Finding Some Incredible Offgrid Parkups! (& Getting Stuck...) | Vanlife Cornwall

[@banofeepie]

You could look at getting yourself A HGV satnav even one of the Apps and you can set the length width height etc of the van and it will avoid bad roads

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yeah possibly, it would be a handy feature to have 👍

[@richarddraper6994]

Well done both of you for getting through it and sharing your experiences with which we can all get a real example of day to day problems but always staying positive 😊

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Thanks! Yeah as with anything you're always going to run into a frustrating situation at some point, fortunately the van was fine once we got out and let it cool down for a while 🙂

[@alexdarrellthird]

You two have been such a great motivation for me! I first started watching your videos in summer 2023, and eventually took the plunge and did my own conversion over a period of 2-3 months in Autumn 2023. Since then I've driven my camper all the way down to the island of Crete, and back. I completely copied your shower design, except I rigged up a version of the water heater using a CPU radiator and a CPU water pump rather than buying the conversion kit you used. I implemented a re-circulating shower system too, with powerful water pumps so it's nice and powerful. One thing I'm not happy with is that the re-circulated water smells bad after about 24 hours in storage, despite running it through a set of three filters and a UV lamp on every cycle. I've found that in practice whilst I can have long showers because the water re-circulates, I have to change the re-circulating water once a day, unlike others on youtube who claim to be able to shower in the same water for a week... If you have any hints/tips please feel free to get in touch!

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Ah that's awesome, sounds like you've had some great adventures already and happy to have played a small part in them! 🙂 And yeah we spent a long time after we built the recirculating shower figuring out how best to 'use' it and keep it running well, and it definitely took a bit of trial and error! Getting the water recirculating isn't too difficult but yep keeping it running smoothly and cleanly is the harder part which we've been improving all the time, and are still learning! Generally what we do is save the recirculating part of the shower to be for when we're already basically clean and want a really nice long rinse, and we try to avoid any soap or shampoo in that stage as well. We often go out for a hike or walk or something like that and end up a bit muddy, so what we do is have a military style shower first conserving as much water as possible, and then wash as much of that down the drain and into the grey tank as we can before then switching on the recirculating loop. We've tweaked our filters as well so now we have a hair catcher in the plug hole, a mesh filter under the van just past the shower drain, pre pump filter on the way back up, spindown, 3 cartridge filters and then the UV lamp. At the start we were a bit naive about how quickly the first few filters would clog up, but now we have a pretty good system and will clean the filter under the van every few showers as it's amazing how quickly it gets full with lint. We usually clean the pre-pump filter at the same time as it doesn't take long, and the spindown less regularly every couple of weeks maybe. Then as part of our reset where we dump grey and take on fresh water we always drain out the recirculating tank completely, and unscrew and drain the filter housings as well to remove the standing water. Top the tank up to the top with fresh water and then we've just recently started experimenting with adding about half a teaspoon of puriclean into the tank as well and then flushing that through before we go to empty and refill the tank. We're pretty dubious of using the same water for a week as well, in our experience no matter how good the filters are it still gets a bit 'soapy' after a while and doesn't feel as fresh. So at the beginning we tried that approach a bit more but now we've changed how we use it and it's working great for us. Because we have a non-recirculating shower first there's always a few litres of water that are being drained out into the grey tank and then we top the difference up for the next shower, so some portion of the tank is always being replenished with clean for each shower. We've found that's a great sweet spot as we get to have unlimited length showers while only using a few litres for each one, and if we keep on top of the maintenance it's just a couple of extra things to do when we're already reseting everything anyway so not too bad. As it happens our video on the recirculating shower will be one of the next few actually! 😀

[@alexdarrellthird]

​Thank you for such a helpful reply! Hope you're still having lots of fun and glad to hear you've figured out your recirculating set up. I'll try some of the things you've done. I suspect part of the reason my water was getting smelly was the heat in Greece. Take care and happy travels ❤

[@SelfBuiltStories]

@@alexdarrellthird No problem, thanks and you too! 🙂🚐

[@WagnerGimenes]

What an epic time you two are having. Also, kudos for keeping your cool and not shout at each other while wedged in the corner 😂😂😂😂 Some amazing memories being created there. Thanks for the video.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Haha cheers, it was a relief when the engine started up again that's for sure 😀 Yeah definitely some great memories 🙂

[@banofeepie]

Guy says I can smell the clutch lol. Seams to be a theme lol. Cornwall is a nightmare for large vehicles . Looks like you got a good tip for everyone to really plan your route when on the B roads.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

It's funny we've driven so many narrow roads, often worse, and never had any problems. Just misjudged this one! Oh well, at least we got out with just a scratch 😛

[@ianstjohn4506]

Wave bye bye Tim 😂. Another great video thanks. As always, can't wait for your next adventure

[@Richard.blackburn]

Bad luck getting stuck, but no harm done and a good lesson learnt. I have learned to ignore the sat nav when it tries to take me off A roads because of a shorter route down a B road or worse. It's so sketchy when in the countryside and far worse in the South West of England where the country lanes are narrow, the hedge rows are massive. It makes it so tricky to drive forwards, never mind reverse to find a passing place! Good luck on your travels 🍀

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Thanks, yeah it was just a small scratch in the end. We do the same and override it when it doesn't make sense but I had a lapse of judgement this time. Didn't appreciate how steep the slope was and how I wouldn't be able to reverse back a bit and straighten up to go around, and didn't really clock the small bit of kerb sticking out. If it was just a tad flatter or the kerb hadn't been there I don't think it would have been an issue but yep, lesson learnt! Fortunately Abi did a great job getting us out after I got us stuck! 🙄

[@waynedavidson989]

Them were some scary ass roads not done any Cornwall yet looking to go next year thanks for the heads up 😊

[@SelfBuiltStories]

It's mostly fine if you're careful, we just had a lapse of judgement going around that corner. Only time it's ever happened! Lovely place to visit though, one of our favourites for sure 😊

[@Noodles9090]

Hi guys, myself and my partner enjoy watching your videos and found your build series very helpful as we are building a van of our own. Thanks for doing what you do! I don't often comment on KZbin videos but I felt the need to add my thoughts in case you find them useful. I think the reason it may have cut out was because you were low on fuel (confirmed by the dash light at 18:08) and the incline your van was on when you got wedged meant that your engine was likely starved of fuel, the sender unit in your tank won't have been able to get anything as the diesel was all at the front of the tank. You will probably want bleed your fuel system to make sure there's no air in it!

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Hiya, thanks for the comment and glad you've found them helpful! And yeah that's interesting, that was also my first though as well because it was a pretty steep incline we were on and we were low on fuel (in fact we were on our way to the petrol station when we got stuck!). We filled up to full right after we got going again which took 70.44l of diesel and we have an 80l tank in our van, so ~10l of diesel would have been left in the tank when we got stuck. I'm not sure whereabouts the pickup is in our tank and whether that would be too little fuel to fill the sump but it would be interesting to know! We also had a fuel filter blocked message pop up briefly on the dash so possibly there was a pressure issue or a bit of air, or maybe sediment from the low part of the tank was picked up and clogged the filter? The engine and clutch were also both very hot from trying to reverse back out for a while and not being able to get traction though so that's a variable too. In the moment we didn't happen to look at the engine temperature on the dash when it stalled so not sure whether it was significantly hot at that point or just felt like it. We were stuck for ~20 minutes in the end, with the engine out for maybe the last 10 mins or so, and we had an 'engine service now' pop up at first as well. Thankfully after we were on flat ground and left it to cool down everything was fine and we haven't had any issues related to it since, but it would be good to know exactly why it cut out as trying to manoeuvre a heavy van around a steep corner without power steering or being able to reverse isn't ideal! 😀👍

[@dougwelch7069]

What's an adventure without a few scratches along the way. Wonderful journey, nice, can't wait for more.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yep it's all part of the adventure! Glad you're enjoying the videos 🙂

[@MrWarhammerdude]

A tricky situation but well handled by you both, also that sea swim looked about as much fun as I imagine it was 😂

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Haha yeah, it seemed like a good idea the night before but standing there before running in did make me question our choices a bit 😆 It was actually quite fun though, much more fun than getting stuck! 😅

[@vaughanlancellas495]

Great driving skills Abby. All the little things that are sent to try you will only make you stronger and wiser once conquered, although at the time you wonder WHY ME!!!! Great video guys.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yeah she did a great job! I was the one that got us stuck on the corner and we switched over so I could run around outside and see what was happening. At first it was a non-issue, just reverse the van, straighten up a bit and drive off. But then discovered the hill was too steep to reverse back up, and hampered more by the kerb that we couldn't get round. Definitely had a moment at that point wondering whether we would actually be able to get out on our own...! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂

[@petewarby7158]

Loving the regular travel videos, the map at the start was amazing, you're really getting to see a lot of the county. I'm very envious! Must be amazing to be able to see so much, good on you. Another super positive video, really enjoyable, thank you. :))))

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Glad you appreciated the map! We've been having some fun experimenting with that and rendered it using the exact gps route we took recorded from the antenna on the roof actually 😀 Yeah we've very lucky to have explored so much of Cornwall, and to be able to do it slowly as well so we can appreciate it fully. It's nice to have some more regular videos as we still have quite a few to catch up with, not sure how long we'll be able to keep that going but we're hoping to not have so much of a gap between them as we've had before! 😎

[@Rob.1340]

Glad you got out with minimal damage. Nicely done. Safe travels, all the best. 👍🚐😎

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Cheers! Yeah, tis but a scratch! A travel battle scar 😆

[@enra72]

Well done Abbey you looked very stressed out understandably. Part of the course on Cornwall's tight roads

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yeah for sure! We were a bit as at first we weren't sure if we could physically get out without being able to reverse. It was me (Tim) that was driving when we got stuck, Abi was the one who got tasked with getting us out 😀

[@BrianBrewer-wo7tz]

Bless you both

[@SelfBuiltStories]

❤️

[@arthurlittler1473]

Great video as usual thanks.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks 🙂

[@KgenRobin]

Abbey, I know the feeling.... what's an adventure without a few hiccups. Stay strong.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yep! It was an interesting moment when we weren't sure if we could get out 😛 Was a rookie mistake after all the country driving we've done but definitely learnt from it!

[@franklealand1181]

As a midlander who lives in Penzance and learned the hard way Praa is pronounced Prey ,if you get that right in front of a local you are showing them you took the time to learn something and they will open up more . Hope you've enjoyed the South West

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Ah interesting, we did not know that! Will keep it in mind next time we're down there 😀 And yeah we love the South West coast!

[@nedernoor]

Good job driving those (too) small roads!😅

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Haha cheers, we like the narrow roads it's part of the charm but yeah some of them are just a _bit_ too narrow for a big van 😛

[@flymatilda12]

Tricky situation but it's all part of the adventure. Such beautiful scenery

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yeah for sure, it's all part of it! And yeah it really is stunning around some of the coastline 🙂

[@Pedelorean]

Well done on getting around that corner. I've been there and done that too on several Cornish roads in a large van. It's so frustrating that google maps doesn't have a "van" / larger vehicle mode to avoid roads like that. Great video as usual :)

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Cheers, I guess if you drive long enough in a big van you're going to have something happen at some point! That does seem like a notably missing feature, but people have pointed us to some other apps which do have that so might check those out. We've driven a huge amount of narrow country lanes (very used to them based in Devon) but I (Tim) just got caught out by this one!

[@finbarwhelton9374]

Watched your videos from day one , love your attention to detail. Well done for showing the van getting stuck, you could have quite easily edited that out. Do you have plans to finish the rest of the interior of your van

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Thank you very much! We could have but it's all part of the experience, something is always going to go wrong at some point so we like to show that as it's not always just great parkups and adventure, often it's the little annoying problems and a boring layby too. And yep it's all finished now actually! We wanted to get on the road before doing the last bits like the doors and things, but there'll be a video on those bits at some point 😀👍

[@MNmostly]

Another great adventure! Quite amazing how narrow the roads are in the UK but you are passing through them well.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Cheers! Yeah some of them can be quite small particularly around the coast, usually there's decent sized passing places though so we've never had a problem before. Just that one corner!

[@Chaz.c]

Hi loved the episode shame about scratching the van. I’m guessing as you was on steep hill and not much fuel your van stopped as pickup up pipe in tank. Also if you ever get van hot please leave it running as can cause you more issues shutting it off. Great adventures both of you

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Cheers, and yeah that was my first thought as well as the include was pretty steep. There was 10l of fuel still in the tank (we were on our way to the petrol station when it happened!) but not sure where the pickup is on the tank to know if that would be low enough to cause a starvation on the incline we were on. But there was also a fuel filter blocked warning briefly as well, so possibly there was also some sediment that got pulled through as well. Fortunately all the issues were only transient and the van started again fine and has done a lot of driving since then 👍

[@Chaz.c]

@ I’m pleased all ok now. Maybe an idea to change fuel filter as cheap enough. Safe travels

[@SelfBuiltStories]

@@Chaz.c Cheers, yeah we've done a full service on the van now since then 🙂👍

[@grahamunderwood9353]

them cornish motorways can be a bit narrow ,had a freind over from canada and she couldnt believe how narrow the roads were ,glad you got out ok ,the dolphins are a joy to watch ,love just looking back on video footage and seeing them in the bow wave ❤

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Haha yeah some of them can be, wouldn't want it to be different though that's part of the charm of it down there. Thank you and glad you enjoyed the dolphins, it was very cool to see them! 😍

[@SimonErrington-v3e]

Up date your sat navigation as a large vehicle you can put the size and hight into it and it keeps you away from things plus if you stall and restart engines they do bring loads of problems up on the dash but they always clear once left a while stay safe

[@BigRedEd]

only crap vehicles.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Cheers, yeah we were using google maps at the time which I don't think has that feature but we might try something else that does. It's never normally a problem as we're pretty careful to discount the directions if it doesn't look suitable, but missed it this time! No issues with the van thankfully, it just needed some time to cool down (and get some more fuel, it didn't help that we were almost empty and on our way to the petrol station when we got stuck! 😛)

[@SelfBuiltStories]

@@BigRedEd we're pretty happy with the transit so far 😀

[@anthonyfernwood8093]

Stayed in that very same spot in Praa Sands, lovely spot.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Cool, yeah it's a great if you can get a spot right at the front! 👍

[@SecrePeach]

I’m use to driving and trailering horses so not phased easily but what you’ve both experienced is what concerns me about getting on the camper trails! There is the TomTom go camper max pro which is specifically designed for camping and allows you to upload your vehicle dimensions and plans an appropriate route (probably won’t work 100%) but might help. Abbey I don’t know how you weren’t panicking going down to the last car park after your ordeal! Well done both of you and thanks for sharing!

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yeah something like that would be pretty handy, it's surprising that google maps doesn't have that feature already actually. We've both driven a huge amount of narrow country lanes (living in Devon) so we're very used to it, but yeah I (Tim) just misjudged that one! Knew the corner was tight but thought I could just reverse and straighten up, but didn't appreciate the steepness meaning I couldn't reverse back at all. Abi took over so I could run around and check how we were doing on all the sides, was a bit stressful just because for a while we weren't sure if we could actually get out without being towed back up a bit. She was a bit worried going down to Lamorna in case we met another car but it was fine 😛 No problem, thanks for watching!

[@gnarlybadger690]

Good on Abby for sticking with it, well done for keeping your cool. S**t happens, I enjoyed watching not visited Cornwall at all so you're videos very informative 👍🏻

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Glad you're enjoying them 😊 And yeah she did a great job getting us out, it was actually me (Tim) that got us stuck in the first place 😛

[@alanharness1960]

Well done both of you. You walked away from that unscathed. Onwards and Up

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Cheers! Yeah the van was fine in the end, it was just a bit unexpected! 👍

[@peteroamer]

Very well done, you stayed very calm. We've had a MWB Transit for 17 years and been stuck in mud three times and jammed between buildings once. 2 years ago we bought 5 x B F Goodrich KO2 tyres and don't think we'll ever get stuck again. 🤞 Have a lovely time with your fabulous conversation, well done.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

@@peteroamer Yeah if you drive long enough in a big vehicle something's going to happen at some point! We almost got stuck in the mud for the first time the other day after some really heavy rain but just about managed to get out! Good tyres make a big difference, we've got the Grabber AT3s on ours now. Thank you very much, we will 🙂

[@peterwebb1026]

Thanks for the video. That is one of my potential nightmares with our campervan, we haven’t experienced anything like that yet, but we haven’t been to Cornwall or Devon yet? I’m curious to know what sat nav you have? I have the TomTom Go Camper max where you can set van dimensions, but I wonder if it sees the van as say 2.7 wide and the road as 2.8 it gives the thumbs up and doesn’t take into account any passing spots etc? Anyway, well done to you both and the other motorists for not losing your cool 👍I dread to think of the carnage involved if that’d have been me and my wife 😂 All the best Pete

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Haha cheers, it was a bit stressful when we realised we couldn't reverse as we weren't sure if we could physically get out! We just use google maps and make sure to ignore its directions sometimes if it doesn't look suitable, but made a mistake with this one! We might look into a more van sat nav but we haven't had any problems before or since this one!

[@colincox3324]

As a regular visitor to Cornwall I never trust SatNav and navigate using an old fashioned map. Well done for getting out of a sticky situation and still have the confidence to tackle some more narrow roads. I was wondering if your exhaust got fouled by the vegetation so didn’t allow the gases to escape.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yeah we usually veto what it says if it looks sketchy and never had any problems before but misjudged this one. Cheers, it was ok in the end but yeah a bit stressful at the time when the engine cut out! Don't think it would be the exhaust as it's right in the center of the van which wasn't up against anything, but we think it was probably fuel starvation either from lack of fuel because of the incline we were on (we had low fuel at the time) or possibly because the fuel filter was partially blocked (that flashed on the dash at the time). Fortunately once we stopped for a while everything was fine 🙂👍

[@simonclarke5925]

You've discovered our Cornish lanes. My Transit mwb campervan is my daily drive, wouldn't want anything longer for the lanes I travel. Wouldn't want to live anywhere else but Cornwall though.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Haha yeah, we should be used to it as we've lived in rural Devon for years and driven all the narrow roads. Brief lapse of judgement on that one! Cornwall is a fantastic place, one of our favourites 😊

[@paulnorman6442]

That looked very stressfull getting the van unstuck but the last parkup you found looked like it made up for it.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yeah it was a bit! But you're right, you have to put up with the inevitable things going wrong to be able to appreciate when you get to some of the great spots. We were really lucky that the weather was so nice when we were there 😎👍

[@findingouradventure_]

Thats just around the corner from where we live! Welcome to Cornwall 😜

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Ah cool, which part? We love spending time in Cornwall 😀

[@findingouradventure_]

@ we are based in Truro ☺️ I guess the more time you spend here, the more you will get used to the roads 🙌

[@SelfBuiltStories]

​@@findingouradventure_ ah cool, yeah we've been there a few times. We're used to all the narrow roads as we were living in rural devon for quite a few years, but yeah my bad (Tim) I just misjudged the corner on that one! First time it's happened before or since, didn't appreciate how steep the slope was and that we wouldn't be able to actually reverse the van 😛

[@TonyhlHl]

sorry to see it happened , it happened to me few years ago, very narrow road and scrach the side pannel and knock off the side marker, make me stressful then I decided have to buy a tomtom or gamin gps to instead to use mobile phone and google map as nav.this device can set the vehicle size so it can avoid most of narrow road. my experience is really worth to invest one.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Thanks, fortunately everything was fine once we got out. We often disregard what the satnav says but yeah having something that understands the size of the van isn't a bad idea 🙂👍

[@pharmacistsdoitoverthecoun5012]

There are motorhome specific travel guide apps that help you avoid routes that are motorhome unfriendly. Input the size and height of the vehicle and routes are suggested that avoid low bridges, single track roads etc

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Cheers, yeah a few people have given some good recommendations of ones to check out 👍🙂

[@Paul.C300]

Some scallywags sometimes like to throw soft bread on your roof at night so the tourists get a rude awakening early the next morning, but this one of the joys of parking a campervan / motor home in Cornwall, a bit of harmless fun you understand. 😊 You poor wife looked like she had had enough of driving after you got well and truly stuck on that corner, I've done it myself and I live here so I should know better, I'm pleased it didn't ruin your whole trip. 😊

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Haha, that is quite funny and would love to know if that's what had happened to us 🤣 And yeah it was pretty stressful at first as we genuinely weren't sure if we could actually get out! Was my fault for misjudging the corner, figured I could just reverse and straighten up before going round but didn't appreciate just how steep it was and that I wouldn't be able to reverse! Switched over at that point so I could run around and check the sides while Abi steered us out. It didn't ruin the trip, was just a ridiculous situation for a while 😀 We love Cornwall and the narrow roads are part of the charm 🙂

[@eddieimossi4663]

Well done In getting out of that. Cornwall not the best for motorhomes, the roads are very stressful.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Cheers, yeah we were pretty relieved we could get out without having to get the cavalry in! We've spent a lot of time driving all around Devon and Cornwall on the narrow roads and never had a problem before this one but it was a good learning experience!

[@lincolndave1966able]

Shit happens, hey ho. You are making memories for sure lol. Great teamwork. You both looked a bit stressed which is understandable. The roads down there can be real tight even for cars. You will soon become battle hardened to such instances.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yep, all part of the adventure! 😎 Yeah it was quite stressful when we couldn't reverse and then with the engine cutting out, as for a while we weren't sure if we'd be able to get out on our own! We're used to driving on tiny roads living in Devon but definitely misjudged that one 😛

[@davidpatrick1813]

Nice and mellow

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Thank you 😊

[@Dirt-Diggler]

If the fuel was low (fuel light was on) as you were on a hill the chances are you got an air lock in the fuel pickup pipes and that stalled the engine 🤔 Well done getting out of it 👍

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Cheers, and yeah my first thought was about the low fuel as well. There was 10l of fuel still in the tank (we were on our way to the petrol station when it happened!) but not sure where the pickup is on the tank to know if that would be low enough to cause an issue on the incline we were on. We briefly had a fuel filter blocked warning as well, but fortunately after letting it cool down and rest all the warnings disappeared and it's been fine since 👍

[@Dirt-Diggler]

@SelfBuiltStories IIRC the fuel pickup is in the middle of the tank so with only 10L in the tank I recon you ran out of fuel momentarily, hence the filter fuel pressure dropped giving the filter warning 🤔 Allways a worry with modern motors and the lights pop up 😱

[@SelfBuiltStories]

@@Dirt-Diggler Yeah possibly, I definitely think it was fuel starvation of some kind as it started up again pretty much first time once we were back on flat ground. First time we've experienced it though so was an interesting one!

[@M0NXF]

Never go by satnav in cornwall a friend edded up in a river by going with satnav .

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Oof that is not ideal! Yeah we usually veto it's directions if it doesn't look suitable but had a lapse of judgement with this one! Only time it's ever happened and would have to be on a really steep slope 😛

[@VanlifeByTris]

As a Penzance local myself, I have often questioned my vehicular choice in buying a XLWB Transit, over a Nissan Micra (which would itself be too big for Cornish back roads). You didn't mention getting stuck when I met you both in Spoons later that day; I guess you just wanted to chalk it up to experience, and move on. I was wondering when the video would drop.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Hey Tris! Good to hear from you, it was actually a few days after this that we bumped into you so think we had de-stressed by then 😅 Yeah there's a couple of times when we think how it would be nice to have a small nimble van (looking at you, height barriers!), but we really like having the big van for the extra space and wouldn't change it 😎

[@Robbie-bp3mg]

You need to stop using Google maps and use Co Pilot GPS and put the size of your van in so you never get in that situation again. Been there, glad tiur OK 👍

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Cheers! Yeah it's the only time it's ever happened before and since, would have been fine if the hill wasn't so steep! We're pretty careful but that's a pretty useful feature to have, we'll check it out 🙂👍

[@robbie77300]

Doing a Transit conversion myself. On an odd occasion I get the service engine now message. On the rare occasion it does appear, it's at starting from cold, and it goes back off when I stop and restart engine.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Cool, and yeah interesting, we've had it come up a handful of times over the last few years but like you it's always been a transient thing and gone off as soon as we stop and restart the engine. For us it seems to be when we've been on a really long drive, like 6 hours or more. The one we always get which is really annoying is 'hill start assist not available', need to figure out how to disable that warning somewhere! 😛

[@robbie77300]

You might he able to check that with the ford scanner software, forscan. You need the lead for it but it's quite cheap. Useful setup for the ford's as well, I've a kuga as well so it's very useful.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

​@@robbie77300 Yeah I've played around with forscan but haven't been able to pinpoint anything in particular yet to figure out why it's happening or disable the warning, although I haven't had time to look completely thoroughly yet so it's possible I've just missed it so far 😛

[@travellingjournalist966]

I bought Navpal satnav it does Lorrie’s vans and cars you just set it for your vehicle £60 ish from amazon must admit I’ve not used it properly yet it will find supermarkets and shops won’t find attractions unless you have the post code

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Thanks for the tip, it's never normally a problem but maybe we'll look into a van gps at some point 🙂👍

[@travellingjournalist966]

@ it’s well worth it and for not too much money it’s also a bit more 3D so when you approach a roundabout you can clearly see which exit even if you didn’t hear the direction

[@SelfBuiltStories]

@@travellingjournalist966 good to know, thanks 🙂

[@lauriepearce8266]

Lamorna cove car park , biggest rip off car park in Cornwall. Card payments cannot be processed because there is no mobile phone signal. Many an unwary holiday maker has been caught out. Cash generator for the owners. It is a good idea to buy a satnav where the dimensions for your vehicle can be entered. We tow a caravan with our car that has a built in satnav, we also have Garmin satnav with the details of our outfit entered. Before we bought it we got caught out while in Spain a few years ago. Brittany a few years later was problem free thanks to double checking with the Garmin.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

We were quite amazed that it was £15 and only in cash! And when we were editing the video checked and it looks like it's now £18 which is a lot of spare change to have lying around😯 It is a really nice spot but yeah, a shame there's the anpr cameras and the parking feels like it's almost designed to catch you out. And yeah we only ever use Google Maps but might look at one of the specialised apps that lets you put in dimensions. We've very used to driving narrow lanes as we lived in rural devon for a long while but there's always the change of that unfamiliar place catching you out like happened with us this time!

[@276tracey]

We use navpal satnav...you can put dimensions of your vehicle into device and it wont take you down lanes that your van cant fit.... Love your vids

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Cheers 🙂👍 And that's a cool feature, do they have an app based version, or just the physical screen?

[@jeffreystiles5716]

There’s a US app called “Hammer” that does a similar thing, hopefully they have a UK version

[@truth3358]

Being a lorry driver for 34 years Do not rely on satnav’s Abi I really feel sorry for you You se3m to do all the driving and he wants to drink tea 😭

[@SelfBuiltStories]

​@@truth3358 haha, I was actually the one driving when we got stuck on the corner 🤣I do more of the nighttime driving when we're usually not filming anything as Abi's less keen on that. We've been driving around narrow Devon roads for years and normally disregard the sat nav if it looks sketchy but yeah I had a lapse of judgement this time, didn't appreciate the steepness of the curve and not being able to reverse. Oh well, lesson learned 🙃

[@stevebrocklehurst1152]

You must be using a car satnav, set it for a van then it won't take you down stupid lanes. 😉👍🏻

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yeah we were just using google maps which doesn't have an option like that as far as I know, so we might check out something more van specific. It's the only time it's ever happened but always good to be prepared 🙂👍

[@andrewmillerphotography]

Sygic GPS app. You can put van dimensions into it

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Thanks for the tip 🙂👍

[@lweleven3423]

Bet it’s happened to many happened to me in June sat nav’s are a guide only

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yeah for sure, actually one of the guys who came to see what was happening said it had happened to him on the same corner! And yeah we always take the sat nav with a pinch of salt but my fault (tim) had a lapse of judgement on this one, didn't appreciate how steep it was and how I wouldn't be able to reverse but lesson learned 😀

[@none7574]

We live there

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Great part of the country! 👍

[@AntonyDean-j1k]

Frankly an ordnance survey map shows how bad the roads are. People from out of the area jamming the roads up with vehicles too large for the roads are getting to be a pain in the proverbial. (Plus them driving far too fast.) I have stopped riding my motorcycle around the East of the Lizard because it has got too dangerous to do so.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yeah probably, we've driven a lot of narrow roads in the van and are pretty careful about where we take it but misjudged the really steep slope on this one and how the van wouldn't have enough traction to reverse. Lesson learned! Thankfully the few people that wanted to get past were friendly and didn't end up waiting too long

[@MrYugo68]

2,2 oil sensors problem

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Possibly, it briefly flashed up with a fuel filter error as well but that went off again pretty quickly. It probably didn't help that we were low on fuel at the time as well (we were on our way to a petrol station!)

[@MrYugo68]

Manufacturing problems i will send you video

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Feel free to 👍

[@MrYugo68]

@@SelfBuiltStories oil pump problems i will send

[@MrYugo68]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXjXgKqZoLp0oLMsi=7Q3DGZGv4Evb75kT

[@MrYugo68]

@@SelfBuiltStories 1.50 min please watch

[@SelfBuiltStories]

@@MrYugo68 can't see any video link?

[@skinnysim]

been with you guys since the start , my second comment, once again same gripe from me ,you still it seems haven't understood your home. did not like the worried look on your faces when the engine stopped. please please get to know the girl [van] fords have high temp shut down get a cheap autell scan dongle

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Thanks for watching the channel since the start! Yeah not surprised we looked worried, not really because of the van though but because for a while we weren't sure if we would actually be able to get out without being able to reverse, so we were a bit stressed! It doesn't look like it so much on the camera but the incline was incredibly steep and there was a kerb in the way as well so it couldn't handle it. We didn't even really have time to register why the van had cut out as we had multiple cars backed up behind us so didn't have a choice but to try and get out 😛 We knew it had overheated and could smell the clutch so figured it would be alright after it cooled down and fortunately it was fine. Yeah it's good to have something like that, we've now got a dongle and forscan which works great with our van, very handy for diagnostics and doing a bit of light reprogramming 👍😎

[@sharkeyist]

Why does cornwall hate vanlifers? 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ If you dont have the ability to read the road, or the savvy to know your vehicle, please stick to the main roads.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Probably because a lot of them don't leave without a trace in our experience! We've lived in rural Devon for the last few years so driving narrow roads is a way of life, but yep hold my hands up I misjudged that one. Didn't appreciate how steep the hill was or anticipate having the engine cut out, probably because of fuel starvation from the incline. Lesson learnt and you move on 👍

[@grahamambridge2856]

Are you aware of the wet timing belt conversations with these vans? 6 years or 60k miles now or risk engine damage. I got a 2018 lwb i converted. Its now just 6 years old and only done 34000 miles but i think i need to get it done. Costs up to £1500 in some places. The parts are £400 alone. If the belt breaks it will cost thousands though. Sheffield

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Thankfully we don't have a wet belt we still have a chain so it's not a problem for us, they switched it with the newer 2.0l EcoBlue engines and ours is a 2017 with the 2.2l engine 🙂👍

[@alexrobinson2281]

Don’t blame the sat nav for lack of common sense

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Yep 100%, that's why we said it was all self inflicted and we stupidly decided to take a quicker route that popped up without really thinking about it, had a brief lapse of judgement on that one 👍

[@MrYugo68]

2,2 is bad motor

[@SelfBuiltStories]

It's been great at everything we threw at it before and since, but yeah it couldn't get back up that hill 😛

[@Fish-Eat-Sleep-Repeat]

No it isn't.

[@skinnysim]

yes the worst, dumb ecoboost crap,

[@Fish-Eat-Sleep-Repeat]

@ 2.2 TDCi isn’t Ecoboost.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

@@skinnysim We don't have the ecoboost engine we have the duratorq 👍

[@raycrocker2844]

I live in Cornwall and have driven articulated tipper trucks and low loaders down narrow lanes and sat nav’s are really useful to get you close to your destination but the most important thing is that I use my eyesight to decide whether or not I’m gonna fit somewhere, I don’t let a satnav make a decision that important. Bad driving and bad decision making is what caused this, typical of a couple of office wallahs who venture into the real world. Those lanes are not too narrow they are typical of the roads in rural Cornwall, all you had to do was take a left turn then find a suitable spot to turn and come back, there was no way you were gonna make that right turn, I’m surprised you didn’t boil the engine and destroy the clutch, neither one of you did an “amazing job” what you did is make bad decisions and caused chaos in the process. Sorry to sound negative but the world doesn’t need any more warning signs for idiots who make bad decisions, you are not a large vehicle, you are no bigger than a simple everyday delivery van and they run the lanes all day everyday. Nice warm office for you guys where there’s lots of tea and medals and back slapping every time you manage a simple task. How sad.

[@vivnutter2156]

Unfortunately this is why we stopped going to Cornwall. It’s just not worth it. Shame x

[@rodcarter4502]

FORD 🦧

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Very happy with it 😛

[@mrhoult-qy8su]

Hi guys, have you set the parameters into your sat nav, H X W X L ??

[@SelfBuiltStories]

We were just using google maps at the time which doesn't have that feature but we might check out one of the other apps that can do it. We do disregard where the satnav wants to go quite a bit but misjudged it for this one 😛

[@BigRedEd]

They say their is one born every minute

[@SelfBuiltStories]

🙃

[@BigRedEd]

You know what they say about women drivers.

[@SelfBuiltStories]

Except I was the one driving, Abi was the one who got us out 🤣