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How much does it cost to run your van?

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Pjj said:
Down hear they are starting to introduce 20 mph speed limits in all the towns they say it’s a trial but doubt it will go back to 30mph they now have unmarked camera vans all over the place ,hundreds have been done for speeding in a matter of a few days
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That will stop people travelling that. Makes you wonder who gives the go ahead for these ideas. Anyone you speak to disagrees with it, so who gets to make the decision to go against what everyone wants? It's certainly not what the majority want that's for sure.
 
Pjj said:
Down hear they are starting to introduce 20 mph speed limits in all the towns they say it’s a trial but doubt it will go back to 30mph they now have unmarked camera vans all over the place ,hundreds have been done for speeding in a matter of a few days
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I don't see the point so much of reducing the speed down to 20mph unless it's a road safety thing, the biggest issue down your way surely is the influx of tourists on sunny days flocking to the beaches and sitting in traffic jams caused by them
 
Iron Giant said:
I don't see the point so much of reducing the speed down to 20mph unless it's a road safety thing, the biggest issue down your way surely is the influx of tourists on sunny days flocking to the beaches and sitting in traffic jams caused by them
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Not to mention the extra pollution driving in 3rd at 20mph vs 4th at 30mph! i.e. more revs per mile so more 'nasty' gasses coming out the tailpipe!
 
Pjj said:
Unfortunately I think the whole country will end up the same .
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Aye, its all to do with hitting a child at 20mph rather than 30mph. Many other things will begin to appear like pedestrian crossings being the same level as the pavements they join. They are determined to get us to slow down due to statistics. 5 road deaths everyday in the UK and 80 odd folk seriously injured.
 
Chris34 said:
As title, how much on average are you spending on your van each year in repair costs?

I'm just evaluating it as mine is in yet again for more work and it's starting to get a bit over the top now, but I don't know whether it's unreasonable or if it should be expected given the heavy loads that it's carrying daily. So just wondering how everyone else gets on with keeping the vans running. Mine is working out at £30 per week on average for the last 3 years (repairs not fuel or anything else) and the mileage is about 8k per year.

A) Less than £1k
B) £1k to £2k
C) £2k to £3k
D) £3k+

Also state your mileage.
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Alternator has just packed up on my van. Good news is its getting fixed tomorrow. Reckon I`m in the B catergorie at the moment. its a mk 2 expert from 2007 with 167000 on the clock. Only paid 2500 for it 4 years ago so can`t grumble really. Still got to replace an engine mount and a worn suspension bush. So might think about getting a new van later this year. Gone off the idea of an electric van as the range still isn`t quite good enough.
 
The way I see it, and this might not be a correct assumption, but the biggest problem with an older van is parts becoming obsolete and sill little things wearing out, things like bearings and rubber going brittle and splitting, corrosion. The biggest problem with newer vehicles seems to be the electronics and computer systems that need expensive fixes, sometimes problems that even the official dealers cannot diagnose correctly so the bills can be very high.

For me electric appeals as they have huge torque and there is far far less that mechanically can go wrong. If I had to get rid of my van I'd either have mine converted to electric or I would buy a new electric one. I'd like to try and give it a year or two before having to switch though.
 
Chris34 said:
For me electric appeals as they have huge torque and there is far far less that mechanically can go wrong. If I had to get rid of my van I'd either have mine converted to electric or I would buy a new electric one. I'd like to try and give it a year or two before having to switch though.
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I'm not sure you realise how complex electric vehicles are. They have so many 'systems' to protect the batteries that any one of them fails or has an issue with a sensor and you are stuck. Just as an example, a Tesla has vents in the front bumper to provide cooling air flow, if these vents don't open or close correctly the car wont run! If the air conditioning is low on gas again the car wont run as the compressor also cools the motor.
These things are so complex and very few people really know how all the control systems work so they are relying on 'the computer' telling them the fault. Problem is the computer really just knows a symptom so it guesses at the fault - so can end up firing the parts cannon at the issue! Most independent garages can't work on them as the manufacturers control the software and even then it's a bit of guess work.

They also have complex heating and cooling systems not just for the passengers but for batteries, motor, inverters etc.

With the reduction in servicing requirements (income) the only way the franchised dealers can survive is if they are the only ones able to work on the electric cars!

I'm not saying that I don't like the idea of an EV as I do but when they go wrong you will be completely at the mercy of the main dealers!
 
Chris34 said:
The way I see it, and this might not be a correct assumption, but the biggest problem with an older van is parts becoming obsolete and sill little things wearing out, things like bearings and rubber going brittle and splitting, corrosion. The biggest problem with newer vehicles seems to be the electronics and computer systems that need expensive fixes, sometimes problems that even the official dealers cannot diagnose correctly so the bills can be very high.

For me electric appeals as they have huge torque and there is far far less that mechanically can go wrong. If I had to get rid of my van I'd either have mine converted to electric or I would buy a new electric one. I'd like to try and give it a year or two before having to switch though.
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I don’t understand why you are having difficulty getting parts for older vans , I used ti be in the motor trade and still have contacts in it , the only issues ime aware of that you struggle to get stuff for are older transporter ecu units ? What can you not get ?.
 
Pjj said:
I don’t understand why you are having difficulty getting parts for older vans , I used ti be in the motor trade and still have contacts in it , the only issues ime aware of that you struggle to get stuff for are older transporter ecu units ? What can you not get ?.
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The latest part was a stabilzer bush and it's still not fitted yet as it's on order. They tried several generic parts and non of them would fit so they've had to call it a day and pay the price for an original part, that bush added £150 to the bill.

The engine compartment fuse board is another one, mine is broken with an intermittent fault, you cannot buy a new one and the old ones that come up for sale will likely have the same fault imminently as it's a known fault with the fuel pump relay switch which is soldered onto the main board. I've got to wait for it to fail (hard to do as it can go 6 months without fault) and when it fails I've got to get an auto electrician (again very hard as you can't find them around here) to have a look at it and put a work around solution to it. Basically I've looked into it and the fix would be to have a new relay switch soldered onto the board via a wire, so the switch would not be directly on the board, it would be attached via two wires, however try getting an auto electrician to look at it let alone fix it like that. It's really hard to find anyone around here for stuff like that.

From what I hear though newer vehicles can be just as pricey even though the parts might be readily available. Friend of the families was saying he needed a new lightbulb for his Jaguar, it cost £170 to do it cheaply at an independent garage, he said at the main dealer it probably would be double that.
 
Chris34 said:
The engine compartment fuse board is another one, mine is broken with an intermittent fault, you cannot buy a new one and the old ones that come up for sale will likely have the same fault imminently as it's a known fault with the fuel pump relay switch which is soldered onto the main board. I've got to wait for it to fail (hard to do as it can go 6 months without fault) and when it fails I've got to get an auto electrician (again very hard as you can't find them around here) to have a look at it and put a work around solution to it. Basically I've looked into it and the fix would be to have a new relay switch soldered onto the board via a wire, so the switch would not be directly on the board, it would be attached via two wires, however try getting an auto electrician to look at it let alone fix it like that. It's really hard to find anyone around here for stuff like that.
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I am a little confused!
If you know it's the fuel pump relay connections on the fuse board and you know the solution why not get a second hand one? Get the used pcb soldered up to correct the issue then you have a spare for when it does fail or once you have the repaired fuse board then fit it as then you won't get a breakdown.

What van, engine size and year and I will have a look into it.
 
ched999uk said:
I am a little confused!
If you know it's the fuel pump relay connections on the fuse board and you know the solution why not get a second hand one? Get the used pcb soldered up to correct the issue then you have a spare for when it does fail or once you have the repaired fuse board then fit it as then you won't get a breakdown.

What van, engine size and year and I will have a look into it.
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That's what I'm trying to do but when I last looked a few weeks ago I couldn't find any, I looked all over the place. One will eventually come up but it has to be the correct one.

It's a Peugeot Partner 600 LX 1.4 petrol 53 plate
 
Chris34 said:
That's what I'm trying to do but when I last looked a few weeks ago I couldn't find any, I looked all over the place. One will eventually come up but it has to be the correct one.

It's a Peugeot Partner 600 LX 1.4 petrol 53 plate
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Ime surprised you cannot get the parts I know some firms like euro car parts will stop buying spares for unusual vehicles after 10-15 years but would have thought that would be a common van . I have a Jap import mpv that we use for taking the dogs out in and going to the recycling centre that’s 1999 and an import and I can get everything I need for it no problem at all either from Toyota themselves or motor factors .
 
Pjj said:
Ime surprised you cannot get the parts I know some firms like euro car parts will stop buying spares for unusual vehicles after 10-15 years but would have thought that would be a common van . I have a Jap import mpv that we use for taking the dogs out in and going to the recycling centre that’s 1999 and an import and I can get everything I need for it no problem at all either from Toyota themselves or motor factors .
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is that an alphard out of interest?
 

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