New Owners

Hi all we have just purchased a new Symbol , we are novices and have never owned before so pretty clueless  , any tips or guidance would be appreciated  , we pick her up on the 2nd June .

Hi
Welcome to the forum from Bridington 
Boaby

try and get hold of (download) the user manuals and have a read of the electrics operation, the heating/hot water sysytem, filling emptying of fresh and waste water and any other ancilliary equipment....solar system, tv, microwave etc, etc...
this should occupy you till the 2nd

 Welcome welcome, how exciting I bet you can't wait. There is a wealth of information and know-how on this forum, I suggest you seek out info regarding Symbol on the forum first and then pose specific questions as they crop up. 
I'm sure there will be others who will contribute their recommendations and things to be careful of. This is a great place to find answers. Enjoy 

Micky

You have already been given the best advice.  Get hold of or read as much as you can (for the new models) Think you will be able to get info off AS website.  All you do then is use and enjoy your new puchase.
The Auto Sleepers Owners Club is well worth joining.

Hello and welcome to this most friendly and informative forum. Please remember there is no such thing as a daft question here. 

Thanks for the welcome everybody , i have managed to download the manual and in wading through it ,

C8LLE wrote:Thanks for the welcome everybody , i have managed to download the manual and in wading through it ,

The A-S Handbook is 3 years out of date especially for the electrics.  If you haven't done so, you should download the Harmony UMS Handbook and AS Monitor guide which are here:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

great thanks

Thanks @caraman for the link. All the wad of info and handbooks we got with our new Kingham last week doesn’t have anything about the panel!

Millie The Moocher wrote:Thanks @caraman for the link. All the wad of info and handbooks we got with our new Kingham last week doesn’t have anything about the panel!

I know the problem.  My Nuevo came without the Harmony handbook and nor did I know it existed for my first 6 weeks.  I complained to Marquis about the lack of documentation so they sent me a link to an Auto-Trail version which added to the confusion because its different to the A-S version.  The A-S sales Manager eventually sent me one.  At least you can skip pages 7-14 to 7-47 of the A-S Owner's Manual.  There is an important bit of info missing from the Harmony manual which is that when the EC700 is shutdown all the solar charge goes to the vehicle battery, providing the vehicle electrics have not been shutdown using the red isolation button on the ignition.  The PX300 (mains charger) output all goes to the leisure battery, providing the PX300 is on and the van is connected to an EHU.  It also doesn't say that the EC700 constantly consumes about 0.3A when it is not shutdown which is why it should be shutdown when the van is out of use, especially over the winter months when the solar charge is limited.

Moderators: I wonder whether it would be helpful to put the following extract from Caraman's post in Factsheets or other suitable place? It's a clear, concise and most useful statement, likely to be of widespread benefit to new owners:

"When the EC700 is shutdown all the solar charge goes to the vehicle battery, providing the vehicle electrics have not been shutdown using the red isolation button on the ignition.  The PX300 (mains charger) output all goes to the leisure battery, providing the PX300 is on and the van is connected to an EHU.  It also doesn't say that the EC700 constantly consumes about 0.3A when it is not shutdown which is why it should be shutdown when the van is out of use, especially over the winter months when the solar charge is limited."


Cymro

I have included the above in an exisiting Factsheet on EC700s

Beware your solar panel may not be wired through the Sargent unit and have its own controller.  
The last sentence is improtant though as many of you have found out the hard way!

not long now to pick up , any tips on insurance please

Comfort are good used them for several years

C8LLE wrote:Hi all we have just purchased a new Symbol , we are novices and have never owned before so pretty clueless  , any tips or guidance would be appreciated  , we pick her up on the 2nd June .

Welcome, same here except I got mine mid-April. Watching videos on YouTube was a big help for me, and reading all the manuals. If you want a head start on those, this is a major equipment list for current models. At least it's what mine has. I assume yours will be the same. I found manuals online in PDF form for everything I think.


Whale Duo Control Panel
Tankblanket 
Sargent EC700 electrical system with LCD control panel
Motorhome WiFi Huawei E5577Cs-321 with roof mounted antenna
MaxView B2414 TV aerial with signal booster
Dometic MWO 240 microwave oven
Thetford N4080E+ absorption refrigerator 81 litres with freezer compartment 10 litres, automatic energy source selection
Thetford Triplex cooker 36 litre oven
Thetford Cassette Toilet C220 (18 litre waste capacity)
Thetford Spinflo Argent Bowl, stainless steel sink (doesn't include the Spiinflo bowl, available separately)
Dometic CK2000 Cooker Hood
FireAngel Optical Smoke Alarm SB1-R
FireAngel Carbon Monoxide Alarm CO-9X 7 year life
EchoMaster 7” Clip-On Mirror Monitor MM-70-CL
REMIfront IV-D in-cab blind system
Thule Omnistor 6300 awning (3.75 x 2.50)
EchoMaster IP67 Post-Mount Camera CAM-09 (formerly AVCAM-9B2B)

Plus the Peugeot Boxer manual of course: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

If you really are complete novices (like me), you might be surprised how many bits and pieces you need to buy before going anywhere!

thanks yes we really are novices , so any advice as to what extras to buy would be helpful

C8LLE wrote:thanks yes we really are novices , so any advice as to what extras to buy would be helpful

Don't panic because this is a fairly long list, and you might not need or want a lot of it, but it's just copy and paste from a note of all the things I've added. Just in case I had to make an insurance claim!

Whale EM9403 water extension hose 7.5 metres
Various Hoselock adapters
230V EHU UK 3 pin adapter (might have come with it)
Avtex AK12TM VESA bracket
Avtex 199DSFVP television 19.5”
Avtex SB195BT soundbar
12V splitter with 2 12V sockets, USB and USB-C
Whale EM9403 water extension hose 7.5 metres
First aid kit
Fire Chief fire blanket SVB1/K40 1m x 1m
Hyfive folding camping chairs heavy duty luxury padded high back - blue - 2
5 litre and 10 litre folding water containers
Set of assorted blade fuses
Case4life hose/cable bag for water hoses
Goal Zero crush light
EXZACT Cutlery Set Coloured 16PCS - Stainless Steel with Plastic Wide Handles – Comfortable to Hold - 4 x Forks, 4 x Dinner Knives, 4 x Dinner Spoons, 4 x Teaspoons – Service for 4 (Turquoise x 16)
Corelle 16pc Ocean Blues dinner set, plus 4 luncheon plates
8” bread knife
Thermosoft square blanket
Placemats, duck egg
Egyptian cotton bath towel 70x125 Duck egg x 2
Egyptian cotton face cloth 30x30 D
Egyptian cotton hand towel 50x90 D
Tea towels x 4 Sabine
White chopping board 35x25
Coasters
Oxo SoftWorks jar 1.0 litre x 2
Not needed for UK: Gas It 3 PART EUROPEAN FILL POINT ADAPTER KIT LPG: FA-002 Dish/cup fill adapter cup, FA-003 ACME fill adapter, FA-003 Europa fill adapter
CPVAN Motion Sensor Alarm 
wellmax Barrier Mat - Heavy Duty, Non Slip Backing - Indoor/Outdoor (Blue-Black, 40 x 60 cm)
Sucre Auxiliary 12-24V 15A Heavy Duty Power Motorcycle Car Cigarette Lighter Socket Plug Extension 5M Cable
Case4Life Black Water Resistant Boot Bag
Brabantia Sort & Go Waste Bin Mint 16 litre
Bathroom queegee
Microfibre drying mat
Microfibre dishcloths
Silicone double oven glove
Hook on Airer for Caravans & Motorhomes
Fiamma Toilet Brush Seat Fit
Muggi Multi-Cup Holder (Navy Blue)
Swiss Luxx Cordless 650 Watt Kettle - white
Thetford Fridge Bottle Retainer x 2
Thetford Fridge Deep Door Bin N80/N145 (622145/635043/634465)
Vango 1.6L Stainless Steel kettle with folding handle
Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite
Amazon Echo 4th Generation Twilight Blue
Spinflo washing up bowl
5 metre Outwell windscreen charcoal grey
BrilliantJo Hanging Wardrobe Organizer for Clothes Sweaters 4-shelf Hanging Closet Storage Shelves (31.5 * 12 * 12 inch, Blue-grey)
TVL PedalBox (security)
SMARTY SIM for MiFi
200W inverter (may not use)
12V USB-C charger 84W (for laptop)
Aqua Clean Tabs - Water Purification Tablets 32 x 25 litre
Thetford Aquakem Blue Sachets (Can of 18) 
Thetford Aquakem Green Sachets (15 sachets)
Thetford Aquarinse Spray
Thetford Aquasoft Soft Toilet Tissue (6 Rolls)
Thetford Bathroom Cleaner

Some of these things you might just want to take from home each time. Others, you won't want, I'm sure. There are a few extra things if you're going to Europe, but they are minor. Things like high vis jackets, bulb kits etc. And a EHU 2 pin adaptor.

You do get supplied with a 25m EHU cable with a bag to put it in (not sure if the 13A 3 pin adapter for home use comes with it though, it might do), and a 7.5m Whale Aquasource water hose. Four melamine mugs and a melamine dinner set for four people too. Four crystal wine glasses. I think that was it.

great thank you i appreciate it

I forgot bedding! I bought from Duvalay as I liked the concept (if not the price - a bit too expensive really).

Also: rubber mallet for awning leg pegs. The pegs are supplied, the mallet isn't.

What, no corkscrew?

hillhead wrote:What, no corkscrew?

It's still on the shopping list!

Couldn't see pots and pans.  If you need to economise on space just take the gas kettle which will also go on the electric hotplate and only take micro fibre camping towels which dry out more quickly.  A coax booster cable is useful.  We have a drum for the EHU cable which keeps it tidy and serves as a footrest for my wife finds the cab passenger seat quite high.  Laundry bag and shopping bags,

I omitted pots and pans as I haven’t decided what to get yet.

There is no electric hotplate, but the electric kettle is quite small anyway.

I’m also considering a low powered toaster, but haven’t come to any conclusions yet.

I haven’t got a cable reel because I thought the cable might not fit in the supplied storage bag when on a reel. It’s quite easy to coil up over an arm to put in the storage bag, but a reel would be good.