Keith Gooden 0:00
In today’s episode of the Motorhome Matt Podcast…
Matt Sims 0:03
We find out what motorhome dreams are made of!
Keith Gooden 0:06
And in the news, www.thatleisureshop.com has a brand new and shiny website.
Matt Sims 0:13
And we answer your questions on using an Ecoflow to charge batteries, taking a purchased motorhome back to Ireland and remapping a motorhome.
Keith Gooden 0:22
Welcome to the Motorhome Matt Podcast. I’m Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims 0:33
And I’m Motorhome Matt.
Keith Gooden 0:34
Industry insights and expert advice for the world of motorhomes, caravans and campervans. It’s brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com and sponsored by Ripe.
Matt Sims 0:44
Now remember, please do follow on your favourite podcast app, and if you’re watching on YouTube, please click subscribe and the little bell.
Keith Gooden 0:52
Our product feature of the week, a new website. Well, tell us all about it. What’s it for, first of all?
Matt Sims 0:58
www.thatleisureshop.com has a brand new web presence. It’s been a long time coming, and the team have been working really hard in the background to get this launched and live. And it is now live. It’s ready for you.
Keith Gooden 1:11
Is it live?
Matt Sims 1:12
It is live. It went live last week. So it features lower overall shipping costs. This is something we’ve been really focused on, because we hate shipping costs here, and they are going up and up and up. And you know that really frustrating thing when you go and buy a product, or go to buy a product and the price looks great, and then there’s the shipping cost on top? We’ve been working really hard with our couriers and Royal Mail, and also trying to swallow some of these costs. So we have managed to bring shipping costs down. We’ve also launched a brand new loyalty program where you get a point for every pound you spend, and then you can spend those points instead of your money. So that’s a great way of saving money. And there’s loads more stock, more products being added all the time, and it is super fast, way faster than it was before. It drove us potty, that spinny wheel of doom, and I know lots of customers went on there and waited around, and then…
Keith Gooden 2:13
The Polo mint of chaos.
Matt Sims 2:15
It’s a nightmare. And trying to get a website that’s super fast has been a massive project. We’ve done it, and we’re dead chuffed with it. So we’re developing it all the time. As I say, more and more products are being added, products are being brought back into stock as well, which is exciting. So go and check it out, please, at www.thatleisureshop.com.
Keith Gooden 2:33
Can I just ask a question about it? Is it live?
Matt Sims 2:37
It’s live now!
Keith Gooden 2:38
Matt, it’s product of the week time. What’s your pick for staying safe and connected on the road?
Matt Sims 2:45
Well, this one’s all about protecting your data when you’re away – Nord VPN. It’s something I use every time I’m in the van and relying on campsite Wi-Fi or even tethering through my phone abroad. You just never quite know who else is on the network or how secure it is.
Keith Gooden 3:01
So for people who’ve never used one, what does a VPN actually do?
Matt Sims 3:05
It’s a good question. A VPN, or virtual private network, basically creates a secure tunnel for your internet traffic. It keeps your data private, even on public Wi-Fi, and lets you access websites and streaming as if you’re still in the UK.
Keith Gooden 3:20
So you can be sat in Spain and still watch your favorite British TV shows like you’re at home.
Matt Sims 3:25
Yeah, exactly. Plus Nord VPN has this feature called threat protection. It blocks pop ups, trackers and dodgy websites before they even load. So your browsing is not just secure, it’s quicker and cleaner too.
Keith Gooden 3:38
So how do you set it up? Is it very technical?
Matt Sims 3:41
No, not at all. You download the app, tap to connect, and it runs quietly in the background. It works on phones, laptops, tablets, you name it.
Keith Gooden 3:49
So Matt, where can people get this?
Matt Sims 3:52
Just head to www.nordvpn.com/motorhomematt. You’ll get four extra months free on the two year plan, and there’s a 30 day money back guarantee, so you’ve got nothing to lose.
Keith Gooden 4:04
The link is also in the episode description. It’s as simple as that!
Matt Sims 4:09
It’s one of those things you don’t think about until it’s too late. It’s best to get it sorted before your next trip.
Keith Gooden 4:15
It’s the Motorhome Matt Podcast with me, Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims 4:18
And me, Motorhome Matt.
Keith Gooden 4:19
It’s brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com and sponsored by Ripe. Let’s get in to the main topic, the meat. The big part of the podcast this week is big news of a new competition to win a motorhome.
Matt Sims 4:33
I know – a proper motorhome, as well! It’s not fake one. It’s not a Lego one. Imagine that!
Keith Gooden 4:42
You don’t get sent a little toy.
Matt Sims 4:45
No, it’s a real motorhome, and it’s been launched. It’s called Motorhome Dreams. It’s a brand new competition launching this month. The motorhome, their first one, they’re giving away. It’s a £60,000 Chausson motorhome. Big island bed. It’s beautiful, and I saw it at the Newark show. It’s been fronted by Kelvin Fletcher, famous for the Emmerdale Farm programme.
Keith Gooden 5:08
And Strictly Come Dancing.
Matt Sims 5:09
He won it. In series 17 he actually won Strictly and now they have their own ITV show. Anyway, I caught up with Kelvin at the recent national Motorhome and Campervan Show in Newark, and asked him to tell us a bit more about his background and why he got involved in this particular competition. Kelvin, I’m delighted to meet you. Let’s just start bywinding back to when you were seven, which I understand was your first TV acting job. Is that right?
Kelvin Fletcher 5:35
We’re going back some years now, but yeah, seven years old. I wouldn’t even say a budding actor. You know, drama was just what I loved at school, the only thing I was half decent at. I was terrible at everything else, and I went to a local amateur dramatic club and found the passion and and I’ve never looked back, really. I’m still figuring out what I’m going to do when I’m older.
Matt Sims 5:54
Even now! And what was that TV show?
Kelvin Fletcher 5:56
That was In Suspicious Circumstances, presented by Edward Woodward. That’s probably ringing a few nostalgia bells there for some people. That was a reenactment of crimes. I played a young boy as part of a bigger case. And then I went on to adverts and dramas and and all sorts. I had quite a CV as a young child actor. And then I started Emmerdale in 1996 at the age of 12. And then I was there for a little while.
Matt Sims 6:21
You were in Emmerdale man and boy. You were there for 20 years.
Kelvin Fletcher 6:22
Yeah, 20 years. And that was a job that had I think three months on the job offer initially. We as a family watched a lot of Emmerdale, Corrie and Brookside. It was brilliant. 20 million of us were watching in our homes. That’s how big those shows were back then. And I joined, and ended up becoming a part of the Sugdens, an iconic family. And for me, I was living out my passion day in day out. As a kid, I loved pretending to be somebody else. That was the simplicity of it, that was my role. And I got to meet some amazing people. And like you say, you know, man and boy, approaching my 30s, and at that point, I was about to start my own family, and I wanted to do something else for myself. I made the incredibly difficult decision to leave, but I left an amazing chapter of my life, really, that I’ll be forever grateful for.
Matt Sims 7:11
So how on earth did you get into Strictly Come Dancing from Emmerdale?
Kelvin Fletcher 7:15
Good question. Actually, I tried unsuccessfully on about two or three occasions for Strictly Come Dancing. Of all those types of shows, I think that was one that I watched and thought was a fantastic show, and I would love to be a part of it. I’d never trained as an actor properly, let alone as a dancer or a singer. I wasn’t what they call a triple threat. Yeah, unsuccessfully auditioned and met the producers, and for whatever reason, you know, maybe my face didn’t fit. And then I got a call. Somebody, unfortunately for them, got injured one year in 2019 and I was a stand in. You never know if you’re going to be out in the first week or 10 weeks down the line. The beauty of that show is, just like anything personally for me, you just give it your all and take out the experiences. And the dance partner was fantastic. The crew were great. The other actors, the other celebrities were great. And it was just, again, another fantastic, you know, mini chapter of my life, really.
Matt Sims 8:05
You discovered this whole new talent that you had.
Kelvin Fletcher 8:06
12 hours a day. I was one of them that had to really give everything to it. I wasn’t naturally gifted in that sense, but I worked hard. And, you know, as my dad always tells me, if you work hard enough at something, there’s a good chance you’ll do all right, and it’ll come off. And at least if you don’t, then you’ve given it your all and you can walk away proud.
Matt Sims 8:26
So then you went from acting to dancing and then into farming.
Kelvin Fletcher 8:29
When you say it like that, it just seems so random.
Matt Sims 8:29
But it’s true. You then went bought a farm. Is that right?
Kelvin Fletcher 8:32
That’s it. We were actually moving to California. That’s another story. But that didn’t happen because of COVID, and I think we just subconsciously wanted a change. We already had a young family at that point, two young children, and me and my wife, Liz, we thought, what’s next? And we wanted to live in the countryside a little bit more, a bit of an idyllic kind of setting, and maybe a good way to bring up the children. And we came across a little farm. We’d obviously never farmed before. The irony is, I played a farmer for 20 years in Emmerdale, but because it’s a soap opera and fiction, you know, there’s no real, transferable skills. And we found ourselves trying it as farmers and one with an appreciation of the outdoors. You know, similar today, you’re exploring nature and getting out, and that was a big part of it. And then slowly but surely, we’ve just discovered this unbelievable connection and passion for the land, the farming as an industry. So now we’re livestock farmers. We’ve got a bit of arable. We’ve three, four years in, and we’ve documented that, you know, via a TV show as well.
Matt Sims 9:30
You landed an ITV show, is that right?
Kelvin Fletcher 9:33
Yeah, I don’t know about landed as such. I knocked on their door and said, I think this is maybe of interest, possibly to some people. Do you fancy documenting it with me? And they’ve come on board, and they’ve been absolutelyinstrumental in its success. You never know how the story will unfold, and how people will relate to your story. And it’s really resonated with a lot of people, and we just show it for what it is. You know, we’re a young family and still learning. And with enthusiasm and the ups and the downs, and it’s just our little story. It’s an observational documentary, and as honest as we can be, and people have really taken to it. You know, it’s a good little watch, if I do say so myself.
Matt Sims 10:12
I agree. It’s great. And it’s two series are in the bag. You can watch them both now. I watched the first one. I need to go and watch the second one. And you’re filming a third series now?
Kelvin Fletcher 10:19
Both series are on ITVX. You can catch them there. And we’re in our third series, which we’re currently filming. It’ll be out the end of the year, and then there’s probably more to come as well. So yeah, exciting times for us. So this morning, I was sorting the cows out, and then obviously, I’ve come down here to be with the Motorhome Dream guys this afternoon. Then I’ll be back at the farm, and then we’re filming again tomorrow. It doesn’t stop. I’m 41 but at times I feel like I’m…
Matt Sims 10:44
67? So you are the good looking Clarkson then, basically, of the farming world.
Kelvin Fletcher 10:49
I think Clarkson is pretty good looking anyway. So you know, I’m the shorter version of him, with a lot less ground, and I’m probably a little bit maybe less abrasive.
Matt Sims 10:59
And better teeth?
Kelvin Fletcher 11:00
Oh, I don’t know.
Matt Sims 11:00
So then you’ve gone from farming now into motorhomes, and you’re supporting the Motorhome Dreams gang, who are giving away a motorhome every month, which is an amazing project to be involved with. Why did you get involved with that?
Kelvin Fletcher 11:14
Oh, the concept just sounds absolutely brilliant. You know, the first thing I asked was, can I enter? And unfortunately they said, no, you can’t! I’m not allowed to. That’s a little bit of a shame. I’ve used motorhomes and caravans over the years, you know, from being a kid, and then I was racing for quite a few years, so your combination element was absolutely crucial in your race weekends, whether that’s as a spectator or as a competitor, like I was. And I know there’s always that debate between motorhomes and caravans, but for me they served the same purpose, just to get out and explore. And when speaking to the guys behind this, I just thought was a fantastic concept. It seemed to really resonate with what we do as a family and our story about getting out and exploring. Can you imagine? I mean, in three weeks from now, we’ll be presenting this motorhome to the first winner, who’ll have bought that ticket for £2.50, and we’ve got the absolute gift of being able to say… I can almost see it now. They’re probably going say, we’ve never won anything in our life. But what a moment that’ll be for them. And then it’s what they do. I’d love to know, what’s their journey? Have they ever had a motorhome before? Have they always wanted one? What do they plan to do with it, where the holidays… just to kind of hear somebody’s story about how they hopefully are going to experience the joys of having something like this.
Matt Sims 12:26
So you are considered the brand ambassador for this project and for this competition. But it’s more than that. You’re getting involved with the winner when, as you say, you’re actually going to be presenting this prize to the winner on your farm. Is that right?
Kelvin Fletcher 12:39
Absolutely, if they want to. They might say, oh, no, you just come to us. But listen, the hope is that they’re going to come to our farm and me and Liz and the kids’ll be there to greet everybody and host them somewhat. And I’d like to think it’s of huge significance for them. It’s the day you want a motorhome. And not many people get to say that. So we just want to kind of add to that and make it really personal and do that hand over and spend a bit of time with them. Yeah, we’ve got loads of ideas. Obviously, as you say, every month there’ll be a new winner, a new van that’s up for a lucky winner. And then we’ve got plans at the end of the years that these 12 winners come together at the farm and we have a weekend together and talk about where they have been over the last year. Where have your holidays taken you? And and I think that’s the biggest thing, to really get an understanding of just what it’s like to own something like this, what comes with that and that experience, that sense of memories. And you know that that journey, that adventure, is key, really.
Matt Sims 13:33
And what does motorhoming mean for you? Because you do enjoy this pastime yourself, don’t you?
Kelvin Fletcher 13:38
Absolutely, yeah. I love nothing more, especially when the weather’s like this, than getting a little chair and just, you know, watching the people go by. I think it’s great. I think whether you’re touring on your own, with your partner or with a family, or whatever it is, I think there’s something for everyone, and that’s why you can see how busy we are today at Newark. It’s an industry that’s only growing, really, and I think this is just a fantastic addition to what is already a fantastic industry, and hopefully the more people see it, the better, really.
Matt Sims 14:03
Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you, Kelvin, for getting involved in this passion of mine. I love motorhoming, and having someone of your calibre helping and supporting a project like this is really crucial and means a lot to all of us. So thank you very much for getting involved, and I wish you a great year ahead of giving away someone else’s motorhomes!
Kelvin Fletcher 14:24
I need to have a look around, because I need to maybe go and try and buy one. Because if I can’t win one of these, I’m not allowed to, then I need to…
Matt Sims 14:29
I don’t think even I’m allowed to enter!
Kelvin Fletcher 14:32
That’s no good, is it?
Matt Sims 14:34
Anyway, it’s great to see you. Thanks for coming and enjoy the show.
Kelvin Fletcher 14:37
Yes, absolutely. I will do. Thank you.
Matt Sims 14:40
Now, this is one of the first motorhomes going to be given away. This is the Chausson 788. It’s on an automatic Ford Transit, three and a half tonnes, so it can be driven by anybody. It’s got an amazing island bed, big front lounge, an electric drop down bed as well. So it will sleep four very happily, with four seat belts. This is a motorhome you really do want to win. For just £2.50 a ticket, it’s a no brainer. Good luck.
Keith Gooden 15:03
So that’s Kelvin Fletcher, the actor and presenter, and he’s launching this brand new competition. What’s it called again, Matt?
Matt Sims 15:11
It’s called Motorhome Dreams, and you can find out more about it and all the terms and conditions at www.motorhomedreams.co.uk.
Keith Gooden 15:19
We’ll be announcing the first winner in a few weeks. It’s £2.50 a ticket, so it’s easy to buy one, and you go to www.motorhomedreams.co.uk.
Matt Sims 15:29
And we plan to find out more with the organisers of this competition, because I think it’s amazing. £2.50 is nothing, isn’t it? I mean, are you going to enter? Buy 20?
Keith Gooden 15:38
I won’t buy 20. I’ll buy 10.
Matt Sims 15:41
I actually met someone at the show who a few years ago won a motorhome in a different competition, which I find incredible. I said, what did you do with it? He said, we sold it because it was a bunk bed layout. No good for us. But we now own a motorhome we love. So if you did win, yeah, you could sell it, or you could keep it and enjoy it. So we’ll be unpacking more in a future episode with the people who have organised and are running this competition at www.motorhomedreams.co.uk, so stay tuned.
Keith Gooden 16:09
It’s the Motorhome Matt Podcast with me, Keith Gooden.
Matt Sims 16:11
And me, Motorhome Matt.
Keith Gooden 16:12
It’s brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com and its brand new, shiny and fast website, and sponsored by Ripe.
Matt Sims 16:20
Get 15% off your insurance premium by using the code MOTORHOMEMATT over the phone, or simply click the link in the description.
Keith Gooden 16:28
It’s time for our Q and A, the questions and answers. As I say every week, Matt is the expert. He’ll answer your questions, and if he doesn’t know, he’ll jolly well ask somebody who does! First of all, Paul Drake got in touch.
Paul Drake 16:42
Hi, Matt. I’ve just bought VW California Ocean T 6.1 and I also bought an Ecoflow so that I can operate off grid. And this comes with one of those alternator charger kits for the Ecoflow. Would I be able to attach it to the alternator on the camper to charge it, or would it conflict with the ECU and the battery brain of the camper? Difficult one – just wondered if you know or know anybody who knows the answer to that question. Thank you.
Keith Gooden 17:18
Cheers, Paul. Much appreciated. Before we get into the answer to Paul’s question, what’s an ECU?
Matt Sims 17:23
Electric control unit. So this the brain of the engine. It’s what brings the engine management lights on if there’s a sensor that’s failing or spotting something that’s wrong.
Keith Gooden 17:23
It’s looking at the engine and seeing everything.
Matt Sims 17:32
It’s the bit you update if you’re going to re-map the engine or change something about it.
Kelvin Fletcher 17:40
It’s part of the reason, isn’t it, that when we get in our cars now these days in the middle of winter they start immediately, without having to put something with methylated spirits under the sun for…
Matt Sims 17:52
Your car has a crank handle on the front.
Keith Gooden 17:56
It’ll be fine. In the event of a nuclear war, I’ll be fine. There’s no electronics in it at all.
Matt Sims 18:00
I’m not going anywhere near your car if you’ve got methylated spirits.
Keith Gooden 18:03
So can you help Paul?
Matt Sims 18:06
Anyway… so according to the Ecoflow website, the portable battery pack is designed to work with most cars, SUVs and vans. So yes, potentially, I’m sure it will work. I’ve used one on our own Fiat Ducato. It works brilliantly. So if you’re unsure, you can check with the main dealer, but I did check with Ecoflow. You just connect it to a 12 volt outlet, and it will recharge the system really quickly. So they’re really clever.
Keith Gooden 18:35
Cheers, Paul, thanks for that. Jimmy Phelan is in Waterford in Ireland. My grandmother, my nanny in Ireland, she was born near Waterford. “Hi, Matt and Keith. We are looking at buying a motorhome from a dealer in England to bring back to Ireland. I know we have to pay VRT, duty, and VAT…” is that the Irish tax?
Matt Sims 18:57
VRT is the Irish tax. Expensive!
Keith Gooden 18:59
“Do you know if I can buy it zero rated for VAT from the dealer, or do I have to pay the VAT and claim it back?” That’s the 20% they’re going to have to pay. “If so, how do I claim it? Also, will the invoice from the dealer show the price without VAT, as this is the value customs here in Ireland will look at?” Now, VAT, value added tax. It used to be called purchase tax. Years ago, people said, We never used to have VAT. We always had a purchase tax. In the ’70s, they changed it to value added tax. So can you come over from Ireland, like a lot of tourists do? You see tax free shopping, especially in the West End of London, where you can get the VAT off. Can you do that with a motorhome? Because 20% on what you spend such a lot of money, isn’t it?
Matt Sims 19:45
You can. It’s brand new, so it has to have VAT in it. So it’s either going to be brand new or second hand, with VAT still unpaid, which is unusual. That would mean someone had bought it, put it through their business, claimed the VAT back, and then it’s being sold with the VAT. So you can. The dealer can sell it to you VAT exempt, but the dealer is going to want to see proof of export, and they’re going to need to have that on their files for their accounts. I spoke to our own accountant about this, our finance manager, and she has lots of experience of doing this for other businesses, and she said proof of export would be a necessity. So you will have the paperwork for exporting it back home to Ireland, and also the Irish V5. If the UK Dealer is not sure about it, then get them to speak to their tax advisor to get confirmation of this. And I’m sure Aoife won’t mind. Speak to Cara Motorhomes in Ireland, very dear friends of ours and supporters of the podcast. Aoife has done this many, many times, and I’m sure she won’t mind me giving her a shout out at Cara, because they’ve done this many times for lots of their customers. So yeah, go and speak to an expert if you’re not sure.
Keith Gooden 20:51
And I’m sure if you ask a dealer, can you just separate out the VAT on the invoice for me, if they want to do the sale, they’ll do that. And anyway, you’ve just got to subtract 20%. It’s an easy sum to do, isn’t it?
Matt Sims 21:04
Yeah, divide by 1.2. But the dealer will give you an invoice with the VAT element highlighted. Therefore you’ve got the total cost ex-VAT very clearly labelled on the VAT invoice. That’s normal.
Keith Gooden 21:16
I should imagine for dealers, actually, separating out the VAT is a good thing, because people do give dealers a hard time for, quote, jacking up prices, which we know they generally don’t do, but it does show the big bite the government takes out of that.
Matt Sims 21:17
Yeah, it’s massive. And of course, it’s always been the case that you accept that you lose the VAT in the first year. 20% of your purchase is a lot of money, and that has become the norm again. It wasn’t, but it is – that first year you lose the VAT. So if you are buying it for Ireland, then yeah, you’re going to offset the UK VAT, but then you’ve got all the Irish taxes to pay.
Keith Gooden 21:52
Richard Hodgson is in Stowmarket. “Hi, Matt and Keith. We met at Newark, and you gave me some advice about selling the van we’ve had for over 11 years. We’ve done 100,000 miles all over the UK and Europe. Thank you.” He says, “We sold it and got a replacement, a 2019 Malibu 640 auto with only 8,000 miles on the clock. However, it feels sluggish compared to the last van, which was also an automatic, when pulling away from a roundabout when joining a dual carriageway.” You want that extra little kick of speed, kick down, they call it in automatic boxes. You put the accelerator down. It goes down a gear. “I’d be interested in your thoughts about that. Keep up the great YouTube channel,” he says. Well, thank you so much, Richar, for the kind words. So Matt, is it just the box, or is he driving it in an incorrect matmanner?
Matt Sims 22:43
I do remember meeting you, Richard, but I can’t remember if the motorhome you sold was the three litre. That was an amazing engine, and it’s been discontinued for reasons of emissions, and so Fiat focused on a much smaller engine capacity and drawing more power out of it. And so, yeah, I can understand why your new one might feel a little bit sluggish. I definitely am a fan of remapping. We did a whole episode on this is. “Should you remap your motorhome?”, it’s called. Just Google that with “Motorhome Matt,” and you’ll find it. And I chat with Josh who remapped ours, and it’s an amazing performing van as a result. So I’ve not experienced any problems with engine lights coming on or anything like that. We had lots of comments on the YouTube video version of the podcast. On this episode, people say, oh no, you shouldn’t be doing that. Okay, well, I have, and I’ve done it many times with great success. So in my own experience, I can recommend getting a remap.
Keith Gooden 23:40
But it does void the warranty, doesn’t it?
Matt Sims 23:42
If it’s brand new under warranty, then potentially you could be. In my experience, the chassis manufacturer takes no interest. Your insurer might. And if it’s going to increase performance by more than 10% they want to know. I would advise you tell them anyway. I did, and had no issues, and I’ve had no issues since.
Keith Gooden 24:02
If I can ask a stupid question, you know, I’m the voice of reason on this podcast.
Matt Sims 24:07
Really?
Keith Gooden 24:08
It’s so rock and roll. Should we be expecting performance from a motorhome? I mean, it’s going to be sluggish, isn’t it?
Matt Sims 24:14
Well, I think when you’re pulling away, you want to pull onto a roundabout – the motorhome is heavy, and I experienced this only coming back from a show yesterday. You know, we’re towing a big trailer as well, so we are quite a big train weight, and I want to get onto the roundabout, get there quickly. And if my motorhome wasn’t remapped, I can imagine it would be really sluggish. The other thing too, if you’ve got an automatic motorhome, my advice is pulling onto a roundabout when you want to get there a bit smartly, is to put it into manual, and you determine when it goes into second. The number of times I’ve pulled out in first, especially in the old Fiat Ducato comformatic automatic gearbox as it was known… you pull away first gear, flip down and go, VVVRRRMMM… “No, not now!”
Keith Gooden 25:01
No, you have that gap of…
Matt Sims 25:04
It’s just gently changing into second gear and I’m trying to gun it. So I would put it in manual, pull away in first, get the revs high, flick it to second, and off we go. And then I’d flick it back into auto. So you’ll learn to do that with these automatic gearboxes. Ours is a manual, so I’m in control of which gear anyway. But a remap, I would say, is worth considering.
Keith Gooden 25:25
You’re not listening to the F1 channel, by the way. It’s always a good tip, but they do teach all new drivers this now – try not to stop when coming up to a roundabout, always creep as much as you can. Don’t stop. It saves you fuel, and you’re in second when you’re doing that.
Matt Sims 25:42
It’s all about timing. So that’s called speed sense. For our advanced drivers listening, you’ll know this – that’s arriving at the right speed in the right gear, ready to approach the roundabout. Great visibility. You’re looking right. And you time your arrival in the right gear so you can just keep going and you don’t come to a complete standstill. I love doing it.
Keith Gooden 25:59
Saves brakes, saves fuel.
Matt Sims 26:00
Absolutely. You’re not turning fuel into heat via the brakes. So it’s good driving technique. Try it.
Keith Gooden 26:05
Okay. How do people get in touch then, Matt?
Matt Sims 26:07
We would love it if you did. You can just head to mhmp.info/askmatt. There you can click the orange button and record your question. Please tell us where in the world you are, and we’ll play you into the podcast. Or if you’d rather not do that, fill out the form and we’ll read it for you.
Keith Gooden 26:21
And if you’re looking for trusted brands and services, then make sure that you visit the Motorhome Matt Approved directory. It’s at mhmp.info/approved.
Matt Sims 26:32
And if you’re listening on a podcast app, make sure you press follow. And if you’re watching on YouTube, please click the subscribe button and that little bell and the gods of YouTube will tell you when a new episode is released.
Keith Gooden 26:46
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.
