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Drop the awning or diesel heater?

Which option would you go for on gc600 order

  • Awning

    Votes: 4 14.3%

  • Diesel heating and several other options

    Votes: 24 85.7%
  • Total voters
    28
O

oliver100

VIP Member
Messages
216
Location
Dronfield
Vehicle
Grand California 600
So to keep under the 3.5t limit it boils down to either dropping the awning or the conversion to diesel heating along with a few other options like additional engine heater, bike rack, mud flaps, power folding mirrors/blind spot detection. I really want both and am torn as to what to do so thought I would run a poll to see if it helps me decide
 
Depends if you plan to do a lot of out of season travel. If yes, definitely go with the diesel heater, it's essential for comfortable winter travel.
 
dennfo said:
For us, if I had to choose diesel heater or awning I’d deffo go heater every time You can always get a lightweight ‘non fitted’ awning after.
Click to expand...
I’d be perfectly happy with a lightweight awning like below for how often we use it on our current ocean but the grand has no awning channel at all! Vw did make some stupid design decisions on this van as much as I like it

stitchesandsteel.com

Inflatable Awning One

Stitches + Steel have re-imagined the kitesurfing kite into the ultimate van awning. A must-have shelter for a day at the beach, the Bawdsey Inflatable Air Awning is not your traditional caravan or campervan awning. Use our Stitches + Steel Awning Rails to attach to any van or camper. ➕ FOR...
stitchesandsteel.com stitchesandsteel.com
 
oliver100 said:
I’d be perfectly happy with a lightweight awning like below for how often we use it on our current ocean but the grand has no awning channel at all! Vw did make some stupid design decisions on this van as much as I like it

stitchesandsteel.com

Inflatable Awning One

Stitches + Steel have re-imagined the kitesurfing kite into the ultimate van awning. A must-have shelter for a day at the beach, the Bawdsey Inflatable Air Awning is not your traditional caravan or campervan awning. Use our Stitches + Steel Awning Rails to attach to any van or camper. ➕ FOR...
stitchesandsteel.com stitchesandsteel.com
Click to expand...
Several aftermarket awning rail options for the GC
vwcaliforniaclub.com

Awning Rail - CampervanBits

vwcaliforniaclub.com vwcaliforniaclub.com
 
Does the configurator let you choose the auxiliary diesel heater combined with the gas main heating?

If so it's a way of cutting gas requirements.

We used the Gaslight bottles - a huge weight saving over the steel usual bottles.

Also choice of heater very much depends on your style of camping - if you are 99% campsite with hookup, the gas with electric option would mean you are only using gas for cooking.
 
andyinluton said:
Does the configurator let you choose the auxiliary diesel heater combined with the gas main heating?

If so it's a way of cutting gas requirements.

We used the Gaslight bottles - a huge weight saving over the steel usual bottles.

Also choice of heater very much depends on your style of camping - if you are 99% campsite with hookup, the gas with electric option would mean you are only using gas for cooking.
Click to expand...
this is just the conversion to of the main boiler to deisel, the additional programmable heater would be even more weight. Like you say it’s stupid really as converting to diesel actually saves weight in real life when gas bottles are taken into account but yeh I was considering the gaslight bottles if we went that route, would just rather do without the hassle of refilling them whilst we are away. We are 50/50 camping with hook up and without currently
 
oliver100 said:
So to keep under the 3.5t limit it boils down to either dropping the awning or the conversion to diesel heating along with a few other options like additional engine heater, bike rack, mud flaps, power folding mirrors/blind spot detection. I really want both and am torn as to what to do so thought I would run a poll to see if it helps me decide
Click to expand...
Drop the awning, you can have one fitted after market , Common approach taken by buyers of the larger coach built vans who get things like tow bars, ac, awnings etc fitted by the dealers not the factory so not included as part of the V5 ‘Mass in service’. The factory has to allow a minimum payload weight based on each belted passenger and length of vehicle., Once it leaves the factory whatever you add is payload..
 
Alternatively loose the overhead bed and get these;

Cabbunk - Add TWO Extra Childbeds into YOUR Motorhome

Cabbunk - a new and inventive way to add two extra childbeds to your swivel seat motorhome. Fiat Ducato, Renault Master, New Ford Transit, Ford Transit Custom, VW T5, VW T6, Mercedes Vito, Mercedes Sprinter
www.cabbunk.co.uk www.cabbunk.co.uk
 
oliver100 said:
I’d be perfectly happy with a lightweight awning like below for how often we use it on our current ocean but the grand has no awning channel at all! Vw did make some stupid design decisions on this van as much as I like it

Click to expand...
andyinluton said:
Does the configurator let you choose the auxiliary diesel heater combined with the gas main heating?

If so it's a way of cutting gas requirements.

We used the Gaslight bottles - a huge weight saving over the steel usual bottles.

Also choice of heater very much depends on your style of camping - if you are 99% campsite with hookup, the gas with electric option would mean you are only using gas for cooking.
Click to expand...
What we’ve found - we have electric heater, diesel heater and one gas bottle - in the winter it’s very convenient to plug electric in and run heater - but with lots of sites electric has become super expensive - maybe £10 extra per night - the diesel heater is a lot cheaper to run then.
 
If you are looking at ordering in the near future then this is moot but if its a longer term plan and the weight limit is causing you a challenge then keep an eye on possible changes to the C1 license - there is an ongoing review both in the UK and the EU about moving back to the 1997 system to allow the standard license to cover heavier vehicles. I've not found any up to date information as to the likelihood of the change but here is the information on the consultation that happened last year. It was widely reported in the motoring press at the time but I've seen little since. https://www.gov.uk/government/consu...es-for-changes-to-the-driver-licensing-regime
 
The Yorkshireman said:
Alternatively loose the overhead bed and get these;

Cabbunk - Add TWO Extra Childbeds into YOUR Motorhome

Cabbunk - a new and inventive way to add two extra childbeds to your swivel seat motorhome. Fiat Ducato, Renault Master, New Ford Transit, Ford Transit Custom, VW T5, VW T6, Mercedes Vito, Mercedes Sprinter
www.cabbunk.co.uk www.cabbunk.co.uk
Click to expand...
I'm intrigued by that as its seems a better option for very little kids but I'm not sure if it will work on a GC - the right side support may interfere with the door flyscreen although not sure about that - does anybody have any experience with it ?
 
GordonH said:
I'm intrigued by that as its seems a better option for very little kids but I'm not sure if it will work on a GC - the right side support may interfere with the door flyscreen although not sure about that - does anybody have any experience with it ?
Click to expand...
Bus and beyond have fitted it to there new crafter, might help to look see how it works!


 
GordonH said:
This is true. But there are age & medical related realities to keeping your driving licence without or without the C1.
Click to expand...
Not had a medical for normal licence but dropped my C3 then later DVLA took C1 off unless a medical taken regardless of the criteria relating to medical conditions that mean no driving permitted.
Last time doctor charged £125 and needed a separate eye test, additional cost, about a decade ago.
 
My understanding of MIRO weight is that it does not include all belted passengers. Weight an interesting issue. Likely that a majority of 3.5t plated mh’s are overweight based on miro and estimated payloads if full of water, fuel and passengers.

I know of a couple of people pulled in Norway recently and well over (3.5t plated, 3.9t weight) made to remove everything over and leave it.
I wouldn’t want to be in a crash and then found to be over.
 
Chainline said:
My understanding of MIRO weight is that it does not include all belted passengers. Weight an interesting issue. Likely that a majority of 3.5t plated mh’s are overweight based on miro and estimated payloads if full of water, fuel and passengers.

I know of a couple of people pulled in Norway recently and well over (3.5t plated, 3.9t weight) made to remove everything over and leave it.
I wouldn’t want to be in a crash and then found to be over.
Click to expand...
Never mind a GC600 being overweight judging by what many Forum members pack the majority of Californias might not pass a weigh bridge check.
 
oliver100 said:
So to keep under the 3.5t limit it boils down to either dropping the awning or the conversion to diesel heating along with a few other options like additional engine heater, bike rack, mud flaps, power folding mirrors/blind spot detection. I really want both and am torn as to what to do so thought I would run a poll to see if it helps me decide
Click to expand...
In 3 years in UK only used awning maybe 3 times. Used heater on for short periods on almost every trip.
 
I have been astonished by just how often we use the diesel heater in our Cali. It's not just winter. We were very glad to have it on several cold evenings last month (May) in France and Spain. Who wants to be chilly? Without it, Cali life would be far less luxurious!
 
RichardH said:
I have been astonished by just how often we use the diesel heater in our Cali. It's not just winter. We were very glad to have it on several cold evenings last month (May) in France and Spain. Who wants to be chilly? Without it, Cali life would be far less luxurious!
Click to expand...
The OP is talking about a GC and which heater to buy, if he drops the diesel heating he will have gas heating instead, he is not going to freeze.
 
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