Interior upgrade for my t2

Ok, so you are suggesting that those of us in my position call the insurers and dvla and explain what we have? It's not a commercial van as I only use it for leisure and overnighting- but does this not matter? Should it still be registered and insured as a commercial van? Or is it a different type of van? My insurance currently uses the phrase 'motor home'..

 

What does it say on the V5?

Mine says motor caravan.

 

I'll check - what's the difference in these rules for a motor caravan and a campervan ?

 

Who nose.

 

Never underestimate a Jobsworth!

 

interesting debate ... my bus like a lot of US imports never had a cooker fitted as wasn't permitted in many states ... this was explained to the DVLA when I first registered and they accepted this ... so the answer differs.

 

If you decode your M-plate you’ll find out whether it was originally a van or a bus, but it probably left the factory as a van, it was then converted into what we call a campervan and if you read the DVLA link you’ll see that campervans, motor caravans and motorhomes all fall into the same category of Motor Caravan, so your V5c should state Motor Caravan - if it was registered correctly with the DVLA.

There are advantages in a van being registered as a ‘Motor Caravan’, cheaper insurance and a higher speed limit for example, but to be a Motor Caravan it has to have certain items, if you remove some of those items it is no longer a Motor Caravan, it doesn’t matter whether you actually use it for camping or carrying bricks.

It’s unlikely that anyone will discover that your van that was converted to a Motor Caravan has now been converted back to a van so you can deceive your insurer and the DVLA with little chance of being found out - unless VOSA or an insurance assessor carries out an inspection.

I’m not suggesting you do anything but legally you should inform your insurer and the DVLA to explain what you have done.

 

Thanks for the explanation. I'll let you know how I get on. No one ever said this VW stuff would be plain sailing huh.

 

I use a portable cooker that I can cook in the van with, or can cook outside as I prefer under my gazebo. Legally any water bottle counts as a water container and I have heard before about having to have a table, but the only time I`ve heard of this is when trying to cross a toll bridge as that`s one of their distinguishing features for the chargeable rate. The other thing is, how big does the table have to be ? Could it be from a dolls house maybe or even from a model camper
I can understand what people are saying but it does sound just a little extreme. How do you class a cooker ? Does it have to be fixed ? Etc etc. I`ve never had a sink in mine, most stuff gets dry cleaned and dish washerd when I get home so I can relate to most of your alterations apart from the cool box. My coolbox is maybe the only serious item in my bus as it will hold somewhere between five and six dozen Stella, nice and cold,, Oh ,, plus the bed, usually required after the Stella. Does anybody really know what is actually in these vans? Do what you want but if you feel a bit unsure with your insurance give them a ring and talk it over with them once you`ve settled what you is doing even before you do it if you like.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Relax

 

Interesting.

My bus has a bed and a table. No sink. No cooker. Although it always has a small portable hob and an empty ******* bottle in it. Do you think dvla and insurance will accept the bottle as a water container?

 

Thanks for your reassuring comment ozziedog!... now tell me...what sort of coolbox do you have?! I'm after a decent one and yours sounds spot on!

 

This is one of those things that doesn't matter until it does matter. Some insurance companies specifically ask if you have certain things on board. If they dont ask and you dont care then whos counting. Not sure how interested DVLA are in what you have in there........ if its registered as a motor caravan, or I believe possibly a camper! If its registered as something else then .... is not a camper. Its a combi, a microbus, a delivery van..... and different speed limits are applicable , at least technically and of course you should insure it as such... there again, is anyone actually bothered.

 

My cool box is made from an old steamer trunk with two separate poly styrene lidded containers in. Under the boxes is insulated with three to four inches of loose foam and also around the sides between the poly boxes and the trunk. One is deeper than the other, the deepest is my coolbox and the less deep one is my extremely cool box because it has more foam under it. If you freeze water in plastic containers it keeps the boxes cool if the stuff is as cold as you can get it before you put it in it stays cold longer. If you tip the melted water out into your kettle three or four times a day then the ice will last much longer. With the ice, if you can freeze it for a week it seems to last longer, and the larger the ice mass the longer it takes to thaw. I've tried water bottles all sizes, maybe milk cartons, and the best overall is ice cream tubs and old curry dishes. With two ice cream tubs in each section, it will last up to five days in summer, but the hotter the weather, the quicker the thaw. The old steamer trunk has been in my bus for over five years that I can remember and is great to sit on too and it fits from behind the drivers seat and just misses the Rusty Lee when it pulls out, I think the bed just sits on it by an inch or two.

Ozziedog,,,,, perfect

 

A steamer trunk that gets you steaming drunk
You'll have to put a pic up Ozzie

 

Ok, so can someone explain to me how I deal with rust protecting the inside of the bus...without a compressor? Can I just use a spray can of wax oil in the nooks and crannies? How do I prep the area? Do i just put the can in warm water to help?

 

Someone else asked a similar question recently. If the surface rust is removed, and/ or treated with jenolite or similar, then painted and if the bus is water tight and mot damp then im not sure what else is needed inside the bus itself.

Do people really waxoyle the inside? If so then why and doesnt it all smell, melt and ruin the interior trim. I dont know the answer really but cant get my head around why youd do this.

 

Thanku- I can't get my head around it either.... so u sandpaper off surface rust? And jenolite you say? Not heard of that product so thanks I'll look it up

 

There are other brands and i cant recall its proper name. Wire brush or sand the rust back, you paint it on and let it go off. It oxidises the rust. There are other things you can use too. You paint over it after.

 

Thanks ...wire brush sounds good. I'm planning to use smooth hammerite over the top?