Diary of an Ordinary Van

[madmark_50484]

So what you are saying is the transit has risen past the rate of inflation

[Vee4]

So what you are saying is the transit has risen past the rate of inflation?

I avoided making a judgement, leaving it to the reader to decide. It's difficult to make a comparison on price alone because it depends on the criterion you choose on the http://www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare/ calculator. My choice was 'Average Earnings' because I felt that would reflect the amount of pain involved in writing the cheque. On that basis, the V20 would be about GBP18,000.00 in 2009. You also have to consider the 'value' because the V20 would look something like this (with thanks to Altransit for the photo):



Basic (although a classic look) and probably 20mpg on petrol. The equivalent Mk7 (T260S) has all the frills as standard equipment and is capable of more than 40mpg on diesel.

In my recent experience, the bottom line on my order for the Mk5 in 1997 was similar to that for the Mk7 in 2009! That reflects the current market conditions and the overall reduction in the relative cost of vehicles in the last 20 years or so. In fact, I caused some confusion at the dealership by handing over a copy of the Mk5 order when I went in to order the Mk7. It was close enough for them not to notice immediately!

[Vee4]

After the first month's operation, the Ordinary Van will be putting its feet up (metaphorically) for a few days while I do my accounts ready for the HMRC deadline. There's plenty to write about but I'll have to resist the temptation to spend hours on the Forum (very easy to do) and crack on with the paperwork.

[Vee4]

Back on the road again in the Ordinary Van. Pleased to be doing some real work now instead of working as an unpaid tax collector! There's a backlog of information to post, but there's a backlog of work too.

[Vee4]

Still struggling to get back to normal, so it's been more of a Weekly than a Diary. The Ordinary Van has been chugging along quite nicely with no problems - almost to the point where I'm ready to change the emoticon from to . It will take a long time to live up to its predecessor and earn the .

I still have a twinge of nostalgia when I see a well-preserved Mk5 (mostly W reg. these days), and it occurred to me that there is usually some odd little thing that is carried forward from one van to the next, either deliberately or by accident. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue ... perhaps? Well, it is a kind of marriage, a new Transit, isn't it?

Something old: the Polco 'Magrip' clamp I use for holding fuel receipts to the side of the van, in every Transit since the first Mk1.
Something new: the TomTom.
Something borrowed: some tools I borrowed from my Dad thirty years ago.
Something blue: the Ordinary Van.
And a silver sixpence in your shoe: I don't think I still have one of those. Perhaps I'll find one in the Christmas pudding ... days to Christmas.

[trevor3839]

Picture of the MK1 cab was a trip down memory lane for me... Bought a second hand MK1 Luton when I was 18... sold it in 1985 for about £500 I think... wish i kept it... would be worth a bit more now in good nick.. Now have a MK7 luton... we have moved on somewhat in speed & comfort... just a bit too much to go wrong on the new ones... some of these posts are scary....

[Vee4]

just a bit too much to go wrong on the new ones...

Thanks for the note - time will tell!

Today's topic: load restraints

I posted a reply to m4rk3014 about cargo stowage rails:

viewtopic.php?p=474338#p474338

Some other links to supplier's websites:

Tracking for the side of the van and matching bars http://www.rollcontainers.co.uk/load_control.htm

Straps and bars http://www.wistra-cargocontrol.com/products/tgrp/

Ratcheting bars (USA only) http://www.saveaload.com/index.html

Load ramps and bars http://www.raalloy.co.uk/Loading_Access ... _Bars.html

Vertical bars - interesting idea! http://www.syncro-system.co.uk/VERTICAL ... W%2FRYM%3D

Ratcheting bars and roof racks http://www.gear4vans.co.uk/stat_load.htm

[Vee4]

Not quite Ordinary enough ...

The Ordinary Van attracted the attention of the Old Bill for the first time last night, or this morning more accurately. I thought it was the old Mk5 looking a bit tatty that caused them to interrupt me going about my business, but it must be me and my nocturnal habits. Anyway, I could see it coming (viewtopic.php?p=457713#p457713), so I pulled over and waited for them. It always seems to happen when I'm driving through a posh area ...

[jerry2]

Oh dear.
Good luck m8.

[Vee4]

Oh dear.

It always seems to be at the end of a long day, so it's difficult to accept with good grace. At least the computerised record system for insurance, MOT, etc., means that you won't be faced with the inconvenience of the old 'producer'. As long as you are fully legit (I'm sure all Forum members are) it's a few minutes delay.

I added a photo of the passenger grab handle to that entry: viewtopic.php?p=464223#p464223

Still too busy catching up on work for more in-depth technical stuff, which was the original plan for the Diary! There is more to come ...

[Vee4]

Still too much work on to post some of the planned comments and analysis - if only I could master the ake-style one-liners. Now, if there were to be an award for maximum average word count per posting ...

Two months on and I swapped to the spare key in order to make sure it stays charged. It worked fine without any initial charging, so a two-month changeover cycle will be OK, at least until the batteries start to lose capacity. The offline key charger project is still on the go but it has been pushed to the back burner.

[ake]

My answers are usually longer then Mr MPuk's answers tho

Having driven a van for a week with Hill Launch Assist I have decided I like it and would have on my next van

[Vee4]

Having driven a van for a week with Hill Launch Assist I have decided I like it and would have on my next van

In practice, I have found that it never comes on during normal driving, as I always set the handbrake if I stop on a hill. Setting the handbrake cancels HLA:

viewtopic.php?p=459895#p459895

I found it a nuisance when I was deliberately trying to roll backwards down a hill!

[ake]

I only use the hand break when parkin, so I did use the HLA quite a bit

[Vee4]

I have been struggling to return to my Ordinary schedule, so the Diary has been neglected.

Regular readers will know how I hate cliché - I avoid it like the plague. That being said ...

The soundtrack for this entry has to be Crowded House's 'Weather with You':

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_With_You

During the first couple of months of Ordinaryness, it hardly rained at all. Only in the last few days have I been able to check for leaks in door seals, etc. I was also interested to see if there was any sign of water collecting on top of the engine, as reported by some members:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48848&start=0&hilit=water+injectors
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=50683&start=0&hilit=water+injector+problems

There has been some very heavy rain in the past week but so far everything looks good.

The rear door seals on the Mk7 do seem a bit fragile. I'm not sure about the lack of the traditional gutter along the top but I guess it's the same as the Mk6 so other members will have long-term experience of that.

Still to come is an assessment of cold weather performance. On some days, I've had the low temperature warning light come on (amber, below 4ºC), and on one occasion, the frost warning (red, below 0ºC). The amber warning does keep coming on after being reset - once per journey would seem to be enough. This has been noted elsewhere:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=56182&start=0

There has been one day when I needed the scraper for ice on the side windows. The Quickclear made short work of frost on the windscreen and I was pleased to see that it cleared evenly on both sides. The Mk5 always cleared on the left side first, including the original and two replacements during its lifetime. On Sunday night, I drove through one of those cold air pockets where the mirrors fog up. The screen was alright anyway because I had the demister on, but I was thrilled to see the mirrors clear when I turned on the Quickclear. It doesn't take much to give me a thrill these days.

PS: a quick note for SportVan owners - a few thousand miles in and no visible wear on the tyres, front or rear.