O
OxCal
VIP Member
- Messages
- 74
- Location
- Oxford
Dear All
Well, after a long wait, it finally arrived last Friday - our new Cali! It was delivered to our home for practical reasons, by someone who confessed not to be an expert. When he pointed at the long white tube on the side, and, by way of handover, said 'This is your awning' I knew the manual was going to be the way to go.
However - we are very pleased with it - it is LOVELY (dark grey with lots of bits and pieces). And, equipped with the Forum's handover checklist (which impressed the delivery guy no end!) I quickly established we received what we had paid for. By the way, I do agree with you all that a black awning would have looked better on the grey Cali - but it came in silver which the Camping Pack, so that is how it had to be...and I'll get used to it!
I am slightly puzzled by three things though, and wondered if anyone else can comment:
- Seeing that we ordered the van with the rear bench only and no fifth seat, I am surprised that we have three floor rails rather than the two I expected. I thought they put the third rail in only if a 5th seat is ordered at point of manufacture? I am not too worried, as it will give added flexibility should we ever sell. But have they now decided it is just easier to make them all with three rails straight from the start?
- We ordered a 'fixed' tow-bar because the fixed one was cheaper than the removable. However, we received a removable one (great!) - but it does not look like either of the ones in the current brochure. The look is in fact exactly like the fixed tow bar - but the mechanism matches the removable. Again - is this a change in spec (which is not even in the brochure yet)? Or, I am starting to wonder, was our Cali in fact made for someone else (we got it MUCH more quickly than we were led to expect, and, bearing in mind my first point, above) - and perhaps the spec was close enough for them to match it up with our order?
- Thirdly, the front window 'blinds' were a surprise too. I expected the pop out ones (which I have seen discussed here in the Forum - and a lot of you don't seem to be huge fans of them) - but we got 'curtain material' ones with magnetic strip edges - they are neat for the two front side windows, but the front one is very clumsy - it has a velcro strap to go around the front mirror and 'self fabric pockets' to stretch over the sunvisor panels on either side of the front window. The bottom sections just hangs loose and is meant to tuck into towards the bottom front of the window (but does not really stay there and looks baggy and messy and a little old fashioned to me). The fabric on all three pieces is not 'blackout' which is perhaps the most disappointing bit... Is this what everyone else is receiving now as well and does anyone know when this changed? I had not seen anyone mentioning it here.
Finally - and this is not a question but an update for anyone who is interested: having read much about ladders (and having felt the need for one after we hired 'to try before we buy' earlier this year) - I am feeling very proud of my 'invention' of a hanging trapeze style 'ladder' which suspends from the upper bunk metal frame - and can stay in place when you close the roof as it tucks neatly in front of the mattress (as its construction is very light and minimal). I have also attached straps to help me 'pull up' into the roof space (which can stay in the space between the wooden slats when closing the roof). If anyone would like to know more let me know - and someone may of course have already done this in which case I can only claim to have 'invented' it in terms of honestly not having read about it before!! No space/storage or cost implications - so all in all a very neat solution: you step on a front seat, then on the trapeze bar, and off you go! My prototype is made from the double looped nylon stirrup straps we forgot to include when we sold our son's 'LittleLife' Baby-Carrier, combined with a cut-off length of a stainless steel curtain pole (enclosed with a length of plumbing insulation for comfort!).
I hope someone can advise re my three queries - thank you all in advance!
Well, after a long wait, it finally arrived last Friday - our new Cali! It was delivered to our home for practical reasons, by someone who confessed not to be an expert. When he pointed at the long white tube on the side, and, by way of handover, said 'This is your awning' I knew the manual was going to be the way to go.
However - we are very pleased with it - it is LOVELY (dark grey with lots of bits and pieces). And, equipped with the Forum's handover checklist (which impressed the delivery guy no end!) I quickly established we received what we had paid for. By the way, I do agree with you all that a black awning would have looked better on the grey Cali - but it came in silver which the Camping Pack, so that is how it had to be...and I'll get used to it!
I am slightly puzzled by three things though, and wondered if anyone else can comment:
- Seeing that we ordered the van with the rear bench only and no fifth seat, I am surprised that we have three floor rails rather than the two I expected. I thought they put the third rail in only if a 5th seat is ordered at point of manufacture? I am not too worried, as it will give added flexibility should we ever sell. But have they now decided it is just easier to make them all with three rails straight from the start?
- We ordered a 'fixed' tow-bar because the fixed one was cheaper than the removable. However, we received a removable one (great!) - but it does not look like either of the ones in the current brochure. The look is in fact exactly like the fixed tow bar - but the mechanism matches the removable. Again - is this a change in spec (which is not even in the brochure yet)? Or, I am starting to wonder, was our Cali in fact made for someone else (we got it MUCH more quickly than we were led to expect, and, bearing in mind my first point, above) - and perhaps the spec was close enough for them to match it up with our order?
- Thirdly, the front window 'blinds' were a surprise too. I expected the pop out ones (which I have seen discussed here in the Forum - and a lot of you don't seem to be huge fans of them) - but we got 'curtain material' ones with magnetic strip edges - they are neat for the two front side windows, but the front one is very clumsy - it has a velcro strap to go around the front mirror and 'self fabric pockets' to stretch over the sunvisor panels on either side of the front window. The bottom sections just hangs loose and is meant to tuck into towards the bottom front of the window (but does not really stay there and looks baggy and messy and a little old fashioned to me). The fabric on all three pieces is not 'blackout' which is perhaps the most disappointing bit... Is this what everyone else is receiving now as well and does anyone know when this changed? I had not seen anyone mentioning it here.
Finally - and this is not a question but an update for anyone who is interested: having read much about ladders (and having felt the need for one after we hired 'to try before we buy' earlier this year) - I am feeling very proud of my 'invention' of a hanging trapeze style 'ladder' which suspends from the upper bunk metal frame - and can stay in place when you close the roof as it tucks neatly in front of the mattress (as its construction is very light and minimal). I have also attached straps to help me 'pull up' into the roof space (which can stay in the space between the wooden slats when closing the roof). If anyone would like to know more let me know - and someone may of course have already done this in which case I can only claim to have 'invented' it in terms of honestly not having read about it before!! No space/storage or cost implications - so all in all a very neat solution: you step on a front seat, then on the trapeze bar, and off you go! My prototype is made from the double looped nylon stirrup straps we forgot to include when we sold our son's 'LittleLife' Baby-Carrier, combined with a cut-off length of a stainless steel curtain pole (enclosed with a length of plumbing insulation for comfort!).
I hope someone can advise re my three queries - thank you all in advance!
