Hi, we've just bought our first ever camper. We've never even slept in one before. We pick it up in ten days time. Both retired and clueless. It's a Weinsberg Carabus 630 2024 on a Fiat Ducato manual and just over 3k on the clock, we got it from the Newbury show last weekend. We're going to stop over at a campsite near the dealers up in Cambridge which is a 4 hour train ride from us. Any advice or tips greatly appreciated.
We've joined the CAMC what else should we enrole in.
Thanks
Roy
I'm sure you'll love it & enjoy many trips. Get a good handover tour & get to grips with all the systems. Spare wheel or sealant kit? Make sure its all there.
Be aware some Ducato's have issues with water ingress through the scuttle under the windscreen which can take out electronic power steering & injectors. There are however countermeasures I & a lot of other owners have fitted. Sure there are warranties but vans can be off the road for weeks or months waiting on parts. Check out this guide & supplier (fellow enthusiast) https://motorhome3dprints.com/guide-to-water-deflectors-gen4
Outside of that there so much potential advice across a broad range of relevent topics & we have different aims & preferences so be sure to ask more questions as required.
Thank for this, much appreciated and yes I've heard about the leak issue and looked at the link, (cheers) I wouldn't have a clue on that but there is a Fiat independent garage near me, hopefully they would do that for me. We are really looking forward to getting out there, if a little apprehensive to start with.
I'm no mechanic & bung all mechanical & body work to local garages but these are all easy to fit with minimal tools & come with excellent instructions. Only one I needed to buy a tool for was the seal behind the wiper arms. They arms were stubborn so I bought a battery terminal puller cheap on Amazon. Hours work.
My van came without engine undertray as standard so I got that on ebay. There's a Polish seller does all the variants in excellent quality. I had that fitted as I couldn't raise front of van high enough to fit rear rivnuts.
I can see you've been here a while & a tent camper maybe? You'll love the fast to zero set up when getting to your destination. Like camping it can still be advantageous to keeping things simple & light. Folk quickly use up all the storage space (& payload) if not careful. We still use a lot of our camping kitchen stuff as it is quality & light.
It's also worth joining a Facebook group for your specific van range. Great for learning about common issues, easy fixes, helpful modifications.
I switched unit from a tent to a PVC back in 2021, much easier in terms of time and efforts to set up.
I sold a lot of my gears and kept the ones I could use in the van, such as all the Locknlock containers for dry food and kitchen items.
Sadly I could not use the MSR Alpine Stowaway pots with the induction hob, which enabled me to buy a set of Tefel Ingenio pots and pans that I had lusted after for years.
The recent issues with my van highlighted to me the importance to keep an eye on battery health, including the van's battery.
I have been a member fo C&CC since 2007 and joined CAMC in 2021 when I got my van to give myself more options. I can get concession rate with C&CC now, and shall look at booking their sites as much as possible.
Enjoy your van in your next camping chapter!
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Hi, as you have said yourself you are clueless, get a very good handover of how everything, even simple things work and video it, you will forget it all in the excitement.
Take it to a weighbridge empty and see what payload you have to play with BEFORE you start filling it with 'stuff' you think you need. On this front, take things from home and see how you go then you can make lists of things to get. We have things in a box for 'just in case' and have never used them in over 5 years.
EHU cable (should come from the dealer new with the van)
A thermal screen cover is a must if you plan to use all year round.
A basic toolkit is handy for things that fall apart too.
Levelling ramps.
Alarm/tracker/steering lock/clutch claw
We've had 3 Ducato's and none have suffered with leaks so don't fret too much about it.
If you insure both of you on the insurance, make sure you are both happy to drive as the 2nd driver would be expected to drive if main driver was not able to.
Keep first few trips close to home until you are confident and just enjoy it, or try a pub stopover and use it for a night out.
Coincidentally I just removed the levelling ramps from our van. Never had them in previous van for 9 years & used them once on new van in 13 months because they were there. Could of managed without. Freed up a lot of space in a 6m van!
It's a good idea to stay somewhere close for a short trip to make sure all is well for the new to you van before embarking a longer trip further afield.
I do that for my first trip of the season, just 45min down the road at Salisbury C&CC.
I thought I had a good handover when I took delivery of my van after it had been custom-converted; however, there were teething issues that needed to be addressed, and it took a few of visits before they were sorted out.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Thanks all for the excellent advice. We picked up the van this week and absolutely love it. We did video the handover, we stayed local to the dealer on a lovely campsite, Fields End Water we returned to the dealer with a couple of issues, which the dealer sorted right away.
I haven’t been camping for absolutely years so this was mostly new to me.
It has a Scorpion S5 plus tracker, we keep it in a Gold Cassoa storage place, I’ll also get a gold disk lock for it. I’ll get it weighed and consider up playing although now nearing 70 I’m a bit hesitant to do that. However we are over the moon and can’t wait to get away in it. I think our first outing will be Dorset or Devon as a mid week break. Thanks all for the great advice.
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: First Ever Camper
via mobile 20/5/2026 at 10:11pm
