Auto-Sleeper Warwick Duo Modifications

Common problems...
I keep meaning to replace the gas hose.
The sliding door leaks - we unwind the awning a few turns to keep the rain off.
The big table was too clunky so I took the legs off and replaced them with a Fiamma tripod.
I hate the graphics but the boss likes them.
The little table a the rear slides OK when run in - try some WD40.  I had to move the foldout support which was fitted too low so the the table sagged.
I have done the modification detailed by Nimbus to connect the fourth Truma outlet but the heater is still smelly on either hot water only, or heating and hot water when the air temperature is warm enough for the heating fan to go off and the hot water to get priority.  This seems to be when the unit also gets too hot and the fan comes on at full power as if cooling it all down. I assumed that this problem related to water heating only and made several posts about it with no great result.  The heater is also noisy when you start it up on gas - see my post on starting up on combined gas and electric.
Don't all of the blanking blugs fall out?  They certainly do not fit.  I also used two self tappers on my new Truma elbow as that did not seem to fit either.
The rear doors leak cold air - we stuff cushions up them while I am looking for some sort of sealing strip.
Despite all of the issues, we are also very happy with the Warwick Duo.
Pete

With regard to the mods
I have to date
1 - The heater blanking plugs fell out as did the heater hoses, so I fitted an addtional outlet pipe and screw fixed the others, no probs since then and warms up very quickly
2- The hinge and bracket to the rear shelf was very flimsy, we never used it, we put a small table between the seats, this gives a storeage area underneath for bits an bobs and we can then use this outside as well,
The table also has the effect of holding the seat / beds in place as we use them upside down so they are not held in place with the poppers, we find this gives a much more comfortable and wider bed not having the edge roll to get in the way
We leave the beds made up, Duvalays, at all times with fleecy throws over them that double up at night as blankets if it gets chilly.
3 - I found the space at the back of the bed, the jack and towrope etc now live there and the space under the passenger seat now holds an extra liesure battery. I also fitted a sola panal and spend more time off hook up than on.
4 - Not a standard fitting, but if you are fitting a bike rack make sure that it is securly fixed to the door, mine was fiited, by autosleepers, useing just the door edge clip fixing and last year on some Itaian roads we nearly lost the lot when the edges of the door started bending away.
On our trip to Morocco this year we saw this happen to another boxer van !! scary !
5 - I have fiitted an in line Whale water filter £20 that works well. I intend to fit an anti surge devise as my wife will never turn the taps on fully and the water pump is surging.
6 - While I have,as yet, failed to stop the draught to the rear doors, I am pleased to say I do not have a water entry problem with the side door, although to close it fully without slamming it i find it best to open the roof light first.
7- I will be changing the gas feed pipe shortly, I have one on order now
8- Has anyone modified the ends of the seats next to the rear doors to open for access to the storage areas, with the rear doors open, Saw this on another van conversion. Seems a good idea and saves grovelling about on the floor to reach hook up leads etc
9 - I am also thinking of fitting a rack for my 125 scooter. Has anyone done this ?
10 I am sure there are other mods I have done or thoght about but cannot remember them right now

Happy Daze
Chris

Thanks Chris, Nimbus etc

Can you tell me the correct length for the hose and how much to tighten it e.g hand tight and another half turn or whatever?

While at the NEC Show, we took a long look at the Warwick XL which has massive storage under the bed but can only be accessed by lifting the bed.
I did suggest that you don't want to lift the bed up every time you want a beer...
I asked them if they could do a Warwick XL with drop down doors and a slide out drawer like the Warwick Duo, but also access doors or drop down doors to get at the area behind the wheel arch which is longer on the XL.  Yes, they could do all of that.  Anyway the boss did not like the rest of the XL so that was that...

Pete

Chrisboyo,
Like your idea of an additional leasure battery under the pax seat. Been thinking of fitting one , but where? So, any tips that you can give would be greatful.
Questions.
Where to run the cables to hook up to the other battery under drivers seat.
Where to source the battery box.
Any info would be appreciated
Thanks
Tengah 74

Hi Pete,
As far as I'm aware the gas hoses [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] available in a number of lengths to suit your requirements. http://www.gaslowdirect.com/epages/cyujrhdmmu67.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/cyujrhdmmu67/Products/01-6020-SS/SubProducts/01-6020-SS

Where the price is shown select 'Hose Length' and the price will change to suit the new length.

The one fitted as standard by Auto-sleeper is approximately 450 mm long but I (and Nimbus) found this too tight a fit so I have fitted one 750 mm long and secured with cable ties in a couple of places.

When I contacted Auto-sleeper they quoted a length of 700 mm long not their original 450 mm  ... interesting?! So maybe the latest model has been changed to a longer S/S hose as has already been mentioned.
The S/S hose comes complete with rubber seals so they don't need to be tightened down too much. I think I hand tightened and then another 1/2 to full turn with the spanner but using the sensitivity of feel ... Hmmm seems about tight enough!
I then painted a strong washing up liquid and water solution over the joints to check for any gas bubble leaks. Doh! then I turned the gas on and did it again!   

Its really interesting to know what different people have done and reassuring its not just me.   

Nimbus mentions his Truma sounding like Concorde on take off while on gas heating for a short time ... well mines does it on electric hook up, not tried it on gas yet only to test it works after changing the hose. Its quite unnerving. There's a sense of panic and escape through the nearest exit!    Must be to blow the cobwebs away!

Thanks for advice on the gas hose.
My theory is that the Truma is getting too hot when it gives priority to hot water so blows itself cool.
Just got back from the annual habitation service at Marquis near Tewkesbury.
They report that part of the front skylight has gone - the outer skin of the plastic dome is just not there but the inner skin of the plastic dome still works.
The floor is very damp ( 60% ) in a patch to the rear of the step down from the cab i.e if you stepped through between the cab seats you would stand on it. The boss suggested that the van sits slightly nose down so the water has run from somewhere else but there are no unusual damp readings near the sink or the sliding door or the toilet to suggest a source, and the skylight does not leak despite the missing dome and the rest of the van reads normal.  The floor is covered in a wood plank effect vinyl which will have to come out so that we can investigate.

Just when we thought that everything was fixed...
Pete

Correction - the floor is wet.
This is not exactly a modification so I am probably going off the thread.
Anyway here is my first attempt at a picture...

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Any ideas?  Help, Pete

Pete - Sorry to hear that you've damp problems in the floor. As you live so close to the factory I would be inclined to take it to their service centre to get it diagnosed and fixed.

I've just been out to our van to see if there's any dampness and it seems to be perfectly dry. I also had a look to see if I could see any obvious way that water could get to that part of the floor and it might be possible that it's water leaking through the windscreen scuttle and running back between the plastic cab floor covering and the steel floor. Probably unlikely though and I would have a look at an unfitted Boxer panel van to see how it's put together. You could also lift out the plastic inspection hatch over the fuel tank which is between the cab seats to see if there are any signs of dampness in that area.

I'll be interested to hear the outcome and hope that can can soon get it sorted as it must be a worry to you.

Spoken to Nimbus re his water stain. Suggest that it may have migrated from the toilet area when tipping up the wash bowl when draining . This happened to me.Got to do it slowly.

Hi Pete,
Just been replacing the Sargent EC51 Control Panel on my Sussex Duo for a 12v problem we were having and noticed that with the panel off, you can see into the back of the sink unit in the bathroom. The water pipes for the tap can be seen and they have push connecters on them. Could be worth a quick check to see if you have a leak there   

Nick.

Thanks to everyone. I will start a new thread about this and get this thread back on message...

Pete

Here is my new thread "How to flood the Warwick Duo"
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Here is a small modification to get back on thread:

The windscreen scuttle on our 2011 Peugeot Boxer rarely drained and soon blocked up so I have replace it with a washing machine hose which goes straight down and vents near the front bumper valance.

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The hose is advertised on amazon as "57 inch Length Elbow Drain Hose for Washing Machine" at £4.23.
The top of the hose has variable diameters - 35MM OD is about right.

Pete

Loss of 12v and 240v power on site.
Background....Picked up a Sussex Duo 3 months ago and had an alarm and battery master fitted by Vanbiz at Taunton. The van also has a sola panel on the roof.

Problem.....Took it away just after and found that when on site and hooked up to mains, along with a sola panel on the roof, we would lose power after about 45 mins. The Sargent EC51 panel would show a single LED light at the top of the vertical display, and power could be restored by switching on again at the on off.

On return we called Vanbiz for a chat and at first they thought it may be a conflict with the battery master and Sargent system, but them got a call from another customer with a similar problem , who thought he had fixed it via Sargent.

It transpired that the EC51 control panel that Auto Sleeper use had been updated in the last 12 months to, along with other thinks, stop this power loss.

Sargent explained that the previous panel had been set up to cut off if it took a power spike of 14.4 v to protect the battery and they had re designed it now to take 15v along with other upgrades. Other visible changes are that the main power indicators are now blue and not green and that it has an audible beep when you press the buttons. Both great as the panel is by the door and not easy to see in daylight.
They sent a new EC51 within a couple of days of ordering and the fitting is just plug and play. 

Have only had the opportunity to power the van up on my drive as a test so far but it just may have solved the problem.  Off on a trip next week so will give it a full test on site and re post the results.


If I can work out how to add some pictures Ill send them as well   

Nick.

I have done the modification to get at the space behind the rear wheel arch.
I decided to put the jack and stuff into the loft and use a 6 tonne hydraulic jack instead.
That fits behind the rear wheel arch along with useful blocks of wood and tools.
Question which I think someone has already posted about but | cannot find it...
This is in the tool kit ( 2011 Peugeot Boxer) but was is it? RTFM no help.

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The new storage area just needs some fabric to finish it...

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Pete

Isn't this kit used when stowing an alloy wheel in the spare wheel position?

G

For what it's worth the Peugeot toolbox from under the passenger seat fits snugly in the unused space on the nearside in front of the wheel arch. But probably not the best utilisation of space and a replacement hydraulic jack is a good substitute.

pjkxpjkx wrote:
Question which I think someone has already posted about but | cannot find it...
This is in the tool kit ( 2011 Peugeot Boxer) but was is it? RTFM no help.

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The bits in the tool kit form the adaptor to enable an alloy wheel to be winched up into the spare wheel storage position. In my opinion it will be easier to store a punctured wheel in the back, than mess about with the three bolts + the plate in order to take the tyre to be repaired. Unhelpfully, the driver's handbook makes no mention of this handy item, or its use.

Thanks again
Pete

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2011 Warwick Duo

The old gas hose was starting to split at the tight bend at the regulator end

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The old one was 0.45 Metre rubber.  The new one is 0.75 Metre stainles steel. Gaslow Part number 01-6020-SS £36.90 including carriage.

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Hopefully sorted...

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Pete

Whilst the kitchen worktop in a Warwick Duo is considered one of the largest in any panel van it's the only place close to 12v and 240v sockets and this is where I like to charge my electronic devices, much to my wife's annoyance when she is cooking! So I've used the rear folding table to extend the effective length of the worktop which is on folding hinges so that it can be folded down when not being used, although I suspect it will stay up most of the time.

The reason that I used the rear table was to match the laminate colour. I replaced the rear table with a wood effect laminate board from B&Q, shaped to match the original. I got the hinges on eBay which I think were about £8 a pair from Hong Kong.

It doesn't interfere with raising the bunk in either position of the table and in its raised position it sits just above the rear backrest cushion.

Here are a few photos -

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I have read this thread and am starting to implement some of the suggestions.

My contribution is to enable the rear curtains to close a bit better. I removed them from the rails and cut a slot in the fabric about 2 inches in from each end. Now when you close them there is an over hang which extends beyond the edge of the window cutting out more light.

I can post a photograph if its unclear what I have done.

Ian

Hi Nimbus ,i done the same with work surfice but i used the little shelf from the shower room.ithought this she
F was useless in there? scotty

I have thought about getting my wife to insert a flexible magnetic plastic strip into a pocket at each end of the rear curtains. This would then close the curtain tightly against the metal doors. But I'm not sure whether they would rust over time and Mark the curtains.

You could have press studs put on your curtains with the stud part on the doors, I have these on my MH an  Auto-sleeper fitment when built, looks like they have dispense with these on newer vans, an upholsterer could put the studs on for you, cost negligible.
Regards,
Margaret

Drafty rear doors - already mentioned in this thread.

We have used some 19mm water heating foam pipe insulation which just about works OK when stuffed into the centre door joint. Cut to three different lengths top to bottom. We've also used a piece of the same to cover the bottom of the doors like a draft sausage.
My wife sewed some material over the foam insulation to beautify it a bit.
It seems to work well though I would suggest that if in a gale you might consider parking the front of the vehicle into the wind as we've had water coming through at the top of the rear doors forced through by the wind pressure.