Nemo the Blue Ocean

[Aidy P]

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Today was the big day. Nemo (named by my youngest daughter as it's a blue Ocean) was picked up from VW Van Centre. Easy handover. I'd recommend Mark Wheelright. The van was pristine and the handover was thorough.

DSG gearbox drives very smoothly and the 204 4Motion felt nippy and very planted. Cruise control works easily from the M/F steering wheel. Chalk and cheese compared to my T2!!

Dynaudio upgrade sounds lovely. I like my music so this and the CarPlay toys will keep me entertained. Siri reads out texts and you can speak to Siri and he'll dictate your SMS for you.

Fitted the Sparesafe without a problem. Haven't fitted the bungee yet. The roof folded nicely into itself.

@greenp the 'birthmark' is there. It doesn't look that noticeable. I'm sure that within a few weeks there will be more scuffs, nicks, scratches and stains. The kids have cross country at weekend so it's going to be a mud fest!

Steel wheels have a nice 'pepper pot' design which looks quite retro. Will save the alloys and the standard tyres for the summer.

New dash is nice. It feels more like a luxury car. I like that the A/C can cool the glove box (choccies) and the bottle holder. There's I swivel vent inside both that you can close if you need to.

Heated seats are lovely and we had three zones working on the climate control this afternoon.

Acapulco Blue looks lovely. Photo doesn't do it justice.

The rear seems very similar to my friends T5. Light carpets will be a pain as we have a black dog. Hey ho.

Parking heater works a treat. Tried it on number two and I could have sat in shorts & a T-shirt!

Laminate glass pack with the private tint included is dark enough for me. But then it was a cloudy day today.

I like the little LED torch that fits into the cigarette lighter socket.

The voice speaker system through the speak worked ok. The kids could hear me in the back when the music was on.

Still lots to figure out. Time to have an early night with the manuals I think!!

Thanks to everyone on this forum for the help and advice over the last six months. I've got some big trips to look forward to including the Alps in a few weeks time, the Hebrides in May, Glastobury in June and Northern Spain in July. So many people have given me tips. Thank you

Now the fun can begin. Here's to the memories!!

All the best

Aidy P & Nemo

 

[Geezso]

Looking fantastic. I would recommend QTM Mats, vip discount, for mats, very good quality in a myriad of choices.

 

[Hotel California]

Seems lots are taking recive of their long awaited T6 .....
....don't like saying it but do feel a bit jealous.
Good times ahead!

 

[Yorkdubshire]

View media item 824
Today was the big day. Nemo (named by my youngest daughter as it's a blue Ocean) was picked up from VW Van Centre. Easy handover. I'd recommend Mark Wheelright. The van was pristine and the handover was thorough.

DSG gearbox drives very smoothly and the 204 4Motion felt nippy and very planted. Cruise control works easily from the M/F steering wheel. Chalk and cheese compared to my T2!!

Dynaudio upgrade sounds lovely. I like my music so this and the CarPlay toys will keep me entertained. Siri reads out texts and you can speak to Siri and he'll dictate your SMS for you.

Fitted the Sparesafe without a problem. Haven't fitted the bungee yet. The roof folded nicely into itself.

@greenp the 'birthmark' is there. It doesn't look that noticeable. I'm sure that within a few weeks there will be more scuffs, nicks, scratches and stains. The kids have cross country at weekend so it's going to be a mud fest!

Steel wheels have a nice 'pepper pot' design which looks quite retro. Will save the alloys and the standard tyres for the summer.

New dash is nice. It feels more like a luxury car. I like that the A/C can cool the glove box (choccies) and the bottle holder. There's I swivel vent inside both that you can close if you need to.

Heated seats are lovely and we had three zones working on the climate control this afternoon.

Acapulco Blue looks lovely. Photo doesn't do it justice.

The rear seems very similar to my friends T5. Light carpets will be a pain as we have a black dog. Hey ho.

Parking heater works a treat. Tried it on number two and I could have sat in shorts & a T-shirt!

Laminate glass pack with the private tint included is dark enough for me. But then it was a cloudy day today.

I like the little LED torch that fits into the cigarette lighter socket.

The voice speaker system through the speak worked ok. The kids could hear me in the back when the music was on.

Still lots to figure out. Time to have an early night with the manuals I think!!

Thanks to everyone on this forum for the help and advice over the last six months. I've got some big trips to look forward to including the Alps in a few weeks time, the Hebrides in May, Glastobury in June and Northern Spain in July. So many people have given me tips. Thank you

Now the fun can begin. Here's to the memories!!

All the best

Aidy P & Nemo

Nice one Aidy P, looks ace, no shortage of optional extras either . Agreed about Mark he's very efficient and an easy bloke to get on with!
Will look forward to hear about your adventures in him!

 

[AlisonF]

Aidy
Pleased it went so well.
I'm a bit of a techno phobe so you are inspiring me to go talk to Siri. No idea where to start... !
I've had neighbours on the drive most of the afternoon and several more queueing up.
It's nothing to do with keeping it clean, but the dogs haven't even been in their new expensive kennel on wheels yet - I haven't had time. So much to look at, play with, admire...
If you have any other feedback from the checklist let me know. Sounds like your guys were on the ball. I still have a few questions for mine
Alison

 

[snowy55]

VW Van Centre. Easy handover. I'd recommend Mark Wheelright.

Your Cali looks great, love the steel wheels.
Which van centre did you get Nemo from?

 

[Aidy P]

Aidy
Pleased it went so well.
I'm a bit of a techno phobe so you are inspiring me to go talk to Siri. No idea where to start... !
I've had neighbours on the drive most of the afternoon and several more queueing up.
It's nothing to do with keeping it clean, but the dogs haven't even been in their new expensive kennel on wheels yet - I haven't had time. So much to look at, play with, admire...
If you have any other feedback from the checklist let me know. Sounds like your guys were on the ball. I still have a few questions for mine
Alison

To use CarPlay you need to plug your iPhone in. On the media system, press menu and then select CarPlay. It should connect and then you can access your phone through the touch screen and voice commands. Going to read the manual tonight though.

The checklist was useful to run through at the end of the handover to make sure everything had been covered. It had. Dog gets to go in it on Saturday when we have our first trip away in it. Should be fun. I've got to get over the fact that after today it's going to look and smell...used! The nice new smell won't last

@snowy55 it was the VW Van Centre West Yorkshire. They have a separate California showroom at Birstall. The web link is here. It's Mark Wheelright you need https://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/van-centres/volkswagen-van-centre-(west-yorkshire)

The steels were a nice surprise. I've bought winter tyres for an imminent Alps trip and thought I'd be less worried about salt and scratches if I need to use chains. The pepper pot style is quite retro. Alloys will be saved for better weather

 

[Aidy P]

Seems lots are taking recive of their long awaited T6 .....
....don't like saying it but do feel a bit jealous.
Good times ahead!

That's what it's all about @hotel california

Funny enough I thought about you and this forum when I played my new 'Nemo Playlist"...the first song on it was The Eagles!

 

[Hotel California]

That's what it's all about @hotel california

Funny enough I thought about you and this forum when I played my new 'Nemo Playlist"...the first song on it was The Eagles!

Been loving that song for ages, before i even had a California

 

[Aidy P]

View media item 829
Day 2 ... time to test the winters & 4Motion

 

[Aidy P]

Just driven through 3" of wet, slippy snow on the hills and I have to say I'm impressed. Excellent grip. Lots of kids didn't get into school today...ours did!

Parking heater didn't clear the snow from the windscreen so I used the heated screen. Sorted.

 

[Tommy Gun]

Looks very smart Aidy.
Must admit, I'm enjoying all these pictures from folk with their new vans.
Cheers

 

[Nick S]

Looks very smart Aidy.
Must admit, I'm enjoying all these pictures from folk with their new vans.
Cheers

Looks great Aidy. Good for you to try out the 4 motion so early. We haven't got any snow down here. (Yet) enjoy!!

 

[Aidy P]

First long drive in Nemo...Overnight round trip from the Dales to London with wife, two kids and dog. All I can say is wow. The van drives like a dream. Today we drove 220 miles non stop as the A1 was clear. Felt very comfortable. Cruise control works well. You can flick it up and down in 5mph increments which helps when there's traffic. DSG was fantastic. No lag whatsoever

Dynaudio linked with CarPlay provided a great soundtrack for the journey. Intuitive controls and an interesting proximity sensor changes the screen when your hand reaches for it.

Satnav worked well. Easy to add POI's on the way (McDonalds)

I'd loaded the cupboards with pans, plates etc and couldn't hear any rattles. The suspension ironed out the bumps.

MPG was around 31 which wasn't bad for a new engine that's running in. It'll be interesting to see how that settles out over time.

Auto dimming mirrors and rain sensor worked as expected.

Glove box and bottle holder chills even when A/C was set at 21-23'C

All in all a very happy camper so far (though first camping trip is next weekend!)

 

[Astronomy]

Looking fantastic. I would recommend QTM Mats, vip discount, for mats, very good quality in a myriad of choices.

Just checked them out and agree , looks like quality bits of kit. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Geezso]

Just checked them out and agree , looks like quality bits of kit. Thanks for the tip.

Mine came and they are fantastic. I ordered up step mats too in matching colours as unfortunately the ones offered by the club at the minute are black only

 

[Aidy P]

First cup of tea in Nemo (with Robin Hoods Bay in the background)

 

[T6 CFO]

Nice kettle You need a biscuit


Mike

 

[Aidy P]

First time camping in new van at Robin Hoods Bay last night. First on the beach this morning. Quick blast over to Runswick Bay this afternoon. Fossils, rock pools and fish & chips. Daughter on the way home...'Daddy this was the best day of my life'.

That alone has justified the cost of the new van

A few points I've learnt...

1. The heater doesn't noticeably heat upstairs but works a treat when you flick the button from the top bunk before getting up. Good job we had warm sleeping bags. It was probably 2-4'c last night. Going to take a roof cover when I go to the Alps in a few weeks. There is a ventilation vent in the roof canopy that you can't close which gets a bit draughty.
2. VW have provided an internal colour scheme that doesn't work well with Yorkshire mud. Need carpet mats and maybe seat covers.
3. Too much Milton when cleaning the water tank ruins 'Yorkshire Tea'. Even after rinsing it out several times I can still taste it
4. LED lights in the roof are plenty bright enough to read by. Not sure why the woman in the VW advert uses a gas light? Perhaps she hadn't worked out that if you hold the button, they go brighter.
5. Fridge setting #4 seemed the correct one for keeping everything chilled.

Time to start planning the next bigger trip

 

[Aidy P]

Nice kettle You need a biscuit


Mike

Shhhh we had several

 

[2haw]

'Daddy this was the best day of my life'.

Fantastic.

Ive had serious reservations over the last few weeks about this van over the last few weeks and if I hear that from one of my 3 kids I will be well chuffed!

 

[Borris]

'Daddy this was the best day of my life'.

Fantastic.

Ive had serious reservations over the last few weeks about this van over the last few weeks and if I hear that from one of my 3 kids I will be well chuffed!

I think that the serious reservations are all part of the buying experience.

Before getting your pride and joy you will probably waver between thinking that you are stark raving bonkers spending that much on a vehicle to un contained excitement at the forthcoming arrival of your gorgeous new camper van. However, if you are anything like me, all of that doubt disappears the moment you take delivery and all you are left with is a grin like a Cheshire cat.

Kids don't have to suffer this torture, they just think that a Cali is a superb mobile wendy house and adventure playground which of course it is!

 

[Aidy P]

Thanks @comfortz for 'roofless' roof cover. Went for this one so that I can use my roof rails if needed. Managed a dry trial run before the trip to the Alps in a couple of weeks. Easy enough to install by myself though I'm 6'1". Not quite sure how I'll attach the over the roof straps (for when windy) without a ladder when we're camping. Looks very good quality. Packs into a nice bag.

 

[Borris]

Thanks @comfortz for 'roofless' roof cover. Went for this one so that I can use my roof rails if needed. Managed a dry trial run before the trip to the Alps in a couple of weeks. Easy enough to install by myself though I'm 6'1". Not quite sure how I'll attach the over the roof straps (for when windy) without a ladder when we're camping. Looks very good quality. Packs into a nice bag.

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Hello Aidy P,
Could you please move your Cali out of the way, it's blocking that gorgeous view.
Lovely van by the way!

 

[Rhyddin]

I put the challenge to my kids of naming our forthcoming Acapulco Blue Beach, using yours as an example of the kind of name we're looking for (this was after they suggested 'Bob' and 'Dave', which I didn't fancy).

Anyway, you inspired them with the Nemo theme and it's looking like Dory will be the name of our Cali, when she arrives! The colour similarity is just too much to ignore - might need to get yellow wing mirrors!