Holiday disasters

[Sydney1]

Now that the holiday season is just about over, I though it might be interesting to swap sorry tales of holiday disasters, preferably of the breakdown genre but lets see where it goes........

After a week down in Swanage and a couple of weeks back at work we were looking forward to our second weeks holiday at Pencelli Castle in Brecon. As we all know the weather forecast for the middle of August was awful so we started looking for other options. Best bet seemed to be the South coast so we found a campsite with space and headed off to Lyme Regis. Got as far as Winchester services before the van totally died. Having checked for a spark attention was diverted to the fuel pump but I had a nagging doubt that we were lacking compression. One long recovery ride back to Dorking and a stipdown revealed knackered valves. As the bottom end was also tired and taking a long term view I managed to get hold of a brand new 1800 type 4 lump as a replacement which is being fitted now. But obviously not good on the wallet.

We've just come back from 3 nights in Pontins, Brean Sands and vowed never again!. Off to France next year with a new engine in the hope of many reliable miles in the future.

 

[Bundy]

We headed off to Devon in July...
Stopped at Sandbach services (only 15 mins down from home) to get a coffee and couldn't get the van started!
Flat battery, so swopped it for the leisure battery and made it down to Devon.
Charged up the van battery and tried a day out, but same problem so bought a new battery.
Worked out the dynamo was doing nothing, but still managed to get all the way from Devon back to Congleton...using wipers and lights (more like candles) from Birmingham!! The van died as I pulled into our drive :lol: I had to swop the batteries over again just to get it up the drive....but all in all very lucky!!
Thankfully not a disaster, just a bit frustrating.

 

[leon]

Hit an un marked speed bump in Crieff, Scotland, and popped a ball joint. Fortunately had the tools to fix it at the campsite .

 

[sparkywig]

Hit an un marked speed bump in Crieff, Scotland, and popped a ball joint. Fortunately had the tools to fix it at the campsite .

Ouch!!

Thankfully, I've nothing to report on this subject.

 

[Trikky2]

Hit an un marked speed bump in Crieff, Scotland, and popped a ball joint. Fortunately had the tools to fix it at the campsite .

Thats good.
How did you manage to change a balljoint while on a campsite?

 

[leon]

Sorry Had the tools to change a trailing arm (with ball joint in) on a campsite.

 

[Danbury Doug]

Way back in 1972 my parents bought a brand spanking new Danbury, and an excited family (my folks, my three brothers and I) packed into our lovely new bus for our very first holiday abroad, to France.

Now I can vividly remember my dad telling us that if he were ever to shout 'duck' when we were trundling along, then we were to do just that, and sharp! :shock:
Well, a couple of days into our holiday we were driving through a nice town somewhere in the middle of France, when suddenly my dad shouted that command, 'DUCK'!! We hastily obeyed our 'captain' and then 'BANG'! A French lorry had smashed straight into the back of us!
The back end of our poor bus was now looking very sorry for itself indeed.
I can remember we all got out to survey the damage, and my mother recalls how in her best French she apologized to the driver of the lorry, for any damage to his lovely lorry that we might have caused. :lol: The lorry's brakes had infact failed.
My dad recalls his horror of seeing oil on the road, beneath the barely run-in Type 4 engine. :shock: Luckily it was not from our bus, and we were soon on our way again.

Well you might think that was enough for one day.... nope, later that afternoon, whilst driving along a country road, a sports car overtook us and a stone flicked up and hit our windscreen, which then shattered into a million pieces!
I can remember we continued on our way, with flies and bugs getting into our hair, noses, mouths and eyes!

So that was our first holiday in the original family bus! Luckily she was soon repaired when back in blighty, at our local dealership, and was soon looking like new again!

 

[Marvel]

This is not from me, but from a member of our club who has recently changed his aircooled for a scoob.
http://all-dubz-klub.forumotion.com/general-chat-f5/national-lampoons-french-vacation-t8797.htm

 

[noddy]

Holiday disasters well 2007 was not a good year for me and my westy.
Imported it from the USA in the autumn of 2006, did all the mechanicals, full engine service carb strip and so on.
Had a few weekends away clost to home just to check all was ok, first long trip was to south wales got down to the gower no problems, on our way west to run up the cost she started to lose power, I though the timing had slipped so checked at the road side all appeared ok. Decided to bail out of the holiday about 3 days in and head for home.
Got home took rocker covers off to check, and nuber 3 exhaus valve had bent but just enought that it would still work but with loss of compresion on number 3 cylinder, running it all the way home had ground the valve guide to gold dust and the spread it around the engine, nice.
This was at easter.
Costed doing total rebuild including crank grind and case skim, decided it was less trouble to order a recon from remtec.
Fitted recon engine, and go out camping again around the UK no problems.
Decide to go to france and get some sun.
Go 3 days in to a two week holdiday new engine had about 2K on it, and weather in normandy was wet to say the least so decided to head south for the sun. Got just out side sa Lo and bang engine start to sound like pots and pan in a tumble drier, so stopped and called our break down service, got piced up about 20 mins later and taken in to La Lo where we got stuck in a smal hotel in the middle of an industrial estate, great not much to keep a 3 year old entertained for 4 day whils recovery to the UK got sorted.
Got home finally sent engine back to supplier and it turned out the crank had broken in two.
At this point I start to think my van has been cursed, got replacement engine fitted and never had another problem
Sold the van last year to by a 16" syncro camper, and still regret it to this day.

So anyone want to buy a 16" syncro High top panel van with a grey westfalia club joker interior 2.1 DJ 112 HP engine, rebuilt gearbox and diff with less than 3K on them as I want to go back to an aircooled EB westy. I must be mad :lol: .

 

[Harry UK]

Not the most exciting story I'm afraid but it is still ongoing and must score points for distance travelled (less than 1 mile).

We planned a 14 day roadtrip to North Wales via Cornwall, not the most direct route to Aberdarron but thats the idea
Recon Gearbox was popping out of 4th so wanted it sorted before we went ... 3 weeks later on the date we wanted to set out and G'box not returned to us. Finally got the box back (no problem found in gearbox internals) on the last weekend of our planned trip (Friday 13th August), decided to go to Aberdarron so 2010 summer holiday wouldn't be a complete disaster. Gave the bus a road test and all good, handed over £250 to the peeps who fitted box for me and drove home no probs.

Loaded up with Mrs H, kids, dogs and beer and away we go, 1 mile down the road we pull onto petrol station and back wheels lock up, our infamous gearbox again. I started removing gearbox and engine that night and finished Saturday morning whilst Mrs H went to buy a tent. We had a great time in Aberdarron for 1 night thanks to the trusty Passat.

Currently Gearbox is back at the supplier, contemplating buying a 2nd gearbox to install this week to get us to vanfest, don't think we'll see the other box in time and don't if I'd trust it now anyhow!

 

[Graeme]

i have nothing to report on this subject other than to say,

lent my mate my Kombi for the Reading festival {separate thread about his woes}
got it back after he'd had the AA to it twice

1st time, shift plate was put back on the wrong way round by the AA chap
2nd time, he couldn't get up a hill in Reading & "the kombi has no power"

turns out, he was in 3rd due to shift plate being the wrong way round, he limped back to Essex and I put the shift plate right then set off on some travels myself, not a hint of trouble.

but it's not always been like that :lol:

 

[Ands1]

Day 3 of a 2 week trip to Cornwall from Manchester

Penzance hospital overnight, collect the bus next day, collect awning etc from campsite then recovery truck home.

 

[Marvel]

Day 3 of a 2 week trip to Cornwall from Manchester

Penzance hospital overnight, collect the bus next day, collect awning etc from campsite then recovery truck home.

Dude, I hope you're OK. That is a sad sight. Is your insurance good for a repair?

 

[Tim S]

Eype House campsite on Dorset this afternoon, gale force winds and rain bent the poles on our Country Road awning and snapped all the fibreglass spars with all our stuff inside. Managed to empty the awning into the bus and roll the wreckage up and stick it in the van with no further damage or injuries thankfully, although it felt pretty dangerous dismantling the flailing awning with poles still attached.

Back home safely now. Not a good day! No pictures I'm afraid.

 

[Ands1]

Dude, I hope you're OK. That is a sad sight. Is your insurance good for a repair?[/quote]


That was 2 years ago & I'm only just back on the road, the women who skidded into me her insurance was good for the repair

 

[Clem]

A few years ago, in my old van, fully loaded up for a trip to the South of France via Spa with three of us on board, I was driving through Belgium in the hammering rain and suddenly saw a rear view mirror full of white smoke. I killed the engine as the red light came on and hit the hard shoulder ... holiday over, I thought, as I saw ther trail of oil to the engine under the van

On closer inspection, one of the sump nuts had worked loose and come out, thus draining the oil! I put a new bolt into the plate/case, re filled the oil and completed the 1500 mile trip - albeit in a van with an oil covered rear end!