What have you bought for your Cali today :-)

Elly Swanson · Feb 28, 2022

Elly Swanson said:
Some places do ask to see the book and the book now has a one-use code to access the new app, which is great. It’s £30 inc postage. We’ve bought the book the last 6 years and every year had great value for the money. Although you have to buy the book to access the app it will be good to have the book in the van for when we’re out in the sticks and can’t get internet access. There’s a handy Britstops user group on Facebook where people leave reviews based on the books code numbers, so you can get an idea what a place is like.

You can stay at a Britstops with no obligation to buy or purchase goods/services. We usually do but it’s not always appropriate (like a stove showroom we’ve stayed at) or convenient (like the pub we couldn’t get to before they closed due to bad traffic and weather). A lot of the pubs let non-britstoppers stay on the condition that they eat in the pub, but there are plenty of other places that only let Britstoppers stay. The book does include some “airres“ that are car parks where you pay, but the costs are clearly listed.

During COVID it was advisable to phone ahead but in the new book many are going back to not requiring that, so you can take your chance and just rock up. You do have to be flexible though as even if you’ve phoned, you’ve not booked a “pitch“ so you might need a plan B. We’ve found though that if a place is busy during business hours, after closing time you can just move in to the car park to get your head down In a safe place.

You have to remember that you’re not camping so no chairs, tables or awnings out, no external cooking or other camping activities, but you can pop your top up. Not many have overnight loos, so make sure you have one onboard.

Some places are just convenient stopovers, but plenty are destinations in their own right either for the food, goods, services or location.

As a scheme it’s well run and the organisers sort out issues pretty Swiftly.

We’ve just got our new book so I’m already planning our pre-festival stopovers and thinking of doing a bit of a Britstops tour. Then they’ll be the off-spec sleepovers in the Peak District at the end of the week if we want to get out in the fresh air and don’t fancy travelling too far, cooking dinner, or having to drive home straight after.

I did wonder when we first started if it was all going to be a bit clicky, with the book being like a funny handshake and everybody wanting to be your bessie mate, but that’s not been the case. For us it’s been great and we’ve been to places where we wouldn’t previously have thought of.

Just rang to book a table at our first Britstops of the year and they said, ”just pop in with your book to say hi when you arrive”.

GrumpyGranddad · Feb 28, 2022

subthree said:
I have just disabled the annoying bing! Literally took 10 minutes, and I have never done any mods like that before.

Thanks to Grumpy Grandad about the subscription reminder, I have cancelled it already. The California Time video was the reason for doing it, awesome.

I’ve left the ‘bing’ - never found it annoying

Have used the Carista to run reports and to ‘force’ a DPF Regeneration - just to try it out. Worked fine.

couplands · Feb 28, 2022

subthree said:
After watching the very useful California Time video on how to turn off the 6.1's annoying beep, a Carista has just arrived. On offer for £18.75 at the moment.

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If you purchase using the offer, when can you start the 1 month trial..? Is it as soon as you get it or at some time in the future…? We are still waiting for our Cali.

subthree · Feb 28, 2022

couplands said:
If you purchase using the offer, when can you start the 1 month trial..? Is it as soon as you get it or at some time in the future…? We are still waiting for our Cali.

The one month free offer was when you take out a 12 month subscription - no code in the packaging with the Carista. For me this subscription was via my Google account. As soon as I had changed the settings I cancelled my subscription. Easy peasy.

Trudi · Mar 1, 2022

Treated Gus the Bus to a ceramic coating. Hopefully this will help me to remain lazy and not need to wash it quite so often to keep it shinny

Scoobz1 · Mar 1, 2022

Trudi said:
Treated Gus the Bus to a ceramic coating. Hopefully this will help me to remain lazy and not need to wash it quite so often to keep it shinny

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If you don't mind me asking exactly what is it you had done and how much did it cost - looks a great job !

Trudi · Mar 1, 2022

Scoobz1 said:
If you don't mind me asking exactly what is it you had done and how much did it cost - looks a great job !

It's called a ceramic coating.
My van is 6 months old and I've only jet washed it, never used a cloth so it was easy to do.
It's like a top coat of clear lacquer that protects the paint. But also means dirt shouldn't stick to it easily.
If your van has any paint imperfections, the person doing it should polish the paint 1st, correct the paint work then add the ceramic coating.
Price can vary depending on your paintwork condition. Mine was in very good condition so was £350. Should last 2 years aslong as I wash it correctly.
This is a side shot from when I picked it up.

BeagleMum · Mar 1, 2022

Trudi said:
It's called a ceramic coating.
My van is 6 months old and I've only jet washed it, never used a cloth so it was easy to do.
It's like a top coat of clear lacquer that protects the paint. But also means dirt shouldn't stick to it easily.
If your van has any paint imperfections, the person doing it should polish the paint 1st, correct the paint work then add the ceramic coating.
Price can vary depending on your paintwork condition. Mine was in very good condition so was £350. Should last 2 years aslong as I wash it correctly.
This is a side shot from when I picked it up.

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Seems a reasonable price, looks a good job.
How long do they need the van for?

Loz2286 · Mar 1, 2022

GrumpyGranddad said:
If you buy a 1-month subscription don’t forget to cancel it otherwise they’ll take your money every month.

Don't forget you can use Carista on a number of motors. I look after the family fleet with mine. Useful for hidden extras on older models.

CamperFam · Mar 1, 2022

200W Solar Panels from Solar Camper Solutions; black framed to ensure they're as blended with the black Cali as much as possible.

Next week, aftermarket tint to go alongside the factory tint.

Trudi · Mar 1, 2022

BeagleMum said:
Seems a reasonable price, looks a good job.
How long do they need the van for?

He kept it for 24 hrs. But no washing it for at least 7 days

GrumpyGranddad · Mar 1, 2022

Trudi said:
He kept it for 24 hrs. But no washing it for at least 7 days

Why no washing it for 7 days? Is rain a problem?

CamperFam · Mar 1, 2022

GrumpyGranddad said:
Why no washing it for 7 days? Is rain a problem?

Curing time. Ideally shouldnt get wet, but isn't a problem. Excessive friction/pressure however isn't ideal.

It's only a couple of microns that it adds; but it's harder than lacquer meaning that light swirl marks are a little harder to get. It still wont save the paint being scratched though from anything that would normally scratch it to be fair.

Trudi · Mar 1, 2022

CamperFam said:
Curing time. Ideally shouldnt get wet, but isn't a problem. Excessive friction/pressure however isn't ideal.

It's only a couple of microns that it adds; but it's harder than lacquer meaning that light swirl marks are a little harder to get. It still wont save the paint being scratched though from anything that would normally scratch it to be fair.

Correct. But I'm very lazy in washing any car so hopefully I can concentrate on travelling and not be embarrassed by my dirty van

IainB · Mar 2, 2022

Finally got our new wheels on the Cali. Immediately noticed the difference compared to the 17" Davenports, the 18" wheels with lower profile slightly wider tyres improve the handing no end, less body roll and more positive when cornering.

GrumpyGranddad · Mar 2, 2022

Collapsible washing up bowl (for carrying dirty dishes to on site facilities). £5.99 on Amazon. Found our bucket to be too small.

The Blue Merle · Mar 2, 2022

IainB said:
Finally got our new wheels on the Cali. Immediately noticed the difference compared to the 17" Davenports, the 18" wheels with lower profile slightly wider tyres improve the handing no end, less body roll and more positive when cornering.

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Nice wheels you just need some black caps on them wheel bolts to finish it off. VW ones are about £3 each though!