Disclaimer - before I go on, the previous owner maybe a member here and i should point out, the van was sold as seen and we both agreed on a fair price which we were both happy with so no hard feelings my end.
Anyway, i'd done the NC500 around Scotland a couple of times camping but at my age it was all getting a bit much putting the tent up and down so thought i'd get myself a Caddy, do it out as a stealth camper how i wanted it and jobs a gud'n
Unfortunately, i set my bar a little too high and late given i'd already committed with my mate to leave on 28th June so started to consider vans that had already been converted so eBay became my new home.
After frantic searching it was apparent that i'd never get exactly what i was looking for so compromised had to be made regarding colour, how i wanted the layout, wheels, spec........pretty much everything really.
Has to be said that eBay is an absolute minefield but anyway, the clock was ticking and i eventually found one which wasn't too bad so contacted the chap and arranged to go see it on May 1st, bank holiday weekend.
It was advertised...
Mileage 49785 - low mileage with comprehensive service history Years MOT - just MOT'ed Just serviced - for piece of mind New injector fitted
I'd already read up on the injector horror stories so didn't know whether i was happy to read that a new injector had been fitted or not but decided to get a lift down the 120 miles off my mate with a Ford Ranger and a towing strap just in case, which as it turns out, i'm glad i did.
After the deal was done, we stopped at a services not far from picking up the van and everything seemed spot on......we gave it a quick once over and decided to press on up the A1 back home.
Then about 40 miles from home doing around 65mph it lost power and the glow plug light on the dash was flashing so pulled over onto the hard shoulder......we both knew immediately it was the injector. FFS but had a good laugh as we both knew it was coming
I did try driving it but it was a Bank Holiday weekend and the traffic was pretty busy and there was no way i was going to keep up so we made the decision to strap it and tow it home, dropped it off at my local garage and went for a couple of pints.
I had to wait until the Tuesday as it was Bank Holiday to have it confirmed that injector No1 (apparently the one that had just been replaced) had failed.
Yeah, i'd read up on all the injector horror stories but still wasn't sure about the fix so after a frantic read up on forums and advice from all angles, i decided, rather than just replace the faulty one, i'd invest in a refurnished set of four (Injector 03L130277B Siemens VW Motor Caya 1.6 Tdi Continental Injector) from Diesel Fixneuss in Germany which turned up super fast so my garage was able to get them fitted right away.
Just as i was starting to relax and think that should see me good for a few miles around Scotland, the phone rang from the garage.............."mate, sorry to tell you but one of these new injectors is dead on arrival" AHHHHHH
Anyway, to give Diesel Fixneuss their due, they had me another sent out within two days from Germany which gave me a little confidence back and the garage got them fitted, coded and calibrated and the van was running perfect.
....anyway, if you got this far then hats off to you but seriously, this was just the beginning and i do need a bit of injector help but just to let you know, we did make Scotland and here's proof
Pics taken last week at Clachan Sands, North Uist, Outer Hebrides
I'll update in the next day or so with a few upgrades i did
