OldWellhouse

I bought a pre owned conversion done by Wellhouse of Barnsley and 5 years after they imported and converted it everything seems to work well and has a solid feel. I can't fault it.

I have a Dometic 972 that was taking up valuable room in the under sink cupboard when I picked up the van, which I couldn't live with. I came across these square fold up ottomans that can be got pretty cheap and they are an absolute perfect fit for the toilet I mentioned. I have a carry bag over the toilet that allows it to be easily lowered in or lifted out the box and it doubles as a footstool. So a stool/footstool stool receptor if you will. 

£20 but there will be cheaper available in all colours somewhere. 

On 5/7/2022 at 4:20 PM, Oddcouple said:

We had a play with the magnetic drive away kit today. The magnets really are not close be being useful without tie down. However once secure over the top gave a really nice seal

That looks pretty decent to me. 

I've decided I'm definitely not paying the premium for a proper drive away awning just now. The mark up on similar tents just annoys me considering the extra material and manufacture can't be that much. 

I've just ordered a small utility/kitchen tent for use on short stays and hard pitches. Just somewhere to put the bog and outdoor furniture etc. when out for the day. 

6 hours ago, ReepsNpeeps said:

On our van this enables the radio to be switched on without the keys in the ignition.

Ah that would be handy, I'll give it a try, thanks a lot. 

1 hour ago, Rojie said:

 

There are web sites that will allow you to calculate alternate wheel sizes, tyre sizes, inset, offset, etc.

What is most important, is the clearances within the wheel arches under dynamic conditions.

Not only is rubbing dangerous, it can be costly in terms of renewing parts.

 

Regarding membership.

I would be interested to know how many Alphies are registered in the UK. Then we could compute the membership ratio.

My guess is it would be rather high.

Rojie do you have any advice on getting standard steel van wheels for my 2005? Would Hiace wheels fit do you reckon?

Sort of related to this subject, I just had Alf at Kwik-Fit to get a slow puncture repaired on one of my Goodyear tyres.

First of all I was told the tyre couldn't be repaired because the nail was too close to the side wall(it was about an inch away) and I would need a new tyre. I went inside to see about ordering one as they didn't stock it and it never even appeared on their system. Then they said they might be able to source on on Monday for about £100 and started talking about torque values for reattaching the wheel all the while I'm holding the translated owner manual saying I'll check what it says in there, but they pretty much ignored me, looked at the internet and decided they should be 210nm, they'd over tightened them. They'd done 220nm and broke off one of the lug nuts!! 

The manual says 205nm(I think) and finally they listened. Had to wait another half an hour for them to remove the broken lug nut and fit a replacement, in that time the manager said he'd actually managed to fix the puncture in my tyre after all and there would be no charge. 

So tyre fixed for free but I had to wait about it bit longer and that translated owners manual I was recommended on here has already more than paid for itself. 

5 minutes ago, Teekay said:

Watch this Old Well House..

You will love it how it is explained in simple terms 👍

 

Yeah it seems like common sense with the ride etc. I've had 20" wheels in the past and they looked great but were a pain the arse although the one advantage is it probably makes the car handle better on nice smooth roads. Maybe better MPG?

If the Alphie was higher off the ground with bigger wheel arches I'd have 16" steel wheels with chunky BF Goodrich tyres. The ride must be great but they'd be noisy and probably lower the MPG. 

Just an aesthetic choice since bigger wheels became more popular. I prefer to have as big a tyre side wall as possible to improve ride and avoid any accidental wheel damage.

I'm not sure there are any downsides to having smaller wheels/bigger tyres but could be wrong. 

 

Year 2004
Model 2.4 camper conversion
Driving Motorway 85%  rural roads and urban 15%
MPG 24.20

279 km(173mls) used almost exactly half a tank of e5 so just over £50.

I expected worse to be honest and had a slow puncture which might have made it a bit less efficient. 

9 minutes ago, Rojie said:

 

With a 4 speed auto it should be (about) 9.4km / litre; according to the Owners Manual.

26.28mpg then I think, cheers. I wonder what it'll really get. Update to follow. 

I've put about 12 miles on my 2.4 54 plate so far and have zero idea what MPG I'll get but I'm already trying to calculate fuel costs for longer trips I'm planning. 

What's the average MPG you guys are getting with the 2.4l engine on the new regular or premium petrol?
 

35 minutes ago, pcous said:

Hi OldWellhouse,

 

We have a Wellhouse conversion, bought 2019, and at that time they supplied the JPNZ owner's manual on handover (of course this isn't equivalent to a Hayne's type manual for doing your own servicing/repairs etc...) They also supplied OM instruction booklets for their conversion accessories - power supply, water pump, fridge, hob, roof etc, so the previous owner(s) should have had these to pass on to you. It might be worth following that up with the seller.

Alternatively, if you know when the original conversion was done, you could ask Wellhouse if they can at least tell you what models they were fitting at that time for each of these accessories and then try to source manuals directly from the manufacturers or on t'internet (I suppose Wellhouse are under no obligation to provide you with additional copies directly if you're not their customer). There was a Japanese manual, but no service history available prior to import.

Good luck....

Thanks pcous, it's a 2017 conversion and I bought it from someone that took it as a trade in. For whatever reason the OM on the conversion accessories wasn't present and after emailing WH they didn't seem interested in supplying them even though I was prepared to pay. I understand like you say that I'm not their customer, but I was a little disappointed. So far I've managed to suss out most things and will learn more this week when I take it away for a couple days camping. 

That looks great Pritch, I've been looking at the same this week but still a bit unsure of fitting a rail to hold one. I already have a great tent that I'm going to try and 'join' with an area tarp. Probably just tie it over the van rather than using a rail, but will see how it works out. The plan is to just park up tight to the side. 

43 minutes ago, PaulE said:

Hi, 

 I have one on the 12v battery cover of my hybrid- no idea what it does if anything but appears to be wired into the loom. Mine doesn't light up.

8 minutes ago, Rojie said:

 

As many Alphies are 'upgraded' by their owners in Japan; it could be anything.

 

Most common are a switch for your rear fog lights (not normally fitted where you have it).

A switch to disable the DVD disabler !

The DVD screen, not sound, is interlocked with the footbrake.

Some owners fit switches so DVDs can be watched with the foot brake in the up (off) position.

Cheers, I hoped it would be something others had. Interesting that it could be multiple things done back in Japan. I 'm getting a new stereo soon so when they have the dash open a bit I'll ask them to take a look at it. 

9 minutes ago, Oddcouple said:

We’ll have it in our hands tomorrow, depending on which reviews you read they are great or rubbish. As the roof of flat I’m pretty confident that it’ll work, always have storm straps to throw over if it’s a bit windy! The strip comes with about 3 inches of material then the actual awning connection. Will update soonest.

Just reading some reviews there and I'm wondering of some people assume it will hold the awning in place WITHOUT additional throw over straps pegged in. I'm guessing it would just create a slightly better 'seal' to the van when used with the straps but clearly not strong enough on its own. 

1 minute ago, Oddcouple said:

We’ll have it in our hands tomorrow, depending on which reviews you read they are great or rubbish. As the roof of flat I’m pretty confident that it’ll work, always have storm straps to throw over if it’s a bit windy! The strip comes with about 3 inches of material then the actual awning connection. Will update soonest.

Sounds perfect for mild conditions. I only learned what a kador strip was this week and that DA awnings come with throw over straps. 

Red light is on when it's switched on. I have no idea what it does yet but hoping for ejector seat or rear bulletproof shield. 

Thoughts?

20 hours ago, Oddcouple said:

Late to the party on this. Just got a magnetic awning strip which would fit even with pop top.

I havnt fitted an awning rail to mine yet. Is the magnetic strip an adapter and is it quite strong?

On 11/27/2021 at 6:45 PM, Catweazle said:

Sometimes you can get a cover that looks decent though. 

I was quite pleased with this, and it feels good too being thicker...

That looks great, it matches the upholstery well. Do you mind me asking where you got it from?

For the miles I'll be doing I'm gonna try and only use the premium. An app that shows fuel stations that still have it would be helpful but it seems to produce results on a google search. 

12 hours ago, Rojie said:

 

Disappointing to hear Wellhouse cannot help !

 

There is a VERY helpful Owners Manual available on Ebay.

It is published by JPNZ in English.

 

There are two versions that I know of for your vehicle.

One covers non hybrid variants, and the other includes hybrids.

Neither are maintenance manuals.

JPNZ are expected to issue a Maintenance manual; it is hoped later this year.

 

Depending on the head unit you have eightseater.blog.com (also in English) could be very helpful.

Thanks I'll be ordering that. 

23 minutes ago, Rojie said:

 

Hello Oldie,

 

Welcome to the Forum.

 

Alphie is how many of us describe our vans, buses, campers, limos, etc.

 

This Forum will be able to help with most issues regarding the vehicle.

 

 

I suggest you approach Wellhouse themselves. I doubt that they will be unable to help you.

 

Good Luck. Happy vanning.

Thanks Rojie, I did drop them an email but they said they didn't keep anything like that relevant for my bus. 

I know I'm taking a chance with this AND service history missing but I have a good feeling about it and Wellhouse seem to do great quality conversions and it is one of theirs. I'm pretty sure this forum will help answer tons of the questions I'll end up having. 

I'm in the process of buying an older 54 plate Wellhouse conversion(not direct from them) that has no owners manuals and a few other bits. 

Did they come with any user manuals from the factory for correct use of the battery/solar, roof etc. or any maintenance guides?

Any help appreciated.

edit: I nearly called it an 'Alfie' in the thread title, is that frowned upon?