Right! we are hoping, wishing, praying our vera will be ready this week for a trip saturday...now what do we need on board mechanically wise.....we do have aa cover but any ideas on general items if we broke down we could manage to sort ourselves?? Beer will already be on board as will toys to entertain our 2 year old if it does happen...:-/
Do not ever leave home without at least a weeks worth of food/water/toilet rolls/blankets/ Mechanically you should get away with just a coil/points/condenser/fuel/oil/water/front bumper/offside cab door/engine/ Just go - what could possibly go RONG?
i was asking for this i know, but i remember something about making sure we had cables of some kind?!
Yeh best not to think about breakdowns , they really dont happen that often , you just here about them on here if they do . Few spanners screw driver kit n spare of the cables are good to have then if one goes you can even get AA man to fit it IF you dont know how . Good luck have fun , your love it .
The key is to drive your van. Don't worry too much unless you are going somewhere really really remote or for a v long trip. I drove my van for 10+ years with no spares, i didn't even have the ability to change a wheel! I asked the same question before heading off on a long trip last year: I was told to get accelerator and clutch cables, spare fan belt and points i think. I was going to Mull in Scotland, so it may have been hard to get some bits quickly. Anyway you can take every spare in the world and then breakdown and need tthe only thing you haven't got.
I have always carried a jack, wheelbrace, oil, spare coil, some spare fuses, a length of fuel hose, filter and clips, basic tools like screwdriver, pliers etc, spare fanbelt, clutch and accelerator cables and a couple of lengths of wire with croc clips on either end. I've never used any of it apart from a couple of fuses.
I bought my bus at roughly the same time as you guys. Been running it around town since I got it but have just recently done my first couple of decent trips with no issues. I'm loving it! FWIW I carry a full set of tools and any spares I have knocking about but I'd say the main thing to take is some spare engine oil in a suitable container (it's difficult to top up from a gallon can without making a mess). If it's using a bit (and it probably is) then regular checks and top ups could save the engine. While you're at it you can check if the engine's getting hot (dipstick is the place to feel - too hot to handle = too hot). Jump leads are good too. Even if you don't need them you might be able to rescue someone else with them. But as others have said, try not to worry - instead enjoy the ride.
i run with a full support crew in a mercedes sprinter carrying every part except a drivers seat, if that fails i can remove the passenger one and the mrs sits in the back, there's no point carrying non essensials.
I've given up carrying anything other than a clutch cable and a throttle cable spares wise. I've even given up carrying a spare wheel but that's under review.
