Little kids - reassurance needed!

[Katie T]

Hi everyone.
So I have finally got a California - an SE and I love it. I have 2 kids, 2 + 4 and we have been away quite a bit in a hired conversion - which they totally loved, but that was all manual roof etc and felt a bit less complicated. The California is so pristine with so much to break! It makes me quite scared to get going and get using it. Sure I will be fine after the first trip - but any reassurance you have about calis and kids would be great to hear! Thanks. I have got seat covers and mats...

 

[An-j]

I know how you feel - I’m forever yelling ‘don’t touch the handles’ in case they break them..... although more worried about parking my shiny van in car parks I must admit!
I’m hoping things gradually get less stressful - our first trip away is next week - but I guess if things get broken they can be fixed..........

 

[blondebier]

Have you ever watched the film "Home Alone"? I'd recommend it.

 

[Amarillo]

Hi everyone.
So I have finally got a California - an SE and I love it. I have 2 kids, 2 + 4 and we have been away quite a bit in a hired conversion - which they totally loved, but that was all manual roof etc and felt a bit less complicated. The California is so pristine with so much to break! It makes me quite scared to get going and get using it. Sure I will be fine after the first trip - but any reassurance you have about calis and kids would be great to hear! Thanks. I have got seat covers and mats...

We spent a full year living in our new (March 2017) California between June 2017 and June 2018 with two boys ages 2 & 3 at the start.

Damage caused by boys:
Broken sliding door handle from boy swinging on it - fixed under warranty.
Broken safety net clip from boy climbing over the safety net - fixed under warranty.
Broken 12 volt socket cover from boy bending it backwards - unfixed
Holes in awning canopy from boy throwing gravel onto awning canopy and canopy being wound in - £250 to replace at some stage
Not really relevant but we also have a damaged handbrake lever from a puppy chewing it.

Overall I don’t think the above toll of child inflicted damage is particularly bad considering the use we have made of our van over 30 months.

 

[ArunAlec]

It's not just kids!
I'm continually telling my other half off and "do you know how much that will cost to replace"

 

[Ryemslie]

Owned ours 1 1/2 years so far with 18weeks of that done in Europe over two summers & countless weekends away in Scotland with a 3 & 5yo. The van was immaculate when we bought it & i felt exactly the same as you initially. She now has the odd light scratch on the paint (from other drivers & navigating some narrow wild camping routes) & internally has similar scuffs to fabric & plastics. I thought it would bother me more but in truth they act as reminders of the memories we’ve made as a family by using her for her intended purpose. Most things can be fixed anyway so get out there & start making those memories

 

[kave]

No big issue, my children, now 9 and 11, have caused very little damage and wear to all my cars.
The only thing they have broken is the rubber grommet in the sliding door. When exiting the van they slide with their feet on it so after two years it became loose. Just let them now, and also let them know why you don’t want them to tear it apart.

 

[Katie T]

We spent a full year living in our new (March 2017) California between June 2017 and June 2018 with two boys ages 2 & 3 at the start.

Damage caused by boys:
Broken sliding door handle from boy swinging on it - fixed under warranty.
Broken safety net clip from boy climbing over the safety net - fixed under warranty.
Broken 12 volt socket cover from boy bending it backwards - unfixed
Holes in awning canopy from boy throwing gravel onto awning canopy and canopy being wound in - £250 to replace at some stage
Not really relevant but we also have a damaged handbrake lever from a puppy chewing it.

Overall I don’t think the above toll of child inflicted damage is particularly bad considering the use we have made of our van over 30 months.

Thank you! Have a little dog too - this made me laugh x

 

[Katie T]

Owned ours 1 1/2 years so far with 18weeks of that done in Europe over two summers & countless weekends away in Scotland with a 3 & 5yo. The van was immaculate when we bought it & i felt exactly the same as you initially. She now has the odd light scratch on the paint (from other drivers & navigating some narrow wild camping routes) & internally has similar scuffs to fabric & plastics. I thought it would bother me more but in truth they act as reminders of the memories we’ve made as a family by using her for her intended purpose. Most things can be fixed anyway so get out there & start making those memories

Lovely! Thank you. x

 

[alan middleton]

Hi everyone.
So I have finally got a California - an SE and I love it. I have 2 kids, 2 + 4 and we have been away quite a bit in a hired conversion - which they totally loved, but that was all manual roof etc and felt a bit less complicated. The California is so pristine with so much to break! It makes me quite scared to get going and get using it. Sure I will be fine after the first trip - but any reassurance you have about calis and kids would be great to hear! Thanks. I have got seat covers and mats...

Welcome Katie.

Our girls were 5&6 when we got our first Cali. We also have 2 dogs. Used as a daily driver including school runs. When we bought our new T6, the only thing we thought we’d do differently was to buy car seat covers. But we haven’t.....

The first week is always a little: “please be careful”, “who said you could have slime in the car?”, “stop kicking the cupboard door”, but honestly you should be able to live in your Cali. Otherwise it defeats the object of having those special family holidays. Your kids are always going to want to crawl into the upstairs with their friends. Rather that than running around on the road.

Enjoy

 

[sapto]

Hello and welcome

Our son was 2weeks old on his first Cali trip, no he‘s more than one year old and so far: It is only me breaking things/making dents (parking) or broken chair (last autumn).
However the only thing he likes to do (and we do not want that he‘s doing it): he loves to put stones in between the wheels or wheel bolts

Happy camping!

 

[Bobthebus]

Our kids were 6 & 3 when we got the van. They are now 9 & 6. Seat covers are a godsend and I feel much more relaxed with them trudging in and out and when we are eating in the van.

Look out for kids with sun cream on their hands getting it on the paint work. Leaves marks which don't come off easily - there's a thread with advice on it somewhere.

We've left the plastic cover on the mattress in the roof - which rustles a bit when they fidget in the night but offers a bit of protection.

I also get them to lean their bikes up away from the van, after my bike tipped over on its stand on soft ground in the New forest and left a scratch across the rear door (first scratch always the deepest)....

Above all though enjoy it, our kids get immensely excited every time we go away in the van - I'm not sure they would be the same if we didn't have a reasonably relaxed attitude, whilst encouraging them to take care.