Keith Gooden: In today’s episode of the Motorhome Matt podcast…
Matt Sims: We ask you to ask us some of your questions, live at the Motorhome and Caravan show.
Keith Gooden: Yep, it’s over to you as you set the posers for the expert Motorhome Matt.
Matt Sims: Who’s a poser?
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, campervans and caravans. It’s brought to you www.thatleisureshop.com and sponsored by Ripe.
Matt Sims: It’s time for your Q&A. It’s your questions and our answers. We’re live from the Motorhome and Caravan show here at the NEC. I’m joined by Colin and Jill from Sedgley in the West Midlands at the show. You’ve not come very far this morning.
Colin: No, no, no, it took us ages!
Matt Sims: Are you here to buy a motorhome or look at motorhomes? What’s the plan?
Colin: Just look.
Matt Sims: Thinking of changing?
Colin: Yes!
Matt Sims: So you’ve got a motorhome at the moment. What have you got?
Colin: We’ve got a Chausson 640.
Matt Sims: Okay, Colin, you’ve got a question.
Colin: I did a speed awareness course six weeks ago. Tut, tut.
Matt Sims: What were you caught at?
Colin: 37 in a 30.
Matt Sims: Okay, well. Fair enough. Fair cop.
Colin: When I was doing the course, he says, ‘Does anybody drive anything else apart from a motor car?” And I said, “I do drive a motorhome.” And he says, “I’ll come back to you after we’ve done all this stuff.” And he came back and he said, “So you realise that in a single carriageway in a national, you can only do 50?” And I didn’t realise that.
Matt Sims: On a national speed limit?
Colin: On a single carriageway, 50. On a dual carriageway he said I could only do 50 – in a dual carriageway on a national.
Matt Sims: And did he ask you how much the motorhome weighed?
Colin: No, he just said a motorhome.
Matt Sims: And what about on a motorway?
Colin: He did say I could do 70 on a motorway.
Matt Sims: And what’s the kerb weight of your motorhome? Do you know?
Colin: 3.5 tonnes.
Matt Sims: So gross weight. And do you know what the unladen weight is?
Colin: It would be a lot less than that!
Matt Sims: Three tonnes? Okay, so if it is less than 3050kg, you’re the same as a car. The gross weight is irrelevant. You could be 3.8 or 4 tons, but if your kerb weight unladen is 3050kg, that is what determines speed limits, not the gross weight. He could be wrong, but the only way to check is to weigh the motorhome unladen. So take everything out and check what that unladen weight is. If it’s under 3050kg, same as a car. If it’s over, then your awareness course tutor is correct, but I’m afraid he should have checked some more facts before guiding you.
Colin: Yeah.
Jill: Now, I wish you hadn’t said that, because he’d been really lovely driving at ten miles an hour less than we really need to!
Matt Sims: Maybe for you, but not for everyone behind you! It’s you causing the traffic jam, Jill.
Colin: I’ve always said I don’t hold people up.
Matt Sims: Well, not anymore.
Colin: No!
Keith Gooden: We’re at the big show. The big show? I’m Keith Gooden, and this is Motorhome Matt.
Matt Sims: We’re here. You’re having a good day!
Keith Gooden: So far, so good. It’s only been open about half an hour. Busy, busy, busy – handing out the bags.
Matt Sims: Really busy. So who have we got here?
Joy: This is Joy from Winchester.
Matt Sims: Welcome, Joy. How are you?
Joy: I’m very well, thank you.
Matt Sims: And what are you here to see today?
Joy: I’m here to see whether I can get an upgrade on a motorhome that I already have. I’m just dithering, really, whether to or not – whether the benefits outweigh the costs.
Matt Sims: Okay, okay. So what’s your question?
Joy: My question is, I have been recently told that it’s possible to buy an awning that clips on to a Thule wind-out awning and one that is blow up. And because I am on the rather elderly side…
Matt Sims: No, you’re not!
Joy: … it would be helpful to have that to put up.
Matt Sims: Okay.
Keith Gooden: You know a lot about blow-up things, don’t you?
Joy: Hello.
Matt Sims: Steady. Not in public! I’ve warned you about that before. So, yeah, you can – on the front of your Thule awning – that’s the pronunciation.
Joy: I beg your pardon!
Matt Sims: On the front of it is a little rail and you can slide into there a joining strip that will connect an inflatable awning or a poled awning to it. So you can then double the size of the motorhome. You need to make sure you buy that driveaway strip when you’re buying the awning. So it’s a long strip with a flat bit in the middle. And then two beads. One goes in the awning, one goes in the sun canopy, the Thule bit, and there’s metal bits that you join together that are a metre long. And then you inflate the awning, park up, and then where you’ve put the wheels, the divots in the grass, park there again and it will connect to the awning.
Joy: So a template. Yeah. Yes. That’s what I thought.
Keith Gooden: When you say it’s shaped like that, you mean the V sign?
Matt Sims: No, not a V sign! It’s like a railway track with a strip in the middle. So it’s a driveaway strip.
Joy: Oh, that’s exactly what I’m looking for.
Matt Sims: Not a lot of money at all. And then a blow-up awning – there’s always a prize if you get it back in the bag.
Joy: All right. My question is, really, where can I get one of those?
Matt Sims: Okay. Head down to Hall 12!
Joy: Hall 12.
Matt Sims: There are lots of awnings down the end there. And also right in Hall 17. There are loads up there too.
Joy: 12 and 17. That’s brilliant. Matt, thank you very much. You’ve answered my question. Thank you!
Matt Sims: Have a good show.
Trevor: Well, Matt, I need to come and speak to you. Last year you were going to come on a brewery tour at Hawkstone Brewery where I work.
Matt Sims: You’re Trevor who works at Hawkstone.
Trevor: I am, yes.
Matt Sims: And we promised we would. I’d love to do this.
Trevor: If you remember, I said your podcast is the perfect length for when I’m cleaning the lines out, the beer lines, every week. That’s when I used to listen. And I used to know the cleaning fluid had done its job because the podcast was finished.
Matt Sims: I’m glad to hear it.
Trevor: So we need to see you up next year!
Matt Sims: Well, Jude was going to treat me for my birthday – and I say treat me. I mean, this is a free treat from you. This is how much I’m loved. And of course, this birthday, November for me, I’ll be on my back recovering from the op next week. But in the new year, I’d love to come and take you up on this really generous offer.
Trevor: Yeah, yeah. You come and do that.
Matt Sims: Can we get Jez on the podcast?
Trevor: He’s a busy man.
Matt Sims: Of course he’s a busy man. He’s a Marmite character.
Trevor: Apparently, he’s got into politics now.
Matt Sims: Is he into politics? Somebody said, do you know – he had the same heart issue as I’ve had. Although he did have a heart attack, but it’s the same arterial blockage that I’ve got, although mine’s hereditary. His is probably more rock and roll life than me.
Trevor: But it’s got to be said, when he talks about British farming, that is so 100% genuine.
Matt Sims: Absolutely true.
Trevor: What he has done for bringing awareness to all the problems farmers are facing. It’s been tremendous.
Matt Sims: Love him or hate him, he’s probably done more for British farming than the BBC Countryfile Live have ever done.
Trevor: I always say I think Countryfile has got its niche audience and those people have understood those problems. What he’s done, he’s opened up many, many more people’s eyes through light entertainment to make people aware of all these problems farmers are facing.
Matt Sims: And he’s got us talking about it, hasn’t he?
Trevor: Yeah. He has. Look at us here now at a motorhome show, talking about farming.
Matt Sims: Talking about farming and beer.
Trevor: Well, I can’t think of many things better.
Matt Sims: No, no. It’s great to see you.
Trevor: And you. It really is.
Matt Sims: I will see you at the brewery listening to the podcast where you’re cleaning your pipes.
Trevor: Thank you!
Matt Sims: I’m joined by Chris and Clare from Seaford in East Sussex. A lovely part of the world. Now, you’ve been walking the Seven Sisters listening to me?
Chris: Going right back two years, we were looking for our first motorhome. So we thought, right, we’re going to start listening first. Learn as much as we can. And it’s actually been mind blowing. It’s just so much information, but, you know, you’ve broken it down and we feel ready to get our first one.
Matt Sims: So Clare, what sort of motorhome do you think you’re going to buy?
Clare: Well, I would like an island bed. We’ve narrowed it down to an island bed. Something that we can spend a lot of time in the winter in in England. So it’s got to be sort of winterised because we’re not quite ready for retirement yet. So we’ll be using it over the weekends. Well, mainly for me an island bed. That’s what I’ve narrowed it down to.
Matt Sims: Well, that’s a really good way of narrowing it down – focus on how you want to sleep. So your question you had was, where do we start? This is your first time at a show. So I would look at everything. Try and find the island bed. Ignore the screen prices as you start looking. And just look at the layouts – open and close, cupboard doors. Open and close bathroom doors. Lie on the bed, kick your shoes off and take a lie down. And on an island bed, if you find that the head bit of it, the pillows bits, are tipped up, lay the bed flat and check there’s room around the bottom to get in and out of it. Because they’re always displayed with their head position up, because it gives more room in the motorhome and you don’t know how little there is until the bed is flat. So if one of you has gone to bed and then the other’s coming to bed later, you can’t shuffle around the bed. You’ve got to do a Superman dive onto the bed. So make sure you lie them flat when you’re looking at them. That would be my first tip about island beds. But look at everything and just wander around and take lots of photos. Take photos of the price boards and the spec boards and take photos inside, and then you can go through at home and go, right, that was that one. And then you can go from there.
Clare: That’s the other thing that we’ve noticed – the price difference between secondhand ones and new ones. There isn’t a huge gap on a lot of them.
Matt Sims: No. And there’s lots of 2025 stock with big discounts on. So it’s a good time to buy brand new if it’s this year’s model. And there are some good deals on ’26 too. But the problem is that motorhomes from 2020 and 2021 sold for a premium price. So people want their money back as best they can, and so they are often nearly the same price as a brand new one because the new ones have come back down in price. So yeah, you’re sensible to look at new and used. It may cost you more to buy brand new, but maybe not as much as you think.
Clare: That’s what we noticed yesterday.
Matt Sims: Yes. And that’s why. But that is going to flatten off. Eventually those 2020, 2021 models that are coming back into the market because people have had them for four years, now they’re trying to sell them – they will sell. And the new prices are now stabilising where they’re going to stay. And they’re going to slowly go up as we go into the next 4 or 5 years. But yeah, you may find that a brand new one is not going to cost you much more than a 3- or 4-year-old one.
Chris: And has the build quality got cheaper to bring the price down, do you feel?
Matt Sims: No, I don’t think so. Some of them have got more spec and the prices have come down just because supply chains have stabilised. And that means prices have been able to come down. And also people don’t want to pay the prices that we were asking as an industry. And they’re kind of settling around £70,000 something. That seems to be a starting point for a well-built motorhome. And build quality is always a challenge. But it’s making sure the dealer you’re buying from is close to home. So if you have a problem, you haven’t got to travel for hours.
Chris: I did notice briefly that a lot of them are making them for three and a half tonnes obviously for the younger generation, whereas obviously having grandfather rights, we can drive bigger vehicles. But that’s the trend now, isn’t it? Your payload then is less.
Matt Sims: Of course. Yeah. So you could upplate it.
Chris: Right.
Matt Sims: So you can make it to 3.8 tonnes. There’s a company called SvTech. They’re a Motorhome Matt approved specialist in doing the weight upplating. If you’re not sure of the plating, open the bonnet and look underneath, or in the passenger door. In the frame will be its weight. So can you drive over three and a half tonnes?
Chris: I can.
Matt Sims: Yeah. So I would try and get one that’s heavier.
Chris: I can’t believe you’re asking!
Matt Sims: Because then you get bigger payload!
Keith Gooden: It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast with me, Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims: And me, Motorhome Matt.
Keith Gooden: It’s brought to you www.thatleisureshop.com and sponsored by Ripe. It’s our Q&A from the NEC. So many letters! And with us is Brian from Ayrshire, who has got a question about tyres, Matt. I’ll leave you to it.
Matt Sims: Brian, what’s your question?
Brian: So we’re just about to buy a motorhome. We’ve got it in order and we’ve got a choice of tyres. We can either go with regular tyres or we can go with all-terrain tyres, or we could possibly go with something in between, like all season tyres. What are the trade-offs that we make? Because I kind of feel that everything I’ve read says when you’ve got an all-terrain tyre, you’re going to have poor economy for most driving. But I reckon the first time I’m stuck in a muddy field, I’ll wish I had them.
Matt Sims: Yeah. True. They’re not that great in a muddy field, I’ll be honest. I’ve got all-terrain tyres on our Adria Twin, and they look very cool with our alloys, but we still can get stuck in mud. Once that tread fills with mud, that’s it. They’re just like a normal tyre. When are you using the van? Are you using it all year or just in the summer?
Brian: So we reckon that we’re going to do stuff not all year, but an extended season. And some of it will be hardstanding. And some of it hopefully will be at the kind of places like, you know, the Shuttleworth Collection flying days where they’ve got a big grass pitch that might get wet.
Matt Sims: And are you using it abroad?
Brian: No.
Matt Sims: Okay. So I would say there’s no need to go for a three peak tyre, so something that needs to be used in the snow. I would consider definitely a camping spec tyre. So if you’re going to go for a road tyre, a Continental or Agilis, or a Michelin camping tyre. They have CP rating, so the sidewalls are stronger. It’s a different tread pattern for all-year use. And the sidewalls being stronger is important because the van’s going to sit still for long periods of time, and it’s always going to be at weight. It’s not like a van that gets emptied every night and then reloaded in the morning. So the weight goes up and down. The motorhome is always going to be the same weight. So I would say a camping spec tyre or consider an all-terrain tire. I’ve not found any more road noise. If there is any less fuel economy, I have not noticed. I’m not really doing enough miles to worry about it, and I don’t think you will either.
Brian: So the all-terrain tyre – forget the penalty of the economy?
Matt Sims: I don’t think it’s worth worrying about. No, I think of all the things you’re going to spend money on, that’s the one to worry about least.
Brian: Okay. But in the case of the muddy tyre, it’s probably not going to make a huge difference?
Matt Sims: It will make a difference. I mean, I know people who have both sets of tyres. I’ve kept our old tyres so I can put those back on if I’m doing a big road trip to Italy, as we hope to do next year. I don’t need all-terrain tyres. I’m going to put the road tyres back on, so I guarantee better fuel efficiency and potential of less road noise, but I’ve not experienced any more. So yeah, I would say consider the road tyres, but go for a camping spec if it’s on offer. And if you think all terrain look cool, go for that. I’m joined by Mel from Ripe. Hi, Mel.
Mel: Hi.
Matt Sims: It’s great to have you on our stand. We’re here at the big show, the Motorhome and Caravan Show at the NEC. Mel, I’ve had lots of people coming up to me throughout this week and constantly saying they’ve tried to get cover with you because of the great PR we’ve been doing together, and they get turned down. Can you tell me the top three reasons why this might be?
Mel: Yeah, there are a number of reasons. Some things are very simple. It could be that the details that you’re providing us with do not match what we’re seeing on the databases. So for example, we do checks with the DVLA. For example, if you give us some information and that is not correct such as claims – we also check the claims underwriting exchange – if it doesn’t match, then it will say that we can’t offer you cover. So like you said last time, make sure all your ducks are in a row before you get a quote and then you’ll be fine.
Matt Sims: So if there’s a discrepancy between the address on your driver’s licence and the address on the database that you check, that might mean you have to turn people down.
Mel: It can be something as simple as that. So it’s not that we’re turning you down. It may be that you just get a message saying it doesn’t match, and you need to put the right information in.
Matt Sims: I’m with you. Now, people often say they failed a credit check. You’re not actually doing a credit check, are you? You’re just using the credit reference agencies to corroborate who people are.
Mel: Correct. So it’s not that we’re checking if you’ve got a good credit score or anything like that. Exactly. It’s the whole risk that we’re looking at. And so we’re making sure that what we’re going to be offering you suits you and us.
Matt Sims: So claims history, get your details all lined up and correct. And the other one is asset value.
Mel: Yes. So asset value – we cover up to £120,000 for a vehicle. And if it is over that, unfortunately at the moment there’s nothing we can do.
Matt Sims: No. So a gentleman here with me today, his vehicle was £112,000. You couldn’t insure him originally because it was £100,000 and then I announced that you’d raised it. He rang you again, and he’s now insured with Ripe. So, Mel, thank you!
Keith Gooden: So here we are at the big show. It’s a Friday. I’m Keith Gooden and this is Motorhome Matt. Here we are – the Motorhome Matt podcast, brought to you with That Leisure Shop and sponsored by Ripe. And joining us here on the stand at the big show at the NEC is…
Nigel Green: Nigel Green.
Keith Gooden: And Nigel, where are you from?
Nigel Green: I’m from Ireland, southern Ireland.
Keith Gooden: Nice one. Whereabouts in southern Ireland?
Nigel Green: Wexford. So think Pembroke and go straight across about 70 miles.
Keith Gooden: We’re quite popular in Ireland.
Matt Sims: We are! Yeah. There’s lots of people here from Southern Ireland. Have you been to see Cara and Aoife? They’re here at the show.
Nigel Green: Yeah, yeah.
Matt Sims: So go and say hello. They’re on the Carthago stand.
Nigel Green: Well, I just bought a Carthago, so I probably won’t see them because I didn’t buy it from them.
Matt Sims: That’s all right. They’ll look after it for you. You’ve just bought a used motorhome, you were telling me.
Nigel Green: Yeah. So we’ve been looking for about two years lurking on various websites and so on. But I’ve been following the podcast for that two years, and I reckon that probably 60%, 70% of our decision-making information all came from the podcast. It’s absolutely brilliant.
Matt Sims: Wow. That’s amazing. Thank you. I’m glad you listened!
Nigel Green: Thank you very much.
Matt Sims: Thanks for taking the time. So what have you bought?
Nigel Green: Liner-for-Two.
Matt Sims: Oh, very nice, very nice.
Nigel Green: So I went against everything you said and went straight in for a liner-for-Lwo. First van!
Keith Gooden: Was it really your first van? Because you said you’ve been lurking for two years.
Nigel Green: No, I’ve been lurking, looking at it. But that’s the first van we’ve ever owned.
Matt Sims: That’s a very nice first motorhome, I have to say. I’m still aspiring for one. Maybe when you’re selling it, let me know.
Nigel Green: Well, I’ll get you to broker it for me!
Matt Sims: Okay!
Keith Gooden: We don’t want to pry too much, but it’s a second-hand one?
Nigel Green: Absolutely. Five years old.
Keith Gooden: You’re happy with the price you paid? Because we’re talking a lot about the market in the podcast and the way prices are varying. How did you find the buying process and what you had to pay?
Nigel Green: I think the dealers are challenged at the moment, would be the way I would put it. There is very definitely softening in that market. I bought for a reasonable discount off what the dealer was looking for.
Matt Sims: Yeah, I can imagine you did.
Nigel Green: And we were looking at a few and some of them are discounting quite quickly. Time of the year as well. People got a lot of money sunk in what they have on their lot.
Matt Sims: And it depends on that dealership and how much cash they’ve got tied up in that stock. So it’s very circumstantial. It sounds like you timed it well.
Nigel Green: Yeah. And we were cash buyers. I’m lucky enough to just be retiring so I was able to take out some money. And that’s how it’s being funded.
Matt Sims: Well, next time you’re on the mainland in it, come and visit!
Nigel Green: Will do. Well, I was actually born in Bristol!
Matt Sims: Home born as well.
Nigel Green: I lived in Yatton and went to school in Weston.
Matt Sims: Oh my goodness. Down the road from us.
Keith Gooden: But he left.
Matt Sims: Yeah, he left!
Nigel Green: I left 50 years ago.
Matt Sims: You found a much nicer place to live.
Keith Gooden: Just interested in the buying process in Southern Ireland. You know, your experience – do you think it’s different from buying in the UK?
Nigel Green: Yeah. So what we bought probably will not go back into Southern Ireland. If I take that van back into Ireland, I can add effectively 50% again in duty, VRT, VAT.
Matt Sims: So you’ve registered in the UK?
Nigel Green: So it’ll be registered in the UK. Yeah. It’s going on to a lot in the UK and so on and so on. Luckily enough I’m retiring so I’ll probably base myself in the UK for a while.
Matt Sims: So how do you insure that if you’re living in Southern Ireland?
Nigel Green: I’ll be living here. I’m going to move over here. I’m lucky enough to have daughters who live over here relatively close to a CaSSOA site, so it’s all kind of falling into place.
Keith Gooden: Back to Bristol?
Nigel Green: No, Manchester.
Matt Sims: So, Keith, we’re here with Gary from London. How are you doing?
Gary: Good morning. Good, thank you.
Matt Sims: Now, Gary, you’ve got a question about upplating.
Gary: I have. I’ve got a three and a half tonne van and I’ve spoken to one of your warranty solution companies.
Matt Sims: Yeah. Warranty Solutions Group.
Gary: And I’ve asked them, can I upplate my van, which I’ve gone through the process of saying it can be done. They’ve told me that if I do upplate it to over 3.5 tonnes, then I can’t get warranty on it.
Matt Sims: Who told you that?
Gary: One of the operators at Warranty Solutions Group.
Matt Sims: Interesting. Okay. Right. So you can warranty it with them. You change the product. I think the issue is probably that it is brand new for Warranty Solutions Group to be in this market. And some of the newer team are not yet fully briefed on the product. So they only launched into motorhomes with these new products this summer. So I’m going to feed this back to them and make sure they educate the whole team that they can. They can warranty a motorhome up to seven and a half tonnes. But it’s about choosing the right product – so you can. Go back to them and you will be able to get a warranty with them if you upplate.
Gary: Perfect.
Matt Sims: Okay. Now, I happen to know you won your motorhome.
Gary: I did win my motorhome!
Matt Sims: This is amazing. What did you win?
Gary: A MAN TGE four wheel drive. It cost me £10.50 in total.
Matt Sims: This is incredible. And who did you win it with?
Gary: UKCC, and they have been absolutely amazing. Super van. Really, really made a dream come true for us. And they made the whole process unbelievable.
Keith Gooden: £10.50 and a ticket for here and that’s it. He’s set up for life.
Gary: And I’m in!
Matt Sims: You are in! You entered loads of times. You haven’t won anything, have you?
Keith Gooden: Not won a bean.
Matt Sims: So maybe these competitions are worth entering.
Gary: They are. They’re real. There’s a lot of sceptics. But they are real!
Matt Sims: Congratulations, Gary.
Keith Gooden: That’s what you asked. That’s what you had to say. And that’s what Motorhome Matt – for he is the expert – laid upon you at the NEC show.
Matt Sims: I didn’t lay upon anyone. Do you mind?!
Keith Gooden: That’s our special questions and answers episode from the big show!
Matt Sims: Yeah. Thank you to everyone who asked a question and was prepared to let us record you do it. It was great fun. We said we would do more of this type of episode. Perhaps less chaotically…!
Keith Gooden: Maybe not more of this type.
Matt Sims: No, but questions and answers. So an episode just of your Q&A. They really are the gold. So many people this week have been coming up to both of us, haven’t they, and saying how useful the content has been. I just spoke to a couple. Then they’ve whittled down from 9 to 2 motorhomes and are going to make a decision tonight on which one they’re buying tomorrow. So this is exciting. And they said the podcast had helped them make that decision. So the Q&A was really valuable to them. So let’s do that once a month. Let’s do a Q&A session, an episode from the studio in a more controlled environment. So I’m really excited to be doing that. So if you’ve got a question, we would love to have it because they are so valuable. You can record it at mhmp.info/askmatt. You know the drill. Press the orange button and record it. Tell us where you are! Or fill in the form and we’ll read it for you.
Keith Gooden: And one last word. Thanks to everybody who came to the stand at the big show at the NEC and said hi and bye and bought stuff from That Leisure Shop. And also, you know, everybody who said how much they enjoy the podcast. I’ve not had one person coming up to me and saying how much they hated it, which is great, isn’t it?
Matt Sims: I had a few people say you were silly.
Keith Gooden: Yeah, well, I am silly.
Matt Sims: Where’s Kevin? That joke will not go away. And gaffer tape. That’s the new one. Is it gaffer or gaffa?
Keith Gooden: And upside down pineapples. But less said about that the better. So goodbye from the big show 2025 – we’ll see you in ’26.
Matt Sims: Yeah, look forward to it.
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.
