Modding my Stanway (and PVCs in general)

The next mod I did was to remove the (utterly pointless) decorative roof rails, and replace them with proper load-bearing roof rails, and a pair of roof bars, with the intention being to use the roof bars to fit a roof box.

I bought the rails and bars, along with a 'Transformation Kit' from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - it's all Thule gear so it integrates with the awning perfectly. I also opted for the slightly taller bars, just to give me a bit more clearance of roof obstacles.

The bars can slide anywhere, the full length of the rails.

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The hardest part about this whole mod?

Removing the old decorative bars!

I think @Windychippy will agree with me there

RogerThat wrote:Another cheap mod next, that of a simple mirror attached to each sun visor.

I think these were 99p each on eBay or something.

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Yep done the mirrors as well. About the same price and they stick well.

Shower curtain £73, Track/fittings £15, courier £15 all + vat ! Told them too expensive.
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Richard

It's daft, isn't it?

That something so small, simple and cheap isn't just a standard fit item?

With the roof bars in place, I was then able to get a roof box organised.

I went with a Thule, again for simplicity and a guaranteed fit.

The roof box is bit of a tardis, I'm able to store all my "outdoorsy" stuff in there, including two folding chairs, a set of ramps for the mobility scooter platform, a Hoselock pressure pump (which makes an ideal shower for the dog), toilet chems, hosepipe, collapsible bucket and watering can, four-pole wind breaker, hose pipe, mains EHU lead, outrigger pads, fold up washing line, and more!

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Another mod, no photos this time...

My reversing camera is the wireless type that connects to the Garmin / Avtex / Caravan Club sat nav.

It was originally wired in to the reversing lights, so when you select reverse gear, the camera came on.

I removed the rear light cluster (near-side, for those who want to do the same!) and changed the wiring so that the camera comes on whenever the headlights are switched on.

This, for me, is ideal, as I can now switch on the reversing camera while on the M6 and check in on the mobility scooter! I can also use it as an ad-hoc rear view mirror as I can't see out the back of the Stanway windows from the drivers seat!

Forgot to say.... the roof box is accessible via one of those collapsible surveyors ladders, which lives in the wardrobe.

Well, on to the next mod, the hydraulic levelling system!

There are a few different kits on the market, I went with the HPC system - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Four independent hydraulic jacks fitted to each corner of the vehicle, operated in switchable-pairs so you can raise just the front, or just the rear, or the left or right side. Plus of course, the magic "auto" button which just does everything for you.

There's an app too, so you can control the levelling from your phone.

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Handy for changing a wheel, and handy for working under the van too as all four wheels can be lifted clear off the floor.  Safety first though, I'd never crawl under the van without a set of axel stands under there too!

There is also a touch screen control panel installed which allows you to do everything from there too.

The jacks are great for stabilisation too, no more rocking in the window, no more wobbles when someone gets in or out of the side door either, it's rock solid.

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The hydraulic pump is installed inside one of the bench seats and has a manual jacking handle too, should for some reason the electrics fail.

I've since boxed in the pump too, just to protect it from random stuff that gets placed in the same storage area.

Removable quickly for servicing if needed.

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RogerThat wrote:I've since boxed in the pump too, just to protect it from random stuff that gets placed in the same storage area.

Removable quickly for servicing if needed.

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Great mods. I take it like me you intend to hang on to your van
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Richard

Three questions please:
Did you fit it yourself and if so what was involved
What did it cost? I have blanched at £5k plus.
What are the dimensions of the hydraulic pump? I would hope to be able to mount that where I store two Gianna ramps
Feel free to PM (or not) if I am being too personal.
Thanks

Hi Ron,

I’ll happily tackle most jobs on my van but fitting hydraulic levelling system is probably a bit more than I’m capable of.  Plus no garage, a sloping driveway, not enough of the required tools, etc.  You’ll not get any change from £5k.

In terms of dimensions, I took a few pics this afternoon for you which might help.

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There is probably 120mm to the left which is empty space.

And I’ve just realised I forgot to measure the height! Let me know if needed and I’ll go out to the van and measure again.

Mudflaps... they're a bit Marmite eh?

I was quoted an absolutely stupid price by the local Peugeot garage so I went on eBay and bought some Ducato ones for less than half the price of the Boxer ones.

With the exception of the embossed word, they are absolutely identical

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Another mod performed early on in ownership was the removal of the AlKo air gauges from the passenger door step footwell and instead replaced with a pair of gauges which are installed on the right hand side of the steering wheel.

The gauges have the familiar air-release buttons, but also an additional switch for inflating the rear air AlKo air-assist suspension.

When pressed, the switch operates a small air compressor which is installed under the drivers seat.

This is really handy if you need to quickly gain a bit of height (ferry boarding, reversing up to high kerbs, etc). Also with the mobility scooter on the back you'll always need a few extra PSI in there so being able to adjust it on the move is great.

Plus, the passenger no longer keeps kicking and standing on the AlKo gauges when getting in and out of the door!

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As you can see, the gauges are branded AS-Air Suspension, I had this pump installed at the same time as they fitted the HPC levelling jacks.

Incidentally, I also had air bags and a pump on my old Swift coachbuilt and being able to inflate/deflate the air in the rear was great for a quick bit of levelling too!

I think this next mod was the quickest and easiest to do

Red and blue waterproof sticky dots on the taps. My wife was never sure which way was hot and which was cold so these are ideal as a quick and easy visible reminder.

The front of the taps do actually have a red/blue dot in the centre. Which you can't see unless you bend down to look, in low light conditions, without banging your head on something...

Problem solved

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Staying in the washroom, a Croydex soap dispenser mounted to the wall.

We have this exact same one in the bathroom at home too so it made sense to fit one in the van too!

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And another bathroom mod, that of an in-line switch fitted to the base of the OEM shower head.

Self explanatory hopefully :)

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This next mod was performed in order to keep me sane...

The kitchen sink used to drain sooooooo slowly, it was driving me mad.

So the first of a two-part mod here.

This was the original pipework:

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Lots of very right-angled pipework going on there...

So I removed the original plug hole from the sink and replaced it with a plughole that had a 45 degree angled outlet.

Added a couple of 90 degree bends at the lower end.

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This has made a significant difference to how quickly the sink drains now!

The second part of the sink mod was to increase the size of the plug hole as the existing holes are ridiculously small.

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So I cut half of them out!

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Water runs out of my sink now at a fair rate of knots

I'm taking a risk posting these next photos...

I've been accused of being a "closet caravanner" and other various names just because I choose to use these.

So if we could not turn this thread in to a debate about it, that'd be great - I'll happily discuss in a new thread if it bothers you that much

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In blue, to match the van. Naturally!

Another repair next, just six months in to ownership.

My van came with a Garmin sat nav that doubles as a reversing camera using the wireless BC30 bluetooth camera.

The camera lens was actually letting water in, which dried on the lens making it completely useless.

Bought a replacement lens (same model) and removed/replaced.

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This next mod satisfies the inner geek in me.

Amazon Echo speaker!

The built in radio in the van shuts off after 20 minutes which is just THE most ridiculous thing ever. Especially when AS went to the trouble of mounting speakers in the rear of the van ceiling!

Anyway, there are numerous advantages to having Alexa on hand...

This doubles as a bluetooth speaker and packs a decent sound quality, allowing me to play my entire music library from my phone or iPad, to the Echo directly.

Plus, I can control stuff in my house, from my van!

"Alexa, turn on the living room light"

Brilliant

I bought a wooden sleeve too, in order to help it blend in.

Seeing these photos reminds me that I must try and hide those USB power cables somehow..

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Hi,
Is it possible to take the lens part off the bc30, clean it and reseal?

Possibly...

You have the same problem?

Not sure how you'd get the lens off without damage though...

I complained to the dealer as it's still within warranty, he looked at it and said they are all the same as in not very good quality. I can see what's behind me but it sort of blurry or very low resolution. I have a 5 year old smart phone that has a much better image!