Picked up our new Autosleeper Symbol last Friday.
It's a 4 year old model on a 2.0 diesel HDi with 21,000 on the clock and is in superb condition.
Got it from Caravan Tech down in Hurst Green. As we live in North West Kent, I had a good hours drive home to get used to the feel of the "van". What an amazing vehicle! Our previous camper was a 1990 Toyota Hi Ace Devon Sunrise conversion with a 2 litre petrol engine and no power steering. The difference is out of this world. Fair galloped up the hills it did. Cannot wait to get out and about in her but will have to wait until June 1st due to other commitments. Can't see us spending too many weekends at home over the summer!
Will be interesting to see what the heating is like in the winter. We did use our little old Toyota for weekending last winter and even with a small oil fired radiator it did get pretty chilly some nights in November and December. You will probably have to get used to me posting reports about weekends away from now on!
we've done weekends through the winter in an A/S Harmony, very similar to the Symbol. we tend to play safe and use sites with hook-up and use a small fan heater.
We find we get a few drafts through poor door seals and remember to close all the cab vents. Silver screens over the windscreen are useful during the winter, i believe external are better for cutting down on condensation, but we don't have any. The coldest we experienced was -1'C (had ice on the inside of the windscreen) at CC Strid wood site in November. But where warm enough in our 3 season sleeping bags. As we only camp for a few weekends in the winter and not if it is much below freezing we have stuck with a butane gas bottle, Propane is better in colder temps.
I'm sure you will have a great time in your Symbol, we do
We bought ours last year and are really pleased with it. We use it as much as possible but its still not enough LOL. Camped in March and were warm enough with sleeping bags and no heating overnight. During the evening we did use a small elec greenhouse style heater to get the 'van toastie before donning the jimjams.
Ours has a diesel heater which we have used for days out and it works well.
Congratulation on the van, we got our A/S Symbol last September and love it and think it's the best thing we ever did as we are new to the world of motorhomes. Spent a week in Dorset last November and a week up in Scotland during March plus many weekend trips and never felt the cold in the van. We have the diesel heater but have only used it twice ( just to see if it works). We use a small oil filled radiator that we keep on during the night and it takes the chill off.
This weekend it's mid Wales, next weekend in Northumberland, and in July it's over to Southern Germany and Austria.
The silver screen will save you a few bob, and talking of those, I was advised by another Symbol owner to get some of the silver lagging (B&Q) and place it against the inside backdoor window on the left handside to protect the wood panelling on the rear of the toilet. Apparently the sun's ray's will discolour it after a while.
Also, we managed to pick up a small three legged holder for the table. Very handy, so now we dont have to take an extra table for outside the van.
We have covered the back wood panel with a cheap silver windscreen cover that you buy for cars. This was easy as it already has the suction pads. Also use it as extra insulation over night and it just folds back between the rear door and the wood panel when not in use. We find if is just about wide enough to cover both doors.
Congrats on your purchase, ours is not a symbol but a VW gatcombe,we brought it in June last year, 2005 model with 4400 miles on the clock,we love it to bits, going to France in July for the first time.
, I was advised by another Symbol owner to get some of the silver lagging (B&Q) and place it against the inside backdoor window on the left handside to protect the wood panelling on the rear of the toilet. Apparently the sun's ray's will discolour it after a while.
Hi there Autosleepers are great vans we are Duetto owners but have taken the above advice slightly further. We have had the rear windows tinted to keep the UV rays down and this also stops people looking in.
On the drive our van sits with internal silver screens on and home made blinds (from £1 shop windscreen covers) in all the windows. I know this may be going too far but....
Regarding the heating in the winter definitely go with the Silver screens. We tend to use sites with hook up whenever possible so use a small fan heater but as this is a little noisy in the night bought an £8 small oil filled radiator to leave on all night and keep a hot water bottle in for that touch of luxury.
Enjoy yourselves and keep on posting your tips they are a great help.
Purchased our 2 year old 16500 miles Symbol 2.0 HDI in June, as an upgrade from a Mazda Bongo ( which we still have fortunately ).
Had an AC unit installed as part of the 'deal' and having done only about 1600 miles, it has suffered a fault with the power steering pipe 4 times!!
Is there anyway of knowing if the final replacement 'silver' coloured pipe coming out of the power steering pump unit, is an original Peugot part rather than a 'foreign' part that has been used before. We are really looking forward to being able to use the Symbol on a regular basis, but at present, we are constantly thinking of when the pipe is going to giveway again!
I guess that we must go to see a peugot dealer and get them to check out the new installation.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Autosleeper Symbol
