Thank you Chris, I enjoy watching and listening to you both. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, as long as your set up works for you. I travel alone with my dog now since my husband passed away and I love and appreciate all of your travel guides. I really look forward to following your travel videos and I’m still learning all the time and I’m in my 70s. Keep on keeping on.😁
Love all the upgrades, and love that you get independents to do the work, if you think you had problems with Marquis, you should thanks your lucky stars you avoided Lowdhams.....I recon i have been their Quality control dept since i purchased a new van from them! Love all the upgrades and bits and bobs, always handy when it's a fully deductible business expense :)
Wow that's a lot of upgrades. We had the same self levelling fitted but I don't think you can simply say all you need is a leveling block! Self levelling gives you so much more than a block as you alluded to. But the main thing for us is ultra stability which you don't get without, so no wobbly van as one of us walks around in it, or annoying rock when you're parked in a lay bye and an HGV passes... But also, we're possibly twice your age 😉 so all that messing about with blocks only to still not be level is a welcome thing of the past, especially when you arrive in the bouncing rain 😮 (I'm also a previous Marquis customer, but never again! Good luck with all that)
So we all do what we want from our motorhomes, air suspension (no brainier) self levelling (no brainier) if you can afford it go for it why not (slogged my nuts off all my life) long time dead and guess what you are not taking it with you crack on 👍
Hey Chris, it's only a waste of money if you sell the motorhome after a year, however i was thinking if in the future when you do sell why not buy a secondhand motorhome at half the price of new, then upgrade til you reach the same price as a new model and then compare them both. 😁
I run my starlink on a Victron 12-24V 5A Converter. Cost around £50. You need to run it on 24V if running a long cable to prevent voltage drop. It draws about 3A
Yeah , i had a look myself at Starlink , but was put off by the subscription . That said i can only agree with the comments he made , with regard to the other connections available . Mine is BT , and it is certainly getting slower every day . I don't watch much tv at home , or on the move for that matter , so that's not really a problem , but i do use the computer quite significantly , piggy backing off my phone on the move . So maybe i'll take a second look , but as for the rest of the stuff , nah , don't need any of it except maybe some extra driving lights . But then ask yourself , how often do you drive at night , and how often do you get the chance to run on main beam . Horses for courses i guess , but posing costs dosh , and only impresses the envious . Bet he only gets 20 to the gallon as well . Me , older vehicle and coachbuilt , 30 , 32 .
Hi Chris, great video thank you. My Christmas list is growing! Not sure if you know but does one of your key fob holders work for an Iveco? Many thanks
Thanks for getting back so quickly. My van does not arrive until March (fingers crossed), can I come back to you then to see what you think? In the meantime, I will go ahead with my other purchases. Many thanks
I realise looks are subjective so....... all that money spent on lights and wrap equates to putting lipstick on a pig. The levellers though are a fantastic addition as are solars, inverter etc! Love your home layout, which would be my ideal but with an added garage big enough for bikes. Great video as always!
Absolutely don't blame you for wanting the upgrades, it's great to turn your motorhome into your home from home. Shame you don't have the Truma heating system as that seems to be ok on the gas and is one of the few things that works on our new van . Also many thanks to you both for all your vlogs as we are currently on the Isle of Arran and it's just as beautiful as you have shown. We spent last night at one of your park up recommendations, thanks again 😊
Love the improvements but I wonder, with all the issues you have had, are you likely to fall out of love with the van and end up selling it at a loss ?
As usual great video Chris , you’ve certainly provided food for thought . I think it’s really interesting to see such a level of modification on a Motorhome - great work !
Hi Chris, The levelling system how much does it impact on the ground clearance when fully retracted? Can you go over big sleeping policemen etc? Cheers Damo
Got the e&p hyd system fitted to my Mileo 346 six years ago, yes expensive, but there again so is a divorce! Motorhome is an automatic and I quickly realised that for peace and quiet ( and my nerves ) it was a godsend. No more yep … up a bit.. no too much… from the wife, tried getting her to drive up the ramp….. nope no chance! Also question was asked somewhere on here, what about ground clearance, no problem, rams retract to just above chassis members.
Chris I have been looking at putting new rogue alloys and BF Goodrich tyres on my Ducato camper but was told they are not the best in wet conditions that came from Rogue alloys btw they recommend general grabbers. Have you had any scares with the BF Goodrich tyres in wet conditions ? Thanks in advance.
I love it when I watch videos of people modifying their motorhome but then I play the video so my wife can hear but all I hear from her “you’re not spending any more money, end of “ so I’ll guess I’ll have hope of the PB payout. Great video as always but I’m not so sure about the light bar and the lights on the bonnet.
I wouldn’t be without my Lazer lights and also fitted bonnet lamps too which are great. Would full VB air which has a levelling option (I believe it costs between £6-7k fitted) been cheaper than part air plus the separate levelling system?
I brought the Knaus Ti Van 650 Meg Motorhome new in March, its based on a VW Crafter automatic. I avoided buying a motorhome based on a Ducato as i know from experience that its an awful drive. The Knaus came with air suspension fitted as standard. I then had a Victron Multiplus system fitted with big solar and a big Fogstar Drift battery. ive also had the Ecoflow 800w alternator charger fitted to fast charge my Ecoflow Delta Pro which i have professionally fitted as a back up to my Victron. In all I've only spent an additional £6000 to reach a decent standard of van. I avoided the hydraulic levelling system as its a lot of money for little gain.......the bonus for me is that the Knaus is a better build of Motorhome so ive avoided all the snags that you had.
I have one standard 95ah lead acid battery - it’s usually flat after half an hour or so of VERY light usage. I really need to upgrade my system, but as we spend 95% of our time on sites then it takes a back seat. Maybe one day 😂
Hi Chris great mods and money well spent to customise to your style. A comment on my experience on suspension. I have a LWB Boxer van conversion which is the 'heavy' suspension from the factory - weighs in fully loaded at about 3600 kg. We have up plated to 4500kg. I had VB semi air rear from the outset. The stock suspension is pretty rubbish so replaced rear dampers with "Bilstein Camper Advanced". I did this first and with the fronts as original I can honestly say it was a revelation in terms of the van handling with side winds, stability round roundabouts, interior noise, rattling and general vibration sensed from the drivers seat. And that was just the rear dampers. Next replaced the front struts with Bilstein Camper Advanced and Kilen 12181 front springs. This lifted the front end 2.25 inches and on driving the van it drives so much better than before. More direct steering and smooth over rough roads. The suspension upgrade cost £1050 for the front and rear Bilstein dampers (Balance Motorsport) and the pair of front springs cost £106 eBay. I would say don't skimp on getting the rear dampers changed as that has made a massive difference for not a lot of money to me.
I agree with all you say if its what you want and floats your boat then do it I am one of those old gadgers that are mentioned sometimes 🤣😂 but very young at heart and like to be different so I have modified and altered things for the two of us. Now I have just got the Truma gas /elec heater and would like to fit a quality diesel heater under the motorhome on our T Line 590 as we really have nowhere inside to put it. Had one on a VW T6 and it was good and could travel with it running where do you stand on that source of extra heating ?? Keep doing your style of vlogs as we love them
The fully expanded DELTA Pro system, with two Smart Extra Batteries, has a maximum capacity of 211.7 Ah. Even if you added more units to reach its theoretical max capacity of 25kw it’s only around 488ah so not quite half the 1,000ah but still a beefy system albeit if it’s like packing to move house carrying that many batteries around. How much is the ecoflow system? When I looked it was going to be upwards of £5K for all that then storing it somewhere was gunna be a bit of a pig.
im not trying to impress anyone haha, ive lived that life before and it doesnt result in being happy whatsoever. I made the video to answer the questions i get all of the time.
Thank you Chris, I enjoy watching and listening to you both. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, as long as your set up works for you. I travel alone with my dog now since my husband passed away and I love and appreciate all of your travel guides. I really look forward to following your travel videos and I’m still learning all the time and I’m in my 70s. Keep on keeping on.😁
Love all the upgrades, and love that you get independents to do the work, if you think you had problems with Marquis, you should thanks your lucky stars you avoided Lowdhams.....I recon i have been their Quality control dept since i purchased a new van from them! Love all the upgrades and bits and bobs, always handy when it's a fully deductible business expense :)
Wow that's a lot of upgrades.
We had the same self levelling fitted but I don't think you can simply say all you need is a leveling block! Self levelling gives you so much more than a block as you alluded to. But the main thing for us is ultra stability which you don't get without, so no wobbly van as one of us walks around in it, or annoying rock when you're parked in a lay bye and an HGV passes...
But also, we're possibly twice your age 😉 so all that messing about with blocks only to still not be level is a welcome thing of the past, especially when you arrive in the bouncing rain 😮
(I'm also a previous Marquis customer, but never again! Good luck with all that)
Your wife deserves a medal !
So we all do what we want from our motorhomes, air suspension (no brainier) self levelling (no brainier) if you can afford it go for it why not (slogged my nuts off all my life) long time dead and guess what you are not taking it with you crack on 👍
Hey Chris, it's only a waste of money if you sell the motorhome after a year, however i was thinking if in the future when you do sell why not buy a secondhand motorhome at half the price of new, then upgrade til you reach the same price as a new model and then compare them both. 😁
I run my starlink on a Victron 12-24V 5A Converter. Cost around £50. You need to run it on 24V if running a long cable to prevent voltage drop. It draws about 3A
Yeah , i had a look myself at Starlink , but was put off by the subscription . That said i can only agree with the comments he made , with regard to the other connections available . Mine is BT , and it is certainly getting slower every day . I don't watch much tv at home , or on the move for that matter , so that's not really a problem , but i do use the computer quite significantly , piggy backing off my phone on the move . So maybe i'll take a second look , but as for the rest of the stuff , nah , don't need any of it except maybe some extra driving lights . But then ask yourself , how often do you drive at night , and how often do you get the chance to run on main beam . Horses for courses i guess , but posing costs dosh , and only impresses the envious .
Bet he only gets 20 to the gallon as well . Me , older vehicle and coachbuilt , 30 , 32 .
Hi Chris, great video thank you. My Christmas list is growing! Not sure if you know but does one of your key fob holders work for an Iveco? Many thanks
I’m not sure. If you can email me a photo of the shape or send me a link to it I can have a look whether I think it will or potentially make one.
Thanks for getting back so quickly. My van does not arrive until March (fingers crossed), can I come back to you then to see what you think? In the meantime, I will go ahead with my other purchases. Many thanks
You are just like me? I don't need it but I want it 🤣
I realise looks are subjective so....... all that money spent on lights and wrap equates to putting lipstick on a pig. The levellers though are a fantastic addition as are solars, inverter etc! Love your home layout, which would be my ideal but with an added garage big enough for bikes. Great video as always!
The water tank level system sounds really good 👍
Have you got any payload left after all that kit?🤗
Tons
Great insight Chris love your blogs we’ve a GC 600 love it but have issues like every motor home it seems !
Holy crap. That's more than I am thinking of spending on a van. Granted I will be upgrading.
Absolutely don't blame you for wanting the upgrades, it's great to turn your motorhome into your home from home.
Shame you don't have the Truma heating system as that seems to be ok on the gas and is one of the few things that works on our new van . Also many thanks to you both for all your vlogs as we are currently on the Isle of Arran and it's just as beautiful as you have shown. We spent last night at one of your park up recommendations, thanks again 😊
Hiya ... could you let me know what water level system you installed. ..... ps I had the VB Full air installed and it is fantastic.😄😄
Love the improvements but I wonder, with all the issues you have had, are you likely to fall out of love with the van and end up selling it at a loss ?
As usual great video Chris , you’ve certainly provided food for thought .
I think it’s really interesting to see such a level of modification on a Motorhome - great work !
Hi Chris, The levelling system how much does it impact on the ground clearance when fully retracted? Can you go over big sleeping policemen etc? Cheers Damo
Hi mate, its not really much of a change. Its mounted in a way where it wouldnt affect the ground clearance really at all.
@ cheers for the answer and the videos 👍
Got the e&p hyd system fitted to my Mileo 346 six years ago, yes expensive, but there again so is a divorce! Motorhome is an automatic and I quickly realised that for peace and quiet ( and my nerves ) it was a godsend. No more yep … up a bit.. no too much… from the wife, tried getting her to drive up the ramp….. nope no chance!
Also question was asked somewhere on here, what about ground clearance, no problem, rams retract to just above chassis members.
Chris I have been looking at putting new rogue alloys and BF Goodrich tyres on my Ducato camper but was told they are not the best in wet conditions that came from Rogue alloys btw they recommend general grabbers. Have you had any scares with the BF Goodrich tyres in wet conditions ?
Thanks in advance.
Nah they been spot on for me. Never had any issues with them at all. But i also have never had the general grabbers etc so cant really compare them
Van looks great and the mods were well worth it. Keep doing what you do.
I love it when I watch videos of people modifying their motorhome but then I play the video so my wife can hear but all I hear from her “you’re not spending any more money, end of “ so I’ll guess I’ll have hope of the PB payout.
Great video as always but I’m not so sure about the light bar and the lights on the bonnet.
Love the honesty and the explanation.
I wouldn’t be without my Lazer lights and also fitted bonnet lamps too which are great. Would full VB air which has a levelling option (I believe it costs between £6-7k fitted) been cheaper than part air plus the separate levelling system?
Van looks awesome, can you share what you did with the water level please? I’ve a Victron system and need to get my tank sorted! Many thanks 🙏
Diesel heater may be a good upgrade and money well spent !
im exploring this as an option as we speak
You drove past me a day or two ago and, as motorhomes go it does look very good…..but it’s still a motorhome🫤
haha thanks i think? ill take that haha
I brought the Knaus Ti Van 650 Meg Motorhome new in March, its based on a VW Crafter automatic. I avoided buying a motorhome based on a Ducato as i know from experience that its an awful drive. The Knaus came with air suspension fitted as standard. I then had a Victron Multiplus system fitted with big solar and a big Fogstar Drift battery. ive also had the Ecoflow 800w alternator charger fitted to fast charge my Ecoflow Delta Pro which i have professionally fitted as a back up to my Victron. In all I've only spent an additional £6000 to reach a decent standard of van. I avoided the hydraulic levelling system as its a lot of money for little gain.......the bonus for me is that the Knaus is a better build of Motorhome so ive avoided all the snags that you had.
Great insight into your mods, thanks 😮
I have one standard 95ah lead acid battery - it’s usually flat after half an hour or so of VERY light usage. I really need to upgrade my system, but as we spend 95% of our time on sites then it takes a back seat. Maybe one day 😂
What’s a wrap ?
Good wee insight Chris 👍👍
Mate have you got any money left for the Arran house move 😅
Nice to be able to get what you want
Hi Chris great mods and money well spent to customise to your style. A comment on my experience on suspension. I have a LWB Boxer van conversion which is the 'heavy' suspension from the factory - weighs in fully loaded at about 3600 kg. We have up plated to 4500kg. I had VB semi air rear from the outset. The stock suspension is pretty rubbish so replaced rear dampers with "Bilstein Camper Advanced". I did this first and with the fronts as original I can honestly say it was a revelation in terms of the van handling with side winds, stability round roundabouts, interior noise, rattling and general vibration sensed from the drivers seat. And that was just the rear dampers. Next replaced the front struts with Bilstein Camper Advanced and Kilen 12181 front springs. This lifted the front end 2.25 inches and on driving the van it drives so much better than before. More direct steering and smooth over rough roads. The suspension upgrade cost £1050 for the front and rear Bilstein dampers (Balance Motorsport) and the pair of front springs cost £106 eBay. I would say don't skimp on getting the rear dampers changed as that has made a massive difference for not a lot of money to me.
Lazer lamps look cool , defo worth the cost .
Vans looking good, the new Sloane accessories line looks good…
Love all the justification 👍
Thanks for your honesty with the mods. However, the lazer lamps are very tempting for my transit conversion.
If theres one recommendation i could give it would definitely be lazer lamps to be fair. I love them and have had them for a long time now
😮 it's not just me then that likes spending 😅😅
Please explain why people use a wheel table instead of a folding table
You dont, but they look cool and are extremely well built. If you have to ask the question id say they arent for you 😂
I agree with all you say if its what you want and floats your boat then do it I am one of those old gadgers that are mentioned sometimes 🤣😂 but very young at heart and like to be different so I have modified and altered things for the two of us. Now I have just got the Truma gas /elec heater and would like to fit a quality diesel heater under the motorhome on our T Line 590 as we really have nowhere inside to put it. Had one on a VW T6 and it was good and could travel with it running where do you stand on that source of extra heating ?? Keep doing your style of vlogs as we love them
Door mirror looks like a navigation lamp off a trawler.
I have 400 amp of lithium extension batteries and carry an Ecoflow delta pro and smart battery which is another 600amps, so 1000 amps in total 😂
The fully expanded DELTA Pro system, with two Smart Extra Batteries, has a maximum capacity of 211.7 Ah. Even if you added more units to reach its theoretical max capacity of 25kw it’s only around 488ah so not quite half the 1,000ah but still a beefy system albeit if it’s like packing to move house carrying that many batteries around.
How much is the ecoflow system? When I looked it was going to be upwards of £5K for all that then storing it somewhere was gunna be a bit of a pig.
Christ I wouldn't be fussy on coming the opposite direction with those lights
yeah i have to be switched on and get them off early if theres another car or van coming.
Fella, if you had mentioned how deep your pockets are I'd have genuinely been impressed....... but you bottled it.
im not trying to impress anyone haha, ive lived that life before and it doesnt result in being happy whatsoever. I made the video to answer the questions i get all of the time.
i should’ve listened more in school 😢
3,500kgs 🤔😉😆
Just use the money to buy a better van surely, a Hymer
They don’t make a layout I like 👍🏻
Just rejected my Hymer due to many faults
@@ChrisSloanes Bürstner has just launched the Lyseo Sovereign Collection 744 with a similar layout. Peter Vaughan just did a video on it.
❤