2011 Citroen C3
Jun 3, 2019 13:19:47 GMT
Post by tyrednexited on Jun 3, 2019 13:19:47 GMT
I've done a round trip to Somerset and back this morning - best part of 380 miles.
The motorhome went back to the dealer for a small warranty repair, and I managed to combine it with the annual inspection required to keep the (conversion) warranty intact so the journey had effectively been factored in to original planning *.
Whilst the two pieces of work aren't really much more than an hour and a half, even back to back, they wouldn't commit to same-day turnaround, but, with not a lot of whingeing, they were able to supply a courtesy car for the duration. (and, TBF, they were spectacularly busy this morning at 08:30).
The courtesy car turned out to be as in the title, with an indeterminate (petrol) engine. It's actually got most of the toys, if you can work out how to use them without a manual - the cruise and limit controls for instance are entirely hidden behind the steering wheel, and not very intuitive in their use (I'd cracked them after the 190 mile return journey). It was entirely adequate, and made for a much better return than the train, and a cheaper and more convenient option than SWMBO accompanying me in one of the cars.
Two things only made the experience less than pleasant; the clutch bite point was (very) high; the layout of the pedals and the narrow footwell made it virtually impossible for me to brake and declutch at the same time. If I had my foot square on the brake pedal, there was inadequate room to fully depress the clutch with the other without fouling the footrest to the left, or my other foot on the brake (the carpet on the side of the footrest was completely worn away, so I suspect people with smaller feet than my size 9½ had also suffered). It really was most unpleasant. Luckily, much of the journey is on motorways or A-roads, and largely completed using cruise control at 60/70.
(* I generally prefer to buy vehicles of any kind rather closer to home, and especially motorhomes where, generally, warranty items will only be honoured by the original retailer, but this 'van wasn't available nearby, and the deal was right, so a bit of 'risk' was factored into the decision. The dealer has an identical vehicle currently in stock, apart from the addition of the £1500 auto-transmission option; after allowing for that, by buying at the right time last year I beat there price for that by £13,500 - and the P-ex for the old van was top price too. Given I've got the time, I can stand some inconvenience for that.)
The motorhome went back to the dealer for a small warranty repair, and I managed to combine it with the annual inspection required to keep the (conversion) warranty intact so the journey had effectively been factored in to original planning *.
Whilst the two pieces of work aren't really much more than an hour and a half, even back to back, they wouldn't commit to same-day turnaround, but, with not a lot of whingeing, they were able to supply a courtesy car for the duration. (and, TBF, they were spectacularly busy this morning at 08:30).
The courtesy car turned out to be as in the title, with an indeterminate (petrol) engine. It's actually got most of the toys, if you can work out how to use them without a manual - the cruise and limit controls for instance are entirely hidden behind the steering wheel, and not very intuitive in their use (I'd cracked them after the 190 mile return journey). It was entirely adequate, and made for a much better return than the train, and a cheaper and more convenient option than SWMBO accompanying me in one of the cars.
Two things only made the experience less than pleasant; the clutch bite point was (very) high; the layout of the pedals and the narrow footwell made it virtually impossible for me to brake and declutch at the same time. If I had my foot square on the brake pedal, there was inadequate room to fully depress the clutch with the other without fouling the footrest to the left, or my other foot on the brake (the carpet on the side of the footrest was completely worn away, so I suspect people with smaller feet than my size 9½ had also suffered). It really was most unpleasant. Luckily, much of the journey is on motorways or A-roads, and largely completed using cruise control at 60/70.
(* I generally prefer to buy vehicles of any kind rather closer to home, and especially motorhomes where, generally, warranty items will only be honoured by the original retailer, but this 'van wasn't available nearby, and the deal was right, so a bit of 'risk' was factored into the decision. The dealer has an identical vehicle currently in stock, apart from the addition of the £1500 auto-transmission option; after allowing for that, by buying at the right time last year I beat there price for that by £13,500 - and the P-ex for the old van was top price too. Given I've got the time, I can stand some inconvenience for that.)
