A
andrew bazeley
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For the first time in 15 years, I lent my dear old Cali to my son! As I showed him over it, I came up with dozens of little suggestions - ending up filling a notebook! It's a very old 2008 Cali, so many of the points won't apply now, but I thought I'd pass on most of the points to amps you - if nothing else!.
Here we go....
When parking to camp, use the "P" gear, rather than the handbrake, which gets in the way when you turn the seats round (may not apply to manual gears).
Turn off the auto sliding door when camping. During the day, you can sit inside with the door just partly open. Then at night - if you need to "sneak out" for some reason - you can open the door without waking up the neighbours!
When trying to turn the driver's seat round, dropping down the right-hand armrest and raising up the steering wheel make it a bit easier.
DON'T STAND ON THE SEAT ARMREST WHEN GOING UPSTAIRS! I did it once 13 years ago, and broke it - at a cost even then over £300!
When opening the awning, wind it slightly back when fully open. It tightens the fabric slightly, and stops it flapping in the wind.
Lower one of the awning legs when it's raining: the water then flows off rather than making a big puddle. on top.
When raising/lowering the roof, open the front doors to avoid suction, and run the engine if not hooked-up.
When lowering, reach up and pull in the strengthening strips on the canvas roof sides, so they don't get trapped.
Also, before lowering, make sure the mattress is pulled forward and the lamp turned to face away from the mattress (old models only).
When the roof is almost down, walk around the van to make sure the canvas isn't about to be trapped. Then again when it's finished.
On the older models with cloth window covers, be careful when manoeuvring the windscreen cover in place: it might tap the control panel.
When locking yourself in at night, lock the van using the switch on the driver's door, not the key - otherwise the very sensitive internal arm will go off.
When leaving the van and locking it: if the roof is up, the interior alarm may go off. Switch off the alarm using the buttons on the driver's door pillar.
When returning and unlocking, open and shut the front door, to unlock completely. Opening the back door only will allow the lock to be reset after a while, which means the alarm is reset.
CARE WHEN PARKING! Despite descriptions, the awning makes the overall height just over 2 metres!
Opening out the back seat may be easier if you sit on it and "rock 'n' roll".
When camped with the roof up, you can leave a duvet/sleeping bag up on the mattress when it's lifted. But not when you lower the roof!
Don't leave the radio on too long! The default source (old models) is the car engine battery.
The sliding table is prone to rattling, so ram it hard when sliding it back into storage. Don't lean on the table when opened- the single leg is very vulnerable.
I would imagine you all know this stuff, and many later models don't have many of theses issues. But you might find this amusing - if not helpful! My son was VERY grateful!
Here we go....
When parking to camp, use the "P" gear, rather than the handbrake, which gets in the way when you turn the seats round (may not apply to manual gears).
Turn off the auto sliding door when camping. During the day, you can sit inside with the door just partly open. Then at night - if you need to "sneak out" for some reason - you can open the door without waking up the neighbours!
When trying to turn the driver's seat round, dropping down the right-hand armrest and raising up the steering wheel make it a bit easier.
DON'T STAND ON THE SEAT ARMREST WHEN GOING UPSTAIRS! I did it once 13 years ago, and broke it - at a cost even then over £300!
When opening the awning, wind it slightly back when fully open. It tightens the fabric slightly, and stops it flapping in the wind.
Lower one of the awning legs when it's raining: the water then flows off rather than making a big puddle. on top.
When raising/lowering the roof, open the front doors to avoid suction, and run the engine if not hooked-up.
When lowering, reach up and pull in the strengthening strips on the canvas roof sides, so they don't get trapped.
Also, before lowering, make sure the mattress is pulled forward and the lamp turned to face away from the mattress (old models only).
When the roof is almost down, walk around the van to make sure the canvas isn't about to be trapped. Then again when it's finished.
On the older models with cloth window covers, be careful when manoeuvring the windscreen cover in place: it might tap the control panel.
When locking yourself in at night, lock the van using the switch on the driver's door, not the key - otherwise the very sensitive internal arm will go off.
When leaving the van and locking it: if the roof is up, the interior alarm may go off. Switch off the alarm using the buttons on the driver's door pillar.
When returning and unlocking, open and shut the front door, to unlock completely. Opening the back door only will allow the lock to be reset after a while, which means the alarm is reset.
CARE WHEN PARKING! Despite descriptions, the awning makes the overall height just over 2 metres!
Opening out the back seat may be easier if you sit on it and "rock 'n' roll".
When camped with the roof up, you can leave a duvet/sleeping bag up on the mattress when it's lifted. But not when you lower the roof!
Don't leave the radio on too long! The default source (old models) is the car engine battery.
The sliding table is prone to rattling, so ram it hard when sliding it back into storage. Don't lean on the table when opened- the single leg is very vulnerable.
I would imagine you all know this stuff, and many later models don't have many of theses issues. But you might find this amusing - if not helpful! My son was VERY grateful!
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