed which was tripping LHM and we all slept really well overnight. The van proving to be cosy even when the temperature fell to just 2-3degs outside overnight. I will have no qualms about spending winter nights in there, knowing that the blown hot air heating is more than up to the job of keeping the habitation area warm.

Hopefully now that most of the issues have been resolved, I'll be able to start another thread with photos of trips away and experiences, not just mechnical and habitation problems!

 

I wish - been 7wks now since we accepted the offer on our place and 3months since we had our offer on the place we're buying accepted.

Now looks like the sale won't exchange for 2-3wks still and the purchase another 6-8wks!!!

I'm so fed up with houses, I'd almost rather live in the van at the moment!

 

Thanks chaps. Have targetted exchange by 23rd October. Hopefully it'll all work out.

Not used the van this weekend just gone as Mrs and daughter both ill, but hope to get out it in again soon. Just started the winterising though since temps have dropped. All the water lines and tanks drained down and dehumidiers scattered around the cabin to soak up any unwanted humidity as the temperature drops.

 

Ok, so quick update on this thread before I upload a load of pictures on to the "Adventures" thread.

Had a quick trip up to Norfolk for a long weekend just gone. 256miles in total and a new "personal best" of 24.6mpg!

A couple of things on the to-do list when I get the time/money:

- source & fit a new door-check strap & hinge to the pax cab side door. The previous one snapped and whilst I could do without it, the strong winds over the weekend showed it's good to have!
- top up oil (and keep a record as it seems to be using a bit)
- top up screenwash
- decent wash. I haven't washed Harry since August and he's covered in sap and general road film. Might have to wait until Jan when we're properly ensconsed in the new house.
- interior detail. Cab nooks & crannies need deep clean and wouldn't hurt to steam clean the floor, kitchen & bathroom given we've been trapsing in and out over the course of 10nights away and however many day trips. I clean it in between, but a deep clean would be useful.
- tyre replacement at some point but need to steel myself for that given there's so much other expenditure at the moment.

 

It never rains but it pours.......

......literally pouring in through the roof of the motorhome!

Since the start of December, Harry has been parked up at our new gaff and had been providing temporary accomodation "on site" as all of the building work was done at the house pre-moving in. Upon one of my commutes up there a week or so ago, I was looking forward to enjoying a cup of coffee in the van in between meetings with the builders, when I opened the door to hear the ominous sound of dripping coming from inside the van!

Water had collected inside the trim of the main rooflight in the centre of the ceiling and had started dripping over the floor, sofa and bar area. Some Investigation showed the sealant had cracked around the outside and the casing had cracked on the inside. Having had the sealant go on the front rooflight only 3 months ago, I'm of the opinion this had gone on this one (UV damage over 15yrs) and, worse than that, water had got in and frozen during one of the frosts we had and cracked the casing as it had expanded.

Long story short, Harry has been at MG Caravans since before Christmas, awaiting a new rooflight from Hymer in Germany (due first week of January). Unfortunately, given it's quite a complicated part (gearbox and winding mechanisms to raise & lower the dome) it's not stocked over here and is going to cost 550quid, fitted!

Given how it's the second one to fail in 3 months, I'm getting them to take a good look at the remaining two, with a view to popping them out and resealing/refitting them so as to avoid future issues.

On top of the house & expected issues with Beryl, the Polo - it's been an expensive festive period!

 

So, rooflight repair now sorted and Harry back on the road, thoughts now inevitably turn to a mixture of touring and maintenance for the year. We're balancing our plans for this year with bigger ones for 2017 (see my other thread on Sabbatical) and have a number of things needing to be done before these trips can happen. With Harry coming up to his 15th Birthday this year, Mercedes recommends the engine coolant is changed and, in finding out about this requirement, I've also found that they recommend the rear axle oil is changed every 6th Maintenance Service (which is every second year or 20k miles). Although it's hard to work out when this might be given he's only done 37k in 15yrs, it's probable this should have been undertaken but I can't find any paperwork to confirm, so I've asked for a quote on getting that work done.

In theory, aside from the two items above, Harry should only need an Oil Service this year, but given the propensity for Sprinters to struggle with clogged fuel filters, I've decided that I will get this Maintenance Service done too and try and keep on top of the fuel filter situation, especially given how the van doesn't get much usage (relatively speaking). So I've sent off to All Klasse Autos for a quote on the above service work.

Tyres are also on the horizon this year - whilst the current Continental VanCos have plenty of tread left and have no sidewall cracking, they are now 8yrs old and, as such, are recommended to be changed in order to prevent sudden (and catastrophic) failure. In spite of having had good experiences with Continental VanCos on my previous motorhome, I'm considering the Michelin Agilis Camping tyre since this has sipes and M&S markings, even if not the winter compound of the Alpin model.

I have sourced a new bike rack, which needs fitting. I don't have the balls to start drilling into the rear wall of my pride & joy so will be outsourcing this to M&G caravans too.

And finally, need to get the van on a Weighbridge. As luck would have it, there is a public weighbridge very close to where we live. My plan is to get the van in "Touring Mode", i.e. full of fuel, water and most of our "essentials" (pots, pans, cutlery, crockery, first aid kit, outdoor furniture) and then get it weighed. And then when we're properly in "All Up Mode", head via the weighbridge when we're off, so we see what our really fully ladened position is. This way we'll have a couple of certificates to show the cops / VoSA if we are ever unlucky enough to get pulled. I'm not overly concerned about the weight side of things since I technically have >1 tonne of payload with this 416CDI Chassis, but it's good to be aware of GVW and axle loadings and also to show the powers that be that you're a responsible owner / driver.

In terms of trips planned, just the following currently.....

March - Easter Weekend - Kelling Heath, Norfolk - having been there back in Oct/Nov last year and really enjoyed its mix of facilities and child friendliness, we've decided to head there from Good Friday to Easter Monday and have booked and paid for a Premium Pitch (larger pitch plus fully serviced with electricity and fresh & waste water) for 100quid for three nights.

April & May - nothing booked but will seek to get away at least twice. Looking at Southwold & Aldeburgh, Suffolk - given how close it is to us at less than 2hrs away, which makes it easy for a Friday, leaving straight from work.

June - boys weekend mountainbiking in Dolgellau, Wales. Friday to Sunday - travelling with 3 of us up, plus bikes on the rack and then two of us kipping in the van. Solid 450mile return trip.

June - two weeks in France. Dover-Calais then overnighting near Alecon, La Rochelle, Bordeaux and then arriving at Uncles in Pontacq for a week, then threading our way back up to Calais for the return trip over three-four days. Should result in a good 2k miles of roadtrip and 7-8 nights spent in the van.

Looking to break the 20night barrier this year. The above is a good start, but we need to sustain regular usage but I don't see that as a problem now that the van is on the drive at home and readily accessible.

 

Finally some good news and the news I knew we'd eventually get......

Harry passed his MOT yesterday and with no advisories!

As suspected, in spite of all the issues, Harry is rock solid and in great condition. The only issue which came up was as a result of my request to change the brake fluid. Turns out the bleed nipples on 3 of the calipers are seized, so he'll have to go back for a bit of work to unwork those and replace them but no more than 150quids worth according to my mechanic.

Work carried out
- oil change & filter
- microfilter, cabin filter & fuel filter replaced
- aircon service & regas
- coolant test (measured -32degs C so leaving the change for a year)
- rear differential oil change
- MOT

GBP 490 with All Klasse Autos (Merc Specialist), Bishops Stortford.

Given he was coming up 15yrs this November, the service manual states to replace the rear diff oil. I had this done and can't believe the difference it's made! On the motorway, Harry would be happiest around 60mph with 65mph sounding a little uncomfortable and 70mph downright noisey, boomy and on the overrun, whiny. Yesterday, the whining had disappeared and on the sliproad joining the M11, I saw a very easy 70mph with the previous boomy/noisiness gone. I won't be cruising at that speed, but certainly may avail of a 65mph cruise instead of my usual 58-60mph, which will help with the long distance journeys in France.

All in all, a very happy pup. Had hoped to get away this weekend in him to celebrate, but the weather looks truly miserable for tomorrow. But we'll see how the mood takes us tomorrow.

Oh, and another blot on Travelworlds book, all the parts All Klasse Autos took off yesterday during the servicing were cheap pattern parts. Now given Travelworld serviced the thing last, that's down to them. So much for using Genuine Mercedes parts!

 

Well, as things now happen in the 21st century, Facebook pinged me a "Timehop" reminding me that it is coming up 12 months since we bought Harry. Therefore it seemed like an appropriate juncture to have a look at the costs incurred to date and a peek ahead. Also maybe a quick recap of what we've done and how we're using him and whether it would be worth recommending to others who have an itch to scratch.

Let's get the money side of it out of the way first.....

We bought Harry for 25k from Travelworld in Telford. This was 3k discount on the screen price, due to me knowing the Salesman through Pistonheads. My view, 12 months on from purchase, is that I wouldn't bother buying from a dealer in future. The support we got was pretty poor to non-existent I think the trick is to buy from a fellow enthusiast and commission third party checks and barter the price accordingly. Although I probably didn't pay much more than I would've done privately in the end, knowing what I did (didn't) get, I'd go private and keep a few k in the bank to cover any issues, if I were to do it again.

That said, although we had a shaky start with Harry and some issues along the way, there is no way any of us want to change him anytime soon. He's the perfect layout for us (which is what matters most) and is now getting to be how we want him. The only thing which would have us change is something more modern and with a "garage" - that would take us into the realms of another 25-30k, which just isn't worth it.

Anyway, I digress. Depreciation - effectively zero. If anything, these trucks are going up in value rather than down and especially with Harry being on a 4.6t chassis, versus the more standard 3.5t, he's a rare old beast and commands a premium amongst those in the know due to the proper carrying capacity.

Now for the real numbers.....

Insurance - 450
VED - 165
Tyres - 564 (7 x Michelin Agilis+)
Servicing & Repairs - 1,541
Breakdown - 476
Upgrades - 350
Fuel - 567 (110 gallons @ 24mpg)

Total - 4,113 = 342pcm

Or 2,647miles @ 115p per mile.

Big numbers, but I'd also like to hope that it's going to be one of my most expensive years too. Why do I say that?

Well, as ever, the numbers only tell half the story. Buried in that servicing line is a rather large service - diff oil, aircon servicing and all the filters and oil change. The first item is a once every 15yr job(!), the aircon is obviously not a regular item and the remaining servicing is once every two years. The remainder of that line is the replacement or resealing of two rooflights, which failed due to age. Whilst there will be other age-related defects, those two were quite major and expensive, so I'm budgeting a few hundred quid a year going forwards.

The tyres, well, I'm unlikely to wear them out (as motorhomes do so few miles on average), so they'll do me for the next 8yrs until it's time to replace on time rather than mileage.

That leaves Breakdown - this was the replacement of the turbo transducer right at the start of my ownership. I'm fairly convinced this wasn't at fault at all and only the poor wiring to the boost valve, which was subsequently resolved for just 60quid by an Indy! But nevertheless, I understand they do fail, so I view this as preventative maintenance.

Upgrades - OEM cruise control fitted by Mercedes themselves. This has been the best 350quid I've spent.

The rest is the usual insurance and VED, neither of which I view as being ludicrous given the size/weight of the vehicle. And fuel, also, has been something of a surprise - we're averaging 24mpg, which I think is jolly decent for such a big truck.

So - I've doshed out the thick end of 4k. What a nutter, you might think! Well, actually, I view it as quite good value considering what we have. It wouldn't take much to drop 4k on a very nice family holiday long-haul and although we haven't used Harry as much as we had intended in this first year, we have had him available to us 24/7 and some of the best breaks have been the relatively last-minute ones. That, to me, is a good justification of blowing 4k throughout a year of holidays and not just on 2wks in Florida, for example.

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So, how does it work? Very well indeed, I reckon. Both myself and Mrs Spuff were concerned about dropping 25k in addition to the other vehicles and worried about how much we would use Harry. So its been a little less than we had anticipated, but the time that we have spent has been magical. It's been great for family time - the decision not to fit a TV is one I still stand by and although there is still too much iPad usage when we're away, we also play puzzles, Connect4 and dominoes, which is priceless family time.

Then there is the outdoors. There is such a permanent connection with your surroundings. When it's sunny and dry, you play outside. When it's wet and cold, you huddle in the warmth of the van - always finding something to do. Nightime is also quite magical with the little'un since it's so intimate with you all being in the same space - getting to hear her softly breathe whilst she's asleep and Mrs Spuff and I can enjoy a relaxing G&T, pint of Stella and a chat without interruptions.

In recent weeks we've learnt to use Harry better. He's fully stocked up and ready to go with most things, with just fresh food and clothing required to turn him around from dormant to travelling in around an hour. The only thing which we haven't worked out yet is how to take care of him the best - he's such a big lump that cleaning him and protecting him from the elements is a BIG job and with a big garden to deal with too, it's quite an undertaking to share the love between the garden, motorhome and family! :confused:

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The future - it's very bright for all of us! We're all booked up for the ferry on 18th June to France for our summer holidays. Unlike last year when Harry was out of service, we fully expect to be on the boat and travelling the 900miles down to near Pontacq over the course of 3-4days. We'll then have a week down there before travelling back up, stopping off en route over 3 days or so. It will be a challenge for us as to how well we manage a lot of driving in something capable of 65mph and how we get on with the French, but given France is brilliantly accommodating of motorhomes, it should be a doddle.

Then there'll be the usual ad hoc trips here and there and maybe even a trip up to NW Scotland later in the year.

Next year is the big one with 6-8wks of touring N Europe and Scandinavia planned. Can't wait for that one.

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To Do

Relatively minor this time around since I've bitten the bullet on the majority of maintenance issues. There'll always be something which can rear its ugly head, so I've got a good grand tucked away for this purpose and reckon on spending half of this every year just to ensure he's in tip top condition. Like anything, tackling things ahead of time is a good way of reducing overall spend. Never letting it get too bad and nipping it in the bud.

- Audio system - this is something I'm really keen to get done. I have been in touch with AudioFile but it looks like they're massively busy at the moment, so may not get it in place before our travels to France. OK so a good bit of cash at around 1.5k, but it'll be worth it given how much we know Harry is a good unit.
- Leather - the interior leather is beautiful quality but showing its age a bit. It's a bit marked in places and dirty (being cream) so I'm going to be seting myself the target of getting this completely rejuvenated during the next month or so. I have bought AutoFiness leather cleaner & conditioning products and although I've had a go with some microfiber cloths, which have shown good results, I am awaiting a proper leather brush as a lot of the dirt is ingrained and need shifting to properly show it off to best effect. This will probably involve me taking the settee cushions inside and spending my evenings in front of the telly doing this, but it'll be worth it and another round of preventative maintenance. There's a danger if its left any longer then the leather will start cracking in some places.
- Bike rack fitting - I have one bought, just need to pay someone to install it. 180quid budgeted.
- Oven/Grill - one of the most irksome things for the wife is no oven/grill (which is normal for foreign vans - UK ones tend to have them fitted, continentals tend to cook more outside). I'm looking into having one retrofitted before our long trip next year. Could cost up to 1k and we'll loose some cupboard space, but Mrs Spuff would like one, so need to at least properly look into it.

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Overall, I'd say it has been the best decision we've ever made. There's no doubt it's a luxury and we are of course very lucky that we can afford to do it, but I'm so glad we have tried it, because it has been great fun and will continue to be so.

I'd urge anyone with even the slightest itch to have a go and scratch it. If you think you'd like it, chances are you would!

 

So, not had much chance to us Harry given all our weekends have been taken up with gardening more recently! But the big countdown to the annual summer holiday has begun in earnest so I took Friday off last week to get him prepped for the journey. The sobering thought is that he did just 2.6k miles last year - we're about to undertake one trip which will end up being nigh on 2k miles on its own!

Freshly serviced and driving beautifully, there has been little to do on the mechanical front, so my eyes were turned to the interior. I spent a day a few weekends ago going through all the lockers inside ascertaining what was either accumulated rubbish, which could be shed or things which were surplus to requirements which we had originally thought useful but had never used. With half a tank of fuel, empty water (fresh & grey) tanks and just myself on board, I took Harry to the local weighbridge. I should have done this sooner, but always took comfort from the max GVW 4.6t Chassis but on this trip and knowing how the French can be picky, I decided it was best to set out with a certificate in hand to show I knew what my vehicle weighs.

First time on a weighbridge and it was both daunting and exciting! I drove on and the Operator pressed a few buttons on his Computer, then had me reverse the rear axle onto the plate behind the weighbridge. He then used the GVW to subtract the front axle weights to extrapolate out the rear axle weights. Then took all the registration and registered owners details for the certificate together with a time & date stamp and exchanged this for 10quid and I was off! I was quite nervous to see where Harry came out given my experience with the Rimor I had a few years ago. That was only 3.5t and weighted in at pretty much 3.5t empty as I found out just before I sold it. This had meant I had been driving around well over max GVW.

Anyway, good old German build quality did me proud. Harry was loaded with virtually everything we would go away with; aside from clothes, fridge full of food (beer & gin & tonic already on board!), water and my wife & daughter. Oh, and only half a tank of fuel. But I needn't have worried - maximum weight came in at a shade under 3,500kg with both axles coming in well under their maximum loadings; giving me a payload of over 1,000kg! On the way home I added 45kg of fuel and 120kg of water when I got home. Add to that another 10kg clothes, 10kg food, 50kg wife & 13kg daughter, I still have over 900kg to play with.

You could argue that with that kind of payload and empty weight, I would just have the vehicle replated to 3,500kg and avail of some higher speed limits and less onerous restrictions on emissions zones, but I have to say, I really value this kind of payload capacity. It means that within reason, I don't have to worry about what and who is on board. If I want to bring a few cases of wine back, I'm more limited by storage capacity than payload. I can also one day fit a satellite dome for TV (unlikely) or rooftop aircon unit, without worrying about payload. I can carry my mountainbikes without worrying about overloading the rear axle. All kinds of things. The most important thing is I can drive around with full fresh water on board (and even large amounts of grey if I haven't found anywhere to drop) which is what the touring capacity is about.

So, Harry now has his weight certificate. He's fully cleaned externally. Will be cleaned internally today after work and is kitted out with all the necessary travel bits (alcohol detector bits, headlight kit, fuses, spare bulbs, first aid kit, triangle, vests etc), V5c and insurance certificate on board and a very helpful "Camper Contact" app which shows all the Aires around France. Can't wait!

We're headed to a bespoke motorhome "Aire" in Canterbury on Friday afternoon, overnighting there and will be sailing from Dover to Calais at 8:30am on Saturday. From there down to Le Mans / Tours (hoping we're late enough to avoid the traffic around Le Mans for the start of the race! ) and overnighting before heading westwards towards La Rochelle or Bordeaux and the dunes. Couple of nights there, then over to Tarbes to stay with relatives and then on to Col du Tourmalet for an overnight in the mountains. Back to relations and then five days working our way back up north back to Blighty via some friends en route. Two weeks and I can't wait!

I'll update the "Adventures" thread when I'm back!

 

Funny you should ask! He's not had much serious use since we got back from the Pyrennes. I think we'd all had our fill immediately afterwards and he got laid up - only being used for my office when I'm working from home or when I felt he needed a run out. In which case, little'un and I would take him for a 20mile run to get him warmed up and wheels turning.

That was until this weekend - we headed out up to Thetford Forest on Sunday and used him as a "Day Van" - packing our picnic and all our walking gear. We parked up, did the Stick Man Trail with the little'un, headed back to the van for some lunch, had a bit of a play around in the playground etc., had a cup of coffee and a slice of cake and then headed home. Gave us all the bug again and even the little'un was asking when we could next go away but this time stay in Harry.

As it turns out, we are a bit of an inverse user of the motorhome; almost preferring to stay put over the summer and enjoy the garden than travel with the masses. I reckon the majority of our motorhoming for this year and into next will be conducted during Oct - May. I really like hunkering down in the warmth of the van and hearing the rain and wind lash outside. Feels cosey and cosseting and we also get sites to ourselves.

Still loving the ability to go away at a drop of a hat though. Sunday was great and we'll do something in a fortnight's time for two nights - maybe Rutland Water.

Maybe I should stay quiet on this, but apart from a set of windscreen wipers (well, three sets actually, since I need three blades so I bought three sets so I have another spare) he's cost nothing and runs like a dream. He can sit still for 4-6wks and still start on the first turn of the key. There's a couple of habitational niggles and the brake calipers will need an overhaul next year, but otherwise we're loving him.

Cost per mile - 105p!

 

Holy thread resurrection!

Yes, it would basically refuse to accelerate above about 20mph. Traced back to a wire which was too tight across engine bay and under heavy acceleration it would get slightly pulled out of its socket and activate limp mode.