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Post by Sorento 08 on Jun 29, 2023 20:14:10 GMT
Thanks Mike, Hope you are enjoying your trip to Scotland.
Can I please ask you to add our last trip for the time being?
Hill Farm CC CL Somerset 7 nights at £20pn Towed 160 miles Then towed 200 miles to home. Reports to follow. (Now on the website to view) Thanks Paul
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Post by Sorento 08 on Jun 23, 2023 17:02:54 GMT
Hi Mike Please add our nights away so far (1 more to follow, when we get back home, (site reports to follow when we are back home next week)
Emblem Vila CC CL (Adults Only) 5 nights @ £22pn towed 90 miles
Uplands CC CL (Adults Only) 7 nights @ £19pn towed 160 miles
Trelew Farm CC CL 14 nights @ 20pn towed 120 miles Thanks Paul
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Post by Sorento 08 on Jun 1, 2023 20:49:03 GMT
Wow, that site has changed a lot since we were there. Well it was over 20 years ago.
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Post by Sorento 08 on May 20, 2023 20:47:49 GMT
Looks good on the photos Paul. Main thing is you are happy with the repair. Mike Thanks Mike, I have managed to spend a bit of time in the van today getting it cleaned out and replacing the items removed, for our month away, and after a very good look around the repairs, can honestly say, I can not find any fault in the workmanship. So pleased, as we were not looking forward to the prospect of a battle with Coachman. Looking forward to a few trips away now.
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Post by Sorento 08 on May 18, 2023 20:22:43 GMT
Collected van this afternoon and can honestly say really pleased with the work they have done View of ceiling board Inside of wardrobe after repair View of Washroom ceiling board near cupboard after repair View of above the washroom door ceiling board after repair
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Post by Sorento 08 on May 15, 2023 15:42:57 GMT
Just a quick update. After a lengthy drawn out discussion with the dealer and Coachman, it has now been agreed that the repair of replacing the washroom ceiling boarding will be carried out at the dealers. So I have just returned the van back to the dealer after Coachman trained 2 of the dealers fitters at the factory back in April, to show them how to complete the repair. Apparently this repair has never been carried out at the dealer. The dealer is hoping to have the van ready for me by Thursday afternoon. If their past workmanship is to go by, I am sure they will do a good job.
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Post by Sorento 08 on Apr 6, 2023 21:20:37 GMT
Middleton Farm Green Lane Yarpole Leominster Herefordshire HR6 0BJ Open: 01 Mar 2023 - 01 Oct 2023 Earliest arrival 1pm Max outfit length (m): 13 1 Acre 16 amp EHU Site fee: £22.00 Incl (March 2023) The site is an adults only site, dogs welcome on leads and situated on a narrow road with a couple of passing places, the site offers fully serviced and hard standing pitches (water, electric and grey water waste drain). Access is through a secure access gate (the code will be given when booking confirmed. This gate has 2 codes, one to partially open the gate to walk out and another to fully open when using the car. The owners are very friendly and leave you alone, but should you need help, they are just a phone call away. A Separate drive over for Motorhomes is at the top end of the site in front of the Chemical point and refuse which is nicely hidden behind a wooden fence accessed through a door or you can walk around, this can also be accessed by all pitches via the footpath that runs along the back of all the pitches saving walking on the grass. The owners request that green chemicals are used in the toilet. There is some traffic noise as the road is directly behind. Unfortunately we experienced some dog noise too from the houses behind the site. Car charging is not currently available on this site. The closest point is in Leominster (approx. 5 miles from site) There is a community run pub approx. 300 yards from the site by turning right out of the site. A shop and café are located in the church which is approx. another 300 yards from the site. The café sells food on selected days. Croft Castle (NT) with a café and Bircher Common are approx. 1 mile away. A short car journey is Berrington Hall (NT). There are many footpaths from the site (a walk booklet can be bought for about £4.00 from the shop written by a local person. Ludlow town is well known for its food festivals and castle (£8.00 admission at the time of our visit). Leominster has many shops. Weobley has a black and white trail, worth a visit. To enlarge photo please click on it. Thanks for looking Site Entrance from road Site from gate View from pitches Motor home discharge point Chemical and Recycle point Recycle and Chemical toilet point
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Post by Sorento 08 on Apr 5, 2023 16:06:02 GMT
Hi Mike hope you and Hazel enjoyed your trips away. Could you please add our first outing, (the persistent rain and gusts of wind certainly tested the damp repair, just waiting now for dealer to get their fitters trained by Coachman then they will complete the washroom ceiling boarding in May, just in time for our 4 weeks away, end of May to June).
14 nights at Middleton Farm CC CL (Adults Only) £22.00 per night and total round trip travelled 240 miles.
Report to follow. Now complete. Thanks Paul
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Post by Sorento 08 on Mar 1, 2023 21:36:01 GMT
Collected van on Tuesday (28th Feb) morning reviewed the work the dealer has done and can not find any fault with it, they have blended the wall covering so well it is near on impossible to see, they also replaced rotten cupboard base in the washroom where the towel sat soaking. Unfortunately they said all the time they would struggle to do the ceiling boarding covering as the staining ran past the wardrobe, into the living area and would need the furniture removed and as these items are always fitted before the roof panels are fitted then secured by screws through the roof they would destroy the furniture when removed, but after 3 weeks of trying to get Coachman to agree to take it into the factory to be repaired have had no response from the company. I have now sent the Customer services manager an email showing the damaged coverings and locations and asking why they are not discussing this with the dealer, and arranging return date to factory. I am still waiting for a reply from him, I know it is only 2 days, so giving him the benefit. I do think this is behaviour from the manufacturer is beyond belief and the sort of money spent on this and now the price they are charging for new models they really need to think on the way they treat their customers along with the end users. I would certainly not be parting with £13K to swap after this behaviour.
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Post by Sorento 08 on Feb 14, 2023 9:49:51 GMT
Further update today 14.02.23 Had a call from the dealer who has completed the replacement of the middle and rear section of awning rail to the off side and replaced the wall covering where the damp has stained the covering, and the front window rail along with the leaking main door lock seal, but are in talks with Coachman regarding the ceiling covering replacement as they are not happy about taking the wardrobe and associated roof lockers out of the washroom, and feel it should be returned to the factory to be done. I personally would prefer that to happen as they will be better geared up to do this, I had from the start thought it would have been better to have been returned to the factory as I felt the roof would need to be removed and boarding replaced, but will see, the dealer will be calling me back on Thursday this week with the update as we are booked to go away end of March and all of June I am hoping we can negotiate the dates. So much for the advanced technology. We did have a look at the same model as ours at the dealer but a brand new one ready to go, but felt the changes they have done, i.e, replaced the Dometic fridge to the dual opening, larger one door cupboard over the sink and slightly larger water tank capacity in the Alde boiler, I did notice all the blinds were very hard to close and open so that would be another issue, as we have just managed to get all our blinds replaced under warranty, so we could not justify the £14,000 Px they want from us. Plus Coachman are not making our 520 model next year or the twin single bed model as they can not keep up with the demand of the fixed bed models. So it looks like we will be stuck with the layout we have as we like it. Quality build in my opinion is certainly not part of Coachman's focus today. I do hope the repair work the dealer has carried out is good and not a bodge job as I have seen by some others in the past. Further updates to follow.....
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Post by Sorento 08 on Jan 7, 2023 11:14:57 GMT
Well after van was serviced in September it had a clean bill of health, all issues had been resolved, we managed to get away before Christmas. Last week I decided to pop up to the van to check on it in storage after the winds and rain. Only to find damp stains on the walls of the overhead lockers, wardrobe and cupboards in the washroom. I had my damp meter so checked it came out at max 47% so as it was a dry day, I popped back to Screwfix and bought a roll of Duct tape, collected my step ladders and back to storage and applied the tape to the awning rail and the "Cant" grey rail bonded on the roof, contacted Coachman via face-book messenger they confirmed the Cant rail is for decoration and has no function to keeping water out. So next step was to book it in to the dealer, who managed to get me in to assess it yesterday they found more damp towards the rear panel and confirmed it was the awning rail so they have put a claim in for the middle and rear section of rail along with the wall covering, I also noticed water coming in through the main door handle which seems to be either the window or the lock, they will sort that out when it goes in. Then I mentioned the front near side window rail was beginning to detach so that is going to be sorted at the same time fortunately, no water is getting in there at the moment. Then finally I showed them 2 small areas of paint bubbling on the roof, they said that was not covered under warranty as it could have been done by debris falling on the roof, as it had small dents in it, I could see what he was saying as we could get a birds eye view of the roof, he suggested getting a touch up paint from Halfords as it was Fiat White. Before we left they applied a temporary seal to the rail and re taped the rear cover cap. So hopefully this will allow the inside to start to dry out ready for the permanent fix. while we were at the dealers, we had a look round at what was on the market, I am so pleased we are not looking at changing as nothing there gave us any incentive to exchange, and as for the prices, they are ridiculous, our van has increased by £8k, the only changes are one big overhead locker door above the sink, and the silly 2 way door Dometic fridge. Certainly not worth that increase in 3 years.
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Post by Sorento 08 on Dec 20, 2022 16:58:34 GMT
The same to you too Mike & Hazel, thanks for all your hard work during the past year.
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Post by Sorento 08 on Nov 17, 2022 14:21:20 GMT
Good Morning, First of all my apologies for not contributing to the 2022 Running Totals Board, but as the Board so sadly illustrates, we haven't actually been away, (so far) this year. In my attempts to re-commission the van in the possibility of an upcoming trip, I have brought the batteries home for a re-charge. Without going into the reasons why (!!), both batteries are not so much flat, as having been run over by a steamroller. I may, or may not, be able to recharge them, they are a particularly sturdy brand. So here are my queries. If the batteries are NOT re-installed, but all the wiring remains intact, (other than the battery connections, fixed securely well apart), will the 12 volt electrical system still function through the battery charger/transformer circuit, if the 'van is connected to a mains hook-up? Do I need to remove the charger fuse, in order to isolate the charger circuit? Or would that also isolate the transformer circuit? Or do I have to reinstall the possibly terminally dead batteries, or replace, before connecting to either the car electrics for towing, or before connecting to a hook-up? Many thanks Neil C aka Lankidden Hi Neil, On one of our older vans we could leave the battery out and still use the mains to power the internal 12v system, but had to make sure the terminals were well away from each and covered to prevent shorting if they did touch during transit. But when my battery died recently on my present van this was not possible. TBH if you do try it, I can not see it damaging any part of the system, only say that as I tried it on mine just the other week and found nothing worked and did not do any damage, fitted new battery and all was well. HTH's Good luck.. Paul
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Post by Sorento 08 on Nov 17, 2022 14:12:15 GMT
Hi Mike, This will be our last trip out this year Could you please add. 9 nights at Ferry Meadows CC Site, £27.10 pn and towed 180 miles. For the first time ever we noticed the site full (and we have been going there for many years at Christmas time), mostly very large Motor-homes and many brand new, (and they say there is a recession) and very noisy barking dogs, we were pleased they all left after Sunday, bringing the site back to peace even one of the wardens commented. Thanks Paul
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Post by Sorento 08 on Oct 4, 2022 20:42:05 GMT
3rd Year Service carried out 26th September.
I had been complaining of squealing brakes since new, but AWS guy found no reason during his inspections, as you all know the axle went back to Alko before it was 1 year old. Anyway during this years service I told Dave again, he said the offside shoes had broken up showing metal pieces within the shoe friction pads and the drum had started to show signs of scoring, fortunately Dave considered it not bad enough to cause problems, or replace it, I agreed after looking at it. He replaced the shoes with anti-squeal shoes which were not genuine Alko, for once I was happy genuine parts were not fitted knowing the issues Alko have with their supply chain, and at £60.00 for a new set, not worth, INHO, chasing up refund.
Van got a full clean bill of health, damp was recorded at 6%-8%.
We Decided to go away after servicing so I could recover from a recent operation. Towing was a joy not a sound from the van, it towed perfectly, So if any of you guys are suffering from brake squeal, for £60.00 plus whatever your service guy charges, is well worth the peace once again. Might be cheaper to get them changed during service as the wheels etc come off anyway.
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Post by Sorento 08 on Oct 4, 2022 20:08:16 GMT
View of site from gate Pitches 2 & 3 Attachment deleted due to forum space exceeded.. Chemical Toilet, Grey Water Waste, and Recycling area
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Post by Sorento 08 on Oct 4, 2022 20:04:48 GMT
Dagnall Farm CC CL Adults Only Main Road North, Dagnall, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, HP4 1QZ Link below to Dagnall farm website to help with photo restrictions sites.google.com/view/dagnallfarmcl/homeOpen April to October. Adults only. Earliest arrival is 12.30, latest departure is 11.30. All 5 pitches are Enhanced Grass Pitches. Well behaved Dogs are welcome and must be kept on leads. The site offers direct access to country walks. The Red Lion pub is just a 10 min walk from the site and offers great beers and food, they are closed on Mondays though. Further a field is the Ashridge Estate (NT) plenty of footpaths some are marked. Free car parking also has a café. If you park just inside the main road to the estate, you can walk the opposite way which you will arrive at the Ashridge House (now a hotel) which also has the Bakehouse Café, a tad expensive but nice food. Tring Garden Centre is worth a visit which also has a café. While at Tring there is a canal that is worth a visit. Waitrose in Berkhamsted with street market on Saturday's and Tesco Extra in Dunstable. Red Kites can be seen circling above and Deer also runs freely in the fields next to the site. Aerial View of Site Turning to site from Hog Lane (turn left at sign) Site Access gate with Key Code Access
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Post by Sorento 08 on Oct 4, 2022 19:24:02 GMT
Hi Mike Would you please add the following?
7 nights at Dagnall Farm CC CL (Adults Only) Towed 215 miles. £22pn Site Report to follow (space allowing)
Thanks Paul
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Post by Sorento 08 on Aug 23, 2022 19:14:51 GMT
Another update to this site (Aug 22)
Can not believe we have not been back here since 2020, Nothing has changed on this great site offering peace, except they have now completed the work fitting out the outbuildings with the Butchers/Deli offering quality raw and cooked meats, cheese and fruit and veg which we have bought some very nice food. There is now a baker with fresh bread/rolls, cakes and "build" your own Pizzas, to cook in your own van, and local ice cream again we have bought from them. In another part is a "Gin bar" offering various drinks, the owner sometimes has free tasting, unfortunately we have not bought from here. opening times are Tuesday to Saturday. On Saturday's there is a fishmonger who visits again I can not comment on his produce. The food is not cheap, but of good quality.
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Post by Sorento 08 on Aug 23, 2022 18:59:33 GMT
Hi Mike Could you please add
10 nights at £15pn incl EHU Towed 45 miles Woodmill Farm CC CL Adults Only. Updated my previous report. Thanks Paul
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