Motorhome Repairs While Abroad – Bellus, Spain
Zagan the motorhome is feeling like his old self again after a trip to el taller. He’s parked up in an aire in the village of Bellus, (N38.94094, W0.48039) south of Valencia in Spain. On our first night there were just a couple of motorhomes here; now it’s the weekend the place is alive with over 30 Spanish motorhomes from a local club (we’re assuming they’re a club, as they all had the same coloured tops on when they went out for a hike this morning!).
A decision was reached on the campsite in Valencia – we need to get Zagan’s whooowhoooing wheel looked at. Jay investigated the noise by jacking up Zagan (thank you Jamie for the Hymer jack – it’s had its first use!) and spinning the offending wheel. If you want to get to know your neighbours on a campsite but don’t know how to start the conversation, pop the bonnet on your van or jack up a wheel, you’ll be amazed at how many blokes can’t resist wandering over. After much wheel spinning and discussion with fellow Brits and fellow Hymer owners, it was decided that it was might be the brakes a little bit stuck on, so no need to worry – the wheel wasn’t about to drop off. Instead of staying on the campsite for a few more days while we got booked into a garage, we set off – destination south, or west, or a bit of both. We don’t have any real plans at the moment.
On the main dual carriageway the whooowhoooing noise battled with a Desert Island Discs podcast for our attention, until we realised, that when Jay pressed the brakes, the noise didn’t stop. Surely if it was the brakes rubbing, it should stop or change noise when the brakes were being used. A sinking feeling came over us: it’s probably the wheel bearing – again. It was only June last year when a different noise was being emitted from the same wheel. Then it was more of a high pitched whine, before it became a rattle, then crunch. We were in France at the time and limped around several garages before reaching a Fiat dealer who helpfully refused to even look at the van for about a week. We ended up getting it repaired in a tyres and exhaust type of place, probably not specialist mechanics, but they got us back on the road – we were so happy (with hindsight we should have called our breakdown company and got them to sort it out, but we like to sort stuff ourselves if we can).
I hit Park4Night and found us a place nearby with good reviews and that’s how we ended up in Bellus. It costs just €2 a night and you have to walk about half a mile to the town hall to pay, which generally isn’t open so we’ve been popping the money in the letterbox. The sleepy village is half deserted (or we’re arriving at the wrong time again), but everyone we did see gave us a friendly ‘Ola Buenos Dias’ – except for the three old fellas on a bench next to the town hall, who Jay tried to ask where the town hall was, they just stared trying to work out what he had done to their language!
Decision made, it was time to find a garage. In my best Spenglish (or should that be Valenglish as they speak Valencian around here), I asked a chap working clearing leaves on the aire if there was a garage nearby that he recommended. We needed to drive over the dam that sits at the end of the aire to the next town of Beniganim, there were a few there. So we packed up and set off.
Hidden in our stanav’s Points of Interest were car repair places (or el taller as they are called in Spain), so we picked the top one and drove there arriving just after 10am. From past experience we were expecting to be fobbed off to another garage quite quickly, so were surprised when (once again testing my Valenglish) I explained that we had a problem with our motorhome wheel and could they look at it. Mimicking the noise it made as the mechanic stood looking at the wheel he nodded knowingly and pointing at his watch said ‘Onthay’. Figuring it would be 1pm, we held up one finger to confirm, nods all round. In Zagan something didn’t feel right, the garage was busy with people popping in and out all the time, but why 1pm just before they shut for lunch? A quick look in my phrase book told me Once (pronounced Onthay) is eleven – an hour from now, so the one finger was correct, just for the wrong thing. With an hour to kill we left Zagan where he was and went for a walk around the town.
We joined the many old ladies armed with canvas trolleys heading into the centre, fortune was smiling on us it was market day. We spend a short while looking around the stalls and the town centre before heading back to the garage. Zagan was driven in and jacked up, his wheel spun and the verdict confirmed – the wheel bearings had gone again. We showed them his V5 and pointed out the VIN number and a quick phone call was made. We then needed to come back at 4pm. after lunch. We backed out of the garage and headed back over the dam to the aire for a spot of lunch. Then to kill more time, we went for a long walk around the area amongst bamboo that grew so high either side of the path it felt like we were walking along someone’s parting.
We paid for another night at the aire so we would have somewhere to come back to and set off. At the garage I showed them a list of questions I had translated using google and written down (so they didn’t have to suffer my pronunciation). Could they fix it today? What time should be come back? How much will it cost? Do they take credit cards? This clarified that they were going to fix it, come back around 7.30pm, they had no idea how much it would be and yes they took cards. So we grabbed a couple of rucksacks filled with a flask for hot drinks, some snacks and a couple of books and dressed in thermal undies (me only) we set off for a few hours on the town.
We spent an exceptionally long time going around a small supermarket, looking at everything and buying a couple of bits. Then we found a bench in the sunshine outside the local monastery and sat down to read until the sun got so low that we got cold. Eventually we found a cafe for a hot drink followed by an even longer look around another supermarket.
Ways to kill time while waiting for the garage Number 3 – Try to decipher the miracles performed by Blessed Inés de Benigánim (a local Nun) using the tiles on the church wall
Eventually, it was 7.30pm – time does drag when you are waiting for something. Just as the city was starting to come to life and the restaurants opening we made our way back to the garage. Zagan was still jacked up, but we got a thumbs up from the mechanic.
Ways to kill time while waiting for the garage Number 4 – Arty photos of the setting sun
A few minutes later Zagan was lowered back to his normal dignified position and Jay reversed him out of the garage to make way for the next vehicle to come in – this is at 7.45pm, they may have a long lunch, but they work late. I hung around to pay and was shown into the small office where a woman and her two daughters were sat. The two girls had both just got back from an after school class and were keen to try out their English on us – we could have done with them a few hours ago! The bill was presented and I did a bit of a double take, then popped the card in the machine and paid. It was €140. When we had it done in France it was €300, even our trusted local garage at home, who replaced the other wheel bearing for us this winter, charge more than €140 (£123).
We drove silently back to the aire, no more noise from the wheel. Arriving in the dark we found it packed, so we tucked ourselves into a corner, cranked up the heating, had a bite to eat and fell into a deep sleep – the weight of van woes gone once more. Even though we try to get as much as we can done in the way of preventative work and repairs done at home, issues do crop up while you are on the road. We’ve had a tyre blow out in northern Spain, had a clutch go in France, a broken speedometer, a clonking suspension and needed new tyres in Greece, not to mention two trips for wheel bearings now. Stuff happens and we’ve now come to realise that it may take time to sort, but we are usually more than capable of doing so ourselves. When the tyre blew out we needed our breakdown company to get us going again, but we then had to find a motorhome dealership to repair the damage to the van. After that first incident, trips to foreign garages aren’t that scary any more.
With the aire full of motorhomes having a fun time we decided to stay for the weekend too. Today we’ve both been out for long runs on the hiking trails around the town. I went to see La Petxina and Cova Negro caves which date back to Neanderthal times and Jay made it to the castle in Xativa, the next town – and even got a sneaky look around for free as there was no one in the ticket booth. This evening we’ve been chatting to fellow Brits Anne and Jeremy who arrived shortly before dark. They are on their way home after a few weeks wandering around Spain and have given us a few recommendations of places to head for. So it’ll be out with the maps again tomorrow and see where the road takes us.
Ju x
feliz por você
If the wheel bearing is going regularly then you may need to change the hub it sits in. Also get the best bearings you can afford. Find out the right size then go to a bearing shop (not easy in Spanish) the quality will be better.
Thanks Simon. The job’s done now and we’d no chance to influence which bearings to use but we’ll refer back to your advice if they go again, much appreciated, Jay
Motorhomes are like pets, they seem to require almost constant care and attention.
We got to the last day of our month in Brittany before the Oven door hinges collapsed and wouldn’t close.
Before we set off on a more full-time basis I’m having a spare wheel carrier made. My B544 comes with some squirty foam rather than a Spare wheel. That’s fine in the UK with AA cover but not so comforting at Nordkapp in Norway I expect.
My handbrake hasn’t got enough oomph to stop a skateboard rolling away (despite having it serviced..supposedly). My gas-struts need replacing as the bed is getting harder and harder to lift back up and I have a list of To-Do items stacking up.
(SPLENDO App is very useful for keeping track).
If we sell the house I may have a real blow-out and have E&P hydraulic jacks fitted. That would either be a real luxury, and free up a lot of space where my ramps live OR be something else that could go wrong.
First priority is the spare wheel carrier though (like a mini bike carrier).
Anyway, we’ve accepted an offer on our house so that will occupy us for a few months (How the **** did we accumulate so much “Stuff”?) Once that’s done we’ll be forced to live in Humberto and/or rent somewhere short term
It’s exciting for sure but I’d be happy to sit under the awning, sheltering from the sun, with a glass of rosé.
Lee at Go Humberto!
Hi,
I’ve just replaced the struts on the bed of our Hymer. Not easy as they need to be fitted in a compressed position. I bought new struts but struggled to compress them to the right length to fit them. Long story short, I made a device from two metal plates and two threaded rods to squeeze them down. The new struts are more powerful now and the bed now flies up with one finger. Don’t think I need the “jig” thingy any more now so if you get in touch, I’ll send it to you with details. I got the new struts from “SGS Enginnering” they cost £90 for the pair. I got the 2500 n
Adjustable struts which are more powerful than the originals. You’ll find them online. I’ve got a thicker and heavier new mattress and they work a treat with the bed tucked up better than it’s ever been.
Cheers,
Gordon
All good! Have you updated your van’s payload by any chance Lee? Cheers, Jay
Hi guys, we were on our last day in Morocco some 4 years ago and heading for a late ferry from Tangier. We pulled off the Motorway to refuel and 20km later we broke down. We could not speak Arabic or French and of course our ‘European’ Breakdown was useless in Africa, but we managed eventually to get assistance and towed to a back street garage in ‘a town’ several hours away South of Tangier. We had fuel contamination, 75% water !! Cut a long story short, they worked on the vehicle all day, including taking out all the fuel injectors and getting them cleaned up, we were lucky they had not been permanently damaged. They got us back on the road and after 8 hours Labour we were faced with the bill, we were expecting to be well and truly ‘fleeced’ but we were charged the equivalent of just £90 !! It was an anxious time but everyone who helped us, including the passers by who arranged the tow to the garage, were absolutely wonderful 👍
Great story! How on Earth did so much water end up in the fuel you bought??!!! Cheers,Jay
Our trip was shortly after the massive floods in the Country which washed away villages and roads. We can only assume that water must have leaked into the fuel holding tanks at the service station, but we we will never know. It was at the end of our trip and we had stuck to using the three ‘recommended’ fuel stations throughout our trip, even in smaller towns, Shell, BP or Afrique, and we experienced no problems elsewhere so just a case of bad luck, wrong service station at the wron time, but it would not put us off going again 👍 The problem was not completely resolved in Morocco and we had limp back to Tangier and get to Spain. We ended up at a Fiat dealer in Estepona where it was finally sorted at a cost of £1,500 !!
Thanks for this post, a great read. We’ve been there too – dealing with technical faults in a different language to our own, waiting around while our ‘van is fixed and the uncertainty of cost and time. Good to hear you’re getting used to it and don’t find trips to garages in other countries as scary. I am a bit torn on this myself after so many different encounters in so many different countries. They have mostly been positive experiences but each one chips away at something deep inside me. I wrote about it on the blog recently https://backontheroadagainblog.com/2019/01/29/is-owning-a-campervan-as-carefree-as-we-all-make-out-does-life-really-begin-on-the-edge-of-your-comfort-zone/
Thanks for this post. We’ve broken down abroad too — needed a new alternator in Germany, and a new battery in Portugal. As a general rule (in Europe, anyway), I think the fear of breaking down and having to deal with it is worse than the reality.
A bit of Google Translate and some schoolboy language efforts go a long way to generate understanding and goodwill. We found garages were generally keen to help.
In Germany, the Ford dealer who replaced our alternator was happy for us to sleep in his yard overnight while he waited for a part to come in. The workshop staff left a toilet unlocked for us (unecessary, but kind) and offered us coffee the next morning. Not sure that would happen with my local Ford dealer in the UK.
Cheers,
Roland
Just as an addition to Simon’s post above, my thoughts were also a problem with the bearing or other components attached to it.
Housing is one answer, shaft that passes through the bearing another, both of these may have wear that accelerates bearing wear. Also consider that the last bearing was fitted badly too.
If the bearing type matters to you it’s possible to ask a garage to fit an OE bearing direct from FIAT. Costs more but you know you are using a bearing FIAT would recommend.
Just a few thoughts while having a cup of tea… back to work.
Thanks Jamie. Good idea, think I’ll have a cuppa too. Jay