I HAVE NOTHING NOW!!! What happens when you roll your camper van?
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- I recently had an accident with my camper van while exploring outback Australia. Wet and treacherous roads resulted in the van coming to grief in a hidden washout and rolling over. Unfortunately my much loved pod camper was considered a total loss by the insurance company leaving me with nothing to go overlanding with. I this video I discuss the action I have taken to get back on the road as soon as I can. I also give an update on my Ineos Grenadier 4x4 .
Hi John,
Just wanted to let you know that I am enjoying every single post you put up. (I’ve only just discovered your videos, sorry bout that) I ordered my Grenadier 2 years ago and only picked it up two weeks ago, and like you, I love it! And that's coming from someone who has never owned 4WD in their life. I'm 59, live in Sydney’s inner west and decided to reward myself with a vehicle that is different. I have never done any 4-wheel driving however I intend on doing so with my wife in the near future. Soaking up every bit of advice along the way. Your calm candid way of explaining everything you like and dislike about the vehicle is refreshing. There are countless vids out there (so many haters) but I find yours the most informative. So, thanks again and keep it going. I’ll keep watching. Cheers, Nando.
Thanks Nando I appreciate that Loverly comment. Make sure you include a trip to Queensland there is so much to see and do up here with a Grenadier. Love to hear from you if you are up the Sunshine Coast way.
Johm
Greetings from the UK, keep up the videos as I really enjoy the real life findings, Grenadier is definitely on my shopping list hopefully later this year!
Thank you. Glad you enjoy them and keep that shopping list close at hand. You will love the Grenadier. John
Hi John, good luck with the Cub camper, I’ll be interested to see how you go with it. Great to hear that the Grenadier is running well again, hopefully they are sorting the things you are reporting back to them. Keep up the content.
They seem to be taking note of m comments and have been in touch with me. I really think they have a huge task launching the Grenadier in o many countries and are do a pretty good job of it. I'll be taking the Cub to Fraser Island in May and will be able to report back on what I think of it then. thanks for watching, John
Thanks for the Updates on the Camper and Grenadier.
Thank you Ill let you know how it goes on Fraser Island in May, thanks for watching, John
Nice to have you back John. Safe travels
Thanks Kevin. Cheers John
I bought a Cub Scout a couple of years ago, same as the Frontier body wise, but without the heavier chassis and trailing arm suspension. It is absolutely brilliant, tows fantastic, easy to set up, great off the black top and can't fault it.
I have a Grenadier been down in France on snow and we have done 13000 m so far one small soft where up date and on sticking door handle that was rectified when the car was serviced .I am relay pleased with her great of f nice to cruise .i love it .Great to see john loving his to .she is a Quirky vehicle ,its a great .
Love to be driving mine in France, was there only about 15 months ago. That are great vehicles and I love mine also, thanks for watching, John
Well done on your recovery
Mant thanks for your comment, John
Great news on the Grenadier John!
Thanks so much, Cheers John
G'day John ,hopeing the Grenadier's niggles are behind you . Cub make a good strong product, we had a Aussie Swag for many years the only issues with this type of camper is wet duey canvas on packup the mattress needs protection from moisture. Safe travels.
Thanks for that it's a really good point that I hadn't thought of. My wife read your comment and has mentioned the issues to me about 10 times🥴. Maybe it's worth carrying some sort of waterproof sheet to put over the mattress in those circumstance... what do you think? Cheers John
@@cannyoutdoors hi John ,that is what we used to do, and pack up all the other camping items and give max time to dry, you would amazed an hour make a big difference. Air really well when you arrive home to prevent mould. Safe travels John.
Probably been mentioned but I'll say it anyway. Your last camper had a very high centre of gravity hich probably played a part in the rollover. Your new one will be an improvement on that so if it were me I would be feeling safer straight off. Great series.
Thank you , wise comments. I think we will enjoy the new one, thanks for watching, John
John, change the video title 😂 you nearly gave us a heart attack! Glad to see you’re still happily motoring
Hi John, I’m like you a 1st edition / early adopter of the grenadier. I’ve also had front door seals replaced. You need to push your dealer about the software updates as I’ve had mine done back in December . They’ll need your spare key and the car for a morning . I gotta tell you it’s a 100% fix gif all the gremlins ! I also followed a german dealers instructions on RUclips on how to turn on the passenger airbag light. (Just above rear view mirror ) so all good in UK grenadier land . Also attending a big meet up 5th May in south east , like you looking forward to seeing like minded folk .
To me the car just gets better and better with ever improving fuel economy .
I bet you don’t even think about , turning circle , vague! Steering or lump in the floor anymore .
To many people out to knock the car and all those comments come from testers or tyre kickers , Sir Jim is no fool and those three concerns are bullshit. It’s the only car I’ve owned that already after 9 months I’m thinking this thing could drive me to my grave .
PS, I’m only 60 so hoping that’s 25+ years away . My Grenadiers going nowhere, it’s a keeper . I love it !
Good luck with your new camper set up.
Don’t forget to speak with your dealer re: software updates , it works 100%
Thank you for your interesting comment. I think we are very like minded. Re the three issues you mention; yep steering circle is large...so what we are not driving a mini minor! I just accept that's what it is and allow for it. Vague steering... I don't find this is an issue at all I think the steering is just fine. And the foot well... don't notice it and I have done 22,000+kms. So we agree!!
I certainly also agree I just want to keep this car forever. I love just sitting in it let alone driving it, I think it is fantastic vehicle and like you it gets better every time I drive it.. I will get the updated done soon, just waiting for my spare key to arrive. You have tweeted my interest on the airbag light?? Cheers John
@@cannyoutdoors found this works:-
Stationary, in Park, handbrake on, engine running, no foot on the brake pedal, settings - vehicle functions, Passenger Air Bag - adjust slider bar on or off to suit, confirmation message on central screen "hold foot on brake pedal for 3 seconds", and voila.
Sorry to hear about your camper, always a very stressful time when something like this happens.
I'm sure you will like the Cub forward camper, did look at one myself a few years ago, but a little out of my price range. So, went for one of those Chinese made ones an MDC highside and boy it,s been great, very little problems. On one of my trips GRR, Mitchell Falls, Kalumburu, Kununurra and back home, only 2 loose bolts, did a fantastic job. The owner of a Cub camper I bumped into a few times had a few more problems, but still did very well.
So, do not write off the Chinese made campers, they are very well made. Just purchased a 13 foot hybrid caravan from the Perth caravan and camping show, looks very well built and they come with anything you need, so never discount these vans, have a great trip.
Knocking Chinese made per se seems to miss the real metric. I'm sure there's Oz made rubbish out there as well. After all, the Grenadier is fantastic and has more than a few Chinese parts in it.
@@stevegreen101agree, I did like many people years ago, it's made in China, do not touch it. Well, have things have changed, China does make a lot of well made products and getting better all the time. The buying public got to get use to buying Chinese made products, they just about make everything.
Thanks for your comment, I am not knocking the Chinese made campers ( or any other imports) for the quality . I know that quality can vary regardless of where it is manufactured including Australia. MDC for example make a really good product from what I know. I choose to try and buy Australian if I can simply to support Aussie manufacturing and businesses. Geeze I can still remember when I could buy undies made in Australia by Bonds. I certainly have lots of Chinese products like iPhone, fridge, washing machine TV etc...all good stuff. Cheers John
Please don't use click bait titles: insurance pay out is something Other than that thanks for sharing. Cheers
Take your point and appreciate your comment, Cheers John
did you also get the "module" or whatever it was that caused the diff lock and winch problems?
Yes that was replaced (well they fixed whatever it was) and I have had no further problems, thanks for watching, John
Putting on one side (no pun intended) the background causes of the rollover, ending up with the caravan having a 15mm lozenge is remarkable instead of it being the expected pile of matchwood. You'd think the manufacturer would be treating this as a let's subsise a no costs barred repair. A bit like Qantas's famed Bangkok "heavy landing" incident repair to avoid declaring a hull loss. AND the swivelling towing coupling was another coup in protecting the tow car. Main thing is people emerged here wiser, not wounded.
I agree, I think the van did exceptionally well as just showed the strength of those little units. Many claim those Criusemaster hitches are the best you can get and I would have to say I won't be towing anything that doesn't have a DO35 Cruismaster hitch on it, thanks for watching, John
Good choice I do like the forward fold camper they just work enjoy
Thanks I am pretty sure it will suit us nicely, thanks for watching, John
Hi John what happened with the steering rack??hope you enjoy the cub
Well they fixed it, not sure what they did though they were a little vague about that! I'll let you know how I go with the Cub on Fraser Island in May. thanks for watching, John
Lovely Ep and chat,
Thanks Craig, John
And the power steering tow away incident ?
All sorted no problem now. Not really sure what they did though 🤔. Cheers John
Back in the day you could drive a hk Holden around Australia and have less problems than what your having .I'll stay with vehicles with a lot less technology that way I know I'll get home with out constantly worrying if I have to call a tow truck 😆.
It appears you're driving down the M1 southbound. What's it like to drive for extended freeway distance, steering wise and also the left foot hump? I've done 1 test drive, and the left foot hump didn't bother me, but I didn't do any extended freeway drive. Steering felt ok at 110kph.
I think people who areggettind their knickers in a twist about the hump in the floor are just trying to find something to whinge about , I dont even notice it . If there is anything to cmplain about it would be the lack of an arm rest in the middle , especially after having arm rests in my previous land rover , I am sure recaro would manafacture seats with that option . Other than that I am very pleased with mine, yet to do a trip with the camper but have towed a load of hay between 2 and 2 1/2 ton ,I could hardley tell it was there . I am in the process of rewiring my camper to suit the IG electrics and wiring the IG for electric brakes and dc dc battery charger ,it is a bit involved but not impossible , for trailers I use an adaptor
I agree, the foot hump/rest is not an issue, i spent 24 hours in one 3 day weekend behind the wheel of a Grenadier and found it really comfortable @aussiebattler7789
Yes Mike, I have done 22k in now and don't even think about it. Cheers John
I agree, not an issue. Do you have the centre console? The electrics are a bit complicated but I had a lot of fun figuring it all out. Cheers John
@cannyoutdoors yes, I have the console. I don't have any issues with the electronics though 🙂
Well done 👍
Thanks Simon, thanks for watching, John
How is your left leg? 😀
I had it shortened to suit the Grenadier😂😂😂. I don't find it to be an issue, thanks for watching, John
Anyone who claimed to cancel their order over a RUclips video of Facebook post never had one on order anyways. It’s a way to hype the vehicle they drive without ever mentioning what they drive.
Not a few problems
Does that car keep barking at you? That would drive me round the bend.
If u go over speed limit, the car beeps at u.
It’s now a compulsory requirement of cars made in Europe
I don’t think u can turn it off completely ?
🤷🏻♂️
Why would you use the limiter for speed and not the cruise control?
Good point, I generally use the cruise control but I have the speed limiter set to reminding me on those occasions when I am not, thanks for watching, John
John, how did you crack the alloy wheel?
Well that's an interesting one. I went over a loose rock probably about football size and it jammed up under the guard. The tyre was at about 22lbs and appeared undamaged . So the rock must have compressed the tyre enough to go through to the rim and basically push through it. I know seems extraordinary but that it as far as I can work out. Cheers John
Good one, enjoy.
Thanks David, John
Not cancelling ours. But we do have a fake Ozzie caravan, mdc 😂
Glad to hear it, and I am sure you will enjoy your MDC van also, thanks for watching, John
Your Grenadier is made in France with German parts and English designers with Indian back staff and Japanese electronics not forgetting the sweat from African miners that mines the iron ore for your noisy cabin!
Thats the world we live!! John
Keep up the videos and more importantly keep enjoying your Grenadier.
Whether an Ineos Grenadier is the right vehicle or not, is at this stage a matter of affordability. As a first model from a new manufacturer there are bound to be issues so many nervous nelly's out there. Personally I could not afford to take the risk with that sort of outlay, if the vehicle isn't a hit in general the resale price will be abysmal. If I was in a different financial position I would be all over one, with over 50 years of 4X4ing I think they are the ducks nuts when it comes to off-roading. Albeit they need bigger fuel capacity, better ground clearance (on that what monkey put that steering damper down there?) and a few other tweaks, like software & footwell types of stuff.
Remind yourself every time you read comments that not everyone is having a go at you, some like myself say things that can be construed as negative but it's actually meant to help you not just some serial troll trying to give you the runs.
Thanks you I do appreciate your comment. It is always good to hear differing opinions and I am always thankful that people are prepared to take the time to watch and comment, even when they may disagree with what In have said or done.
Cheers, John
There are a lot of comments on ground clearance. The standard trialmaster livery will get you up medium and some hard rated tracks in Victoria. If your main objective is overlanding, you should be fine with the car as delivered from the factory. Long distance comfort is great. I’ve just completed 900km in a day with only a 40 minute break to refuel and have some lunch and felt fine when I arrived home. For reference I’m 6’1”.
HI Pete, I spent a lot of time on tracks in Victoria in 4x4 firetrucks and Utes around Toolangi and the like so I agree with your comment on some of those Victorian trails. These days I am mainly overlanding and Queensland is a lot flatter. I have also done some big days in the Grenadier and find it great...but Im only5'10".
Cheers John
the lower height might not flip as easy. I think you having probably a lot of mechanical knowledge goes a long ways to help you with the Grenadier
Yes , I am still surprised at how it managed it. I would think the low profile of the cub would be less likely to flip, let's hope so! thanks for watching, John
Series one. All ways has problems or not correct.
You seem happy with the off road capably.
When in the scrub were it belongs.
Yes going in early may have some disadvantages as they sort out a few bugs but I have had the pleasure of this vehicle since June last year ( and the price has gone up a bit🙂) thanks for watching, John