dieselfumes – Page 7 – Sprinter Adventure Van

October 26, 2016

How tall are we? How long are we?

McDonalds have a 9' maximum height at their drive-through

Sadly it seems we’re not going to be able to use the McDonalds drive-through. We’re just too tall. I’ll never get to experience the delights of a Big Mac. Because, I mean, who’d actually walk into a restaurant?

More seriously, if you catch the ferry in Washington state, they need to know how long your van is so they charge you the correct fare. If you want to know (rather than guessing) whether you’ll fit into a parking garage or under a low bridge, you’ll need to remember how tall your van is.

The answer is super-simple, inconspicuous, and cheap.

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October 20, 2016

Watching your engine stats on your phone

OBD Fusion had the clearest gauges. They don't try to mimic real-life gauges. Instead they use the phone display well.

You can turn your cell phone into an engine monitor with just a $20 gadget and a $5 app. This will tell you pretty much everything that a ScanGauge or Ultragauge will, and will also allow you to read and reset generic engine codes.

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October 18, 2016

Template for filler piece at rear of cab headliner

If you’ve removed the van headliner, you’ll be left with a gap where the cab area headliner stops.

We filled this gap with a fabric-covered piece of plywood. Several people asked us for a template for this piece, so here it is.

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October 18, 2016

How to remember important things before you drive off

Velcro cable ties as reminders on steering wheel

When I was a kid, my grandparents used to say “tie a knot in your handkerchief so you remember.” The thing is, I haven’t carried a handkerchief since I was maybe four years old.

Camping in a van means you’ll have things scattered around outside. You might be plugged in to shore power. You might have your energy-hogging hot water tank turned on. How will you remember to sort everything out before you drive away? Velcro cable ties to the rescue!

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October 17, 2016

Non-slip rattle reducing drawer liner

If the image that comes to mind when you think of “drawer liner” is that tatty vinyl stuff that Grandma used to use, then it’s time to get updated. There are some great products on the market that make your drawer contents stay put and shut up.

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October 15, 2016

Cutting bed mattress foam to size

Our memory foam mattress was 80″ long. Our bed panel was 73″ long. Time to cut the mattress down to size.

The traditional tool for this is an electric carving knife with two reciprocating blades like a mini hedge trimmer. We don’t have one, so we clamped the foam to compress it, then sliced it with a razor blade. It worked really well, with a smooth, straight cut line.

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October 13, 2016

Don’t let someone fill your tank with gasoline

Diesel. DIESEL! It’s hard to remember, especially if you also drive a petrol powered vehicle. Worse still, the in-cab reminder when you are low on fuel says “Drive to gas station” rather than “Drive to diesel station.”

Here’s what we do to try and save our engine from immediate disaster.

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October 11, 2016

12v electric mattress pad for cheap overnight heating

Rather than heating the whole van overnight, it’s cheaper and easier to just heat the bed. We bought a 12v heated mattress pad to sleep on. It works really well and doesn’t use too much power.

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October 10, 2016

Door mat for the van

We camp in forests and park at muddy bike races. The van floor can quickly get covered in dirt. Two types of door mats help with quick clean-up.

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October 10, 2016

Dash cam and rear view camera in one unit – installation and first impressions

We have mixed feelings about this $85 dash cam unit. It does the job, it’s relatively inexpensive, and it has a rear view camera monitor built in to the mirror. However, the blue tinted mirror is weird and the video image can wash out in bright light. Overall, it’s worthwhile if you want a dash-cam and backup camera, but there might be better options if you want a dedicated rear-view monitor.

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