Me and the misses took the plunge and bought this beautiful air cooled 05 Danbury Diamond.
She's been maintained well, and though she has 128k Km on her, she's still working soundly.
There are a few things I want to do to it:
1. Powersteering - It's like steering a barge currently 2. WaxOyl - gotta stop that rust 3. Fit an inverter and power control unit so we can use the plug sockets from the leisure battery 4. Fit a new headliner for the cab - the currant one is a bit ratty 6. Fit one of those cool laminate wood steering wheels a lot of people on here seem to have 7. Adjust the steering column (The wheel feels like it's connected to the steering with a piece of wet spaghetti!)
Question: I need an MOT doing for her before the 27th of April, but I'm sad to learn that VW Kampers no longer services air cooled engines Can any of you advise me a good garage that can service and MOT the van, we are based in London but can travel for 1-2 hours if needs be.
Hi and Welcome to the forum , you have a lovely look van there and we look forward to seeing you out and about. We have some club events coming up that you might want to check out.
Many London based van owners use Brand Auto's for their servicing requirements , Paul is based in Bordon in Hampshire and is very knowledgeable about Brazibays and always does a fantastic job. I've attached a link to his website Brand Autos
We used Paul for many years but being based between Canterbury and Dover , travelling back and forth become a little too much so we have found a company in Canterbury called Oakwood Automotive who also look after BraziBays but not sure where in London you are based so this might be outside of your commuting area.
You've certainly found the right place for everything BraziBay related. Enjoy
________________________________________________________________________________ Steve, Jo TigerLily and Carra the Child lovin' Golden Cocker
Kit.L
Cabin : Club Location : London Posts : 20 Join date : 2019-03-03
Paul will certainly look after you. You’ll want to get your tappets set which means leaving it with him overnight. Luckily he has a loan car you can use.
Hi and Welcome to THE Forum for Brazi Bays. We use Paul Brand also and we think you have made the right decision in going to him. Hope to see you out and about during the season. Doo look at the events section for shows through out the year. Roo b Roo
________________________________________________________________________________ Proud winners of Spike's Trophy 2017
Scooby - Born To Run
dazdub
Cabin : Exec 012 Location : wales Posts : 3116 Join date : 2009-10-16
Hi and well done on taking over ownership - I know this Braz - before you head down the power steering route, get the steering box serviced. It can be adjusted and refilled with new oil. That may make a considerable difference to the feel for not a lot of money. Paul Brand can do this.
________________________________________________________________________________ Max SportsKombi - The Bay Racer @brazilianvwbay
Kit.L
Cabin : Club Location : London Posts : 20 Join date : 2019-03-03
Hi and well done on taking over ownership - I know this Braz - before you head down the power steering route, get the steering box serviced. It can be adjusted and refilled with new oil. That may make a considerable difference to the feel for not a lot of money. Paul Brand can do this.
Top tip! Thank you. Currently it's like steering a barge so any improvement is gratefully received.
Me and the misses took the plunge and bought this beautiful air cooled 05 Danbury Diamond.
She's been maintained well, and though she has 128k Km on her, she's still working soundly.
There are a few things I want to do to it:
1. Powersteering - It's like steering a barge currently 2. WaxOyl - gotta stop that rust 3. Fit an inverter and power control unit so we can use the plug sockets from the leisure battery 4. Fit a new headliner for the cab - the currant one is a bit ratty 6. Fit one of those cool laminate wood steering wheels a lot of people on here seem to have 7. Adjust the steering column (The wheel feels like it's connected to the steering with a piece of wet spaghetti!)
Question: I need an MOT doing for her before the 27th of April, but I'm sad to learn that VW Kampers no longer services air cooled engines Can any of you advise me a good garage that can service and MOT the van, we are based in London but can travel for 1-2 hours if needs be.
Great to meet you all by the way!
Hi Kit,
good to see this camper has gone to a family that's now part of our Brazibay family!
1. Powersteering - I would recommend Litesteer, both for ease of steering and ease of turning/parking; especially if your other half isn't built with Popeye muscles (and you don't want to put her off driving Uncle Vanya). 2. Waxoyl - yes, Paul Brand has done this for us. 3. Inverter and power control unit - I fitted this a year ago, as part of our solar power set up (see link below). Remember that you'll need to ensure that you don't run down the leisure battery when away, especially if you also have a fridge running of it!
We bought our complete solar power set-up from Photonic Universe (as did SurfwagenStan) and fitted it ourselves.
Hope to see you around soon!
P.
Kit.L
Cabin : Club Location : London Posts : 20 Join date : 2019-03-03
Subject: Re: Please Meet Uncle Vanya Fri Jun 07, 2019 11:29 am
TimV wrote:
Hi and well done on taking over ownership - I know this Braz - before you head down the power steering route, get the steering box serviced. It can be adjusted and refilled with new oil. That may make a considerable difference to the feel for not a lot of money. Paul Brand can do this.
You were 100% right Tim.
With the steering box serviced and the tire pressures correct it was like driving a completely different van! Glad we took it to Paul Brand. He did a superb job. I'm going to take it back there and get it WaxOyled and prepped for winter in a few months.
TimV Admin
Cabin : Flight 001 Location : Brighton, East Sussex U.K. Posts : 14335 Join date : 2009-09-27
Hi and well done on taking over ownership - I know this Braz - before you head down the power steering route, get the steering box serviced. It can be adjusted and refilled with new oil. That may make a considerable difference to the feel for not a lot of money. Paul Brand can do this.
You were 100% right Tim.
With the steering box serviced and the tire pressures correct it was like driving a completely different van! Glad we took it to Paul Brand. He did a superb job. I'm going to take it back there and get it WaxOyled and prepped for winter in a few months.
You’re welcome.
________________________________________________________________________________ Max SportsKombi - The Bay Racer @brazilianvwbay
Kit.L
Cabin : Club Location : London Posts : 20 Join date : 2019-03-03
