What did you do to your rig today?

[Chuck]

In Bundaberg & on Monday morning we visited Takalvans... had heard numerous good reports about their workmanship.

Dale, the man of the moment, had a look inside our van at the water damage under all 3 of the RH side windows. Initially thought that this was caused by us leaving these windows ajar 24/7 whilst parked in a lovely rainforest area for 3 months at the MIlla Milla Tourist Park in the Atherton Tablelands.

Not so apparently, the problem is the sealant the manufacturer used which has a lifespan of 5 years which, coincidentally, matches our van perfectly. When I queried if the LH - awning side - should be similarly tainted the answer was 'yes' but generally the awning is out when raining so would only be subject to leaking whilst traveling in rain.

The good news is that they will replace all the inner panels but not with the existing sandy colour, that is no longer available. They suggested an off white textured panel - huh? So they took us out to a Crusader that had been sitting at a beach location for a few years & they had just rebuilt the entire front of & using this textured panel.

Wow, what a difference. The off white colour is not as bad as I initially thought & it really does highlight the timber fittings in the van.

So, last night we spent about 3 hours packing all the stuff in drawers & cupboards into those cheap Chinese striped large plastic bags which Trina obtained in Gin Gin... 6 of 'em, 3 ea Large & x/Large took most of the clothing, towels etc as well as the ubiquitous Tupperware type containers, canned stuff, sauces, spices, cereal containers & other cooking stuff.

The cabin we managed to book at the Oakwood van park, about 6km out of Bundy, fortunately had a triple bunk set which made brilliant storage for all these bags plus quite a few smaller ones.

Naturally, there will be a significant culling when the job is done coz all of this stuff just ain't going back in the van.

The job is booked in for 2 weeks & the quote for removing the windows & the panelling, then replacing same with current thoughts on sealant for the windows - & I forget what he was using - will be in the vicinity of $3-4K with up to another $2K for additional work requested.

Really looking forward to the new interior look.

[T1 Terry]

Ouch, I bet there will be a few Crusader owners thinking about redoing the window sealant before the leaks start to minimise the cost. 5 yrs doesn't seem like a reasonable life span for window seals to give up the ghost eh, can you find out what sealant they think will do a better job please Chuck

[Dot]

Swept the floor.

[Mrcoolabah1au]

Need some of that special goo there is one special spot over were the antenna ( tv) is bolted down it only leaks every now and again have try three or four times to find it but still comes back every couple of month must be the odd slant the bus is parked when it rains

[Chuck]

Ouch, I bet there will be a few Crusader owners thinking about redoing the window sealant before the leaks start to minimise the cost. 5 yrs doesn't seem like a reasonable life span for window seals to give up the ghost eh, can you find out what sealant they think will do a better job please Chuck

Will try to remember when we pick the van up, or earlier if we need to attend.

[Keevo52]

After having a few wiffs of perfume a la toilet on our last trip, which by the way was great( the trip that is), we were on a safari with sixteen other M/Hs around the south coast and blue mountains area of NSW, when we got home I ordered a new rubber lip seal and automatic vent for the Thetford C2 cassette on Tuesday this week, they arrived today and these have been fitted, this I think will be a step in the right direction fixing the pong and now all is ready for our next trip up to Grafton NSW for the Jacarander festival later in October,.
Up until we left on the Safari we had not used the M/H for around 8 months, me thinks along with age this combined to let all the rubber bits to harden somewhat hence the bad seal where it counts.
PS I bought the bits on the Caravans Plus website, great service and I have found that they have plenty of info on how to install replacement parts
Cheers
Chris

[Dot]

Hey Keevo, I have another one of those black rubber ring things if you would like to have it. I tried to give it to Chuck but he wasn't permitted to keep it so I left it at Bedford weir if you are up that way any time soon num num num x

[Greynomad]

Received it from the trucking company who picked it up from Adelaide Rail Depot.
This time there is nothing of our contents missing. Makes a pleasant change to meet an honest man.

[Greynomad]

Just advised that Jim the Junior Jeep will be delivered mid-morning tomorrow.
For some crazy reason the trailer has been delayed. Delivery time unknown.
Methinks it would have been a simple matter to hitch the trailer to Jim's towball and bring them home as a single unit!
But then, that's logical!!

[bagmaker]

installed some electro-magnetic drawer locks as I could not fit the pnuematic style behind them. Power comes on through a pressure switch with the brake/system air pressure. 60kg rated, the drawers would pull apart before they let go

drawer magnets.jpg