At midsummer we set off with the motorhome towards Poland and the Czech Republic. So how has it gone? Have we sorted out all the problems after recovery on the motorway and the new errors that occurred after the visit to the workshop? No, not really. It's a race against the clock to get the campervan ready for departure - but it is must Go! Today we have at least got a new GPS in the motorhome.
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ShareTwo faults fixed - two more to go
After the first (7 months long!) visit to the workshop, we have now taken the motorhome to another workshop, an Iveco workshop. At this workshop, they have fixed two faults: they have fixed a warning light that was lit regarding the airbag that the inspection triggered and they have repaired the spindle joint, which was broken.
The other two faults (the starter battery not charging via the living area batteries and the reversing camera not working) were too complicated, so they didn't want to fix them ...
Peter has looked at the caravan batteries today and found a fuse that may be blown, but we don't really think this will solve all the problems. What do we do now? We don't really know. We have been given the phone number of a motorhome repair shop, but the question is whether they have time to fix the problems before midsummer ... We also suspect that this will unfortunately be a lengthy process with the insurance company.
New GPS in the motorhome
One thing we have fixed is a new GPS! Our previous GPS was many years old and could not handle coordinates (it only took street addresses). It was high time for a new one! We have acquired a GPS from Garmin (Camper 660 LMT-D), which we bought at Elgiganten. This GPS contains, among other things, 9000 addresses to campsites in Europe. This will be good, we hope!
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Gunnel says:
Travelling by car without a GPS is unthinkable. I have absolutely no sense of direction. My relatives would have had to put out a call for me every 15 minutes. Take care.
11 June 2017 - 6:18
Helena says:
I also have a poor sense of direction, but Peter is pretty good at that. When we travelled around Europe for a year, we did have GPS, but without coordinates (only street addresses). Our GPS did not cover the Balkans either, so we were without GPS for a very long time ... 😉 But it feels good to have!
11 June 2017 - 8:36
Anki says:
Seems like a good GPS ... but sad that there is still a lot of work to be done to get all the functions back as they were before the workshop visit. Hope you can get it fixed before travelling...
11 June 2017 - 7:04
Helena says:
Yes, and both things seem a bit problematic. The battery charges when you're driving, but not when we're stationary and that's a problem. Being without a reversing camera is no fun either ...
11 June 2017 - 8:36
Lennart says:
A good GPS is worth its weight in gold.
I hope the problems will be resolved.
11 June 2017 - 7:06
Helena says:
Thank you, and yes, we hope the Mr GPS will be good!
11 June 2017 - 8:37
Matts Torebring says:
I almost jump to... "Thought it was too complicated to fix". The more complicated, the more sport to find the fault, I think.
The GPS system will soon go down in the history books. From our first GPS in the early 2000s, a CD disc for each country, price 27 000:-, to Tom Tom in the mobile phone, for a few hundred dollars. In between the Pioneer Multimedia system, standard fitted in our Kabe motorhomes. This was so complicated that few managed to use it. We managed to learn the most important things with the help of the children.
11 June 2017 - 8:16
Helena says:
But really? It was not the question of the price, but they simply did not want to do it ... sigh. And yes, GPS has really evolved! We haven't got a new one since we got the motorhome (2008) so we had an old version without coordinates and without all countries (e.g. the Balkans were not included). So we have travelled a lot without GPS as well... 😉.
11 June 2017 - 8:38
Ama de casa says:
Hope everything works out for the best!
I was very anti GPS in the beginning and felt dethroned as a map reader on our car holidays. Now I think it's great! But I always have maps with me too, so I can follow the "big picture". Sometimes I appeal against Tomtom's decision of route selection, but then we usually get it wrong... 😉.
Have a nice Sunday!
11 June 2017 - 8:25
Helena says:
I always have maps as well. You want to have an overview and be able to plan. It's much easier with a real map, or road atlas, I think 🙂.
11 June 2017 - 8:39
Camilla says:
Slowly with caravan and workshop problems! I've had a lot of bad experiences with both cars and caravans, it can really drain your energy, mood and patience.... Even managed to pull a case in ARN and won... Although it is not certain that the company follows those recommendations...
11 June 2017 - 8:46
Helena says:
I'm sorry that you also have bad experiences, even though you won in ARN. Yes, of course it can take a toll on your mood ... Doesn't feel so good when you've already had your motorhome in the workshop for ages ...
11 June 2017 - 10:33
Monet says:
Can't live without a GPS - I think it has changed the whole way we travel, both in a motorhome and by car. We would never have seen as much as we did if we hadn't dared to drive by GPS, especially here in France with hidden gems everywhere. I think you can live without a reversing camera but battery supply problems are worse. Do you really dare to leave without it being fixed? Hope it works out!
11 June 2017 - 8:54
Helena says:
Yes, you can live without a reversing camera, but it's rather inconvenient... The starter battery charges when we drive, but it doesn't seem to want to charge when we're stationary. Peter will call a workshop on Monday as we have been recommended. Let's see what happens then.
11 June 2017 - 10:35
Lanclin-Linnea says:
I am keeping all my two fingers crossed for you! 🙂
11 June 2017 - 8:55
Helena says:
Thank you Linnea!
11 June 2017 - 10:35
Mr Steve says:
I feel sad when I read the headline and realise that the circus continues.
"Too complicated to cook so we don't bother"? Priceless!
11 June 2017 - 9:13
Helena says:
Well, isn't it a bit strange that the workshop doesn't want to repair ...? It seems that they think it will take time to find the fault, so they prefer other jobs that are quicker and make more money ... or how to interpret it?
11 June 2017 - 10:36
Cecilia says:
Too bad about all the errors you've had! We're heading down through Europe on 24 June. Maybe we'll see you somewhere? Will you be travelling by ferry straight to
Poland from Nynäshamn or Karlskrona?
11 June 2017 - 9:24
Helena says:
We are taking a ferry from southern Sweden to Poland, but don't know which crossing yet. Where are you going? To Croatia? We only have three weeks and will stay in Poland and the Czech Republic.
11 June 2017 - 10:38
Kenneth Risberg says:
Sorry about the faults and the workshop.
Check the electrical block that supplies power to the living quarters etc. if any of the fuses there are blown. There are a whole bunch of fuses in different sizes. I have had problems there when the rear view camera did not work and no charge to the living room batteries. Bought new batteries but it was a broken fuse that was the problem.
11 June 2017 - 9:25
Helena says:
Thanks for the tip Kenneth! Peter will call a company tomorrow and it is good to have some ideas about what it might be. What do you mean by "electric block" ...?
11 June 2017 - 10:39
Anonymous says:
All the electrical connections are there. On mine, I have the electrical block under the driver's seat. It's a box with fuses and all the cables.
11 June 2017 - 11:11
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
GPS is great, although I still follow the route on the map. Sometimes I think the GPS chooses strange routes and we got to see a lot more of France's "countryside" than we expected. Hope everything works out with Freedom until you leave. It will be exciting to follow you!
11 June 2017 - 11:13
Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:
GPS in all honour, BUT is it updated with the latest update you have purchased. I/we used the Samsung tablet large screen and run with the Navigon App which costs only a few hundred dollars and has worked great. Also have Sygic and HBK, Golf Courses in it and then I have Campercontact and from that app I take out the route to campsites.
The most important thing is that the car charges the body when you drive.
11 June 2017 - 9:32
Helena says:
Thanks for the update tip! No, it is not certain that it is updated ... We will have to check it out!
11 June 2017 - 10:39
Solan says:
Hey Freedom, you CAN survive without GPS, it just takes a little more of the code driver i.e. me. We drive with GPS when things get too messy. But the reversing camera is very important. Now we keep our fingers crossed that you have time to get the car ready before the roll to the east... have comfort 🙂.
11 June 2017 - 9:36
Helena says:
Agree that you can drive without a GPS, we did that for several months in the Balkans in 2015, because our GPS didn't have maps of the Balkans ... and it was fine 😉 Yes, the battery and rear view camera thing is worse ...
11 June 2017 - 10:40
JoY says:
It sounds bad, but it's good that half of the problems have been fixed.
When we had our Adria we had problems with the battery After a few different visits to workshops we came to a small place and that guy changed a fuse that was under the passenger seat! Who would have thought that fuses were there too, not us but he knew and after that change everything worked again.
Fingers crossed that you get it right.
Hugs
11 June 2017 - 10:11
Helena says:
Wow, could there be fuses there? Thank you very much for the tips! We'll have to check!
11 June 2017 - 10:42
Husis blog says:
How sad that your problems continue. Sounds very strange that a workshop does not want to repair something because the problem is too strange. But they probably have coverage with other work but nothing positive to say no to. Hope that all your problems are solved!
I am not equipped with GPS, but the owners use apps on their iPad that they think work well. But think about the time the male owner drove a bus in Europe, then there was no GPS. He remembers when he got "a little" wrong in Paris... It was not as funny then, but now it is an anecdote.
11 June 2017 - 10:26
Helena says:
Some experiences while travelling (like the one in Paris) definitely make themselves better afterwards than at the time... 😉 We have driven a lot without GPS, especially in the Balkans, and it has worked just fine. I think the hardest part is around big cities. Milan, for example, was horrible to drive in I remember 😉 Even Gothenburg is terribly difficult to be honest - we have been spinning for a long time without finding our way ...
11 June 2017 - 10:44
Ditte says:
It's also a shame to have a lengthy process with the insurance company on top of the other...
In any case, it feels like you can get away for midsummer but of course you want to have "Freedom" in good condition before you leave. Not so nice to stand down in Europe with a motorhome that does not feel so good.
11 June 2017 - 10:34
Helena says:
We have ongoing discussions with the insurance company, but we don't know yet what the outcome will be. I don't think they will cover the original fault, but possibly some of the subsequent faults. Which and how much remains to be seen ...
11 June 2017 - 10:45
Imelda says:
Good luck with the fixing, fingers and toes that you get everything done!
11 June 2017 - 10:36
Helena says:
Thank you Imelda!!!
11 June 2017 - 10:45
Emma, sun like sun? says:
Thinking about the workshop, could it not be that they feel that this is not something they will be able to handle and that they are therefore backing out? In that case, it was a good thing. More people should learn to say no instead of going ahead and making it even worse. You can't know everything.
Well, if that was the case...
My husband loves every GPS he comes across and trusts them blindly. I rely more on my internal GPS and sometimes I have huge arguments between my internal and my husband's external (he has no built-in GPS in his head). I must admit that most of the time the external one is right but it has also been wrong! I always get an overview with the help of maps before I sit down and drive to places that I don't know where they are.
I really hope you get your electronics sorted out!
11 June 2017 - 11:35
Helena says:
I also like having an overview with the help of maps, in addition to the GPS. And the workshop ... well, I don't know. Maybe they were worried that it would be tricky and take time, and then they had easier and better customers. I don't know? If they had referred to some other company that knew it all better, it would have felt more OK, but they didn't do that either.
11 June 2017 - 15:09
Eva - People in the Street says:
Fingers crossed that everything works out in the best possible way for you!
11 June 2017 - 11:43
Helena says:
Thank you! 🙂
11 June 2017 - 15:09
Anette Åhnbrink says:
But, we don't want to fix it, oh my god, tell them they can't instead, jönsar! Agree with the rest about the battery, there are many fuses that can sit everywhere....and then there is a BIG fuse that can go, but what it is called....really hope you get away and get to enjoy in Freedom❤️ Roll calmly/Anette and Robert
11 June 2017 - 11:47
Helena says:
Thanks for the tips on fuses! We have tried to look around, but actually don't know what kind of fuse it could be in that case... But Peter will call a new workshop tomorrow, and we'll see what they say. Have fun! Hugs
11 June 2017 - 15:11
Across the board says:
Difficult to cook - then it feels like they don't want to.......!!!
Our GPS "old Astrid" will retire when we come home and we have ordered a Garmin camper 770 where we can enter the dimensions and weight of the camper and it will choose roads that fit.
Hope you get freedom in good condition before you roll away!
11 June 2017 - 12:41
Helena says:
It felt like they didn't want to ... because it could possibly be complicated. We have also been able to enter the dimensions of our motorhome into this GPS, which is great!
11 June 2017 - 15:12
Goatfish says:
GPS has been a great help, as I have been driving alone. Now I let others drive 😀.
Fingers crossed that you get the motorhome sorted, finally!
11 June 2017 - 12:56
Helena says:
GPS can be a great help! And thanks, we also hope that it will be solved somehow!
11 June 2017 - 15:13
Ruth in Virginia says:
I don't have a GPS, but then I stay within a certain periphery and
drive just to sight-see, usually on Sunday afternoons.
There are many beautiful country lanes to the west - vineyards and horse-riding trails.
farmer among soft, green hills
I wish I had a GPS to get me out of Chicago. In 1952, I would
deliver a used car from a car company in Chicago to one in Salt Lake.
City. Had only a vague idea of how the streets of Chicago were laid out;
must have taken me a couple of hours before I found the right highway.
westwards. 🙂
Good luck with your beautiful Freedom!
11 June 2017 - 14:12
Helena says:
Many times you can get by just fine without a GPS, but in some situations it's really good to have! And thank you! 🙂
11 June 2017 - 15:14
Ama de casa says:
We think it's good that Ruth doesn't have a GPS. If she had, we would probably never have seen the CIA compound at Langley when she took a wrong turn... 😉 😀.
11 June 2017 - 22:25
Lena says:
Hope you get the campervan sorted out, feels like the workshops have some growing pains with knowledge of the campervan engines!? Keep ✊?✊? you will get away!
Finally, we have a great workshop at IVECO Helsingborg that knows Concorde inside and out! They found a cracked small vacuum hose behind our turbo (27kr) that was damaged last time we were going over Hallandsåsen, we chugged up at 32 km/h, not fun. Luckily we were not in Kasselbackarna ;-(
Garmin Camper 770 LMT-D just became our 3rd GPS. Like the WiFi connection for reg. and updates, no need to connect via computer.
11 June 2017 - 17:52
Helena says:
Yes, it's sometimes difficult to know where to go with a motorhome... I'm glad you found a good workshop! And that you are happy with the GPS!
11 June 2017 - 19:50
Marina says:
Keeping all fingers crossed that you will get everything working on time 🙂 .
11 June 2017 - 18:42
Helena says:
Thank you! 🙂
11 June 2017 - 19:50
Cattis says:
Good with a new GPS but sad with the two remaining errors, sad when a workshop does not want to fix. Hope you find someone who can do it in time. How do you do with the trip otherwise? Going anyway or postponing?
11 June 2017 - 19:08
Helena says:
We're going anyway! Peter says that "either it will be an easier trip or it will be a harder trip" 😉 I have three weeks of holiday, so hard to postpone ...
11 June 2017 - 19:51
BP says:
Always something - a new GPS;-)
Fingers crossed that you manage to find a workshop that "dares" or wants to take on the Freedom. It would not be much fun if you had to change your travel plans.
PS. Have you tried a 'normal' workshop? DS.
11 June 2017 - 19:30
Helena says:
The first workshop was an "ordinary" and then it was an Iveco. Now Peter has received a tip about a workshop in Järfälla so he will call it tomorrow! Hope for the best ...
11 June 2017 - 19:53
åsa in åsele says:
Crazy. I hope it works out. Could never in my wildest dreams believe that there was a real person who does not want to fix errors ... it feels strange.
Good luck to you.
11 June 2017 - 21:35
gun says:
I hope the problem is resolved and you can get away.
gun
11 June 2017 - 21:56
Elisabeth says:
I want to believe that everything will work out, so you can go on your trip!
13 June 2017 - 6:32
Deciree says:
Fortunately, Peter is a fixer so he can fix what needs to be fixed before you leave. Hope everything works out so you don't have any problems during your trip. Hope you have a wonderful time once you are on your way. Hugs to you
14 June 2017 - 21:38