Technical visit

[tango]

Dear Exsis Fans,

It’s nice to be back, on this relooked fabulous forum. I spent another wonderful summer aboard my Exsis (except that I felt hot inside, as mine is dark blue…and varnish is disappearing in a fast pace).

Every two years, I have to submit my vehicle to the swiss authorities. I would like please to have suggestions on what should I pay attention for, as I am going to my mechanic soon. Last time (April 2016), I have done quite a big service control (oil, fluids, tyres, etc.)

Also, is there a way to avoid water from freezing inside the tubes and reservoir, because ski activities are very tempting and one of the Exsis ads leaflets shows happy skiers who charges their surfs from the back trunk….?

 

My best regards to all.

 

Jean Paul

• This topic was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by tango.

[Barry & Maggie]

Thanks, Tango.  Glad you had a good, albeit hot, summer – I think we all did this year, didn’t we?

Apart from the usual service items (you’ve already indicated oils, fluids and tyres) the BIG thing to keep an eye on is the engine timing belt.  If this breaks it can destroy an engine.  Also it is NOT just dependent upon mileage… it is also time sensitive too.  It’s a combination of both, mileage or date, whichever is soonest, so I’d recommend you look at that first.  It’s always a good idea at this time of year to go round the various door seals and wiping them with a thin coating of silicon grease.  This stops them freezing and sticking, preventing the necessity to purchase an (expensive!) replacement.  I highly recommend products like Rain-X for the windscreen, which really proves their worth in winter driving conditions.

There’s nothing specific mechanically on the Exsis, over and above any other similar commercial vehicle, except maybe the windscreen wipers.  Ensure that the joints are lubricated, not ‘binding’ and are not coming loose.  These were a Hymer-workaround for a problem where the windscreens weren’t being legally wiped.

As far as keeping the pipework ice-free when conducting wintersports, the Exsis was actually made for this sort of activity.  All the water, fresh-, waste-tanks and pipes are inboard, which means that provided you pay attention to ‘normal levels of warmth’ within the Exsis, then nothing should freeze.

Good luck.

 

Barry

[Fred & Gill]

Hello Tango, glad that you have found the forum at the new website and can continue to  have the support of fellow owners of our unique vans.

You have one of those rare blue ones – we only know of a few here in the UK.

Barry, our webmaster has provided excellent technical advice as usual.

As you intend to ski – serious winter conditions, then probably you will be on EHU ( electrical hook up), so possibly you will use an electric heater for warmth.

The Exsis is well designed for winter use with all pipes located externally, but the large boot area and boiler will not really benefit from an internal electric heater. I would advise that you also use the gas heater system at times which distributes heat by ducted pipes into all those cold areas ( boot storage area and water tank). I would also use the separate hot water boiler to maintain a minimum temperature at least even if you are not using hot water ( perhaps boiling a kettle for drinks and washing up and using on site washing/ shower facilities)

Do you have an external cover for the windscreen and perhaps an insulated cover that you can lay over the black shelf internally over the engine bay – they will help to keep you cosy.

Enjoy your adventures

Fred

[Fred & Gill]

All water pipes are located <b>Internally – </b>sorry, I made a typo on my posting above.

Thought that I had better correct it before someone else finds it and points it out.

Regarding the comment “varnishing!disappearing fast”…. There have been several comments on this problem on the old forum.

Seems to affect roof and bonnet areas?. The problem appears to be the ‘gel coat’ coming off. I noticed a couple of early signs of this on my roof (red van) last week when I cleaned and polished the van ready for winter.

I don’t think anyone has tackled paint issues themselves, so it is probably a job for a paint shop / car or boat repairer, if  you have a serious issue

Fred

[Barry & Maggie]

Thanks for that, Fred.

I don’t think we’ve ever properly established whether the clear coating on the metallic Exsis’ is “gel coat” or “clear lacquer”. Perhaps one of you lucky owners with a metallic Exsis could stop  by a specialist some time and get an expert opinion?

[tango]

Many thanks for your suggestions !

I have 3 solar pannels, which should keep me independant from the commercial grid. Perhaps a 12v water heating system into the tank could do (some) of the trick. I understand that it’s mandatory to have a mild temperature in all the vehicle. Will study this.

A bientôt mes chers

[Author]

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