Keith Gooden
Merry Christmas! In today’s episode of the Motorhome Matt podcast…
Matt Sims
We’re looking back at 2023, the highs and the lows.
Keith Gooden
Calor Gas – very Christmassy – are in the news once again.
Matt Sims
And we answer your questions on batteries, driving licences, gas systems and the difficulty of taking dogs abroad.
Keith Gooden
Welcome to the Motorhome Matt podcast and Merry Christmas. I’m Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims
And I’m Motorhome Matt.
Keith Gooden
We bring you industry insights and expert advice for the world of motorhomes, campervans and caravans, and it’s brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com.
Matt Sims
Now remember, if you’ve not done it already, make sure you click follow on your favourite podcast app. And please subscribe on our YouTube channel, sponsored by www.arobasecreative.co.uk.
Keith Gooden
Ho, ho, ho, Matt! It’s Boxing Day, and we’ve had a bit of a day on Christmas Day.
Matt Sims
Did you have a good day?
Keith Gooden
Father Christmas has been.
Matt Sims
Somebody got you dressed. What is this shirt?
Keith Gooden
Opened my presents. It’s my Christmas shirt. I’m making a style statement.
Matt Sims
It looks like you’ve been decorating. A style statement? There’s a word. I was thinking of a word with fewer syllables. Do you like my Christmas jumper?
Keith Gooden
I absolutely love it. l can see you there in the snow.
Matt Sims
I’ve got the Motorhome Matt shirt on underneath. Keeping it on brand. Anyway, I’ve got a cracker here. Do you want to put a cracker? Merry Christmas.
Keith Gooden
Oh, what have you got?
Matt Sims
It hit the floor! That stinks.
Keith Gooden
Thank you very much. I tell you what, that cold turkey and then the brussel sprouts, it does… oh! I’ve got a little noisette. I like these.
Matt Sims
A chocolate. Lindt. What do you get if you eat Christmas decorations?
Keith Gooden
Tinsellitus?
Matt Sims
There’s a charade here. We’re not doing that.
Keith Gooden
No? Okay.
Matt Sims
Brilliant. Very good. I’ve got a Lindt as well.
Keith Gooden
Like I say, I got for Christmas, cold, Frankenstein and meh.
Matt Sims
Cold?
Keith Gooden
Cold, Frankenstein and meh.
Matt Sims
I once again got lots of wine for Christmas.
Keith Gooden
Did you? I got parole.
Matt Sims
We’ve got the mulled wine here. You got parole?
Keith Gooden
Very nice.
Matt Sims
You got let out. I got you a present, Keith.
Keith Gooden
Oh, have you?
Matt Sims
Yes! It’s in a Motorhome Matt orange bag.
Keith Gooden
Thank you very much!
Matt Sims
Keep the bag. The present’s rubbish.
Keith Gooden
I got you a present as well. But I just forgot it.
Matt Sims
Amazon have still got it. Look at that!
Keith Gooden
You want me to open it?
Matt Sims
The bow fell off.
Keith Gooden
Oh.
Matt Sims
You open presents like my kids.
Keith Gooden
It’s upside down!
Matt Sims
Yeah, you have opened it upside down. I spent ages wrapping that up!
Keith Gooden
Pot Noodle! Thank you very much. I do like a Pot Noodle on my breaks.
Matt Sims
You have to open it. You’ll be eating that Pot Noodle later, won’t you? It’s all you eat.
Keith Gooden
Oh, original curry. Thank you. Not Christmassy flavour. Oh, you’ve got a battery operated fork here!
Matt Sims
A twisty fork.
Keith Gooden
What if you combine that with this that you got out of the cracker… wahey!
Matt Sims
So you’ve got your own Pot Noodle twisty fork, your own Pot Noodle mug, and a Pot Noodle, of course.
Keith Gooden
Yeah, thank you very much. Original curry flavour.
Matt Sims
That’s your Boxing Day tea sorted.
Keith Gooden
That’s the problem with presents. You open them, and then you’ve got to get them back together again so you can take it back… sorry, I mean enjoy them! You can never get through it, can you?
Matt Sims
I saw that and thought, Keith would love this.
Keith Gooden
I do. I love it. Thank you very much indeed.
Matt Sims
Let’s see you eating off your fork later.
Keith Gooden
Cheers. I’m going to just put that down there. So what did you get for Christmas then, Matt?
Matt Sims
A Christmas jumper, obviously. I had some really lovely wine.
Keith Gooden
I mean from people who like you.
Matt Sims
You gave me a lovely bottle of wine. Very nice. Thank you very much. I’ll be enjoying that over the next couple of days. Put that down! There was a bit of an alcohol theme this Christmas, really. Some whiskey. I’m easy to buy for when it comes to stuff like that. Lots of read. Some music to listen to. It was good. Yeah, lots of stuff. It was good. Really nice.
Keith Gooden
Fantastic. Excellent. Shall we get on with it on this Christmas episode?
Matt Sims
Come on, let’s do it, let’s do it.
Calor is investing in new cylinders
Keith Gooden
In the news – Calor investment in cylinders What’s all that about?
Matt Sims
Yes, well, this is a bit of a Christmas present to every motorhome, campervan and caravan owner in the UK. Calor has bought 487,000 new cylinders, new gas cylinders, across their entire range of which despite motorhomers and caravanners saying constantly, “Calor hate us. They’re not investing in us at all,” they have spent money and bought 85,950 new six kilo gas bottles which are being released into the UK now. Just under 86,000.
And they’re being released into the UK right now, and there are plans to invest further. So yes, they are growing the cylinder network, which hopefully will mean that getting a six kilo Calor gas bottle this year coming will be much easier. Happy Christmas!
Keith Gooden
Depends on the price, though, doesn’t it, Matt! How much are they going to charge for them?
Matt Sims
Well, they’re £30 to £40, typically. We’re £32.99, I think. But yes, I’m sure the price of gas will go up. What’s also interesting, which we’ll report on in the future when we’ve got some more info, is Calor gas is obviously a fossil fuel.
But they’re releasing a renewable gas, so a non fossil fuel to go in the gas bottle. So yes, we’re unpacking that with Calor at the moment. So we’ll see. Yes, when we get back to work next week, the week after, we’re going to be talking to them and reporting back on it.
Keith Gooden
It’ll powered by brussel sprouts.
Matt Sims
Yeah, yours.
Keith Gooden
What else is in the news then, Matt?
Matt Sims
We spoke to Martin Trenaman, who’s the network sales professional from Calor. And he also said, “We’ve invested over £10 million in refurbishing our site at Saxham to increase our capabilities and turnaround, which will enable us to increase our current refurbishment capability…” there are a lot of capabilities in here!
“Of 5,000 cylinders per week to over 10,000 cylinders in 2024, which will ultimately improve our availability and service.” So what they’re saying is, they’ve added nearly 86,000 bottles into the network, and they’re doubling their capability to refurbish the existing bottles. So Calor gas six kilo bottles, hopefully, in 2024 will be much easier to get hold of.
Keith Gooden
Because they haven’t been in 2023.
Matt Sims
I know, exactly. Yes, there have been people selling them for hundreds of pounds. Ridiculous. We were buying them and then selling them for cash, because that would mean we could get a customer into the gas system. But when people started selling them for £100, I said, “No, I’m not doing that.”
Matt’s product of the year
Keith Gooden
Products of the year then, Matt. That Leisure Shop product of the year… well, it’s got to be… where is it?
Matt Sims
What’s your product of the year?
Keith Gooden
Here’s my product of the year.
Matt Sims
Is this one you prepared earlier? There it is.
Keith Gooden
Yeah, this is what you do. It is Solbio!
Matt Sims
Is that their new positioning statement? Don’t take the green road. If you’re gonna have a poo, this is what to do.
Keith Gooden
That’s the one! So the mother-in-law is in your motorhome right now.
Matt Sims
On the drive.
Keith Gooden
Yes, on the drive. You don’t know what she’s doing. But whatever she’s doing, it’s splashing down in Solbio.
Matt Sims
The perfect accompaniment to any brussel sprout.
Keith Gooden
Lovely. And Matt drinks this.
Matt Sims
I have done, that’s true. I’m not doing it again. And mine probably… well, it certainly has to be GasStop. So I discovered this a couple of years ago, a gas safety valve that tells you how much gas you’ve got left in your bottle.
You can do a slow gas leak test on your motorhome or caravan. I still maintain that every motorhome, campervan and caravan from new should be fitted with one of these at the factory. They are an essential must-have. So easy to use. £40 odd, and you know you’re safe from a gas leak. If you haven’t got one, go to That Leisure Shop now and go and get one.
Keith Gooden
Fabulous.
Our 2023 highlights
Keith Gooden
It’s our final episode of the year. Welcome to the Motorhome Matt podcast, brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com. Okay, a highlight of the year then, Matt. What have we got?
Matt Sims
Just here. Mince pies.
Keith Gooden
Oh! The highlight of the year? Where I come from, mince pies are your eyes. Your mincers.
Matt Sims
That’s it. Never mind Solbio. Go for a mince pie. A highlight of the year… well, it had to be… this sounds a bit kind of… what are you…?!
Keith Gooden
It’s on my fork.
Matt Sims
You could try and eat it as it goes around. That’s not going well. You’re going to mess up this podcast recorder here. The highlight for me has to be meeting all the listeners of the show. Honestly, it was, frankly a bit overwhelming. The contrast from a year ago at the show where people came up and went, “Motorhome who? A pod what?” This year it was, “Yeah, we listen to Matt and his friend Chris every week.”
Keith Gooden
The three of us. Three of us on the show.
Matt Sims
“No, we listen to Matt and Keith every week, watch them on the telly on Sunday morning.” It was just amazing. And I know that was your experience as well, wasn’t it, at the show?
Keith Gooden
It was fantastic.
Matt Sims
Thousands of people. So thank you if you came and said hello at the show. It really does make a difference to know that there is somebody out there other than my dad having a listen. So we really appreciate that. And the stickers and the orange bags – you’ve got your own orange bag now.
Keith Gooden
Thank you so much.
Matt Sims
They’ve been a highlight as well. And of course our sponsors. Without them it’s not been possible this year. So I think for me, from a commercial point of view, actually building something unintentionally, i.e., this podcast which businesses wanted to and were prepared to spend their money on reaching you, our listener, has been quite overwhelming as well.
So thank you again to all our sponsors. And if you’re listening and you want to get involved with us, then give us a shout. We would love to hear from you. Bailey Endeavour, EV – that was a big highlight.
Keith Gooden
Yes. What was the Bailey Endeavour thing again? Remind me.
Matt Sims
So it was a Ford E-Transit that had been converted by Bailey… will you turn that off?! Put it down! We should not have bought that! So yes, the Bailey Endeavour EV is a Ford E-Transit that had been converted by Bailey into a campervan.
And we were the only journalists, apparently – it’s how I was referred to – to actually get to drive it and review it. So we did. And we were very impressed. And it was a big investment by Bailey into a prototype, which, of course, was launched at the NEC show as a prototype. So you can’t buy one. That was definitely a highlight. That was great fun to do, I have to say.
Keith Gooden
Fantastic.
The biggest news pieces from 2023
Keith Gooden
What did you predict, then, Matt, a year ago? And did any of it come true?
Matt Sims
I’m not sure I predicted anything.
Keith Gooden
You did.
Matt Sims
Did I? Okay. I think we said prices wouldn’t come down. I remember a conversation where we were being told they were going to come down and people wouldn’t be able to afford their motorhome and they’d sell it and prices would crash and burn. And I said, “I disagree. I don’t think they will.” I’d say that’s still true.
They haven’t come down. If anything, they’ve gone up, and they continue to go up, frankly. And I still can’t see them coming down. And we’ve talked about it a lot. But I think that’s the number one thing. I also said that the supply chain would get easier. And it definitely has.
Keith Gooden
People were waiting a year, two years, weren’t they?
Matt Sims
Yeah, that’s right. And we are starting to see Stellantis Group products, so Fiat, Citroen and Peugeot start to come through. Maybe limited numbers, but they are coming through. Ford’s certainly coming through. And also I said I think we’ll see new badges on the front grilles of motorhomes. That’s been true, more Ford than ever before.
They’ve certainly jumped on the opportunity of Stellantis’ weakness in the market. More Ford badges than ever. In fact, manufacturers are building on Ford where they’ve never done so before. And we’re going to see that next year as well. New badges as well are appearing. MAN have been become more commonplace. Adria launched their Twin Max on an MAN chassis. WildAx and others are building on an MAN chassis. So that’s been a new brand that we’ve seen on the front grille.
Keith Gooden
Flipping motor homes, whether it’s a good idea… because there was such a huge lead in time from placing a deposit and ordering, what was happening was when people finally started to take delivery of their motorhomes, they found they could sell them straight on, flip them, for more money than they had spent. You did predict it. Did it come true?
Matt Sims
Yes, I think has. I think it’s taken longer for some of them to sell. That’s a nice mince pie there. So the lady we interviewed, I mean, she started to… not panic, but she got a little bit worried. But she made £7,000 or £8,000, I think, from memory. But it took a few months before she realised it.
And I think she’s thought it was going to be days before the motorhome sold. In reality, it was months. That’s still quick. I mean years ago, as a dealer, we’d buy a motorhome in, and it wouldn’t be uncommon in six or eight months’ time to still have it. And we would willingly buy something in October knowing that we were going to still have it in March or April.
And that, of course, changed in 2020. And I think the market has gone from, you know, you advertise it and an hour later it’s gone to, you know, back to… not quite what we were used to before. Certainly it has slowed, but prices have remained strong.
Keith Gooden
They have. £60,000, £70,000 – when you’re spending that sort of money, of course you’re going to think about it.
Matt Sims
Yes, you are. Yes, it was interesting at the show. We started to see some show deals coming back, £2,000 off, free whatever pack with this motorhome. And we hadn’t seen that for a few years. So it’d be interesting to see what happens next year at the shows and what dealers are able to do or feel they need to do to get someone to buy. But I think inevitably prices will continue to stay very strong if not go up.
Keith Gooden
Other things we’ve been talking about over the year and you’ve been asking a lot of questions about – E-vans, electric vans. We still can’t get very many of them though, can we?
Matt Sims
So it’s interesting, At Fully Charged LIVE in Amsterdam, which was a show that happened back in November, there were no big mainstream manufacturers there. So VW were there with the ID Buzz and it won a prize, unsurprisingly, which is their electric little van, which is the main contender to convert to a camper, but it’s tiny.
Transit – Ford weren’t there. Fiat weren’t there. Citroen weren’t there. It was all these odd brands. I don’t know what it is about E-vans. Why do they have to look like something Postman Pat would drive?
Keith Gooden
I don’t know! Have you seen the Tesla SUV? I know it’s not a motorhome, but yes, it does look like something a seven-year-old has drawn in his lunch hour. It’s not exactly Italian design, is it?
Matt Sims
But that’s real. That exists. Yes, it’s strange. Why do they have to look odd? I don’t understand.
Keith Gooden
The derogation – just explain that again.
Matt Sims
Oh, yes. So this is the fact you can now drive an alternatively fueled vehicle, so something that isn’t fossil fuel, e.g. electric, and it can now weigh up to four and a quarter tonnes, 4,250 kilos, and you can drive on a normal car licence.
Keith Gooden
And they’ve done that because batteries are heavy. So I think they think you’re not going to end up with any more payload than you’ve got already. But sodium batteries are on the way through. And they’re much lighter, aren’t they?
Matt Sims
I’m told they’re going to be a lot lighter. And there’s other technology coming. Hydrogen is becoming a thing. I think there’s a car in Australia running on it.
Keith Gooden
Just one?
Matt Sims
Just one, yes!
Keith Gooden
Just the one car!
Matt Sims
That’s all they had the plants for, hydrogen plants. But there are hydrogen plants appearing in the UK. Hydrogen is something that we hear people talking about a lot. And they say, “Oh, electric’s rubbish. It’s going to be hydrogen.” And I can understand why, you know, because the output is water. And you can’t tax that, can you?
Keith Gooden
Maybe you can!
Matt Sims
Well, I’m sure the government will find a way. But it’s interesting, whether we’ll see other types of fuel coming. So yeah, sodium battery technology. There will be undoubtedly other battery technology coming on. But in reality, I still think we’re at least five if not 10 years away from electric motorhomes. I cannot see how they can be viable much sooner than five years or even 10 years.
Keith Gooden
Well, let’s keep an eye on it in 2024.
The innovation in toilet chemical
Keith Gooden
And we mentioned it already, but toilet chemicals. It’s the second year in a row that Matt has drunk Solbio in front of the camera as well. It doesn’t taste very nice, but at least it’s not poisonous. Also, sewage disposal – and I suppose that ties into the toilet chemical as well. Because the greener it can be the better, isn’t it, really?
Matt Sims
Absolutely. And that’s where products like Solbio, I think, are really important because we need to take responsibility for what we’re putting into the sewage system. Because at the point it leaves there, we’re not in control.
Keith Gooden
No, it ends up in a river or on the beach.
Matt Sims
That’s right. I think taking responsibility for that… we shouldn’t have to. But I think it’s important we do and we can and it’s a choice we can make. The number of people who have bought Solbio because of the podcast is frankly astounding. If you are one of those people, we’d love to hear how you’re getting on with it. I’ve had lots and lots of really positive feedback.
The only negative feedback I’ve had is that people say the smell isn’t very strong. And so they could still smell poo and wee, basically. My advice is one drop of essential oil in the toilet cassette, and it will totally change that. And I’m told it works. I’ve done it myself, and I know it works. But if you’re someone who’s converted to Solbio, please tell us how you’re getting on. We’d love to know. I think it’s a revolution in our industry. There aren’t many things I can say that about!
Keith Gooden
Something else which started off the year and was resolved later on – the Dartmoor ruling, parking in the National Park. It’s strange in Dartmoor because even though it’s a national park, it’s not owned by the government or by the Crown. It’s owned by private landowners. And this private landowner had decided that he wasn’t going to allow people to stop on his land anymore.
And it went back to court, didn’t it? Because in national parks, you do have the right to roam. The court in the end ruled against the landowner. But as I said at the time, doesn’t he have rights as well if he doesn’t want people on his land or wants to charge them? But that was a big deal in the first half of the year, wasn’t it, Matt?
Matt Sims
Yes. Well, thousands of people turned out to protest against it, didn’t they? It was amazing. And in the end, the court said, “Well, everyone has a right to lie down and look at the stars.” And so yes, the ruling was overruled. I mean, it doesn’t really have any impact on us as motorhomers.
But it did highlight the desire we have to go somewhere like that in a campervan or motorhome and park up and enjoy nature and enjoy the view, and possibly that freedom to do that was being taken away. So it was a big story and it did hit home for me.
Keith Gooden
By the way, if you want the address for Motorhome Matt Towers, I can give it to you. You can park up and look at the stars. I’m sure he won’t mind.
Parking restrictions are becoming more common
Keith Gooden
Talking of park ups, parking restrictions. Over the year, more and more councils put more and more restrictions in.The Scottish Government is talking about making charges for people who want to take out motorhomes to stop them being in convoy. That’s not going to go away. That’s going to carry on, isn’t it? We’re going to be paying more to park up and more to travel.
Matt Sims
Undoubtedly we will. Yes. And it’s interesting. Whether it’s a pound a day to go and travel around Scotland, a tourism tax, we’ll see. It was interesting talking to Gemma and Campbell from Highlands2Hammocks, devout Scots people. They were in favour of it. They acknowledge that the infrastructure needs investment, and that’s a great way to achieve it.
Keith Gooden
If it’s a couple of quid, it’ll be fine. If it’s £25, it’ll be something else entirely.
Matt Sims
I wouldn’t go. Would you?
Keith Gooden
No.
Matt Sims
Not £25 quid.
Keith Gooden
Absolutely not.
The prices of motorhomes
Keith Gooden
The future prices of motorhomes. We sort of touched on that, didn’t we, a little bit earlier on. But are they going up as steeply as they did in 2023?
Matt Sims
It’ll be interesting to see. In our chat with Paul Kirby recently, the electric van man, he reckoned we’re going to achieve this price parity between the cost of an EV van and a diesel van, which means at the moment they’re likely to go up in price. But what was interesting is the week after we recorded that with Paul, Vauxhall dropped the price of their electric van.
And I rang him and said, “This has gone well, Paul!” And it was actually that they were flushing out old battery stock to replace it with their new tech, which undoubtedly will come in at a higher price. So I think we’re going to see some turbulence and uncertainty in that.
And it certainly is one to watch. But of course, the cost of a diesel van will take a while to filter down to the motorhome consumer because it’s a year or 18 months before it becomes a motorhome. So by then the price has changed anyway. So it’ll be interesting to see.
Keith Gooden
We explained what van life is, and everybody has a different opinion about it. Apparently everybody’s a van lifer if they want to be.
Matt Sims
It’s all about freedom. That was the general consensus.
Keith Gooden
FREEDOM!
Matt Sims
And I agree. It has to be about freedom, and it should be inclusive. It should be a term that anybody can use, I think. And if you say you’re van life, you’re van life. It was an interesting topic, wasn’t it? It was great to hear people’s opinions on that. And thank you to everyone who contributed. There were a lot of people involved in that episode.
Keith Gooden
And the B+E licence as well. That was a big deal in the last year.
Matt Sims
It comes up a lot.
Keith Gooden
It does.
Matt Sims
Three and a half tonnes.
Keith Gooden
If you passed your driving test before… zzz… then you can drive… and if after… zzz…
Matt Sims
Yeah, zzz… yeah. Stop poking me with your pot noodle fork! I’m taking the batteries out of that in a minute. There’s two double A batteries in there. Brand new.
Keith Gooden
So that’s just some of the things.
We won an award
Keith Gooden
Oh! We won an award. Where is it? Oh, look at our lovely award.
Matt Sims
The UK Enterprise Awards 2023. Leisure vehicle podcast of the year.
Keith Gooden
Thanks for listening, by the way, because at one point in the year we were number four in the Apple podcast charts for leisure and motor vehicles.
Matt Sims
Automotive, yes.
Keith Gooden
We’re also consistently in the top 20. So thanks very much.
Matt Sims
And we were actually well ahead of Top Gear. Incredible.
Keith Gooden
And Wheeler Dealers.
Matt Sims
And Wheeler Dealers. Yes, big podcasts.
Keith Gooden
Yeah, absolutely. Big exciting projects for next year. We’re even discussion with a household brand name!
Matt Sims
Don’t give it away. We are. We had some really, really interesting talks with a name that everyone’s heard of. And we’ll be helping them with a new project!
Keith Gooden
Kleenex, is it?
Matt Sims
Kleenex! Avon. Ding dong! It’s Avon calling. I can hear it now. No, it’s not Avon. Nor is it Kleenex.
Keith Gooden
Pot Noodle by any chance?
Matt Sims
Well, maybe they want to sponsor the podcast. You never know.
Audience Q&A
Keith Gooden
It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast with me, Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims
And me, Motorhome Ho Ho Ho Matt.
Keith Gooden
Brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com. It’s time for our Christmas Q&A, where our little elves ask us the questions for big old Santa Motorhohohohome Matt. I recorded these at the NEC in October.
Matt Sims
The Motorhome and Caravan Show?
Keith Gooden
That’s why they sound so spiffy in quality.
Matt Sims
Spiffy? Do you say gosh?
Is there an update on the C1 entitlement?
Keith Gooden
So Kevin Davis is in Gloucestershire.
Kevin
Is there any more news on the C1 licence entitlement? A friend of mine can drive a 92 seater, a double decker bus, towing a trailer. But because of his age, he cannot drive a motorhome over three and a half tonnes. Is there any update on that yet?
Matt Sims
I’m afraid there isn’t. On 21st September the government were meant to make an announcement that said a C1 licence was under review. Quite right. They didn’t do anything about it.
So we spoke to the chief examiner. And I spoke to Edmund King, president of the AA. Neither had received any news at all. So it basically got kicked into the long grass. Will it ever get reviewed? I don’t know. Maybe if it wins votes, perhaps it will. But at the moment the restriction stays. It’s mad, isn’t it?
Kevin
When he can drive a double-decker because he’s got a PCV licence, 92 people towing a trailer, and can’t drive a motorhome over three and a half tonnes.
Matt Sims
What’s odd is you can drive a three and a half tonne motorhome and tow a three and a half tonne trailer. But if you were to upplate the motor home to 3.6 tonnes, so only 100 kilos, you can’t tell that trailer anymore. It doesn’t make any sense.
Kevin
No, it doesn’t.
Matt Sims
Unfortunately, no news.
Kevin
No. You’ll be the first person to release it, if there is anything, on your podcast!
Matt Sims
Well, we’re keeping close contact with those who might hear about it. I very much doubt Rishi will give me a ring and let me know what he’s going to do. But you know, you never know!
Keith Gooden
Stop the press. I’ve got something here. Just arrived. We told you you’d be the first to know… no, that’s just the milkman.
Matt Sims
With the bill?
Keith Gooden
Yes, yes. He wants a tenner!
Matt Sims
Imagine if Rishi rang the podcast.
Keith Gooden
That’d be good, wouldn’t it?
Matt Sims
Yeah, that’d be great. Well, Cameron’s got back in.
Keith Gooden
We’d say hello.
Matt Sims
Anything could happen.
Keith Gooden
He’s a little elf from Downing Street. Because he’s not large in stature, is he?
Matt Sims
Rishi? No, he’s tiny.
Keith Gooden
He is tiny, isn’t he?
Matt Sims
Yeah. Did you see that picture of him walking along the other day next to David Cameron? Tiny.
Keith Gooden
David Cameron isn’t that big.
Matt Sims
No.
Can I have two different types of battery in my motorhome?
Keith Gooden
Pauline’s in Lincoln.
Pauline
Electric batteries – in particular, I think I started off with one inverter, and I changed to two and I had two different amps of batteries. And my question was, is it okay to have, say, a 110 amp and a 70 amp battery connected in parallel? And does it matter if one might be an AGM and one’s a lead acid battery?
I get mixed answers to that because I’ve had my batteries changed at my local service garage. It’s not a campervan garage. And since I’ve had one battery put in, somebody else said I should have two have the same amps. And they should be both changed at the same time. And both have the same brand.
So I’m just clarifying that, really. I’ve had a problem with my fridge at some point. So I don’t know whether the fridge is using more power than it should be, or… so I think I’ve got a couple of electrical things that I probably need some more experienced eyes to look at, really.
Keith Gooden
So basically your question is, should you get your batteries from one manufacturer? And can you mix and match your amperage?
Pauline
Yes. Can I mix and match? And can you also mix and match whether it’s an AGM and a lead acid battery? Do they both need to be the same sort of consistency or whatever they’ve got in them?
Keith Gooden
All right, Matt. That’s over to you.
Matt Sims
Thanks, Keith.
Keith Gooden
The consistency or whatever they’ve got in them, she says.
Matt Sims
Pauline, the answer is absolutely yes, your batteries should be the same. You say you had them installed by a non-campervan company. Anyone with any level of expertise in this would tell you that the batteries need to match both in terms of their content and how they’re made up.
So i.e., both AGM or both some form of lead acid other than AGM, and they need to be the same size. This is really important. So what’s happening at the moment is your batteries aren’t matched. One of them is going to go flat before the other and your charge is probably going to go, “It’s all dead,” and tell you the whole system is flat when the other one isn’t.
And then it’s going to recharge them. And one of them isn’t going to get charged properly because it then sees the one that’s fully charged, and says, “Oh, they’re fully charged,” and one of them isn’t.
So it’s really important you take the batteries out. I would consider putting two batteries… in fact, we’re doing this at the moment, or last week, with a motorhome that we’ve sold. And we fitted two brand new matching batteries to it because the customer wanted to upgrade from the one that’s in there, which is a standard lead acid… lead acid? The mulled wine is taking effect.
Keith Gooden
He’s been at the sherry again.
Matt Sims
So it’s a standard lead acid in there, not an expensive one. And we’re fitting two AGMs and they have been bought at the same time. They are the matching manufacturer and they are the same size. They’re both 110 amp, and they’re both AGM.
So we’re going to fit them together really close together. The cables are really short. That’s really important as well. You want them as close together as possible. And then you don’t get any drain down the cable. But what you’re doing, I’m afraid, Pauline is not clever. And if you speak to any expert, they will tell you, “I’m afraid it’s been poorly installed.”
You also mentioned your fridge. You don’t say whether it’s a compressor fridge which runs on the battery or if it’s a three way fridge. And the only way that runs on the battery is the display and the spark to make it run on gas. The only time that fridge works on 12 volt is when the engine is running. It’s running on the alternator. It never actually runs on the battery.
So I’m guessing if you’re able to run the fridge on the battery, it must be a compressor fridge, and they chew batteries. They are very battery hungry. But the way to fix that is to put it on night mode where they run at a much lighter pace and have a solar panel fitted with an MPPT controller.
Keith Gooden
Which is what?
Matt Sims
We’ll come to that another day, shall we? I’ve had too much mulled wine to talk about what MPPT is. But consider a solar install. My advice is to go to a motorhome and ampervan specialist and get them to help you sort it out. Or come and see us here and we’ll help you do it. It is really simple.
Keith Gooden
There you are, Pauline in Lincoln. Yes, it’s got to match electrically, cosmetically, the make, the whole lot. If you’re not doing it that way, the system isn’t balanced.
Matt Sims
Make it tickety boo.
Keith Gooden
You could be in trouble if it’s not tickety boo.
Will it get easier to take your pets abroad?
Keith Gooden
Dominic and Michelle Evans – I caught up with them. They’re from Rutland.
Dominic
We’ve been to France a couple of times so far. And we’ve taken the dog with us each time. What I want to know is, is there any move by the British government to try and ease how easy it is to get the dog backwards and forwards, i.e. passport for the dog?
Keith Gooden
So what do you have to do now, then?
Dominic
Well, at the moment you have to go to the vet. They fill in a 26-page form that costs you about £140. And then when you want to bring the dog back you’ve got to find a French vet to give him a worming tablet and charge you €50 for the pleasure.
Keith Gooden
What changes would you like to see?
Michelle
I think like in Europe, you can currently have a passport, which then lasts a significant length of time rather than only the three months, which is the certificate you have at the moment. So a passport system to allow freedom of dogs backwards and forwards with the same safety kit, you know. They have to be vaccinated for rabies and everything else that we have, but with that ease of movement.
Keith Gooden
So your question is, when’s it all going to change? Well,
Dominic
Hopefully, it will change. I mean, I know that it’s Brexit that’s caused the problem. But surely there must be a wave around this, because the French want to bring their animals across here as well. So it’s not just a one-way thing.
Keith Gooden
So they’re a bit foggy about their doggie. They want to know where the dog passport is going to come in, if at all. They don’t want to spend £140 and give their vet a worming tablet. What’s your answer?
Matt Sims
Give the vet a worming tablet?!
Keith Gooden
Yes.
Matt Sims
You mean give the dog a worming tablet. Absolutely. Well, yes, we know what you mean too. The pet passport, yes, was abolished when we Brexited. I was on local radio in Bristol talking about Pet-exit, which was a play on Brexit, and the fact that we were not allowing pets to go to Europe because the rules were changing.
So now we have the animal health certificate. And Dominic and Michelle are right that it only lasts for three months, and you can pay hundreds of pounds to get this achieved. It is a laborious process. We do have a whole episode on this called travelling with pets.
I interviewed Dr. James Greenwood, the BBC vet, who unpacks it and explains how it all works. Are these rules going to change and be relaxed? As far as I am aware there is nothing on the radar meaning we’re going to revert back to a pet passport and thus making it easy to transition pets in and out of Europe. Is it punishment for Brexit?
Keith Gooden
No, of course it’s not a punishment. It’s their rules. The EU had rules. We turned our back on the club. And we are treated like a third country, people who aren’t part of the club. They’re not taking revenge. They’re just applying their rules. We were told all this before we came out. Now look what happened.
Matt Sims
Absolutely. Well, I think those in authority were told. I don’t think it was very well communicated, was it? You’ve got your fork out again. So no, as far as I’m aware, guys, I’m afraid I’m not aware there’s any change coming.
Keith Gooden
The whole Brexit thing when were at the big show in October at the NEC and you were on the stage doing those lunchtime expert panels… you know, it would come up, Brexit, under a variety of subjects, not just dogs and stuff, but all sorts of things.
And I was looking at the audience as everybody on the panel, you and everybody else was answering. It was dawning on some people that actually this Brexit idea was going to impact motorhoming and caravanning big time.
Matt Sims
Well, there we are. We voted out, didn’t we?
Keith Gooden
Well, it’s democracy. We’re out. But we had a choice.
Matt Sims
Yes. And I’m afraid that is a consequence of that choice. As you say, we are officially called a third country now. And we’re outside the rules because as you say, we’re not in the club. So other countries who are not in the EU have to abide by the same rules.
Keith Gooden
They have to do the same.
Matt Sims
And I guess the reality is, if they were to change it for Britain, then it opens the floodgates and they’d have to change it for every country, which is not what the EU wants to do.
Keith Gooden
No. That’s the point of the EU. It’s a trading bloc.
What are your thoughts on retrofitting a diesel heater?
Keith Gooden
Roger Carpenter’s in Portsmouth, he’s written to us. We have a Gaslow refillable system. We like to tour the UK and we will go to Europe in future. Gas on petrol stations can be a little difficult to find.
We’ve never not been able to find it, but have often had to travel out of our way to fill up. What are your thoughts about retrofitting a diesel heater to run off the vehicle’s fuel tank and cut down our gas usage? The vehicle is 10 years old now, so we have no warranty issues. Is there anything else I need to consider?” Can you do that legally? Can you just tap the tank?
Matt Sims
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I mean, needs to be done professionally. And I know several people who have done exactly this. And I think if you’re travelling around a lot and living in your van it’s a really good idea.
Jon Gooch from Life Beyond Bricks, the YouTube channel, has done exactly this. In fact, I think he’s added a diesel heater to work alongside his gas heater. And I asked him for his opinion and he kindly came back and said, “Retrofitting a diesel heater is a fantastic way to help reduce your LPG usage. Since fitting a diesel heater to our motorhome, we’ve really noticed the benefits of having that alternative option.”
“Ours is also plumbed into the main fuel tank. Plus, it provides a quicker source of heat, which has been great for efficiently heating the motorhome in colder temperatures. As diesel heating is more energy dense, you also use less diesel, achieving the same amount of heat compared to LPG.”
“Our recommendation would be to have a quality branded diesel heater fitted to ensure safety and that you have the correct fittings. We would also say depending on the size of your motorhome, try fitting the heater in a central location and have the heating outlet vents pointing toward the front and the rear to ensure better distribution of heat.”
Thank you, Jon, for that input. Really important. He makes a valid point there, because there are a number of Chinese copy diesel heaters, and they are very cheap. You can see them online on various online shops. And they are fraught with problems. They break down and they fail.
So Jon makes a valid point. Go for the most expensive you can afford, something like a Webasto. I’m not sure what brand of heater Jon has fitted. We’ll try and find out and put it in the show notes for this episode. But yes, thank you so much for that, Jon. Of course, John would know because he and his wife Tash live in their motorhome full-time, and they will be all this winter. So in fact, we’re going to be seeing them in a couple of weeks’ time.
Ask Matt your questions
Keith Gooden
Fantastic. Well, that’s about it. It’s Boxing Day. I tell you what, we’re going to have our Christmas buffet. We have some turkey.
Matt Sims
Before we do that, should we have a snowball fight? I brought a pot of snowballs.
Keith Gooden
Oh, did you?
Matt Sims
Oh, you’re joking. Look, it’s a tin. It’s a snowball fight on it. And I thought it was a tin of loose snowballs, and they’re glued in.
Keith Gooden
They look like polar bears.
Matt Sims
These are rubbish.
Keith Gooden
They are rubbish.
Matt Sims
Polystyrene. Honestly, sort yourself out. I’ll tell you what, though, Maddie? Would you like mince pie? Maddie is sitting very quietly behind the camera.
Keith Gooden
Yes, she does lots for us all the time.
Matt Sims
Maddie’s the boss. Come on. Come and have a mince pie.
Keith Gooden
Never visible.
Matt Sims
Are you going to feed it to her on your Pot Noodle fork? That’s for you. We’ve both licked it once.
Keith Gooden
Yes, so we’re having a buffet. I’ve got a little piccalilli. Sausage rolls.
Matt Sims
Some fresh ham. Pigs in blankets. Well, if you’ve got a question – not about the buffet – we’d love to hear it. And I’m sure hundreds of other people listening would love to hear you ask it. You can do that at mhmp/askmatt. Go for it.
Keith Gooden
And leave us a review at mhmp/review.
Matt Sims
And if you’re watching on YouTube, make sure you click the little bell and the subscribe button. We’re sponsored by www.arobasecreative.co.uk. Thank you guys.
Keith Gooden
Brilliant. We’ll see you next year. Take care.
Matt Sims
Yes, have a great rest of your Christmas.
