Modifications wot I has done to our van (Part 1).
So, last year we took delivery of a brand new camper van.
We went, after many years of researching and deliberation, for a Westfalia Columbus 540D which is based on the ubiquitous Fiat Ducato.
Primarily the reason for this choice came down to a couple of things.
I wanted a Fiat, not a Peugeot or a Citroen, but a Fiat. This was for the fact that it seemed like (in 2023 when we ordered it at least) that the Ducato was the only van offered with an automatic gearbox. And not only an auto, but a well-liked-by-reviewers 9-speed automatic.
The Westfalia looked nice. The interior wasn't boring-caravan brown inside, but had a good contrast of colours and a modern looking interior.
The winter pack. Westfalia offer an option on their builds called (here in the UK) a 'winter pack' ... which offers improved insulation (I may make a post about this later), an extra heater vent in the cab (which in the UK is under the passenger seat, not the drivers) and underfloor heating. It cannot be overstated how much of a game changer this is.
So, in May of 2023 we placed an order for a pre-specified vehicle and waited.
And waited.
And waited...
This was during, what would turn out to be, a boom in Internet shopping and therefore demand for commercial vehicles was high. Very high. At the same time, Covid was still doing it's thing in the Far East and there was a shortage of computer chips, such as the ones used in automotive engineering and a lot of manufacturers were prioritising cars over commercial vehicles.
Anyway, long story short, we took delivery a year later. Which, according to some, was quite lucky... there were stories of folks waiting 2 or even 3 years for their vans.
So, the glorious day arrived and our new van was here... but there were a few things on the specification sheet I wasn't happy with, and that couldn't be changed with the manufacturer.
Limited solar panel options (though this is panning out to be not a problem, for reasons I will get into). From the factory only a 100W solar panel is available, and it was a someone insane £1,200 option. Given you can buy quality 240W panels for £500, the factory-fit job wasn't an option.
AGM batteries. Our van was specced with two 95aH AGM batteries, each battery weighs 27 kilos and cost £345 from the supplier. I fully believe that for camper use, AGM is a dead technology and lithium offers far better value for money, weight and space. Even with dual batteries, we'd still only have around 95aH of useable capacity so we told the dealer to delete one of the batteries and I'd sort it out myself.
Slow battery chargers. When connected to a mains hook-up, there was a 15A charger, and for when the engine was running, there was a 20A battery to battery charger. If we're adding more capacity, then we'll need more power.
Fitted with gas. Admittedly, it's only for cooking, but I think there are better options now for vans other than having a cylinder of highly explosive liquid under where you sleep.
So, the stage is set. I'll do a post on each of these areas and explain what we did and why. The primary reason for me doing this is to help others make decisions about their van and hopefully help English-speaking Westfalia owners as the only real information I found for these vans is in German-speaking forums... and to those forums posters, I offer my thanks as even with dodgy Google translate, I was able to gather quite a bit of really useful information. Danke...
