[00:00:00] Keith Gooden: In today’s episode of the Motorhome Matt podcast.
[00:00:03] Matt Sims: I try to find the best levelling system for a motorhome or campervan.
[00:00:07] Keith Gooden: In the news. You can join us for our open day at That Leisure Shop.
[00:00:11] Matt Sims: And we answer your questions on if you can drive over three and a half tons on a Kiwi licence in the UK, why a van would smell like cat pee and uprating a motorhome by 300kg.
[00:00:30] Keith Gooden: Welcome to the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden and.
[00:00:33] Matt Sims: I’m Motorhome Matt.
[00:00:34] 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.
[00:00:44] Matt Sims: Now remember, please follow on your favourite podcast app or if you’re watching on YouTube, click subscribe and the little bell.
[00:00:51] Keith Gooden: Okay, it’s another open day at That Leisure Shop, 28th of March. It’s The Motorhome Holiday Company and That Leisure Shop. Where’s it on and from what times?
[00:01:01] Matt Sims: Yes, we are open all day Saturday from ten till four at BS24 6RT at our Hewish site. It’s just off junction 21 of the M5. The guys will all be in with a range of motorhomes for hire, a selection of used for sale and loads of special offers in the shop at That Leisure Shop too.
[00:01:21] Keith Gooden: Yep, just put BS24 6RT into your sat nav. Oh, it’s time for our next fun Fiamma fact. The fun Fiamma five. Fiamma. It’s time. Well, it’s time for the. It’s time for another one in our five fun Fiamma facts. Yeah. Anyway, look, we’ve got five. So here we go for our next fun Fiamma fact.
[00:01:46] Matt Sims: So, Keith, I’m going to ask you today’s fun Fiamma fact. If you had to name one Fiamma product that genuinely changed the industry, what would it be?
[00:01:58] Keith Gooden: What would it be? What would it be? What would it be?
[00:02:03] Matt Sims: I think you’re overthinking this.
[00:02:05] Keith Gooden: An awning.
[00:02:06] Matt Sims: That’s a very good guess.
[00:02:08] Keith Gooden: Thank you.
[00:02:09] Matt Sims: Here’s Charles Pozzi, co-CEO of Fiamma to tell us.
[00:02:14] Charles Pozzi: It would be the automatic box, which was the first winch-operated awning in the industry. And that’s why we called it automatic because it was automatic and it was in a box with the winch. All awnings were manual, take them out manually. And so we patented the first winch-operated awning.
[00:02:31] Matt Sims: Wow. And of course this has been copied by several others. You had a patent on that automatic box originally, didn’t you?
[00:02:38] Charles Pozzi: Yeah we did. We? I mean, we invented it. We were the first ones to come out with it. And now, of course, you know the industry, there’s others in the industry. And now we have, you know, the current versions of it, which is the F45 and F80.
[00:02:51] Matt Sims: So why is it called an F45?
[00:02:54] Charles Pozzi: It’s very interesting. So you know this will sound very Italian. We’re a little creative where we change our mind over why it’s called a certain way. But the F35 was because it was four metres 50 long. That was the length. Then we came out with the F55, which came to five metre 50. And then we came out with, yeah, essentially the F65, which wasn’t because it was 6.5m, but because it was celebrating 65 years of Fiamma.
[00:03:21] Matt Sims: It’s now called an F80 because you’re 80 years old.
[00:03:24] Charles Pozzi: It is. Yeah.
[00:03:25] Matt Sims: It came out a couple of years ago.
[00:03:27] Charles Pozzi: Yeah. It was, you know, we were looking forward. We were looking at the future.
[00:03:30] Matt Sims: The classic Italian attitude to creativity. Yeah. Close enough, close enough.
[00:03:34] Charles Pozzi: Yeah. We’re there, we’re there.
[00:03:35] Keith Gooden: Five fun Fiamma facts. Five fun Fiamma facts.
[00:03:40] Matt Sims: It’s that time of year again. The mornings and evenings are getting lighter. Dare we say spring is definitely in the air and thoughts of hitting the road are very much front of mind. But before you do, are you organised?
[00:03:54] Keith Gooden: I thought we were talking about sunshine and some trips away. Now you’re asking if I’ve done my homework.
[00:04:00] Matt Sims: Well, someone has to. There’s a lot to think about at this time of year, especially if you haven’t been using your van over winter. You’re checking tyres, batteries, water systems, all the usual bits. But one thing people often forget is their insurance. Do you know when yours is due? And does it still cover what you need it to?
[00:04:20] Keith Gooden: After a year, I may have forgotten exactly what was in my policy.
[00:04:24] Matt Sims: Exactly. And that’s the point. You might remember when Mel from Ripe came into the studio last year. She put it very simply. Get your ducks in a row. Now’s the time for a bit of housekeeping. Dig out your policy and check your renewal date. Make sure the cover matches how you’re actually using your van.
[00:04:43] Keith Gooden: Don’t just assume it’s going to sort itself out.
[00:04:46] Matt Sims: That’s right. Yeah, we’ve worked with Ripe for a long time now, and we get loads of great feedback from listeners about their cover. The quote process is straightforward online, and you can get 15% off your premium when you click the link in our description, so you could save a few pounds as well. But the main thing is this, before you head off on that first spring trip, just make sure everything is in order. A few minutes now beats a headache later.
[00:05:14] Keith Gooden: Get your ducks in a row.
[00:05:16] Matt Sims: Exactly. Just click the link in the episode description to save with Ripe.
[00:05:21] Keith Gooden: This week’s topic on the Motorhome Matt podcast is telling me which one is the best, what is the cost and why are there so many levelling systems to choose from? Matt.
[00:05:31] Matt Sims: Yeah, it’s a very big topic and can be very confusing. I’ve been googling it and I’ve found very few articles that compare and contrast all the levelling systems in one place in an objective manner. So I wanted to put this right because I think you, as our listener and viewer, deserve better. So what do you need to consider when buying a levelling system? Is it cost? Is it weight? Is it the features?
[00:05:59] Keith Gooden: And why do you need a levelling system in the first place? For newbies, for people who have never listened to this podcast before or watched it, what’s a levelling system?
[00:06:06] Matt Sims: Yeah. Okay. So these are usually hydraulic rams. There are electric alternatives as well that drop down and lift the motorhome off the ground to get it level. And there’s lots of benefits to having a level motorhome. The first is you sleep better. The sinks and shower will drain properly. And most importantly, you don’t lose your G&T across the kitchen table.
[00:06:28] Keith Gooden: Absolutely. Your cheese roll doesn’t go doing, doing, doing, doing off the table.
[00:06:32] Matt Sims: I’ll stick with the G&T. So they are quite an expensive investment. And of course there are cheaper alternatives. The plastic ramps from Fiamma are a classic, along with a spirit level, or use the G&T to get yourself level.
[00:06:45] Keith Gooden: You don’t need four though.
[00:06:46] Matt Sims: No. Well, no, then you’d end up where you started.
[00:06:48] Keith Gooden: That’s right. Yeah. But people buy four, don’t they? Do they?
[00:06:52] Matt Sims: You’re welcome to buy four from our shop. You only need two. That’s why they’re sold in pairs. Although you can buy them individually as well. So there are loads of levelling ramps as well as an alternative. But levelling systems, I think, have become the kind of blue-eyed boy of accessories. We often talk about lithium and solar, but I’m seeing more and more people asking about levelling and thinking of investing in it. And so I invited a very dear friend of mine, Oakley Wood from Bristol Caravans, who are specialists in fitting levelling systems, to come in the studio and unpack with me all of the options that are available and discuss what you might want to choose.
[00:07:29] Oakleigh Wood: So we’re an independent workshop. We do not sell vehicles, which is what everyone gets us confused with. And we’re caravans, motorhomes and campervans and we do servicing, repairs and upgrades. Upgrades definitely includes lithium and today’s subject, which is levelling. We also have a mechanic on site, so we do all the mechanical repairs as well.
[00:07:52] Matt Sims: So you do all the oil servicing?
[00:07:53] Oakleigh Wood: Yeah. Cam belts on your Fiat at five years. Yes.
[00:07:56] Matt Sims: Got it. And of course you’re called Bristol Caravans because you did used to sell caravans.
[00:08:01] Oakleigh Wood: We did. That’s where we met back in the day.
[00:08:02] Matt Sims: Back in the day.
[00:08:03] Oakleigh Wood: 2013. I came and almost asked your permission. I did ask your permission.
[00:08:08] Matt Sims: I think you did. That’s the type of chap you are.
[00:08:11] Oakleigh Wood: To see if it was okay to approach Adria and become an Adria dealer for caravans, because you were an Adria dealer.
[00:08:19] Matt Sims: Yes. And for a time you were an Adria caravan dealer. And now you’re all about the servicing and repairs, correct?
[00:08:25] Oakleigh Wood: Yes.
[00:08:25] Matt Sims: Right. Let’s get into this. So as I said earlier, I have been trying to find a comparison chart of all the levelling systems out there and I just couldn’t find it. There’s lots of blogs and vlogs and so on that people can watch. And you have to kind of build your own comparison and you have created.
[00:08:44] Oakleigh Wood: It didn’t exist because I hadn’t made it.
[00:08:46] Matt Sims: There we are. And there you have. And this must have taken you hours.
[00:08:50] Oakleigh Wood: Hours.
[00:08:51] Matt Sims: So thank you for doing it. And you can get a copy of this, so stay tuned and we’ll tell you how you can get your very own comparison chart. So we’re going to talk through all the different levelling systems. You’ve identified ten companies here in the UK.
[00:09:05] Oakleigh Wood: So there’s ten models. So some of the companies make more than one model. So there’s ten models available in the UK market as of today.
[00:09:14] Matt Sims: Right.
[00:09:14] Oakleigh Wood: And I’m aware of two additional brands that are looking at the UK to become entrants.
[00:09:23] Matt Sims: Right. So when they appear, we’ll revisit this.
[00:09:26] Oakleigh Wood: Yeah, it will be updated when they’re available.
[00:09:28] Matt Sims: And we’ll update the chart too. So the ten systems we’re going to talk through, let’s talk through and name each of them and a USP of each of them, so a unique selling point for each of them.
[00:09:38] Oakleigh Wood: Okay.
[00:09:38] Matt Sims: And I want to pick your brain on each of them as well and see if we can find the best fit for you. Okay, so bear with us. It’s a long list. Let’s start with E&P. Have we started with E&P? We’re in no alphabetical order.
[00:09:50] Oakleigh Wood: No.
[00:09:51] Matt Sims: No particular order?
[00:09:52] Oakleigh Wood: Yes. E&P first.
[00:09:55] Oakleigh Wood: E&P were the new entrant and this is where it all started. And it was the LevelM product that they brought into the UK.
[00:10:03] Matt Sims: And they came into the UK in 2018, approximately.
[00:10:06] Oakleigh Wood: Yes.
[00:10:06] Matt Sims: Roughly. Yeah. Okay. And then they launched the LevelM Pro.
[00:10:10] Oakleigh Wood: Yes. So it moved on. So this had more features, more functionality. It was an updated version of that type of system.
[00:10:20] Matt Sims: Okay. And then there’s the E&P LevelVan.
[00:10:24] Oakleigh Wood: Okay. So LevelVan is only available on panel vans. It fits the X250 Fiat Ducato van and the Mercedes-Benz panel van.
[00:10:34] Matt Sims: Right. So a van with a sliding side door.
[00:10:36] Oakleigh Wood: Correct.
[00:10:36] Matt Sims: Not a coachbuilt motorhome.
[00:10:38] Oakleigh Wood: Correct.
[00:10:38] Matt Sims: Okay. We’re also going to unpack AL-KO and their system, the HY4.
[00:10:44] Oakleigh Wood: So AL-KO purchased E&P. So E&P brand now sits under AL-KO. AL-KO had its own levelling system and that’s called HY4.
[00:10:56] Matt Sims: Then we come to Ma-Ve.
[00:10:58] Oakleigh Wood: Okay. So Ma-Ve, made in Italy, and I see them as the beginning of people taking on what they could learn from E&P and developing a new product.
[00:11:10] Matt Sims: Then there’s the brand Amplo, A-M-P-L-O.
[00:11:13] Oakleigh Wood: Okay. Another Italian company. And they entered the market after Ma-Ve, but another good product out in the marketplace.
[00:11:23] Matt Sims: Okay. Then I notice you’ve included TESA on this list. Now all these others we’ve mentioned so far are hydraulic.
[00:11:30] Oakleigh Wood: Correct.
[00:11:30] Matt Sims: But the TESA system’s electric. That’s the only one on this list that’s electric.
[00:11:35] Oakleigh Wood: It is. There’s a weight saving because you don’t have the fluid and you’ve got less risk of fluid leaks on the TESA because there is no hydraulic fluid. And it’s run electronically at 12 volt, driven off the engine battery.
[00:11:50] Matt Sims: Right. And is it fair to call that a levelling system?
[00:11:53] Oakleigh Wood: I fear not now, although they’ll probably shoot me for saying that. The challenges we have had as an installer is setting it up so that you can get enough lift so that you can become level in a wide variety of situations. It’s more of a stability product. So if you were on, say, a club site and it’s got a shingle or gravel base and it’s pretty flat, but you just want it to be stable and when you’re walking around you’re not bouncing on the suspension, TESA is an option and it’s a lower-priced option.
[00:12:28] Matt Sims: Okay, we’ll come to pricing in a minute. Okay. HPC, there’s another brand that people will be familiar with.
[00:12:34] Oakleigh Wood: HPC approached it in a slightly different way. They have aluminium anodised rams. Why is that important? Because those rams will be lighter. So you’ve got more room for payload, deck chairs and things in your garage because you’ve saved a few kilograms on the weight of the rams.
[00:12:52] Matt Sims: Okay. So I want to pick apart the weight of these in a minute as well. Okay. VB Air.
[00:12:59] Oakleigh Wood: So VB is a renowned and respected suspension brand in the UK. Again, a Dutch product. They have brought their own levelling system to market, the SHR. It’s not a product that we are approved to fit. They have their own dealer network for the air side of their business and we are not part of that. So I’ve included it on the list. Yes, we can fit the others, but this one we don’t fit.
[00:13:27] Matt Sims: So all these others Bristol Caravans can fit.
[00:13:30] Oakleigh Wood: Yes.
[00:13:30] Matt Sims: Okay. And then lastly, and no reason for being last, is M-Level.
[00:13:35] Oakleigh Wood: Okay. No reason at all. The USP for M-Level is made in the UK. So if you want to buy British, this is the product that we would talk to you about.
[00:13:47] Matt Sims: Okay. Yeah. Fine. Got it. Thank you. So those are the products that we’ve got on this list. And there will be products I’m sure you’re familiar with, if you go to any of the big shows you’ll see some of these being exhibited at the show. So I want to start picking apart the list by asking you, Oakley, which is the best system?
[00:14:06] Oakleigh Wood: That’s a really tough question, Matt, and not a surprise from yourself. Which is the best? So when a customer comes to us and we ask them to come in for a free assessment, first of all, so that we can understand their needs, the customer’s needs, but also understand the vehicle and what the setup is on their vehicle. And we will ask them these questions. If a customer says to me, I want the cheapest, then we will talk about a particular system. If they say I want the lightest because payload is an issue, then we will talk about that system. If they come to us and they say, well, this is my vehicle. Well, there might only be three systems that will fit that vehicle. So we will then look at those systems and say, out of these three, what’s the next most important thing for you?
[00:14:53] Matt Sims: Okay, so I want to talk about your assessment process then. So this is really important, isn’t it? So you invite people to come in to see you, in the van.
[00:15:03] Oakleigh Wood: Yes.
[00:15:03] Matt Sims: And there’s a nominal charge for this, but then you can get it up in the air and with the customer explain to them why these systems are the best fit for their van and their use case. Is that right?
[00:15:13] Oakleigh Wood: We use column lifts.
[00:15:17] Matt Sims: Which are very cool.
[00:15:18] Oakleigh Wood: They are very cool. They’re wireless. They all talk to each other. It’s amazing.
[00:15:21] Matt Sims: Very clever.
[00:15:22] Oakleigh Wood: And then we can see what’s under the vehicle. This morning I had a phone call from somebody and he said, oh, are you the chaps who fit? Yes. How much does it weigh? And I said, how much does what weigh? You know, do you realise there are ten models, ten options, yeah, we can talk about. And I haven’t even found out what your vehicle is yet. Right. So it really, we go through a process because there’s no point in having the price conversation or the weight conversation if you don’t know what the situation is. So it’s really important that we at Bristol Caravans, or if you’re with somebody else, get them to have a look at your vehicle before you go any further.
[00:16:02] Matt Sims: Now we’ll talk about this in a minute, but I have had a levelling system fitted to my van by you. We’ll unpack that in a bit. But part of the fitting was to go in and for you to go under the van and look at what might be a problem. So yes, things like, and they are considerations, our tow bar, spare wheel, waste or fresh water tanks. Where are they? Any cabling. And there was a random wire, wasn’t there, which was some kind of security alarm for the bike rack.
[00:16:30] Oakleigh Wood: Yeah, just floating around.
[00:16:31] Matt Sims: Yeah. And it had been retrofitted to the van.
[00:16:33] Oakleigh Wood: And the key thing about yours was the drop-down for the spare wheel. It was already difficult for you to get to.
[00:16:40] Matt Sims: Yes.
[00:16:40] Oakleigh Wood: So we then discussed how you are going to overcome that problem on the day that you need it.
[00:16:46] Matt Sims: Yeah, I’m going to call the RAC is what’s going to happen.
[00:16:50] Oakleigh Wood: So another breakdown company.
[00:16:53] Matt Sims: Another, yeah. There are many out there of course. So the best, we can’t answer that. Needs to be established.
[00:17:00] Oakleigh Wood: It’s a personal question, isn’t it? The best for somebody.
[00:17:04] Matt Sims: So there are some criteria as well which you might want to consider, which means you choose your best. And we’ll come to those now. Cheapest. Let’s talk money. Right. This is probably one of the most talked on.
[00:17:18] Oakleigh Wood: Now, do that.
[00:17:19] Matt Sims: So which is the cheapest system?
[00:17:21] Oakleigh Wood: Okay. If I said within a pound, so there’s a couple here within.
[00:17:25] Matt Sims: You alluded to TESA earlier.
[00:17:26] Oakleigh Wood: The TESA one. Yes. Okay. So TESA, so typically about 4250, subject to inspection in case there’s any surprises.
[00:17:36] Matt Sims: Of course. Okay. So that’s this stabilisation system which sort of levels. If you want to go hydraulic system, which is the cheapest?
[00:17:44] Oakleigh Wood: You’re looking between M-Level, made in the UK, at 5749, 5750 or Ma-Ve. Ma-Ve at the moment is 5695. So apologies, Ma-Ve is your most cost-effective approach.
[00:18:06] Matt Sims: Okay. Followed by M-Level. So if money is your number one and it fits your van, Ma-Ve might be the system to go for.
[00:18:15] Oakleigh Wood: Yes.
[00:18:15] Matt Sims: Okay. Which is the lightest?
[00:18:18] Oakleigh Wood: If you say, sorry, can’t give you a straight answer like a politician, if you have a panel van.
[00:18:22] Matt Sims: Yeah.
[00:18:23] Oakleigh Wood: So you’ve got a van that has been made into a campervan.
[00:18:26] Matt Sims: So my Adria Twin.
[00:18:27] Oakleigh Wood: Yeah, absolutely, Adria Twin. You may wish to consider E&P’s LevelVan.
[00:18:33] Matt Sims: Yes.
[00:18:34] Oakleigh Wood: Which is, it comes with carbon fibre rams.
[00:18:37] Matt Sims: They are. And they’re really small as well.
[00:18:39] Oakleigh Wood: Really small. Looks really sexy.
[00:18:40] Matt Sims: I remember picking them up on the AL-KO stand and saying, what’s wrong with this? I thought it was a display model. It’s like, no, that is the ram. They really are lighter. And what does that weigh? What’s the total weight of the system?
[00:18:52] Oakleigh Wood: It’s from, and they all talk about from, 49kg.
[00:18:56] Matt Sims: So there must be some weight in the control system.
[00:19:00] Oakleigh Wood: Yeah. Because the rams are nowhere near, and you’ve got that, you’ve got a pump and you’ve got hydraulics.
[00:19:05] Matt Sims: Right.
[00:19:06] Oakleigh Wood: So you’ve got all of that fluid. You’ve probably got four litres of fluid in there. So yes, there’s other items to the system.
[00:19:13] Matt Sims: So typically I notice on this matrix, which we’ll give you a copy of later, they are typically from 49 to 65 kilos.
[00:19:21] Oakleigh Wood: Yes, a range.
[00:19:22] Matt Sims: So yeah. And so that’s the kind of impact this system is going to have on your payload.
[00:19:27] Oakleigh Wood: If you’ve got a payload and you can’t lose 100kg, you’ve got to question whether you’re going to go down this route.
[00:19:33] Matt Sims: It is almost the weight of a small person, isn’t it?
[00:19:36] Oakleigh Wood: Smaller than me.
[00:19:37] Matt Sims: Well, yeah.
[00:19:39] Oakleigh Wood: You could leave a child at home.
[00:19:40] Matt Sims: Neither of us, to be fair. Maybe our other halves. Okay, so I’ve got an AL-KO chassis, so my motorhome has been adapted so that the chassis rails are built by AL-KO. That’s important because not every levelling system is approved to be fitted to AL-KO. Which systems are AL-KO approved?
[00:20:01] Oakleigh Wood: Funny enough, it’s pretty much AL-KO and E&P, purchased by AL-KO, are approved by AL-KO Chassis Systems. Okay. I would revisit that and have a chat with VB Air. I think you might have them in soon.
[00:20:15] Matt Sims: So we’re going to get VB on as well in a minute, just to give us a synopsis of theirs, because they’re not part of the family of brands that you fit. So I’ll ask them. But there’s also HPC claim they’re AL-KO friendly as well.
[00:20:27] Oakleigh Wood: So senior management at HPC have said to me that they are approved by AL-KO. Again, if it’s a real sticking point, I would double-check that before you proceed.
[00:20:42] Matt Sims: Contact AL-KO. Yes. And you can ring them up, can’t you?
[00:20:43] Oakleigh Wood: Yeah. If you are concerned with a warranty on your chassis system and you’re about to fit something to that chassis system, get the dealer or direct AL-KO to say that that’s approved.
[00:20:54] Matt Sims: And I happen to know AL-KO are quite protective of their chassis.
[00:20:57] Oakleigh Wood: They are, for all the right reasons. You don’t want to make that an unsafe chassis system. So yeah.
[00:21:03] Matt Sims: Okay. Security now. There’s a great feature on some of these systems where, well, I’ll let you explain. What is it?
[00:21:10] Oakleigh Wood: So they have a keypad and you can set a PIN, your own PIN. Don’t put your bank card in.
[00:21:18] Matt Sims: Or 1234.
[00:21:20] Oakleigh Wood: So you set a PIN and then when you’ve got the vehicle up in the air, you can say, yes, I’d like to leave it now with the PIN set. Okay. And you can leave it without the PIN set, but you can leave it with the PIN set. And then to get the vehicle down, you have to put the PIN in. So what we’re suggesting to our customers is if you’re putting the vehicle into storage or leaving it off-grid somewhere and put it up, put the front wheels up in the air. A, this enables the water to run off the roof, so you’re aiding your potential water ingress. You’re keeping the water moving, no pooling on the roof. But B, if there was another motorhome there and God forbid you’ve got somebody who wants to steal one, you’ve just put another barrier in the way.
[00:22:04] Matt Sims: Yeah, exactly. It’s not Thatcham approved, but it’s a physical deterrent. But if there’s a PIN and they get in and they turn the levelling system on, they can’t lower it without knowing your PIN.
[00:22:15] Oakleigh Wood: Correct.
[00:22:15] Matt Sims: I’ve asked you this before, but it’s okay, isn’t it, to leave a van parked up on its hydraulic rams?
[00:22:22] Oakleigh Wood: Yes, it is.
[00:22:22] Matt Sims: For a long period of time in storage.
[00:22:26] Oakleigh Wood: But with all these questions, it’s not a straightforward yes or no. Yes it is, as long as you’re not parked right by the seaside, because we all suffer with salt damage from that. If you’re going to leave it for a long period of time, I would suggest you’re coming back at least once a month and you’re maybe going to spray the legs with a silicone spray or something just to help protect them.
[00:22:48] Matt Sims: So good common sense, really.
[00:22:50] Oakleigh Wood: It’s good common sense. And anybody that buys a system from us, and I’d like to think any of the other dealers in the network would, would walk you through all of that stuff.
[00:22:59] Matt Sims: So let’s talk about dealer support, warranty. Which system has the best warranty?
[00:23:04] Oakleigh Wood: Okay, so they all do a minimum of two years. Some offer three. If you came to Bristol Caravans, we’re the only installer in the UK offering a five-year warranty. The first three years is underwritten by Amplo and the last two years for 12 volt electricals and the PCBs is underwritten by me.
[00:23:26] Matt Sims: Okay, but it’s important to mention though, M-Level offer a four to five-year upgrade.
[00:23:32] Oakleigh Wood: They do offer an upgrade. I don’t have the price on that, but year four and five, there is an upgrade option.
[00:23:39] Matt Sims: And HPC.
[00:23:41] Oakleigh Wood: They offer an upgrade option to ten years.
[00:23:43] Matt Sims: But we’re unable at the point we record this to get the price for that.
[00:23:46] Oakleigh Wood: Correct.
[00:23:46] Matt Sims: So maybe we can add the price to that on this if we can get hold of it. I think that would be useful for some people who want that extra peace of mind. And of course the warranty only matters when it goes wrong. It does. And you don’t want to be stuck, you know, in Edinburgh when it goes wrong. And I want to talk about that level of support as well. The dealer network. Who has the most dealers around the UK?
[00:24:12] Oakleigh Wood: I have put numbers on this sheet of the dealers.
[00:24:16] Matt Sims: And of course it could change tomorrow, couldn’t it?
[00:24:18] Oakleigh Wood: Absolutely, absolutely. So at the moment I think M-Level have got about 33 dealers in UK and Ireland and others have about ten. So it ranges in between those numbers.
[00:24:31] Matt Sims: Okay. Now if I’m in Edinburgh and one of my Amplo jacks failed and I rang you, you’re in Bristol. What would you do?
[00:24:41] Oakleigh Wood: First of all, we’d probably be doing this with WhatsApp and video calls so we can actually see what’s happening. So yeah, I always say to our customers, if you don’t have WhatsApp, let’s get that installed. So if we have to have a conversation, we can have a conversation and see what’s happening. The warranty from all of these companies is return to base. So it’ll be returned to your dealer. Or if you’ve got a dealer nearby that can support, then we’d reach out to them as well. And it would really depend on what is the problem and how we can overcome it. So if it was a ram, then it would probably need a new part. So therefore we’ve got to get the part to you. So if it was a ram, we need to retract the rams and get you home or get you to where you’re going and then get it fixed at a later date. Okay. If it’s an electrical problem and the system is no longer pumping, there are manual levers that you can add to the systems and you can pump and that will lift the legs back up again.
[00:25:44] Matt Sims: Okay. So it depends on the issue. And the outcome, we had a couple that were travelling in Spain and Portugal, they’re on their 90 days visa and they phoned in and they said, we haven’t got a problem, but we can see one of the rams has dropped one centimetre. So okay, we’ve obviously got a problem here that we need to address. How can we help this couple? And it was on an Amplo system and I spoke to Amplo, who are in Italy. They directed us to the nearest installer. The installer then looked at the vehicle and couldn’t decide just from a visual whether it would be the actual ram or a complete pump assembly. Amplo shipped both of those parts to the installer. The customer then went to the installer. They only needed a ram, so they had a ram fitted. And then the customer brought those parts back to Bristol and we did a warranty claim. They didn’t spend any money, it didn’t cost them anything and they carried on with their holiday.
[00:26:48] Matt Sims: Right, wow. So there’s some great after-sales support then from manufacturers.
[00:26:52] Oakleigh Wood: There’s some amazing support. And the beauty of this is some of the businesses are still family-run small businesses. I can pick up the phone, speak to an owner or a director today, now. And that’s an amazing thing.
[00:27:11] Matt Sims: Which is actually how you’ve built this list.
[00:27:12] Oakleigh Wood: Yes. You wouldn’t get this information by trawling the internet, and that’s why you haven’t been able to find it so far.
[00:27:18] Matt Sims: Well, we both searched hard for it, didn’t we? And as far as we were aware, it didn’t exist. So yeah, well done on doing that. So what other considerations are there in terms of an install and maybe protecting it from the elements? You mentioned spraying it with silicone spray if you’re going to leave it high in the air.
[00:27:36] Oakleigh Wood: Lots of the systems come with just a bracket to mount it under the vehicle. When I say under the vehicle, that’s the pump assembly.
[00:27:43] Matt Sims: Okay, yeah. The big lumpy bit with all the pipes.
[00:27:46] Oakleigh Wood: Yeah. So an upgrade that I often recommend that isn’t in these basic prices is a weather box. So a weather box then, they’re not 100% waterproof, but they’re protecting your pride and joy, your pump, your electric system from the elements, from salt, road salt and things like that. Yes. Just the difference is chalk and cheese.
[00:28:08] Matt Sims: And is a weather box included in these prices?
[00:28:10] Oakleigh Wood: No it’s not. It’s additional and depending on the brand it’s a different price as well.
[00:28:14] Matt Sims: But typically what kind of price we’re looking at?
[00:28:16] Oakleigh Wood: £200 to £300.
[00:28:18] Matt Sims: Okay. So maybe consider weather box. It seems like a sensible addition to me.
[00:28:22] Oakleigh Wood: You’re spending this amount of money.
[00:28:24] Matt Sims: Exactly.
[00:28:26] Oakleigh Wood: Protect it a bit longer.
[00:28:26] Matt Sims: So price-wise, the kind of window, the thresholds of pricing. We started at, where were we?
[00:28:32] Oakleigh Wood: Well, if we’re saying hydraulic, yeah, 5750.
[00:28:36] Matt Sims: Yeah. 5749 for M-Level. The most expensive at the moment.
[00:28:40] Oakleigh Wood: Up to 7700.
[00:28:42] Matt Sims: For the AL-KO HY4.
[00:28:44] Oakleigh Wood: Correct.
[00:28:44] Matt Sims: Yes. Now there is a very cool feature, two cool features. One is weighing the van when it’s on its rams. Yes. Now I know that the Amplo system has that feature.
[00:28:55] Oakleigh Wood: It’s an upgrade.
[00:28:56] Matt Sims: It’s an upgrade. And that is a system I currently have on my van, which I’m testing in partnership with you.
[00:29:03] Oakleigh Wood: Yes.
[00:29:03] Matt Sims: And we’re learning a bit about it together because I am putting it way through its paces.
[00:29:08] Oakleigh Wood: You are, thank you.
[00:29:10] Matt Sims: Stay tuned for what I’ve done to it. I’m not actually trying to break it and I haven’t broken it yet, but what a feature that’s very clever is I get it off the ground and I’m able to weigh the van. And we’re going to fit this, aren’t we, in due course? I think that’s a great feature. So which brands offer the weighing function?
[00:29:29] Oakleigh Wood: Okay. Great question. So right now the Amplo system offers it as an upgrade. Yeah. The AL-KO HY4, it’s available as an upgrade. HPC have also got that as an upgrade. Theirs is just over £1,000 and VB Air, again, it’s an upgrade and I think it starts at about 395, but please double-check with them when you sit down.
[00:29:56] Matt Sims: So is it normally a chargeable function to have this feature?
[00:29:59] Oakleigh Wood: Yeah, there’s a standard system, yeah. And the standard systems, if they have this upgrade, usually the control panel and the box and everything have the function or the ability to be upgraded. You go for a software upgrade and you go for some additional parts that are attached to the hydraulic system.
[00:30:17] Matt Sims: Another feature if you’re a real techie, a mobile app can be quite cool. And some of these systems do have mobile apps.
[00:30:25] Oakleigh Wood: Yes they do.
[00:30:26] Matt Sims: And I imagine more and more of them will start introducing it.
[00:30:29] Oakleigh Wood: Well, you say that, but we have a lot of customers that say, I’ve got too many apps. I don’t want an app. My phone goes flat. What happens if my phone’s flat? You know, I forgot to charge it.
[00:30:36] Matt Sims: Well, that would be a pain, wouldn’t it?
[00:30:37] Oakleigh Wood: Absolutely. So people that are currently operating, are aware that they’re currently offering control through a mobile app are AL-KO HY4, Ma-Ve, HPC and VB Air.
[00:30:50] Matt Sims: Brilliant. Okay, so that’s been incredibly insightful. I’ve learned more about levelling systems in the last 20 minutes than ever. Thank you. All of these you fit apart from VB Air. So we invited them into the studio to tell us a little bit about this system. So please stay with us. I’ll come back to you in a sec. Well, I’m delighted to welcome into the studio Grav from VB Air Suspension. A very warm welcome to you, a former professional cricketer.
[00:31:18] Grav Dhar: Cheers, Matt. Embarrass me there.
[00:31:21] Matt Sims: Not many people know this. Who did you play for?
[00:31:23] Grav Dhar: So I started out on Lancashire’s academy and played for Essex, Durham and yeah, my local club, Chorley as well. I was a professional there for three years.
[00:31:34] Matt Sims: Wow. Yeah. I only recently discovered this of you literally a few moments ago. So how did you get into selling air suspension? You’re the sales manager for the UK and Ireland for VB Air. Were you just not good enough at cricket?
[00:31:46] Grav Dhar: Yeah, that and I needed a proper job.
[00:31:49] Matt Sims: Well you’re here, so thank you so much for coming in. I know you’ve travelled several hours to be with us today. Just to share a little bit more about both two products that you sell. Yeah, there’s the air suspension, which we’re going to talk about because it does level the motorhome, yeah, because we’re focusing on levelling. And we’re going to talk about SHR, which is a product you resell. Let’s start with your air suspension, which is really clever. I think people understand what air suspension is, but just talk us through some of its features.
[00:32:19] Grav Dhar: There’s a few different types of air suspension. The air suspension that’s got the levelling feature is full air four-corner air suspension. And that’s where you have a complete overhaul of the standard suspension that’s on the vehicle. So essentially all the steel components are replaced with air-suspended components. So it’s very different to an air assist or a semi-air suspension, which a lot of people have just on the rear.
[00:32:44] Matt Sims: Which is what I’ve got on my van, isn’t it?
[00:32:46] Grav Dhar: Exactly that, yeah.
[00:32:46] Matt Sims: Yeah. And that’s great for when I’m driving. It does sort of move the van up and down a bit to level it, but it’s not levelling. Your system, you fit them on ambulances, don’t you?
[00:32:56] Grav Dhar: We do, yeah.
[00:32:57] Matt Sims: And it’s got loads of functionality. You can raise the front, lower the back for loading. You can raise the back and lower the front for going on a ferry. You call it ferry mode.
[00:33:05] Grav Dhar: Ferry mode, yeah.
[00:33:06] Matt Sims: And you can tip it side to side, so emptying waste tank. So it’s completely controllable. So we’re doing a sort of compare and contrast of different products. I understand it’s from Holland. There’s no drilling.
[00:33:17] Grav Dhar: Nope. Everything fits to existing chassis mounting points. And that’s why we’ve got certain OEM approvals and partnerships as well. So we don’t modify the base chassis in any way.
[00:33:28] Matt Sims: And you major on this, don’t you, with Ford and Stellantis Group. You’re very much working in partnership with them. It’s got a two-year warranty with a one-year upgrade option, correct.
[00:33:39] Grav Dhar: Yep, yep.
[00:33:40] Matt Sims: What does it weigh?
[00:33:42] Grav Dhar: Depends on the vehicle type and the kit type. But generally speaking, if you compare it to, like, a Fiat or something like that, it’s about 53kg.
[00:33:57] Matt Sims: Okay. Yeah. You take a lot of the suspension off and then obviously fitting air-suspended components, so the net weight change is 53kg. Now you were showing me earlier a picture of the Fiat Ducato kit versus the VW T6 kit. Yeah, they’re worlds apart, aren’t they?
[00:34:07] Grav Dhar: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. The base suspension on the vehicles is very different. On a Fiat Ducato as an example, it’s leaf sprung at the back rather than being coil sprung.
[00:34:17] Matt Sims: Yes.
[00:34:17] Grav Dhar: So there’s a lot more sort of bracketry, steelwork and everything that sort of goes into a leaf-sprung vehicle than a coil-sprung vehicle on a T6. So whereas, you know, hydraulic levelling is I suppose four different jacks, air suspension is very vehicle-specific to that make, model and type of chassis.
[00:34:34] Matt Sims: Right. Got it, got it. And you’ve got a dealer count of around 15 dealers who are your professional dealers.
[00:34:40] Grav Dhar: Yeah.
[00:34:40] Matt Sims: And they’re not just working on motorhomes though, are they? They’re working on all sorts of vehicles, including ambulances, as I mentioned earlier.
[00:34:46] Grav Dhar: Correct, yeah. So we have 15 premium dealers throughout the UK and Ireland. They work very, very closely with us. We have great relationships with them. And also we had a dealer meeting last week where, because of their breadth of knowledge, they see everything from repair work to full installs on motorhomes, ambulances, pickup trucks, 4x4s. We cover the whole range because we actually do a lot of work with commercial vehicles as well, like you mentioned, the ambulances. So those dealers have, like, the most experience of anyone in the UK really.
[00:35:16] Matt Sims: Yeah. Okay. It takes two days roughly to install on a Ducato. So your dealer would need it for two days. It’s important to note as well, you don’t have an install service at your head office.
[00:35:25] Grav Dhar: No, we don’t.
[00:35:26] Matt Sims: No, the facilities there are for you for testing. Your customers who buy this have to go to your dealer network.
[00:35:31] Grav Dhar: They have to go to a dealer network.
[00:35:33] Matt Sims: Okay. And the cost of VB’s suspension.
[00:35:36] Grav Dhar: Varies on the type of vehicle. Something like a T6, between seven and a half, depending on options, because of the type of vehicle, 8,000.
[00:35:56] Matt Sims: Yeah. Sorry. On a Fiat Ducato, if it was leaf-sprung at the back, so say for example on an Adria Twin, you’re probably looking at around nine, nine and a half depending on options. And on a tag axle motorhome.
[00:35:57] Grav Dhar: So on a Fiat tag axle, it’s around 12.5 to 13. And then on a Mercedes tag axle, which is one of the latest vehicles that is out, that’s closer to sort of 15, 15.5.
[00:36:12] Matt Sims: It’s not cheap, is it?
[00:36:13] Grav Dhar: It’s not cheap, no. On the tag axles, you essentially get double of everything at the back. So because you’ve got two axles, you get two lots of suspension at the back and one on the front axle as well. And you know, in terms of the components that are fitted to the vehicle, everything’s made, manufactured for that specific type of use basically. With the Mercedes kit as an example, it’s fully Mercedes approved as well. Like the level of testing we have to do on the air suspension side to get those OEM approvals is sort of like second to none.
[00:36:43] Matt Sims: And the OEM approval carries a big cost, hence it’s a bigger investment. But it’s important to say that the air suspension kit I’ve got, you do offer a system like that for around £1,500, don’t you?
[00:36:55] Grav Dhar: We do, yeah, yeah. So we’ve got semi-air kits which is essentially air assist. So the standard suspension stays on the vehicle. We fit an air bellow in between the leaf spring and the chassis in a similar way to what you’ve got. You can either have it as a base kit or you can have an analogue control, or the newest type of control is a digital controller that we’ve got that you can see in the dark.
[00:37:14] Matt Sims: Right. Okay. Very good. So that’s air, a big investment, important that people understand which chassis they’ve got before they come to you for a quote or go to the dealer for a quote. Now the way air levelling works is it lowers all the air out of the van and then raises it up, isn’t it, to level it?
[00:37:38] Grav Dhar: Correct. Yeah, that’s how it levels rather than rams that drop down and lift it off, take all the sag out of the suspension and then level it.
[00:37:42] Grav Dhar: Exactly that, yeah. I suppose there’s sort of like two ways of looking at it. Your most stable point of centre of gravity is kind of like being at the lowest position. So that is what air will typically do, is lower the vehicle down into the lowest position then level. If you’re on a particularly uneven surface, you can level high as well. You can put it in the highest position and then level from there as well.
[00:37:58] Matt Sims: Let’s quickly talk about SHR. So this is a German product that you resell in the UK.
[00:38:04] Grav Dhar: Correct, yeah. It’s exclusive to you.
[00:38:05] Matt Sims: So it’s a German product. Let’s talk through some of its features very quickly then. So this is a traditional hydraulic ram system, correct?
[00:38:14] Grav Dhar: Yeah. Hydraulic levelling system, which obviously there’s a few out on the market. There is a few points of differentiation, I suppose, with SHR. For example, we use stainless steel footplates, stainless steel pump housing as well. There’s also no wired controller.
[00:38:30] Matt Sims: Remote control only.
[00:38:31] Grav Dhar: Wireless remote control or a phone app as well that you can use. Some of the other features are, you know, it’s fairly quick levelling-wise.
[00:38:40] Matt Sims: It levels in 60 seconds, correct? That’s quick, isn’t it?
[00:38:42] Grav Dhar: It is quick, yeah, yeah, it is quick, yeah.
[00:38:44] Matt Sims: Does it have a weighing function?
[00:38:45] Grav Dhar: There is a weighing function, yeah. Originally it was an optional extra, but now it’s included in the system. So you get the weighing function included. It’s accurate to within 1.5%, which I think is probably one of the most accurate systems out there.
[00:39:02] Matt Sims: Okay. Another great feature I do like about it is when you raise it off the ground, the rams, the jacks lock. So if someone was to cut a hydraulic hose, it wouldn’t drop to the floor. So if you’re changing a wheel, you don’t have to put an axle stand under the van, as is advised to do with most other levelling systems. It has that safety feature, doesn’t it?
[00:39:21] Grav Dhar: A lot of other levelling systems, you can change a tyre at the side of the road, but the issue you have is that if there was a leak in the system or it could drop, it could drop.
[00:39:30] Matt Sims: It’s always advisable to put an axle stand there or jack underneath as well.
[00:39:34] Grav Dhar: Yeah. So SHR has got a patented technology which locks the, once the jack’s got to its final position, whether it’s raising or lowering, it will lock it out there basically. So you can’t physically drop again or raise up the back again.
[00:39:47] Matt Sims: And then you can manually override that when the time comes. And the weight of the system.
[00:39:52] Grav Dhar: Depending on what system it is, between 70 and 75.
[00:39:56] Matt Sims: So it’s quite heavy. It’s one of the heavier ones.
[00:39:58] Grav Dhar: It is one of the heavier ones, yeah. I think, you know, a lot of the components that we use are obviously very heavy duty. And we have a slightly different approach to what we do, whereas a lot of systems bolt to the side of the chassis, we have sort of like a subframe underneath the vehicle and we take a lot of the stress from the chassis because we bolt to our own subframe, which houses the pump on the rear axle as well. So it’s a slightly different method.
[00:40:22] Matt Sims: And while you’re not AL-KO approved, you do fit and can fit to an AL-KO chassis.
[00:40:27] Grav Dhar: Exactly, yeah, yeah. We fit to all the chassis. So Mercedes, AL-KO, Fiat, AL-KO without any issues as well.
[00:40:34] Matt Sims: Got it. Okay. And one last feature very quickly. This is very cool. The alarm integration. Tell us about this because I think this is unique to VB Air and SHR.
[00:40:44] Grav Dhar: Yeah. I mean I’ve not seen another system with it available. In Germany, SHR have been using it successfully for the last sort of ten years. And it’s an integration feature that we’re looking at bringing into the UK. In February, we’ll have it on our demonstrator vehicle. And essentially how it works is if the alarm’s triggered, so say for example, someone smashes a window, opens a door or something like that, or tries to steal the vehicle, a signal is sent to the hydraulic levelling system and it will deploy the jacks and raise the vehicle off the ground. And it will also level it as well.
[00:41:20] Matt Sims: Right. You can’t override it basically internally.
[00:41:22] Grav Dhar: You can’t override it. Even with the remote control, you can’t override it. You need to have your phone to then retract those jacks. You are going to freak thieves out. It has to be said.
[00:41:27] Grav Dhar: Well, I mean, if they’re going to freak anybody out, it would be the thieves. It’s not a bad thing, I don’t think.
[00:41:32] Matt Sims: That’s really insightful. Thank you so much for coming in. Just tell us quickly, SHR, what does it cost?
[00:41:39] Grav Dhar: So SHR is between 6995 and 7995 depending on the type of vehicle you have. 7995 is more for the heavier vehicles like the seven-ton Ivecos. Okay. 6995 for Ford, Fiat and then seven and a half for Fiat AL-KO, Mercedes.
[00:41:56] Matt Sims: Grav, thank you so much for coming in. It’s been really useful, very insightful. I appreciate you unpacking all that with us. Where can people find out more about VB’s suspension?
[00:42:05] Grav Dhar: So if you visit our UK website, which is vbairsuspension.co.uk, all the information on VB and SHR is on there with useful blogs as well.
[00:42:16] Matt Sims: So thank you to VB for contributing to this piece. Really appreciate that. So now we’ve got a real insight into all the systems that are available. I think you will want to get hold of this. Huge thanks to Oakley at Bristol Caravans and the team for pulling this together. Thank you. You can get in touch with Bristol Caravans via the Motorhome Matt Approved page of our website to find out more and to get your copy of this just head to mhmp.info/bristolcaravans. All the details are there and you will happily email people a copy of this matrix.
[00:42:50] Oakleigh Wood: Absolutely, yes.
[00:42:51] Matt Sims: And I know you would welcome people getting in touch for their assessment. Yes. Wouldn’t you. That’s the first stage of this process, isn’t it?
[00:42:58] Oakleigh Wood: It is. You want to know what is available for your vehicle and your lifestyle.
[00:43:03] Matt Sims: Now, if people want to have a levelling system fitted to their van by you, yes, the first stage is the assessment, isn’t it? So they come to you for that.
[00:43:11] Oakleigh Wood: Yes.
[00:43:11] Matt Sims: What is the cost of that assessment?
[00:43:14] Oakleigh Wood: The cost is currently £49.
[00:43:16] Matt Sims: Okay, easy. Now you also have a campsite on site.
[00:43:20] Oakleigh Wood: We do.
[00:43:20] Matt Sims: So people are travelling, they can come and they can stay. And it’s a really convenient site literally next door. But there’s also a Motorhome Matt discount. Tell us more.
[00:43:31] Oakleigh Wood: So if you book the assessment and at the assessment booking stage you say Motorhome Matt, we will give you £100 off your purchase of the system.
[00:43:42] Matt Sims: Okay.
[00:43:43] Oakleigh Wood: Which means the assessment’s free straight away.
[00:43:46] Matt Sims: Yes.
[00:43:46] Oakleigh Wood: If you proceed then to purchase one, we offer a free collection and delivery within a two-hour drive time of Bristol Caravans.
[00:43:52] Matt Sims: Okay, up and down the M4.
[00:43:54] Oakleigh Wood: Indeed.
[00:43:55] Matt Sims: Brilliant. But if people want to come, they can. They can bring the van to you and you will give them a car, won’t you, so they can head off into Bristol, off to Bath.
[00:44:02] Oakleigh Wood: We’ll sort something out. Or you can go walk with the dogs. We’re on a 200-acre farm, good local pubs. So yes, all sorts of things to do.
[00:44:09] Matt Sims: And the campsite’s right there so they can stay if they need to overnight.
[00:44:13] Oakleigh Wood: Yep.
[00:44:13] Matt Sims: Brilliant. Okay. This has been brilliant. Thank you so much for coming in and for the prep of preparing this. I really appreciate it. And we’ll look forward to updating this as more companies come into the UK.
[00:44:25] Oakleigh Wood: Yeah, thank you for having me.
[00:44:26] Keith Gooden: So you heard and saw there Oakley Wood, the managing director of Bristol Caravans, and Grav Dhar, sales manager of VB Air Suspension.
[00:44:36] Matt Sims: Yeah. Thank you to them both. It’s a big topic and I think that’s been incredibly useful. And I know if you’re listening or watching this and you’re thinking of fitting a levelling system, I know that’s going to be very helpful.
[00:44:47] Keith Gooden: So after all that, why make that big investment when you can just buy a couple of plastic wedges?
[00:44:52] Matt Sims: Convenience, absolutely, number one. If you’re travelling on your own as well, getting out and trying to level up on your own is very difficult. And I think more and more people are going off-grid and off of campsites and parking up on areas that are not flat. And, you know, sleeping level is absolutely a luxury that people crave. And this is where a levelling system is just so easy.
[00:45:16] Keith Gooden: Yeah. And I think in last week’s podcast, somebody asked on the Q&A about extras and accessories and do they add value to a motorhome when you sell it second hand. I would have thought a levelling system is one of those rare ones that does add value.
[00:45:28] Matt Sims: Yes, it does. And it was Dave. Dave Miller asked this question and I would agree. I think if there is any big extra you’re going to fit, lithium would be one and levelling would be another. I think lithium is an aspirational product.
[00:45:42] Keith Gooden: Solar panels and lithium batteries, you mean?
[00:45:44] Matt Sims: Yes. And I think levelling is really a luxury product. You don’t need to have it. If you’re going spending a lot of time off-grid without the engine running, then lithium is kind of justified far more easily than levelling in my opinion. I’ve got levelling on our van and I love it. It’s so easy, so convenient. I don’t even need to get out of the van to level it. It is very convenient, especially in the rain. But it absolutely is a luxury product. But it’s one, as I said earlier, that’s become the blue-eyed boy of the accessory world and more and more people are looking to get it fitted and prices have come down as well. So they’ve become more affordable as time’s gone on.
[00:46:23] Keith Gooden: And you can download the comparison table Oakley has made by clicking the link in the description or head straight to mhmp.info. That’s mhmp.info/levelling. It’s booking season. Sites, ferries, insurance, lots of card details flying around.
[00:46:43] Matt Sims: Exactly. Yeah. Which is why I use NordVPN. Every time you’re typing in personal information on public Wi-Fi, you are taking a risk.
[00:46:52] Keith Gooden: Well, even on, say, a cafe connection.
[00:46:54] Matt Sims: Especially there. NordVPN encrypts your connection so your data is protected. And with Threat Protection Pro, it blocks dodgy links and scam sites before you click something you might regret.
[00:47:06] Keith Gooden: So it’s protection before the problem raises its head.
[00:47:10] Matt Sims: That’s it. Yeah, I’ve got it running constantly now, on my laptop, on my phone, everywhere.
[00:47:15] Keith Gooden: So, Matt, where do you go?
[00:47:17] Matt Sims: Head to nordvpn.com/motorhomematt where you’ll get four extra months included for free. And there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee.
[00:47:26] Keith Gooden: So it’s worth doing before your next trip.
[00:47:28] Matt Sims: Definitely.
[00:47:30] Keith Gooden: It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast with me, Keith Gooden and.
[00:47:32] Matt Sims: Me, Motorhome Matt.
[00:47:33] Keith Gooden: It’s brought to you by ThatLeisureShop.com and sponsored by Ripe. Okay, time for our Q&A. The questions and answers where you ask the questions and Motorhome Matt, for it is he, will give you the answers. And if he doesn’t know, he’ll ask somebody who jolly well does. Jeannie Spinks is in New Zealand.
[00:47:51] Jeannie Spinks: Hi Matt and Keith, it’s Jeannie and Kevin here. We’re about to come to the UK in May to pick up a Benimar 282 and it’s 4.4 ton. My question is, my husband has a C1 UK-issued licence. I have a New Zealand licence and our standard car licence allows me to drive up to six ton. However, I’m getting mixed information from the UK as to whether I can use my Kiwi licence and drive the 4.4 tonne motorhome in the UK and Europe. I rang up the DVLA and they said, yes, I can. But everywhere else has said no, I can’t. The six ton doesn’t translate to the UK laws and I’m super confused. If you could have an investigate, I’d love you for it and we love your podcast. It’s fantastic. Thanks.
[00:48:53] Keith Gooden: It sounds like they were quite famous down under.
[00:48:56] Matt Sims: It would seem so.
[00:48:58] Keith Gooden: Anyway.
[00:49:00] Matt Sims: You leave my down under.
[00:49:01] Keith Gooden: Oh. Thanks, Jeannie. Okay. So can she drive here on her New Zealand licence for 12 months?
[00:49:08] Matt Sims: This is really confusing, Jeannie. When you Google it, you are quite right. This has come up before, actually, and I remember doing some research on this then, and I did double-check this. And the answer is no, you can’t. So in the UK, your husband can drive over three and a half tons because he has a C1. Your Kiwi licence was valid in the UK for up to 12 months and then you should take a UK driving test. You can only drive up to three and a half tons here on your Kiwi licence, even though you can drive six tons back home. Why this is the case I don’t really know. And you are right, even the gov.uk website is misleading. Says yes, you can use your Kiwi licence here up to three and a half tons. It doesn’t actually clarify that you can’t drive over that. So my advice would be if DVLA are telling you yes, you can, write to them and get them to write back and check with your insurer that they are happy to insure you and get that in writing too. But my take on this is that the official line is you can’t do it. So I would exercise extreme caution here because the risk is you have an accident and then you’re not insured, and then you’re in a whole pile of pickle. So that’s my take on it.
[00:50:22] Keith Gooden: Okay. Patrick Kind’s in the Forest of Dean. Oh, he wants to know about his pussycat. Miaow.
[00:50:30] Patrick Kind: Over the last 2 to 3 months, our Carthago C1 Tourer 138 2022 has developed a cat pee-like smell towards the front of the van. Issue is, we don’t have a cat. We have now investigated it with the help of different garages, Chelston down in Somerset and various other garages to try and eliminate what this could be. We’ve looked at batteries, we’ve looked at various other things, including grey water, we’ve cleaned the floor, etc, etc. Someone now has suggested it could be the catalytic converter that’s smelling, but we’re at a loss. Any help would be very much appreciated. Look forward to hearing from you soon.
[00:51:11] Keith Gooden: The catalytic converter in a Carthago. Very good.
[00:51:16] Matt Sims: Is this a wind-up?
[00:51:17] Keith Gooden: Cheers, Patrick. Well, my first question to you, Patrick, is, does your neighbour have a cat? And if it’s a tom, has it been doctored? Because tomcat’s pee, if they haven’t been doctored, smells horrible and they do love to take shelter under vehicles.
[00:51:33] Matt Sims: That’s very true. But I do wonder if this is a genuine question because there’s a few cat themes in here. I was waiting for the name of the dealership he took it to and he went to Chelston, not Kelston.
[00:51:44] Keith Gooden: Yeah. Very good.
[00:51:45] Matt Sims: Yeah. But if I was to try and answer this seriously, and maybe it is a genuine question, I would suggest it could be an AdBlue leak because that’s very.
[00:51:57] Keith Gooden: That’s made of pigs.
[00:51:57] Matt Sims: It’s not made of pigs. You know this is not true. It’s urea. It’s nothing to do with pigs. We’ve covered this before. It’s in your ear.
[00:52:06] Keith Gooden: You’re down under my rear.
[00:52:08] Matt Sims: Yeah, but it does have a very peculiar smell, which could be confused for cat wee. So maybe that’s it. I’m not sure what else it could be. It could be vermin, that’s maybe mice or rats have got into the engine bay. Rat pee does stink. It’s true. It’s horrible. But yeah, my suggestion is maybe there’s an AdBlue leak. The other items you claim that you’ve investigated don’t smell anything like cat wee. So batteries are sulphur and wastewater tanks just are horrible. Maybe it’s AdBlue.
[00:52:42] Keith Gooden: Yeah, but we’ve got a feline that.
[00:52:47] Matt Sims: An Auto-Trail F-Line.
[00:52:48] Keith Gooden: You’re winding us up. Oren Kipnis is in Tregarth. I need to uprate my camper. I found only one service provider, SV Tech, who is willing to uprate by 180kg where I need 300kg extra. Are there any other service providers? Thanks and kind regards.
[00:53:07] Matt Sims: So SV Tech are my go-to, and I would suggest if Richard and his team are telling you you can only go to 180 kilos, then that’s going to be the case. The only things you could do is increase the wheel size, tyre size, improve the suspension with air suspension or change the leaf springs, maybe adding leaves to it. So go back to SV Tech and ask them, is there anything else I can do to the chassis? They’ve crash-tested these chassis at their maximum weight, so they really do know their stuff. If you Google it, you will find other experts where you could get a second opinion, Van Weight Engineering, for example. But these people are experts. This is not to be toyed with, so take their word as the advice you need.
[00:53:53] Keith Gooden: Cheers, Oren. Thanks for the question. If people want to get in touch, what should they do?
[00:53:57] Matt Sims: We’d love it if you did. Yeah. Thank you. Head to mhmp.info/askmatt. Fill in the form or click the orange button where you can record your question. But please tell us where you are.
[00:54:07] Keith Gooden: There’s a few on Facebook having a chat with Motorhome Matt. It’s brand new. Well, fairly new anyway. A private group on Facebook. All you’ve got to do is ask to join. As I say every week, I’m the only one that’s been refused entry. But it’s a nice little resource, isn’t it, Matt?
[00:54:21] Matt Sims: Yeah. It’s great. Come and join us. Chat with Motorhome Matt is the name of the group on Facebook, so you need to be a Facebook user. Come and join the group. Completely free to join. There’s a few questions that we ask of you prior to joining, but it’s a really friendly place to come and get advice, hints, tips, and join the community. There’s lots of people joining in with conversation with each other. It’s a private group, so you can post privately.
[00:54:46] Keith Gooden: And if you’re looking for trusted brands and services, then make sure you visit the Motorhome Matt Approved directory. It’s at mhmp.info/approved.
[00:54:55] Matt Sims: And if you’re listening, please click follow on your favourite podcast app. Or if you’re watching on YouTube, click subscribe and that little bell.
[00:55:05] 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.
