Keith Gooden
In today’s episode of the Motorhome Matt podcast…
Matt Sims
We’re unpacking WIMS.
Keith Gooden
What?
Matt Sims
WIMS – what they are and why you need to know about them!
Keith Gooden
In the news, there’s a trial of new technology being used by the police.
Matt Sims
And we answer your questions on solar panels and insurance companies that cover punctures.
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.
Matt Sims
Remember, please do follow on your favourite podcast app. Or if you’re watching on YouTube, make sure you hit subscribe and the little bell – brought to you by www.arobasecreative.co.uk.
In the news: A trial of new mobile technology
Keith Gooden
Straight into the news in this week’s podcast – a trial of new mobile technology which can automatically detect motorists who are not wearing a seatbelt or using mobile phones while driving is being extended with police across the country taking part.
Matt Sims
Yes. Research shows that you are four times more likely to be in a crash if you use your phone while driving and twice as likely to die in a crash if you don’t wear a seatbelt.
Keith Gooden
The plain fact of the matter is you shouldn’t be using your mobile phone when you’re driving. It’s against the law. And you heard the stats there from Matt. It’s not big and it’s not clever, but people still insist on doing it.
And I believe the police are using AI, artificial intelligence, in order to de-blur pictures. I know there’s certainly one on an overbridge on the M5 between Exeter and Plymouth that does just that.
Matt Sims
I know it was on the local news last night that the police were out in force in unmarked cars at a hotspot for mobile phone use. I’m not quite sure why there is a hotspot for mobile phones. Perhaps it was a commuter route.
And they were pulling lots of drivers who were on their phone whilst they were driving at the wheel. So yes, just don’t do it. We all know not to do it. But it’s too easy, isn’t it? You shouldn’t touch the phone at all while you’re driving. But the temptation is always there – even to use your sat nav.
Keith Gooden
You’re right. I mean, people pick the phone up and say, “I was looking at the the sat nav, officer!” But it costs £5 to buy one of those little clamps that you can put on the dashboard or windscreen in order to put the mobile phone in there while you’re using the satellite.
Matt Sims
Better still, just hide it in the glove box and use a hands free kit. Put it away. The call can wait. They’ll ring you back or you can ring them later. But it’s easier said than done, isn’t it? I’ve done it. We’ve all done it. It’s an emergency moment. You need to take that call. It’s too easily done. But yes, the police are out to watch you.
Keith Gooden
When was the last time you turned off your mobile phone – actually switched it off and then left it somewhere and walked away from it? I don’t mean turn it off when something didn’t work properly – turning it off and on again.
Matt Sims
You don’t mean a reboot.
Keith Gooden
Turned it off and left it behind.
Matt Sims
That’s a really good question. Really good question.
Keith Gooden
It’s ridiculous. We’ve become attached to these things.
Matt Sims
They’re like a rite of passage. Mine’s off now, as we record this. Maddie takes it off me. I’m not allowed it anywhere on my person. So it is off right now. We are going up to the Outer Hebrides. Did I tell you that?
Keith Gooden
You did. Yes. You mentioned it more than once.
Matt Sims
And we will take phones with us, but they are going to be switched off for periods of the trip. We just need to disconnect. It’s going to be good.
Keith Gooden
I just think… I once went years and years ago to a business conference in Nashville in Tennessee.
Matt Sims
Mr Flash. I thought you were going to say Stroud.
Keith Gooden
Yee-ha! And there was one guy speaking there, and he was talking about emails. And I think this applies to mobile phones as well. And it was in the days when emails were really taking off, you know, the late 1990s.
He said, “Don’t reply to emails when they drop – just check them three times a day. And if somebody rings you or stops you and says, ‘Did you see my email?’ say ‘No, I haven’t read them yet.'” He said, “People are shocked, but it works.”
And I think the same goes for mobile phones. Let’s leave them behind. We don’t need them all the time. I pick my phone up and the first thing I do is check – “Oh, there’s a little number one there. What email have I got?” And it’s something I don’t need.
Matt Sims
Well, not in your retirement. Most things will wait… including you!
Keith Gooden
Okay, so just be warned – the police are out. They’re about and they’re extending the long arm of the law very soon. They’re going to have a trained octopus by the side of the road which actually reaches into your car window, takes your wallet out, removes £20 and then lets you go on your way.
Matt Sims
It gives you a little tickle.
Keith Gooden
Welcome to the 21st century.
Matt Sims
Progress, I call it.
Adria flyscreen brackets
Keith Gooden
It’s the product of the week time with www.thatleisureshop.com. What have we got today?
Matt Sims
You’re going to love this, Keith. Ready? I’m going to reach under the table. Brace yourself.
Keith Gooden
I’m bracing myself. I’m clinging on. My knuckles are white!
Matt Sims
It’s a collection of little brackets. Now, if you own an Adria Twin, there’s a sliding door on the side with a flyscreen that regularly pops out of the bottom runner. We’ve just taken delivery of hundreds of these, and this little bracket screws onto that bottom runner and it will never come off the track again. I speak from firsthand experience. We’ve got one on our Adria Twin – an absolute must have.
Keith Gooden
So if you’ve got an Adria Twin and your flyscreen is flapping around, this cures it once and for all!
Matt Sims
It does! Why don’t Adria fit them from new? That’s the question.
Keith Gooden
Don’t tell them because…
Matt Sims
Well, yes! We keep them in stock. We do send them out by DHL. We’ve been chastised for that in the past, because even at £8 we’re not covering the cost of the shipping. But they rarely lose them, whereas when we post them with our dear old Royal Mail we’ve had loads go missing.
So yes, if you’ve got an Adria Twin or a Sun Living V Series van, you need one of these. So go to www.thatleisureshop.com and search for Adria Twin. You’ll find all our spare parts for Adria Twins on there.
Keith Gooden
Fantastic. So that cures your flyscreen!
What are weight in motion sensors?
Keith Gooden
It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims
And I’m Motorhome Matt.
Keith Gooden
It’s all brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com. Let’s talk about WIMS.
Matt Sims
Let’s have a WIM, shall we?
Keith Gooden
What’s a WIM?
Matt Sims
So the WIM we’re talking about today is the weight in motion sensor. Have you heard of these?
Keith Gooden
No, I never have. But I bet I’ve seen them.
Matt Sims
So they are designed to catch vehicles that are travelling on the main road network overweight, and it’s two wires on the ground and a camera. And they will pick up the vehicle registration and they will know the weight of it and report you if you’re running overweight. So they’re aimed at lorries. But to me, this could mean that motorhomers are at risk if you’re driving a fat motorhome. Sorry, an overweight motorhome!
Keith Gooden
So it’s a question of enforcement. You shouldn’t be driving overloaded, but sometimes you might be. So this is two wires on the ground. I always just thought they were there with the box by the side of the road just to either count the cars for the council or something.
Matt Sims
There are thousands of these bits of kit around. I guess they’ve adopted it for this purpose. So they’ve been used to count traffic in a lane, so how much traffic is moving in or out of a road area, and also for speed.
So they’ve been used to detect speed as well as the vehicles pass over them. But now they’re being used to detect weight. So it’s really clever. I wanted to find out a bit more about it. So at the recent show in Birmingham, I spoke to our dear friend Tim Booth.
Tim is the leisure vehicles officer at the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service. He’s like a modern day Sherlock Holmes. So if your caravan or motorhome is nicked, then it’s probably going to cross Tim’s desk. And I asked him to explain a little bit more about WIMS.
Tim Booth
I know them exactly – lots of little WIMS. Yeah, the WIMS you’re talking about are the weight in motion sensors. And I don’t think people realise how clever a system it is and how easily they could fall, dare I say it, victim of that particular system.
Matt Sims
So just explain for our listeners – how does it work?
Tim Booth
Right, WIMS is actually a weight in motion sensor. Those are a bit more of a dinosaur. Remember that police speed checks used to be two wires across the road. And the speed when you went across them gave the speed and you may get a ticket.
Technology has moved on a lot. If you go through a lot of the areas on the strategic road network now, you will see two wires buried in the road, sometimes more than two. They are not speed checks now. They are your WIMS system.
And what they can do is they can work out what the vehicle is that’s just gone over, check it against the DVLA record which tells them what that vehicle should weigh. And if it’s overweight, you may then be issued a notice in the post for having contravened the weight limit on your vehicle.
Matt Sims
So inside those two wires are some sensors that are actually weighing the vehicle as it crosses over them at 70 miles an hour?
Tim Booth
I’ll not go into the detail of the tech of it because I’ve not played with it. But what it does is it will tell the system how much the vehicle weighed when it went over that checkpoint in the road, signals the camera to take an image of the vehicle registration number.
If you look at your V5, you’ll see on that that all the weights are very clear as to what it should be. If it’s in excess of that, you may then be subject to a penalty for enforcement. We’ve discussed at caravan shows carrying out checks on leisure vehicles, particularly the M5, which is a major route that we often manage.
And the number of overweight vehicles on there is quite significant. But it falls into two categories. The southbound is people who are taking their shopping from the Northeast on their holidays to Cornwall and Devon.
For some reason they don’t believe supermarkets have moved there yet. But we give them that advice and ask them to support local industry. Northbound, we find most vehicles are overweight because they’ve got cases and cases of wine from France. So just in one location and just across the motorway – very different demographic of reason why the vehicles are overweight.
Matt Sims
Beer from the north, wine from the south, is that what you’re saying?
Tim Booth
Something like that! And some of these are a tonne overweight!
Matt Sims
So the key thing with these WIMS is that they’re designed for HGVs. Are motorhomes being monitored?
Tim Booth
Definitively I can’t say. I mean, they’d be very busy with the HGV problem that’s going through, but your larger motorhomes, once the DVSA realises that conditions are not being met, let’s say, to comply with weight, they will see that as something they need to enforce for the whole project, which is of safer roads.
Matt Sims
So as motorhome drivers, then, we could have our weight monitored in motion by this system, and we would get a fine in the post?
Tim Booth
You’d get a notice through the post. And depending on the percentage of overweight, they decide it’s going to be a fine or not. Because they will have a criteria they work to. As I’ve said, the risk is not just about getting a ticket. The risk is the dangers you creating for yourself by overloading a vehicle that’s not designed to carry that weight.
Matt Sims
Of course, absolutely. And the introduction of this might be a reason why people start checking that. And where are these WIMS? How can we find out where they are?
Tim Booth
Like most speed cameras, if you go online and look for planning applications, wherever they’re put up, there has to be an application for them to be installed. But if you’re a diligent motorist, when you’re driving around, you’ll see them.
Matt Sims
And there’s an increasing number of them, certainly around the M25.
Tim Booth
M25 and the ferry routes. Well, I mean, obviously, routes to ferries will be monitored because of the significant damage overweight HGVs cause to our road structure. You go into Europe and compare their roads and you look at our roads. Our roads have been absolutely shattered in places. They’ve got to do something about it. And that’s a way they can do it automatically. And they can find the haulage operators for the significant overweights.
Keith Gooden
That’s Tim Booth, the leisure vehicles officer at NAVCIS, the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service. Interesting what he’s got to say there and how much technology is in our everyday lives when we’re driving.
Matt Sims
Yeah, absolutely. You see all these cameras and sensors at the side of the road. Well, if you see this kit, that is what it is. So be mindful, if you are overweight, you could get caught!
Keith Gooden
No, not if you’re overweight. If your motorhome is overloaded!
Matt Sims
But you could be the reason your motorhome is overweight, Keith.
Keith Gooden
Not if you’re a bloater.
Matt Sims
Fat motorhome.
Keith Gooden
“Does my bum look big in this?” It’s not about you.
Matt Sims
“Does my bumper look big in this?”
Keith Gooden
So how’s this going to affect us realistically for motorhomers?
Matt Sims
If you are driving over the permissible weight of your motorhome, the gross weight, you could get caught on one of these cameras. Yes, as Tim says, they are aimed at HGV lorry drivers, but there’s no reason why the authorities couldn’t tune in to motorhomes, particularly on the ferry routes or on tourism routes.
We’re an easy win, I think. And it’s a good revenue generator. So just be mindful. Know what your gross weight is. If you’re worried, go and weigh the motorhome. Honestly, it costs a fiver. Go to a local weigh bridge and go and get weighed and really understand what your front and rear axle weights are and what your gross weight is. We talk about it a lot, but it is important.
Keith Gooden
It’s easy for people who are new to the pastime, isn’t it, just not to think about it and get their sums wrong. We’re not saying that the police are coming after motorhomers. Let’s just be very clear on that. It is designed for heavy goods vehicles. But Matt is saying that the technology is now there. And you are subject to weight limits. And it could be used to enforce those limits.
Matt Sims
It’s all about your safety as well. So the heavier you are, the longer the vehicle is going to take to stop. So it’s going to increase your stopping distance. So just be mindful of that. You’ve got to take your safety seriously. So not being overweight means you’re going to stay safe and stay on the right side of law as well.
Keith Gooden
Not you being overweight!
Matt Sims
No, it’s not a pro Weight Watchers podcast!
Keith Gooden
Not you, podgy. Not you, fatty. I’m fat shaming now! I’m not allowed to do that anymore, am I? You can’t fat shame me and go, “Oi, fatty!”
Matt Sims
You’ve lost quite a lot of weight, though!
Keith Gooden
I have, yeah.
Matt Sims
How did you do that?
Keith Gooden
I’m starving because you don’t pay me enough. It’s really quite simple!
Matt Sims
I see.
Keith Gooden
Yes, it’s under the stairs there. You know when you put you know when you push through the cheese on toast the cheese all comes off the top and stays outside.
Matt Sims
That’s why we call you Harry Potter.
Keith Gooden
Cheesy Kevin. More about that a little bit later on.
Audience Q&A
Keith Gooden
It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims
And I’m Motorhome Matt.
Keith Gooden
And it’s brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com. It is time for some of our Q&A, questions and answers. Neil is in York and he says, “Hi Matt. I’ve been looking at buying some solar panels for our motorhome as we want to stay off grid for longer.”
“I’ve managed to upgrade to a lithium battery. However, because it’s a retrofit, the solar panels have to fit around existing hardware on the roof. I haven’t been able to find any panels with a good wattage over 400 watts that fit the available space on the motorhome/van solar websites.”
“However, I have found panels on websites for residential solar panels that are a perfect fit. Is there any reason I can’t use these panels on our motorhome? The specification suggests it should be fine, including weight. Thanks.” And he’s enjoying the podcast.
Matt Sims
This is right up your street, this one. You’re solar panel fan, aren’t you?
Keith Gooden
On the roof at home. Fantastic.
Matt Sims
You’re obsessed.
Keith Gooden
No, I wouldn’t say obsessed! But yes, it’s a passing interest!
Matt Sims
You’re one of those people, aren’t you? You’re an evangelist for solar at home. I love it. So you’re absolutely right, Neil. You could use these domestic solar panels on a motorhome. There’s no reason why not.
The key considerations are output, voltage and weight. And I’ve actually spoken to Neil in a message since, and he’s confirmed that the voltage output is I think 48 volts. The weight was good as well. They’re made in Germany, not in China. We’re seeing reports of an increasing number of solar panels catching fire, which are the cheap ones from China.
They are just not made to the grade. I did actually though, for your own peace of mind, check with an expert at Bluefix – a chap called Mark. He’s very helpful and very, very knowledgeable about solar and lithium.
And I did check your question with Mark and he said the same – yes, it’ll be absolutely fine. Check the voltage and be mindful of the weight. So, Neil, I’d say go for it. I can totally understand the problem you’re faced with trying to fit solar panels on a roof.
We’ve got the same problem, as I mentioned before, on our Adria Twin. There isn’t much room to put up a decent sized solar panel. So I’m actually going to follow your example, and thanks for the tip! I’m going to go and look at some residential ones and see if I can get a bigger one that will fill the space.
Keith Gooden
I’ve got a question. Is the way they are fixed any different if you buy ones which are specifically for putting on vehicles rather than the ones for the houses?
Matt Sims
That’s a good question. They could be. But as long as they can be bonded onto the roof safely and use the right cable gland through the roof so you’re not going to allow any water ingress, you’ll be fine.
Keith Gooden
If you’re doing solar panel stuff and trying to do it yourself, remember it’s direct current. It’s the one that really can blow the top your head off, right?
Matt Sims
Yes, and if you’re not sure, get them professionally installed. Definitely. Especially if you start drilling the roof of your van. You can end up in a world of pain with water ingress and all sorts, so if you’re not sure, get them professionally installed.
Keith Gooden
Another question here from Malc in Lincoln. He says, “Do you know of any insurance companies that cover you for punctures, considering lots of motorhomes not having a spare due to the weight? We’re travelling around Europe for two months and it’s concerning us.”
“We’re presently with Caravan Guard and they do not cover punctures. They do for recovery to a local garage, though. The Again Partnership with Green Flag would, but you have to take a separate policy for punctures. I would have liked it all in one.” To be honest with you, the insurance companies decide what products they’re going to sell you. And if it’s an add on, it’s an add on.
Matt Sims
Yes, absolutely. I don’t know an answer to this definitively, I’m afraid. We have a puncture or tyre policy here for our hire business at Motorhome Holiday Company. And it’s a service from a tyre company that will come out and respond to a puncture on any vehicle here owned by the company. And they’ll replace the tyre at the side of the road, and I have to say, they’re really quick.
It is quite expensive, but they are really good. 24/7 cover. You’ll remember a little while ago, I waited 15 hours for the breakdown service to come out to me. I’ve never had an experience like that with them. They are really, really good.
So I think if you find a policy that will cover it, that’s going to be your option. You’re quite right, I did check Caravan Guard, they don’t offer this as a bolt on. So I think you are going to have it as an extra policy that you have to pay for. I don’t actually know anyone who’s ever asked for a service like this. Interesting question.
Keith Gooden
That hadn’t even crossed my mind. I mean, when you get a puncture, you either put on a spare to get you home or one of those aerosol cans which fill the punctured tyre with with some sort of funny, hard substance.
Matt Sims
I wonder if with such a policy there’s a cap on how many times you can claim. So I’ve just lent our VW T6 to a colleague to move house. He said, “I’ll look after it.” I said, “Yeah, please do. I know you will. It’s our family car.” 20 minutes later he rings. “Matt, I’ve got a problem.” He’d driven through a pothole, ripped the front tyre off and ruined the alloy. Cracked it! A right mess!
So the spare wheel goes on. I’ve just had to buy a new front alloy and new tyre. I bought two tyres for the front because they were both actually getting quite low. And then in waiting for the alloy wheel to arrive, I get a puncture in my spare! Unbelievable! And then – true story – on the way to get the alloy wheel fitted and the brand new tyre put on it, I get a puncture in the other tyre on the front! Blooming brand new!
Keith Gooden
You should move. You’re neighbours with that nail factory, aren’t you?
Matt Sims
I reckon there’s a neighbour throwing screws into the road. I think I’ve upset someone. I couldn’t believe it. Honestly, potholes and nails in the road. Hate them. Potholes around us are terrible at the moment.
But that’s why this WIMS thing actually is quite topical, because the haulage firms that are overweight are part of the problem causing all these potholes. And the local authorities are actually billing the haulage companies for repairs to the road.
Keith Gooden
Review! @mallard126 says, “As new owners of a motorhome, we found these podcasts excellent. They’re extremely professional, loads of useful information and are presented in a wonderful light hearted style.”
Matt Sims
What a great review. Are you sure you’re listening to the right podcast?
Keith Gooden
I’ll carry on. “The banter and friendlessness between Matt and Kevin…” Kevin! “Works so well and makes the episodes entertaining as well as informative.”
The banter and friendless. Let’s stop there for a minute. The friendlessness?
Between Matt and Kevin!
Matt Sims
Who’s Kevin?! @mallard126, we think we know what you meant! The friendliness, and Matt and Chris.
Keith Gooden
That’s the one. Thanks a lot for that particular review. And by the way, you know, we want you to record some questions but we want to hear your voice. Now, when you go online and do it, don’t worry about it. You can redo it. You can do two or three versions. If you um and er in the middle or leave gaps we can close it up and edit it for you, but we really do want to hear your voice. Go online. We’re going to give you the address in just a moment’s time. Record your question. We’ll do the rest for you and you will be a star here on the Motorhome Matt podcast with Kevin and Chris.
Matt Sims
Kevin and Chris. You can join the friendlessness.
Keith Gooden
You can! So if you want to leave us a review, what do they do they do, Matt?
Matt Sims
To leave a review, go to mhmp.info/review. To ask a question…
Keith Gooden
mhmp.info/askmatt. That’s one word, askmatt. MHMP – Motorhome Matt podcast. That’s the easy way to remember it. And you can subscribe on YouTube!
Matt Sims
Make sure you do! Hit the subscribe button, hit the little thumb and the bell, and the bell will tell you when a new episode is released. And our YouTube channel is sponsored by www.arobasecreative.co.uk.
Keith Gooden
Kevin and Chris, you can come out of the cupboard right now.
Matt Sims
He’s under the stairs.
Keith Gooden
With his cheese on toast.
Matt Sims
With his cheeseless toast!
