Keith Gooden: In today’s episode of the Motorhome Matt podcast…
Matt Sims: I share the five things every motorhomer should stop buying.
Keith Gooden: In the news, we’re back with another Alan Rogers campsite.
Matt Sims: And we answer your questions on warranty work after a dealership closes, the costs of a DIY conversion, and travelling abroad with the Pathway 4G.
Keith Gooden: Welcome to the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims: And I’m Motorhome Matt.
Keith Gooden: Industry insights and expert advice for the world of motorhomes, caravans and campervans. And it’s brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com and sponsored by Ripe.
Matt Sims: Now remember, please do follow on your favourite podcast app or if you’re watching on YouTube, click subscribe and the little bell. It’s time for our Alan Rogers Campsite of the month feature here on the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m joined by Rob from Alan Rogers. And this month, Rob, we’re off to northeastern Spain. Is that right? The Mediterranean?
Rob Fearn: Yeah, yeah, Costa Brava, and we’re going to Camping Amfora.
Matt Sims: Camping Amfora – tell us more.
Rob Fearn: So this is a really nice part of Spain. Costa Brava means the rugged coast and it’s Bay of Roses, which is Unesco designated as one of the most beautiful bays in the world. There’s only 30 of them, and Bay of Roses is one of those. Stunning location. 45km of beaches – starts at the town in the north of the Town of roses. Sant Pere Pescador is in the middle, which is where this campsite is, and then you go down to La Scala. If you’ve seen any photos of the Costa Brava, it’s got castles running down into the coast and lots of rocks little coves. Yeah. Beautiful stunning location.
Matt Sims: And this is a lesser visited region, isn’t it, than some of the other Costas?
Rob Fearn: It is, but well worth a visit. It’s absolutely stunning. You really shouldn’t miss it.
Matt Sims: And I’ve never been there. So we’ve always headed across the northern coast, or kind of round the western coast and down into southern Spain or Portugal. So there’s loads to look at and see in the region. It’s near Barcelona?
Rob Fearn: You need to get this on your list. It’s an hour north of Barcelona, which is obviously famous for the Gaudi stuff. So you’ve got neo-Gothic, Art Nouveau stuff, Park Güell, Sagrada Familia. Inland from the site you’ve got the city of Girona. It’s really Instagram friendly. You’ve got the bridge by Gustave Eiffel. So if you’ve ever seen any pictures of Girona, you’ll have seen this bridge with the colourful houses behind it. They filmed a lot of Game of Thrones there as well. Cadaqués is nearby. That’s famous for the artists – Dali, Picasso, Miro. They’ve all been there. They’ve all done paintings of that. And then at the southern end of the bay, you’ve got La Scala with Ampurias, which is Greco-Roman ruins.
Matt Sims: And loads of huge beaches as well, aren’t there, around this region.
Rob Fearn: The whole coast.
Matt Sims: So what kind of campsite is it? Is it big campsite? How many pitches?
Rob Fearn: Yeah, they’ve got about 700 pitches, but they’re all really generously sized. And they’ve got some that are 180m², private sanitary facilities. So 180m² plot, you can get two families on there and with private facilities as well, it makes it ideal for a couple of families.
Matt Sims: And I understand this site is flat, so it’s ideal for people with limited mobility or accessible issues. So wheelchair users particularly. But what about families? What’s going on?
Rob Fearn: Yeah, there’s a lot for the families. So the pools are amazing. As with many campsites in this area, they’ve got a fantastic water park. They’ve got four pools, four slides. They’ve got one of those ones – the toilet bowl type ones! Where you get chucked out into there, spun around and then thrown out at the end.
Matt Sims: Yeah, not for me. I always go down backwards.
Rob Fearn: They spent a fortune on the pool in 2024. They renovated it. So the main feature of the pool is the shape of the pool. It’s shaped like an amphora. the name of the campsite. Do you know what one of those is?
Matt Sims: An amphora?
Rob Fearn: It’s that traditional Roman wine jar that they used to keep wine in.
Matt Sims: Okay. Like a goblet?
Rob Fearn: Bigger than that. You know, like a three foot tall, huge thing. They’ve got lots of food options. El Jardinet de Sant Pere does traditional Catalan with a focus on seafood. And then there’s the Amfora restaurant, which does fideua, which is a bit like paella, but rather than rice, it’s noodles. Vermicelli noodles.
Matt Sims: I’m salivating.
Rob Fearn: Lots of paprika. There’s a beachside snack bar and then a full range of entertainment in the high season.
Matt Sims: Brilliant. And when is this site open?
Rob Fearn: So it opens mid-May through till mid September. You can book it if you’re a member of the Caravan and Motorhome Club. You can use their overseas site night vouchers for the best price outside of the high season, and they offer various special offers. So if you stay for 21 days, you get six nights free. It can work out at really good value. They also work with ACSI. I think you’ve done a thing on the ASCI card before.
Matt Sims: Yeah. Out of season – really cheap.
Rob Fearn: €27 which includes a pitch with electricity and water and two people with a caravan – and includes a dog as well.
Matt Sims: So pets welcome. And there’s a dog agility course here as well, isn’t there?
Rob Fearn: There is indeed.
Matt Sims: I’ll be doing that with Reg. So tell us again, where are we?
Rob Fearn: It’s Camping Amfora, which is in the Costa Brava, and it’s a Sant Pere Pescador.
Matt Sims: So if you’re going to northeast Spain, that’s one to head for. You can find out about all of the Alan Rogers sites across Europe – head to mhmp.info/alanrogers.
Keith Gooden: It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast with me, Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims: And me, Motorhome Matt.
Keith Gooden: And it’s brought to you with That Leisure Shop and sponsored by Ripe. Now today, we’re going through Matt’s naughty list – the things you shouldn’t buy. Your no-nos.
Matt Sims: Absolutely. My no no-nos.
Keith Gooden: ou know what they call that in Russia? A list of no-nos?
Matt Sims: No.
Keith Gooden: Nyet nyet.
Matt Sims: Nyet nyet.
Keith Gooden: You got it? Yeah. A list of nyet nyet.
Matt Sims: This is Matt’s nyet nyets.
Keith Gooden: And hi to all of our Russian listeners.
Matt Sims: Yeah. Now numbering zero.
Keith Gooden: Okay, first on the list in your top five is… The sound of the swinging cymbals. Remember that? When Fluff Freeman used to do it right. Nod off!
Matt Sims: Nod off, mate. We often get likened to those two. It’s all for charity.
Keith Gooden: Yeah, I know why he was called Fluff, by the way, but I can’t possibly say. Pineapple branded flags!
Matt Sims: Absolutely. Stop buying them! This is a recent thing.
Keith Gooden: What are they?
Matt Sims: So this is bunting with pineapples on or even hanging a pineapple outside your motorhome. It’s one of those indications, apparently, that, you know… you’re up for a party.
Keith Gooden: You like doggies?
Matt Sims: Yeah.
Keith Gooden: Is that what it is?
Matt Sims: Bring your bowl and your keys and we’ll throw them in. Let’s see what happens.
Keith Gooden: You put a pineapple outside your motorhome or a flag and people think, aye, aye!
Matt Sims: Yeah, that’s right. I got a friend of mine with a set of pyjamas covered in pineapples, and she’s never lived down wearing those out.
Keith Gooden: No, that’s something I didn’t know. I didn’t know that.
Matt Sims: Just stop doing it. I mean, people do it deliberately. Well, you know, if that’s what you’re into, fair enough. But people do it accidentally as well, and they’ve just become a trend. And I was at a show recently and there were loads of motorhomes with pineapple bunting and pineapple flags. I think people think it’s funny.
Keith Gooden: So in the middle of the night, you hear…
Matt Sims: Come in.
Keith Gooden: What’s the password? Fruit salad.
Matt Sims: Pineapple juice.
Keith Gooden: Oh… all right. So don’t buy pineapple branded flags.
Matt Sims: Well, unless you’re into swinging. But, you know. Really? Does that happen? Just stop buying them. That’s ridiculous. Another one of my favourite no-nos is a travel washing machine. So this is in my accessory talk. You can actually buy this big plastic blue washing machine that uses up all your water, and it’s a manual washing machine. Why?!
Keith Gooden: It’s got a handle on the side. You turn it around.
Matt Sims: Yeah, I think you just pump it, but there are loads of laundry facilities.
Keith Gooden: Not back to the pineapples there, are we?
Matt Sims: There’s laundrettes at the motorway services these days. Or just take a spare pair of pants and socks. A travel washing machine is an absolute waste of water. Don’t do it.
Keith Gooden: Okay, next on the list. We’re already halfway through this fabulous top five things which are no-nos, things not to buy, according to Motorhome Matt. And I always like bringing a petrol generator, personally.
Matt Sims: I hate them. Why? In a world where we’ve got lithium battery powered portable units, why do people still use petrol generators? I was with Peter Vaughan at a show recently, walking through a showground, and there were several of them running away and stinking of petrol.
Keith Gooden: 6:00 in the morning?
Matt Sims: I’ll be letting your tyres down. I said to him, “Why are they using petrol generators in this day and age?” He said, “Well, people have had them for years and they like to use what they own.” I thought, well, that’s fair enough because, you know, a portable power pack is going to set you back £1,000. I get it. But if you’re going to replace it or go and buy something to give you power, don’t buy a petrol generator. Not in this day and age. Just buy a portable power pack. You can run whatever appliances you want to run – I don’t know, your jackhammer or your angle grinder. Whatever.
Keith Gooden: Travel washing machine.
Matt Sims: Yeah, exactly.
Keith Gooden: Your pineapple.
Matt Sims: Pineapple mincer! So just get a portable power pack. Silent and easily recharged when you get home, as soon as you get onto a hook-up. And some of them, many of them, in fact, will recharge off the engine when you’re driving. So I don’t see a place for a petrol generator sale anymore. Ever.
Keith Gooden: But in this day and age, you know, with batteries and electricity, I was with a friend of mine who’d come down to see me a couple of weeks ago, and he came down in his Tesla car, battery operated car, Tesla.
Matt Sims: Why do you say Tesla like that?
Keith Gooden: Well, because, you know, with things that have been going on across the pond and all the rest of it, some people don’t like them, do they? So anyway, he was out with me and we were driving around and we were coming back, and I knew he was coming here to see me.
Matt Sims: Did it run out of power?
Keith Gooden: So I pulled my car, which is a petrol car, into the petrol station and just topped up the tank. It was only about £50. I was topping it up to full because, you know, we’ve got a busy few weeks ahead of us. And then I drove off and on the way home he said, oh, he said, “I do miss that.” And I said, “What?” He said, “Spending five minutes at a petrol station rather than having to stand around for 40 minutes charging my car.”
Matt Sims: While it charges. Yeah, well, that’s the nature of owning an electric car, isn’t it? If you need to charge, you’ve got to wait, you know? They are getting faster. But that’s a whole different podcast.
Keith Gooden: Yeah.
Matt Sims: Let’s not go there.
Keith Gooden: So far, pineapple branded flags – that’s a no-no. Travel washing machine. And number three, the petrol generator. All right. Not ‘arf. Toilet chemical’s at number two with formaldehyde.
Matt Sims: I’ve never understood why, as an industry, we’re allowed to sell chemicals in anything that are known to be carcinogenic. There’s a definite link between formaldehyde and cancer.
Keith Gooden: Yes there is. It’s made by ants, by the way, formaldehyde.
Matt Sims: You said this before.
Keith Gooden: Have you tried to milk an ant?
Matt Sims: Not recently.
Keith Gooden: That’s why it’s so expensive.
Matt Sims: How do you even milk an ant?
Keith Gooden: I don’t know!
Matt Sims: How do ants make formaldehyde?
Keith Gooden: I don’t know, but they do. It’s what keeps their ants’ nests clean. I tell you what, they used to use it to preserve bodies.
Matt Sims: Okay, well, that’s fair enough. I don’t need to be putting it in my toilet.
Keith Gooden: No, that’s the thing. So why not formaldehyde? You say it’s carcinogenic. It is proved to be carcinogenic, by the way. But, you know, some people it affects, some people it doesn’t. So it’s a powerful chemical, isn’t it?
Matt Sims: Really powerful, which is why I suppose it’s been used commercially in toilets. And I did quiz manufacturers and wholesalers on this. Why are we allowed to sell this? And apparently it’s a commercial product that has been distilled down into the smaller bottles that we then retail, and it’s kind of gone through a loophole and it’s allowed to be sold on shelves in campsite shops across the world. It’s madness. So it’s not in That Leisure Shop. We don’t stock it. We choose to sell products that contain everything but formaldehyde. I’m known for banging the drum for Solbio, which is a completely vegan product. The fact we can ingest it – I mean, don’t do it, it tastes disgusting. And yes, I have done it. Twice. Not again.
Keith Gooden: He did it three years ago. He still remembers it.
Matt Sims: Not in my condition. Yeah. I’m still twitching. Maybe that’s why I’m ill. It’s not!
Keith Gooden: It’s not carcinogenic. And if a child does pick it up and has a mouthful of the Solbio, it’s not like having a mouthful of formaldehyde.
Matt Sims: Absolutely. And the same if your dog drinks it as well. It’s not good for them. But why can’t we just use toilet chemical that’s just good for the environment. There’s loads of choice out there now. We have these toilet chemicals which can’t go in a septic tank. Well, don’t use it then! You know, use an organic one that does just as good a job. I think they smell nicer. And I still continue to want to educate people on the choices that are out there.
Keith Gooden: Is this Solbio more expensive than the formaldehyde based products?
Matt Sims: No, I don’t think it is. No, I don’t think it is. It’s £27, £28 at the moment as we record this, and there’s 40 doses in that, and we were using it just the other weekend and I emptied it. And yeah, it is a bit green and a bit sludgy. It’s not very nice, but it’s not going to be, is it? It smells of essential oil, so it does smell pleasant and we don’t dislike it at all. And I know not everyone likes the smell of Solbio, but there are alternatives. There are green alternatives. Maybe not as vegan as Solbio, that you can’t drink, but just don’t buy the one with formaldehyde in it! Next time you’re making a decision in the camping shop, just read the ingredients. And if it says formaldehyde, now you know. So just maybe choose to buy something else.
Keith Gooden: And you have said in the past, if you don’t like the smell of the Solbio, you can always put some essential oils in.
Matt Sims: Honestly, one drop. One drop of essential oil. It needs to be essential oil, otherwise you’ll mess up the effect of the Solbio. So one drop – transformed. It’s a game changer.
Keith Gooden: Johnny Depp on the telly. You know, advertising that perfume. Sausage…
Matt Sims: Sausage. Did you actually go home and rub a sausage all over your face?
Keith Gooden: No. Somebody in London on the bus shelters a couple of years back. They were advertising – I think it’s called Sauvage or something. This is a perfume and it had Johnny Depp in his cowboy gear, and they changed everything to Sausage. You had to be there. But it was very funny. Okay, we are going through the top five no-nos, the things you shouldn’t be buying – at number five, pineapple branded flags. Because boys and girls like swinging! Travel washing machine. Because as Matt says, you don’t want to be turning that handle. Just bring an extra change of clothes.
Matt Sims: It’s a waste of water.
Keith Gooden: A petrol generator. Because let’s face it, with so many battery options these days, you shouldn’t be sparking that up and being antisocial with noise and fumes. And the toilet chemical finally, with formaldehyde – as Matt says, go for a vegan one or perhaps a product which doesn’t contain stuff that’s been milked out of ants! And number one – a garden hose instead of food grade hose. What’s the difference?
Matt Sims: Every time I give a talk on accessories, I ask people to give a show of hands. Who filled the motorhome with a garden hose before they came here? And half the room go, “Er…” And then people sort of go, “Yeah, I did. Is that wrong?” And the problem is with a garden hose, it sits coiled in your garden most of the year. It’s getting hit by the sun, and you don’t know what’s crawled up inside it. The other factor as well is that a garden hose has a Hessian lining inside. It’s not smooth. It’s also translucent, so it will let the UV rays into the inside of the hose. A food grade hose is a solid colour, usually blue, so the sun can’t penetrate it. And it’s completely smooth on the inside so water can’t cling on the inside. I would always run water through the hose for ten or twenty seconds just to flush anything out of it, so you know it’s clean on the inside. But a garden hose – that is not going to be the case. Water will cling to the inside of a garden hose and then that can carry bacteria. And then you’re going to put that potentially into your motorhome water tank. Now, I know lots of people say, “Well, we don’t drink the water. It’s fine.” Even so, I do not want that stale, stagnant water going into my water tank. So that’s why I say, use a food grade hose and look after it. You know, if need be, put it in a bag. Don’t store it with your waste pipe. I know loads of people that store it next to the grey waste pipe. That water is carrying all sorts of bacteria. You’ve spat in it. It’s got food waste in it, it’s got soap in it, and then you just chuck it all in a locker together. That food grade hose has to be sacrosanct. You have to look after it because there’s a health implication if you don’t. So for the sake of £2 a metre, which is a typical charge for food grade hose, it is not a con – go and buy a 5 or 8 meter length of it and keep that safe. Maybe pop it in some kind of bag so it stays safe and you stay healthy.
Keith Gooden: Motorhome Matt top five no-nos. I’ll just repeat them again. Pineapple branded flags – because as I said before, rude people like them. Travel washing machine, boo. Petrol generators – use batteries instead. Toilet chemical with formaldehyde – use something which is kinder to you and the environment. And finally, number one, a garden hose instead of a food grade hose, because you don’t want bacteria getting into the water that you’re even splashing on your face, to be honest with you.
Matt Sims: Yeah, just don’t do it.
Keith Gooden: Remember, when you’re cleaning your teeth, you know, it’s in your mouth, isn’t it? So that’s it. That’s the top five. It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims: And I’m Motorhome Matt.
Keith Gooden: It’s brought to you www.thatleisureshop.com and sponsored by Ripe.
Matt Sims: Remember, get 15% off your premium with Ripe. The discount applies automatically if you click the link in the episode description.
Keith Gooden: Just want to say hi and thanks to everybody who came up and said hello and thanks to us at the NEC last week. It was absolutely fantastic. I’m a non-motorhomer and non-caravanner. That’s why I’m here to ask the stupid questions, as I always used to say. I haven’t said it in a while, have I? And it was great to see you. You’re so kind, so nice, so welcoming. I really enjoy it every year.
Matt Sims: And I loved all the comments of support given my upcoming op. So thank you so much to everyone who wished me well. It really does mean a lot. So thank you to everyone who did that.
Keith Gooden: If it’s your first episode of the Motorhome Matt podcast, Matt is having a triple heart bypass. So you were all making sure that he’s okay. And also, by the way, if you’re thinking, well, where’s all the stuff they recorded at the NEC? You’re going to hear that next week. It’s time for our Q&A, the questions and answers, where you ask the questions and the expert, Motorhome Matt – he answers them. And if he doesn’t know the answer, he’ll jolly well ask somebody who does. First of all, Adrian Stevens got in touch.
Adrian Stevens: Really enjoy watching your channel. And thank you very much for what you do and the content you provide. Very interesting. Got a problem in that we were potentially the last paying customer purchasing a van from Premier Motorhomes in Birdham, Chichester. The problem goes further than that in that on our first outing with it, we were driving down through France and it’s a Fiat Adria Twin Supreme 2023, used vehicle. It was 18 months old and the gearbox failed on the van. Now under Fiat warranty, it’s being repaired, it’s being fixed, etc. However, given that Premier motorhomes now appear to have ceased trading, we are struggling with manufacturer warranty issues over the whole thing. And I noticed that you did do an article recently on warranties, but we’re talking to one of the aftermarket insurance companies. Be interested to understand your views on things and to have a quick discussion with you if it’s of worth and you feel that it could provide you with something.
Keith Gooden: Thanks very much, Adrian Stevens. Did he mention Chichester? Did he say
Matt Sims: So Premier Motorhomes, they’re one of the good guys. They’ve been around for a long time. I’ve been friends with them for quite some time and they have closed. They decided that it was too tough a market and they took the objective decision to wind everything down. And they’ve spent the last two months kind of clearing the decks, clearing the debts as well. And they have now closed. And Adrian, yeah, you probably were one of their very last customers. A gearbox issue, though, is, of course under the Fiat side of the vehicle, not the Adria side. So you would need to go to a Fiat approved workshop or a Fiat professional workshop. So either a Fiat dealer or a motorhome dealership that has Fiat professional and they’re doing warranty work for Fiat. Anything on the Adria side or for anybody that bought something from Premier – so that might be Roller Team. I think they were Hymer as well. Other brands too. Any habitation issue locally – there’s a brilliant service centre up the road called Reliance. Now, I have messaged Darren for a comment to confirm he’s willing to take on that warranty work, but I know Adria did send an email and a statement to their customers saying that warranty work is going to be undertaken by Reliance from now on. This is for Premier customers, so do check them out. But you can potentially go to any Adria dealer provided they’ll take the work on. And that’s where this industry falls down.
Keith Gooden: So you’ve mentioned this before, haven’t you? So do they just, you know, flat refuse to do it?
Matt Sims: Yeah, often.
Keith Gooden: Or just say,”Well, I’ll do it, but for double the cost,” or something like that?
Matt Sims: So Adria’s hourly rate is not as high often as the main dealer rate. And they said, “Well, we didn’t make money out of selling you the vehicle. You’ve now got a problem. It’s going to cost us money to repair it.” And this is where I’ve been intrigued by the guys at Warranty Solutions Group, because they will warranty your vehicle for £500, £499. There’s a discount on that, and I’ll come to it in a second. But if you bought that warranty, they offer a main dealer hourly rate – up to £200 an hour.
Keith Gooden: So they offer more than the standard Adria rate. Is that what you’re saying?
Matt Sims: Most manufacturers. Yeah. So Carthago and Malibu.
Keith Gooden: And just for people who are getting a bit left behind by that, that rate is what they would pay the dealership, who are doing the fixing, for their time.
Matt Sims: I don’t know what most manufacturers are paying, you know, between them all, but it’s anything from often £40, as little as that, when the dealer is charging £100 an hour. So they’re losing £60 an hour in order to take on that warranty work. And yes, they get you, the customer, but they have to make a decision. Do they want to buy you in, basically, as a customer?
Keith Gooden: Is it cost effective?
Matt Sims: Yeah. So with a product from Warranty Solutions Group – this is where this really got my attention. You could take that under that warranty to be repaired. And the dealer would get paid their full main rate by the warranty company. They sign claims off in 20 minutes. Now, obviously if there’s a main dealer part or a manufacturer part required, they have to order that. But the warranty company would pay it and they would pay the labour at a full hourly rate. It’s a fantastic product, and it’s £499. So for you, Adrian, if you wanted to ensure that for the next year you had that peace of mind, I think it’s a product worth buying. I’ve bought one for my Adria twin because I’d have spent probably two grand. If I was a consumer, it would have cost me two grand to cover and repair everything that’s gone wrong on our van. Nothing really to do with Adria, just other stuff that’s broken on the habitation side – £499. No excess. I’d have saved £1,500. So it’s a bit of a no-brainer, but you can find out more about them on the Motorhome Matt Approved directory. Just head to mhmp.info/warrantysolutions and you can find out the offer there. And I think if you quote Motorhome Matt when you buy the policy, there’s a discount and you go into a prize draw, which we’re running in collaboration with That Leisure Shop. So I think it’s worth considering. And that means that if the dealer you’re buying from is vulnerable and you’re worried, you can buy an aftermarket warranty to match up with the manufacturer warranty, giving you that peace of mind – and it’s a warranty that’s signed off in 20 minutes if you have a claim.
Keith Gooden: Right. You know, we have done podcasts in the past about warranties, and some people are quite suspicious about them because the warranty industry over the years hasn’t got the best reputation.
Matt Sims: That’s very true.
Keith Gooden: A bit like journalists, really. But the thing to do – and there are plenty of other warranty companies available – is to do your research, check it all out. But Motorhome Matt Approved is the place, I think your first stop, because Matt’s taken the trouble to actually talk to them, go into their product. And if he’s recommending it, it does mean something. It’s not just, oh, you know, we’ll bung you some cash. Can you talk about it? So take a look. Shop wisely. What is the Motorhome Matt Approved directory address again?
Matt Sims: So it’s mhmp.info/approved for the entire directory. And it’s flooded with brands, products and services that I use and I can commend. And I’m always asked, “Matt, who do you use to put a tracker on your motorhome?” This type of stuff. And we’re adding brands to it all the time. And Warranty Solutions are there, mhmp.info/warrantysolutions. You can read all about their offering. What I was really taken by with them is the fact they will cover 6,000 items in the back of the motorhome and on the engine and chassis, but also they cover consequential damage, which is really unusual. So if you have a damp spot somewhere and it causes damage somewhere else, they’ll cover that as well. That’s really unusual. So there’s loads of reasons why I’m a fan of theirs, and you can check out the episode I did with Stuart and Dave from Warranty Solutions in the back catalogue.
Keith Gooden: Yeah, and it’s okay to be cynical, by the way! But when we made our Bible for the Motorhome Matt Podcast, top of the list was that we will champion the consumer. So we’ve always got you in mind first of all. Any commercial deal that we do to keep the podcast on the air does not trump that. We are your champion. We always will be. Dominic got in touch. By the way, before we hear from Dominic, can I just say if you are leaving a question, can you just say where you are? You know, we can stick a pin in in a map and it just lets us know where you’re living and also might help with the answer Matt gives. So first of all, Dominic. He wants to DIY convert his Mercedes!
Dominic: Hi, Matt. I’m quite a handy builder. So I was wondering how much it would cost me to convert Mercedes Sprinter long wheelbase if I did it all myself. We own a double axle caravan at the moment, but would like to go to a Sprinter. My name’s Dominic. Thank you!
Keith Gooden: Cheers, Dominic. Can I call you Dom?
Matt Sims: I would guess he’s somewhere in the south west.
Keith Gooden: That’s a Bristol accent if ever I heard it.
Matt Sims: Proper job, Dom. Proper!
Keith Gooden: Yeah, good for him.
Matt Sims: And he’s looking to do a proper job on his Mercedes.
Keith Gooden: Cheers, Drive.
Matt Sims: Yeah, that’s the one. Most people have no idea what that means. When we get off the bus, we always say cheers, Drive!
Keith Gooden: Cheers, Drive.
Matt Sims: It’s very much a Bristolian thing. What do you call snow when it’s settling on the ground and starting to become deep? What do we call that?
Keith Gooden: Well, where I came from, originally from London – settling?
Matt Sims: Yeah, settling. But there’s a Bristolian-ism, and it is unique to Bristol.
Keith Gooden: Same as Plymouth? My wife’s from Plymouth. Is it pitching?
Matt Sims: Pitching! And I’ve been around the country saying this! “It’s what?!” And what do you call that diagonal thing in a playground, you climb the steps and you put a kid on the top and they come down. What’s it called?
Keith Gooden: A slide.
Matt Sims: A slider! It’s a slider! Anyway, Dominic, back to your Mercedes. So a friend of mine is actually converting one of these at the moment. He’s at a workshop, motorhome service centre, and they reckon they’re budgeting about 17 grand. Now, he’s doing a lot of this himself, but that has included a big lithium install from BlueFix. They’ve put all the batteries in and wired it all up. You can find them on the Motorhome Matt Approved directory as well. And in fact, he’s done that on my recommendation, and he’s loved it. So I reckon you’re looking anywhere between £5,000 and £20,000 after the cost of the van. And that doesn’t include anything like improving bodywork. But that’s just materials and fitting it out. You can buy kits to go in vans that are pre-made. And again, you’re probably going to look somewhere between £8,000 and £20,000. So it really does depend how much lighting you’re putting in, what services, what heating, what hot water. And there’s loads of different options. So many different options. And I’m looking forward to getting more contributors to the self conversion market on the Motorhome Matt Approved directory, because this one is a can of worms. And even I scratch my head sometimes, but I reckon if that’s where you’re budgeting Dominic, you’ll be well away.
Keith Gooden: Cheers, Dominic. Gary Hughes is in Bridlington. “Hi. I’m interested in the Pathway 4G Wi-Fi router, but have a couple of questions. Can I use this abroad? And if so, can I purchase a SIM when abroad to use in the Pathway 4G?”
Matt Sims: Yeah, absolutely. Yes you can. So Wandering Bird, Kat, has just been travelling all around France with a Pathway. I’m not sure what SIM card she had in it, but my recommendation is always to buy one when you get there. If you take a UK SIM, then you’re going to suffer the data cap so you can only use 25% of the data on the SIM card. There are a couple of exceptions to this. Tesco said they wouldn’t cap the data this year, but apparently that might be changing next year. IQ Go also have a new product, which means you can buy their SIM and it will work in Europe. There are, I’m sure, others as well, but I remember in Belgium we bought a SIM card in Carrefour and it needed an address.
Keith Gooden: That’s a big supermarket.
Matt Sims: Huge supermarket. And they’re everywhere at the tills as they are here. We didn’t have an address so we thought, oh great, we can’t use it. So we then went to a little corner shop in Belgium. The lady there sold us a SIM and I said, do I need an address? She said, “Yeah, use this one.” And she gave me a little card. And there are tens of thousands of people living at that cornershop as far as the SIM provider is concerned. And so we used her address – I’m assuming the person on the checkout in Carrefour would be probably less keen to give you their home address!
Keith Gooden: Yeah, it’s not dodgy. You’re not breaking any laws. It’s just that the provider, because of its rights issues, you know, they can only sell for a certain footprint of their signal and then somebody else sells for, you know, another country or another hundred miles away. So that’s what it’s for. We’re not suggesting people break any laws.
Matt Sims: No, not at all. It’s just if you need an address when you register the SIM to turn it on. Now, with many of them you don’t. You just push it into the Pathway. It comes to life after about a minute and it just starts working – dead easy. You know, that’s the beauty of the Pathway. There’s no techie knowledge needed. Some of the earlier models, when we first launched it, require you to change the APN settings in the box if you go to Europe.
Keith Gooden: What’s an APN setting?
Matt Sims: I can’t remember. It stands for something Network, but it’s a really simple thing to do. It’s explained in the instructions and on the https://www.belmontleisure.com/ website. But if you’re stuck, just ring That Leisure Shop and one of the team, Dave, Darren or Ben will talk you through doing it.
Keith Gooden: So you say with some of the earlier ones you needed to change the APN. So the later ones?
Matt Sims: So the later ones, we updated them before we sent them out. And the brand new one doesn’t even need it changing. It’s just that the technology is improving. And so if you find it doesn’t work, that might be the reason – you have to tell it that you’re in Europe and then you have to tell it you’re back in the UK when you come home.
Keith Gooden: Have you come across any data SIMs that it just won’t work with?
Matt Sims: Annoyingly, just after we launched it, Vodafone changed a security patch. We had to then do an update, a firmware update. So on the https://www.belmontleisure.com/ website, it’s always the latest software that it’s operating on. And it might be you just have to go and download that. It’s again a very simple job. So if you are using a Vodafone SIM and you’re on one of the earlier models, you may have to download that, but it’s completely free. The website is so simple. The language is really clear and easy to understand. And if you’re stuck, please give us a ring and we’ll talk you through it. This episode is brought to you in partnership with a Motorhome Matt Approved brand, motorhome.finance, powered by Creative Funding Solutions. If the recent NEC Motorhome and Caravan show has whet your appetite and you’re still considering a new or used motorhome, motorhome.finance can help you explore the right finance package. They offer straightforward personal finance options for anyone looking to buy a motorhome, a campervan or a caravan with access to a wide panel of funders and a highly personal service for every customer every time. So if you’re planning your next leisure vehicle purchase and want competitive rates and someone who will actually pick up the phone, just head to motorhome.finance.
Keith Gooden: Okay, then, if people want to send you a question, Matt, what should they do?
Matt Sims: We would love it if you did. Just head to mhmp.info/askmatt.
Keith Gooden: And as we’ve been discussing, if you’re looking for trusted brands and services, then make sure that you visit the Motorhome Matt Approved directory. It’s at mhmp.info/approved.
Matt Sims: And remember, if you’re watching on YouTube, click subscribe and the little bell. And if you’re listening on your favourite podcast app, please click follow!
Keith Gooden: Thanks for listening to the Motorhome Matt podcast. Remember to check back here for more episodes full of hints and tips and helpful advice. We’ll see you soon for another Motorhome Matt podcast brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com.
