MMM - The Motorhomers' Magazine March 2023

Like many of you, I decided to go to the first show of the season - the January Motorhome and Campervan Sale at Peterborough's East of England Showground. While our events team also puts on the much larger National Motorhome and Campervan Show at the same venue each April - this year's is from 21 to 23 April - what was interesting was just how much demand there was from dealers to display at this earlier January event. While the well-reported supply issues of new motorhomes are still not over, the fact that so many dealers had models for sale is a strong signal that the market is moving back to some degree of normality. But the show that has us most excited this year is the all-new Campervan Campout.…

Comparing costs Recently, motorhome manufacturers seem to be moving away from what was almost exclusively Fiat-based motorhomes, especially for coachbuilts. We are seeing more Fords and Mercedes, as well as Peugeots. So, I thought it would be useful to know what the costs of vehicle servicing are, say over a five-year period, taking into account the different service intervals and the associated costs. We might all like to purchase a new Mercedes-based ‘Van, but will we come to regret it when it comes to paying for servicing? Also knowing the availability of dealers/centres able to service such motorhomes would be useful. It would be no use to me buying a Mercedes motorhome only to find that the nearest dealer able to service it is 50 or more miles away. This…

With reference to the letter from Andrew Coleman about low-emission zones (January, plO). If he has the car version of CoPilot he will find in the ‘Settings’, under ‘Vehicle Routing profiles’, that he can select to avoid or be warned of such areas. Bob Jackman Perhaps he should consider using an alternative sat-nav. Recently I drove from Abbey Wood C&MC site to Bath Marina campsite using my Garmin motorhome sat-nav. The route took me there without going anywhere near the CAZ. Twice more, my sat-nav diverted me away from clean air zones. I do take every possibility to update my sat-nav. Michael Day ED We will be publishing advice about UK clean air zones in the comine months. We also checked with CoPilot, which said, “CoPilot does have the functionality…

Regarding the letter from Andrew and Lesley Stevenson, (February, pl7). Myself and my wife had the same issues six years ago. We searched for several months and found a Chausson 630 fitted the bill. It had two electric beds that lower down to the seating cushions. No ladder is needed and both the beds work independently. When this model came out in 2017, some buyers were put off because some articles said they only work on hook-up. This is not the case; they work on 12V and, if a fault occurs, they can be operated manually. Tim Smith…

In his article, Graham Jeffs explained how to keep the heat out of his motorhome with blackout blinds on his windows (January, p119). While this might be a good idea to reduce the temperature, surely it would make the inside very dark and you would lose all your views? Peter Bird ED In extreme temperatures, many people feel it is better to keep the heat out than being able to soak up the scenery; after all, in really hot weather, you are likely to be enjoying the views from under the shade of an awning. For most of the year, though, one would expect the blinds to be unused so you can enjoy the views from inside the ‘van. What are your tips for keeping cool when the temperature rockets?…

SHARE YOUR PHOTOS If you have a picture of a motorhome adventure that makes you smile, please share it. Email it and a caption to mmm@warnersgroup.co.uk…