MORE VAN PROBLEMS! TROUBLE in SPAIN | VAN LIFE REALITY ABROAD

[@CerriMorse]

Well, being as we’re in Malaga having a break, we went out and bought those lemon and black pepper crisps this morning, and as you said the taste is to die for. 🤪

[@comealongdear]

Ooh excellent!! I hope you mean to die for in a good way of course 😂 I really think they'd appeal to Brits so much. Hope you're enjoying Malaga 😍

[@Firstchoicepetsitters]

Hi guys, glad to see Daisy is up and running again. I drove older vans for many years and one in particular was a bugger to start in the cold and damp weather. I was told the trick is to keep her warm at night so every night through the winter I used to put a blanket over the engine - and it worked a treat! ( don't put the blanket on a hot engine, and be sure to take it off before you turn the key to start her in the morning!)

[@comealongdear]

Hey guys, wow now that's a fab little tip we never knew about. Thanks for that! 😍 It makes sense, as the sudden temperature plunge probably made it difficult for her to adjust, almost as if she was a living breathing thing. Hope everything is well for you in Cyprus ❤️

[@Kattyroo]

The monastery is beautiful.

[@comealongdear]

Yes we adored that! The design of that building was sublime, and I loved the garden at the centre of the cloister area. There's lots of old buildings like that in Toledo 😍

[@findingxanadulife]

Oh the wonders of the Spanish tradesmen. It takes a lot to get used to, but they just do everything on a kind of lose timescale and always behave like they are just not interested. The crazy thing is they are usually interested not that you can tell. Toledo is an amazing city and looks so beautiful. Anyway, glad you got Daisy back in fighting form and you can get home safely, much love Darren and Alison 🤟♥️

[@comealongdear]

Hey guys, yes navigating those garages was...an experience 😂 The language barrier didn't help of course. I think we got lucky in the end and he took pity on us when we said we couldn't stay in a hotel for more than a week realistically...suddenly then the job was able to be done the next day or so 🤔 But not complaining, thank god someone saved us 😂 It helped so much correctly self diagnosing the problem too. Toledo, oh that was such a grand surprise - at least we had a fun day out exploring, and with a chauffeur back and forth too 😍 And all has been well since. Take care both, much love ❤️ 🤟

[@catarinahellstrom7731]

Thanks for the video! Glad it all ended well after all. These things happen in life and I always think that as long as it’s only machines that break down and not your health, it’s ok! It can be fixed! Keep safe and enjoy the rest of your holiday!

[@comealongdear]

Aah thank you 🙏❤️ That's a great way of looking at it - our health being okay is always priority over the van or anything like that. Not that we're always super healthy (as you'll witness next week 🙈) but it puts everything into perspective for sure. We love Daisy but yes...she is mere machine parts, bless her. Thank you and take care 🤗

[@denisestravelsandexperiences]

Oooh, those crisps sound amazing! So glad you fixed the van....even though I knew you had! It is important for people to see the everyday. The reason I started to watch you was because I am trying to manifest my van. It did only take one episode for me to be hooked to the reality of van life so for me I loved this this episode. I love how you keep it real..... do please let me know if you ever come back to Germany....I have space for a van to park up!!! 😂 good luck for your travels back. ❤

[@comealongdear]

Morning Denise 😊 I think those crisps might be our favourite thing about Spain you know 😂 I'm really pleased you enjoyed this one - we have to show the reality as well as the fun travel stuff and unfortunately things like this happen along the way. But if it gives you some insights, especially when you're thinking about a van yourself, then I'm glad we filmed it. The next back-to-reality video will be vanlife in the cold UK I expect 😂 Thank you so much for that offer, that's very kind of you - we loved Germany so we'd happily go back in a heartbeat! 😁 Take care and have a good week ❤️

[@MotorhomeMums]

I was all tense until you drove off from the garage. So pleased you’re all sorted. Don’t forget to let us know when you head to Scotland. Would be great to meet you in person, especially since we are static for a while in our new home. Top tip, watch BBC1 at 3pm tomorrow (Tuesday) if you can. 👍🤗🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@comealongdear]

Hi ladies, thank you, yes it was such a relief, we didn't truly believe it until we drove off. The nature of a home on wheels I guess. It would be absolutely lovely to meet you too and when we come to Scotland we'd love to say hello 🥰 I think we're heading to Yorkshire in January, but maybe Scotland later in the year. Hope everything is going ok up there. Oh my god, I just looked up the tv guide - we will definitely be tuning in to that at the first opportunity, how amazing and exciting for you 😍 Excellent! Take care both ❤️

[@PeterSeabrook805]

Hope you manage to get her fixed!! Not sure if they have them for those vans but i should imagine they will but see if you can get hold of a haynes manual for the van. I buy one for every car i own, it's saved me lots of money over the years. It shows you how to repair everything in the vehicle and how to do maintenance to keep her running smoothly which is difficult in the colder month's. Moisture in between connections freezes and causes bad connections so a good clean and a little wd40 is usually all that is needed. Don't be frightened of your engine and try and learn what things are and what they do, this will teach you where to look when things go wrong. KZbin is great for this sort of stuff. Engines have the the same parts, just in different places. Start learning today.. you won't be sorry. Take care guys.

[@comealongdear]

Ah thanks so much Peter! That's great advice. We do indeed have a Haynes manual, but I suspect we need to be braver when it comes to using it. That said, we did at least diagnose this problem ourselves, we just needed someone to fix it. But I think you're right, trying to learn about this stuff will help us in the long run. Thank you!

[@PeterSeabrook805]

@@comealongdear No problem and yeah i know it can be daunting at first. Just doing small jobs will build your confidence and save you a few quid. The shift bushings looks like an easy enough job but getting the part could be problematic in another country. Have a look to see if it looks worn or damaged if you can get to it. I do think you are less likely to be scammed if you know what you are talking about so even just learning about it can save you money. Anyway the best of luck and all the best for Christmas and new year 🥳🎉🥳🎉

[@comealongdear]

Thank you Peter, yes starting small is best, the problem we have is there's not much room in the van so carrying the appropriate tools etc is tricky, and ideally we need a base so we can stop and do work on the van intermittently. Although we have been a bit lax, I do think part of it is because we're always on the go with no base to give her tlc. Something we'll be looking at in the new year I think 😁 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too! 🎄❤️

[@swirlgalaxy]

Happy Christmas Boys!! Hope Daisy gets you back home to the UK! Big bear hugs from Kenny in Ohio, USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!🎄🎆🎉🎊

[@comealongdear]

Hi Kenny 🤗 Daisy god bless her has been fine ever since so hopefully this one was just a minor mishap. Merry Christmas and big bear hugs back to you in Ohio, I hope you're well over there. Do you ever get snow there at Christmas? Take care ❤️🎄

[@annealognon7262]

Great video of Toledo. Its always scary when the van is poorly, glad all is ok for you both. Safe travels xx

[@comealongdear]

Thank you, yes it was worrying for a while as it always is when the van has problems, big or small, but luckily this one wasn't too bad 🙏 Toledo was great! So at least something good came of it 😁

[@Lindsay.k3492]

Oh boys! What a nightmare! .. Sh.. happens , thank goodness it wasn’t a major major issue. Keep safe xx

[@comealongdear]

Thanks Lindsay 🥰 We recovered in the end, at least this one was just a short blip! I hope you're well

[@JimmyCall]

Usually if you can't get into gear, it's a transmission issue. Worn pads/section, or old transmission fluid. One test is see how dark your transmission fluid is. It should be cherry coloured. If it's really dark then it may have been left too long and the transmission is worn out. Changing old fluid may expose faults, as the old fluid can help grippiness, but bad situation, and putting new fluid in could make gears slip due to being worn out, exposing a costly transmission replacement. Possibly the engine mounts are loose or broken, affecting the gear change. The engine and transmission are joined and separated to the van's body by these engine-mounts/rubbers. If they're not doing their job then you'll get gear change skips and pop-outs whilst driving, and difficulty getting into gear. If you clearly can see the engine mounts are breaking up, then replace and then move to next issue if there's any.

[@JimmyCall]

You got a good deal at the price. Engine mounts are usually pricey. On the transmission fluid check it if you have a unique dip stick for it. If it's cherry red then perfect. If it's dark like oil then it's a dilemma to change it. Replacing the transmission fluid with new will prolong for van's transmission life, or if the transmission is already damaged by wear, it could introduce gear slips.

[@comealongdear]

Thank you Jimmy for all that great advice, that's a lot of useful knowledge going forward that we might need. In the case here, as we understood it, it was the gear linkage bushes that were the problem (which we checked prior and they did indeed seem worn out) and since they've been fixed everything has been fine. Luckily it wasn't too costly. Thank you for all the tips - checking the fluid is something we can definitely do in future and should probably do anyway, so we appreciate all the help 👍🙏

[@JimmyCall]

@@comealongdear cheers.

[@neutonrenda2303]

Great to see you got the selector bushings replaced, the gear shifter should feel a lot more positive and direct now. The lemon pepper flavoured crisps sound delicious, I wish we had them here too. 🤤❤

[@comealongdear]

Thank you, Stephen said it felt a lot easier and smoother to drive after that, so we're assuming they did a good job 😍 And yes those crisps are divine, I'd definitely seek some out if you can! 😁

[@irenedale5256]

Boys, don’t do this to me! I had palpitations and my blood Pressure rocketed at the beginning of this Vlog! But then later what a nice surprise with Toledo - it brought back memories from 1978 when I went there on an excursion when I was Doing a Language course in Madrid. Btw it does get very cold at night in central Madrid. What a relief For You to get Daisy fixed. I hope you are both feeling better after your colds - take extra vitamins- not specifically the lemon and pepper crisps 😂 although I have to admit 27:15 they sound delicious. Stay well and safe travels. ❤️❤️

[@comealongdear]

Morning Irene ❤️ Eeek, sorry about that 🙈 This one definitely had a bit of drama, but thankfully nothing too dragged out and everything was well in the end. Hopefully your blood pressure returned to normal by the end of the Toledo bit 😂 How lovely you got to visit there - and interesting you should say that, as we noticed a LOT of different types of tourists, but especially a lot of young Americans - we assumed they were on a trip from Madrid, and maybe some of those were students. Colds are all well now thank you 🙏 those lemon crisps might not cure it, but they taste good enough to make you believe it either way 🤪 Hope everything is well for you, take care 🥰

[@irenedale5256]

@ good morning Boys - my, you are up early. I’m only up because of the dogs 🙄. I’m ok thank you will you be spending Christmas in Spain? Stay well (and that goes for Daisy too 😊). ❤️❤️

[@irenedale5256]

Just realised, you are probably an hour later there 🙄

[@comealongdear]

Yes early birds today, other days more like 10am 🙈 (the joys of living in a van with no particular plans that day). No we will be working over Christmas in the UK, but the Spain videos will go out until the first week of January I think. After that, who knows, though we've got some ideas for adventures in January if we have the time 🙏 Getting up for your pets in the summer isn't so bad, but my god its horrible in these darker months! Hope it's dry there at least! Thanks Irene, take care ❤️

[@irenedale5256]

@ 👍❤️❤️

[@barrybarry6592]

Living in Catalonia I can tell you, garages are not effusive but honest in thr main. Love the country

[@comealongdear]

I think garages are probably the same wherever you are, some will fob you off, others will be extremely helpful, the difference was the language barrier making it harder for us but we got through it 🙏 We adore Spain too - sad to leave it behind!

[@Pedrothevan]

Oh take care guys, id head for the ferry and save Daisy the mileage through France, our radiator blew in Spain few yr ago and managed to limp to the ferry and get recovered in the Uk. Best of luck ❤

[@comealongdear]

Yikes, at least you got back, even if by crawling! Luckily, Daisy has been fine since so we've been able to drive with ease 🙏 Thank you ❤️

[@SusieBall-v7v]

I love the way you tell it how it is, you are real! Poor Daisy she goes through a lot but she's pretty resilient and bounces back. Toledo looked a nice city so what better way to spend the day, you got very high up those views were amazing. The music very catchy I was toe tapping. Hope you cold are gone now it looked very cold there. Those crisps fish and chips in a bag sound so tasty I always remember Lays in Spain, you can get them in UK of course now so maybe they have the lemon and pepperflavour now 🤔 Great to see you soldier on, Daisy is cool 😎 Fifi was listening but facing the wrong way . Have a good week. ❤❤

[@comealongdear]

Hi Susie 😍 Yes Daisy is a strong old girl and she's served us well. I think with any van or motorhome you have to deal with this stuff when you live in it, and on balance I'd say we've been lucky with her in our 3+ years on the road. So we do want to keep and look after her really. Toledo was fabulous and it was such a shock seeing the river below as we don't remember going up a hill! It's a really unique layout, and just gorgeous to wander around those sandy coloured alleyways. Oh those crisps are just the best! We saw Lays a lot in Spain too, and I thought they did a lemon flavour, though a quick google only brings up lime. They really do taste like fish and chips though, I'm not sure why but we fell in love 😍 Haha maybe van problems weren't to Fifi's taste, not enough scenery perhaps 😂 I hope she likes Benidorm next week 🙈🤪 Thank you Susie, take care ❤️

[@SusieBall-v7v]

@comealongdear Hi Dan, she's the van who keeps on giving (eventually) You do some massive walks and those hills are a long way up you must have got used to them, you both have such a sense of adventure and make it look so effortless! Another great city. It looked so polished such clean looking buildings and alleyways. Ime sure Fifi will love Benidorm hopefully a bit warmer for you. I went there when I was 18 many moons ago it was a really fun party place even back then. Take care both Susie xx

[@comealongdear]

Thanks Susie, Toledo did have some steep parts, but as you say, hopefully the walks we do have prepped us somewhat for that! You're right it was very clean there, such a pleasure to wander in the alleyways. Benidorm is just a unique beast of a place, I think we enjoyed dipping our toes in again, but a couple of nights was definitely enough 😂

[@SusieBall-v7v]

@comealongdear Yes Ime sure🤣

[@joejensen2239]

The two of you are starting to look like santa hope you make it back home with no more problems anyway merry Christmas and have new year to you best wishes joey

[@comealongdear]

That did make me chuckle, thanks Joey 😂 I think the beards have gone a bit wild in this video! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too 😊🎄

[@UOO303T]

Sorry to hear that guys......nothing worse I've been there and if life isn't hard enough without things like that. The best of luck to yous

[@comealongdear]

Thank you, well we of course got it sorted, but it's just one of those dramas you have to go through every so often living in a van, especially an older one like ours. Not fun when you're abroad though! 🙈

[@garethroberts68]

You two have all the luck hey. Least u got it sorted. All the best lads.

[@comealongdear]

Cheers Gareth, hazard of the job I guess, this van living lark, but luckily it wasn't too disastrous this time 🙏 All the best

[@andrewknight5891]

I was so worried about you both, glad u got the van fixed. We should meet up soon in Bristol We have a place for your van to park up ❤

[@comealongdear]

Hi Andrew, yes it was a big worry, thank god it didn't drag on too long this time and we got moving! And thank you so much, that's a really kind offer 😊 I've not been to Bristol since I was a kid so I'd love to see it again. Thank you and have a good week ❤️

[@deniselewis3108]

BlesBless you Boths you both

[@comealongdear]

Thank you Denise - worrying for a while, but all OK now 🙏❤️

[@lesleysmith8300]

So glad you were able to sort there issues. Toledo looks lovely. Thanks for sharing 😊

[@comealongdear]

Thank you Lesley 🥰 Yes Toledo was an unexpected surprise so at least something good came out of it 😁🙏

[@arkayokay]

Whilst in Spain find a garage who can do the service. It will be cheaper than uk and you can ask them what parts will need replacing in the future. I've been doing this for years using a garage in Malaga, buying the parts in uk (ford) and getting them fitted during the service.

[@comealongdear]

Oh thank you, that's a great tip 👍 unfortunately there was no time this time around, but if we go back we can prepare for that in future. Appreciate the advice 🙏👍

[@patlodge8420]

Hi Guys glad you got dasy fixed love Daisy 💘 xx

[@comealongdear]

Thank you Pat! 😊 God yes, it was such a relief - we love our Daisy, so it's great to see her keeping on (and keeping a roof above our heads 😂)

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

Reminds me of my early driving years when I could only afford beat up old vans and cars. The worry of them breaking down entailed a lot of praying and hoping they would keep going. Thankfully now I have a decent car and a reliable garage to look after it for me. VW's are generally ok for many years and high mileage. Glad you got yours fixed. Will you be home for Christmas? ilona

[@comealongdear]

Hi Ilona, ah yes the perils of an older vehicle. We are used to it now, though I do think any vehicle, even modern ones, that you actually live in and move all the time, are probably going to be more prone to these things. You're right though, VWs are quite sturdy and I think we've been lucky with her mechanically - we definitely made the right choice there, and we do have our regular garage in the UK thankfully. We will be in the UK working for Christmas, though these Spain videos will likely come out up to the first week of January. I do have a question for you though Ilona - we are very much looking at East Yorkshire and nearby areas as a potential place to settle again one day and i know you're familiar with the area. Ideally small/medium sized towns, pretty ones certainly help 😁 Any recommendations? Beverley is drawing us massively, so similar to that perhaps. It's all up in the air but it's something we are thinking about. Many thanks and hope you're well 🙏❤️

[@meanqueensuperscrimper8908]

@@comealongdear Hello. Beverley is a good choice, lovely town centre, but it is turning from a medium city to a large city because of all the new housing estates going up. They have a newish bypass which takes some of the traffic away from the town, but that opens up the possibility of building new homes in the areas around that to fill in the gaps. Beverley is handy for Hull, and trips to the coast. If it was me looking I would be tempted to go further north, into a more rural area. Suggestions, Driffield, Market Weighton, and Pocklington. Better still I would avoid York, too busy, and go into the North York Moors, or the Dales. Helmsley is really nice. Thirsk is nice. Ripon is good. Or get yourselves on the A684, Bedale, Leyburn, I love Leyburn, Hawes, and Sedburgh. If you don't want to go that far north, Harrogate is good, big but expensive, Knaresborough a better choice. I like Otley and Skipton. If you are looking for cheapness how about the Lincolnshire Wolds. Louth, Market Rasen, and Horncastle are nice towns. There is a search facility on my blog. If you put in some of these place names the posts will come up about my visits to them. Happy hunting.

[@comealongdear]

Aaah thank you so much for this detailed and very helpful post! That's exactly what we needed. Beverley is drawing us in, though we wouldn't want a big, big town, so it's useful to know they're continuing to expand it... Driffield is on the list - we definitely like the look of that. We didn't consider Lincolnshire, but looking up those towns and the prices, we should definitely visit and see, as budget is crucial for us really. Skipton I love, and would happily live in. I think we will be planning a visit soon to check out these places so I do appreciate all these suggestions. All up in the air right now, just future ideas. I will look up your blog too to investigate more 😁 Thank you Ilona, take care 🥰

[@michaelmorrissey5880]

Sorry Daisy was back in the garage hopefully she'll be firing on all cylinders from now on fingers crossed, but lovely town and interesting looking church interior, thanks Dan and Steve for yet another great video

[@comealongdear]

Morning Michael 😊 Yes it was a bit traumatic for a while, but really in situations like this we can only be grateful that it wasn't worse or more costly - and we were especially glad that we'd managed to correctly diagnose the problem ourselves, so it made translating easier. Toledo though, was utterly fantastic- a really vibrant city and really uniquely placed above the river like that. We enjoyed the monastery too - that felt so serene and full of beautiful old designs, especially in the cloister. Lovely to hear from you Michael, I hope you're well ❤️

[@tomcat7525]

I looked up those crisps, no horrible ingredients, Look interesting but hard to imagine lemon flavoured chips. Aldi might get them but I doubt it, Australians arnt very adventurous with crisp flavours. Expecting 39C here tomorrow so hopefully my driver's abilities improve with the heat. I doubt it. Glad Daisy benefited from a Spanish mechanic tickling her under carriage, they are good with their hands I hear. Happy motoring fellas and please keep us informed and entertained. 🍻

[@comealongdear]

Morning! Yes I can't imagine those crisps being found in many other places, but by god do we love them. I think it must appeal to our British fish and chip tastes - which is why I think it might work in the UK, but I've never seen it. Now the Spanish mechanics don't quite match up to the Spanish police (who in turn are beaten hands down by the Swedish police 😉) but he was a very helpful chap and knew what he was doing, and didn't seem to be fobbing us off. It was a great relief, and Daisy lives to see another day. Good luck with your formula one wannabe driver again 🙈 I would hope 39 degrees (good god, does it get much hotter?!) might temper his accelerator enthusiasm but maybe not. Do let us know! Take care ❤️

[@tomcat7525]

@@comealongdear I'm just glad we arnt in the north of the state where they are expecting 46C. Bedtime sunday here, just watched HIGNFY, I do like that show. 🍻

[@comealongdear]

And that is why we won't be driving to Spain in the summer, never mind Australia 😂 I guess you must be more accustomed to such temperatures, but I still can't imagine it's easy, and I'm guessing the season is long. Hopefully you have coping methods that help when it's extremely hot. Ah, Have I Got News For You, is that our version or do you have your own there? If it's ours then that's a funny little window into British politics and news stories for sure, and not a bad one, although I haven't seen it for ages.

[@tomcat7525]

@@comealongdear Its your version I watch, Stephen Mangan was presenter this week, very funny. The yanks have a version but we dont, thats ok, I'll watch yours. 37C tops at 4pm is the new forecast for here, its a bugger when the hear comes later in the day though. Mid 20s for the next week, phew. My cat Harry is quite ill and going for a heart xray around 3.30pm, not good timing. I hope the vet's car has good AC. Oh well I better have breakfast and gird my loins for another hair raising trip to collect the donations. 🍻

[@comealongdear]

Well best of luck and do let us know if you got through unscathed! Are customers being sensible and bringing donations into the shop now the bins have gone? And I hope Harry is okay and can be treated 😟🙏

[@JonTanOsb]

Daisy started up with a purr after the repair. Did they charge up her battery or was she just happy to be in a warm garage? Don't forget your chicken soup powder for a hot drink when you have a cold. I just trimmed my moustache and around my mouth to go to the village Christmas luncheon. It was good to have my food go directly in my mouth. :) Glad you're both feeling better and Daisy is running smoothly again. Cheers. Jon in rural BC, Canada

[@comealongdear]

Thank you Jon, yes I think you're right that she was happy to be in a warm garage! I think the sudden change in temperature in Spain probably had something to do with it. It would be lovely to one day have a garage to keep her in to do odd jobs, though I suspect that's a dream too far. I hope your Christmas luncheon went well - what's on the menu for that? Are there any particular Canadian Christmas food traditions? I'm glad the food managed to be consumed without becoming trapped in the spidery web en route 😂 I have noticed that a lot, or even worse, a running nose running straight into your beard/tache 🙈 Grim, but these facial accessories have many side effects - hairs growing into the mouth is another 😬 Take care over there in Canada

[@JonTanOsb]

@@comealongdear Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, vegetables and cranberry sauce are the usual things, but, as it was also a potluck, there were spring rolls, meatballs, rice, beets and bean and green leaf salad. Along with the standard pumpkin pie, there were all sorts of cookies and sweet desserts. I ignored them as I have to do my A1C (blood sugar) test on Friday.

[@comealongdear]

A cornucopia of temptation then! Sounds delicious. Similar to ours, though it's nearly always roast potatoes instead of mash, and brussel sprouts are essential 😁 Pumpkin Pie is not that common here, which is a shame as I do love it. Hopefully your resistance to the sweet goods means your blood will be okay on Friday 🤞

[@AbsolutePernilla]

That was a nailbiter and a half, but glad it worked out for the best. Toledo looked very interesting. Loved all the different influences in the architecture. Good blend of them. But... lemon crisps? Dunno the influences on that. Sounds a bit dodgy. 😅 Looking forward to next video, hope you find the sun again. At one point I wondered if I was watching an Everest expedition... 🙃 Cheers from Skåne! ❤

[@comealongdear]

Good Morning to you in Skåne! 🥰 The van not starting on that cold day we were booked into the garage was probably the most tense moment for us out of it all 😂 But never mind, we got through and Daisy lives on. Problems in a house happen too I guess, you just don't have to drive a house around 🙃 Lemon crisps, oh no I assure you they are something special, BUT...perhaps they just appeal to our British taste for fish and chips? As that's what they remind us of for some reason. I agree it doesn't sound like it works, but sometimes the most odd combos do 😍 (or maybe it's just us, like with our dreadful weak tea 😉). I hope you have the odd bit of sunshine up there. At least the festive season makes things a bit more colourful; January and February are another kettle of grim altogether. Take care, thank you as always, and spoiler - we do find some sun next week 😍

[@gl8282]

Try to stock up on lemsip when you get back to the UK. I just came back from London, had a sniffle - 1 sachet taken with water and everything went away! Awww I miss UK already

[@comealongdear]

Aww you can't beat a Lemsip sometimes! We do have paracetamol and ibuprofen but those lemony sachets taken as a hot drink psychologically feel better than a plain old tablet!

[@PaulLancsUK]

Glad Daisy is singing again. Dont worry about videos. Its good to see the bad days too. Life isnt perfect. Just glad you both got over man flu. Did feel fof you. You need to have extra blankets and cuddles. A big chunky bear type. I mean id offer but im a far for a warmth cuddle. 😅 glaad you both well now tho.

[@comealongdear]

Hey Paul 🥰 Yes sometimes things don't go to plan and we can't film as normal, but that's okay, like you say it's about documenting the bad stuff too, otherwise it wouldn't be real. I'm glad people don't mind seeing that stuff as well because I'm sure it will pop up again 😂 We've changed our blankets to winter ones now so we're all set for the UK, however I'm always happy for a big hug, and chunky bear hugs are absolutely the best 😍 I need to pester Stephen for more of them 😂 I appreciate the offer though 😁 Take care and hope you have a good week ❤️

[@mattiaslindstrom1137]

Sorry for all your motor problems. Inland España is cold in dec-feb. As always so good to see you. I hope that you have a nice day. Warm greetings from a sunny and warm Andalucía

[@comealongdear]

Warm and sunny Andalucia, that sounds good and alien to us already 😂 Such a lovely place to be this time of year. And yes, that was definitely a shock seeing the temperatures drop so low in central Spain, we never looked it up though to be fair. Thank you Mattias, lovely to hear from you as always 😍

[@simonwright9916]

With a vehicle like Daisy, there is always going to be something to maintain or fix. Independent VW specialists are usually better placed and more willing to do repairs than VW dealers, whose focus is usually more current lines. When you get back to the UK, consider enrolling on a car maintenance course, as that will make you more “handy” and able to do basic fixes on the road yourselves. The great thing about Daisy is pretty much anything can be fixed relatively easily - imagine if you had a broken down T5 to fix - you’d be replacing entire systems rather than individual components.

[@comealongdear]

Cheers Simon, yeah there's always going to be something to repair, we knew that when we got into this game, but I love the idea about doing a car maintenance course! That would be really handy, whether we live in a van or not, so thanks for the tip. Daisy's a (mostly) solid girl mechanically, so we've been lucky so far really, but there is always that niggling worry at the back of your mind that something might go wrong again 🙈

[@Franfury]

I feel for u guys I’m in same situation in Spain power steering went been messed about for weeks

[@comealongdear]

Oh no sorry to hear that 😟 I hope you manage to get it sorted - it's not fun, especially far from home

[@ashleylovestennis6476]

150 euros seems really cheap for a repair at a mechanic. They must be really honest in Spain.

[@comealongdear]

Hi Ashley, I think it's generally cheaper here than in the UK (as with everything), but I don't think this was a particularly expensive job. It was probably more in fact because we did it through a VW garage. We're just grateful it was a simple, inexpensive fix and we got moving again ❤️🙏

[@gaiuscoleman8815]

Glad you got van sorted. Do you have a pet name for it? Re crisps: same idea with Orangina for long enough, but hey, some shops actually sell it again in the UK. How about Googling your crisps, type name in and see if there's an outlet in UK, or, can you order them from abroad and have them delivered? They sound good and the way you described them sounded enticing. When do you come home? Are you spending Christmas with family/friends?🎄

[@comealongdear]

Hello! Thank you 😊 Orangina, now that's something we haven't had for years. Yes, another subscriber suggested the same, so we should be able to order them online (when we've got through the packets we took home 😁). So we have now arrived back in the UK - we are straight to work all over Christmas, until the end of the month, then we'll be exploring the UK again in glorious January weather. There will be 2 more Spain videos, and one through France, to tide us over when we're working, then we'll likely fast forward to the present in early January 😉 How are you spending Christmas? I do love it so feel sad to be working! Hope you are well, and Merry Christmas to you ❤️🎄

[@gaiuscoleman8815]

@@comealongdear Yeah, same idea with Lilt probably. Glad you've got back safely. Pity you're working, but hey - you've had a ball of a time by and large touring Spain, despite vans probs. We'll look forward to your videos obviously, stay safe whilst working and hope you can enjoy some nice Christmas nosh and booze. One of my faves is Ouzo or Sambucca - the poor man's Pernod🤣 - . Then we'll look forward to your UK vids in January, when the nights will get gradually longer again. Got an EO post at work and start my training for that on 6 January, so looking forward to that. Spending Christmas Day at home, over to dad's Boxing Day for a few hours, all being well, back for a good nosh on Boxing Day, then home for New Year still and over to dad's again 2nd Jan, all being well. Hopefully having a mutual friend of ours over Boxing Day if he's well enough. Please ensure you get your jabs for Covid and Flu, won't you! I've had my 2 but, due to age, I had to pay for 'em, but well worth the money. Keep safe and well, both. 🎄❤

[@comealongdear]

We have had a wonderful time indeed, thank you, and it inevitably has to end, but at least we got the chance to experience it. I'm afraid there will be no lovely nosh or beverages until the very end of the month for us, but, after Spain (and especially after what you see in tomorrow's video 🙈) that's probably a good thing for a while 😉 We will effectively be pretending it's Christmas on New Year's Eve, so only a week behind! Ooh now I've never tried Pernod, but I don't mind the occasional Sambuca or Ouzo, though it's been a while. It sounds like you have a jolly time planned indeed so do enjoy, and I hope you get to indulge a bit 😁 And congratulations on your new job post! Good luck to you and Merry Christmas! ❤️🎄🥂

[@gaiuscoleman8815]

@@comealongdear 🥰

[@perfumebottle1902]

Thank goodness you got Daisy sorted!! There's nothing worst than your vehicle having problems.. I've got a Citroën c3 car and its a nightmare to drive in Wintertime, the engine wont start up til ive sprayed wd20 on it! 😮 Even worst my nephew shattered the back window whilst on a trip to the dumo. He overloaded the car with too much stuff😵 So im in the dame boat as u 😮

[@comealongdear]

Oh no! Sorry to hear that. When you rely on your vehicle (or literally live in it as we do) these mishaps can cause far bigger problems and worries. I hope you get the window sorted soon (and maybe nephew can find other transport 😂🙈). Thank you and take care ❤️

[@foureyesontour]

We are heading to Spain at the end of December. Glad you got Daisy sorted x

[@comealongdear]

Ah excellent, what a perfect time to escape the UK 😁 have you got a trip planned out? And thank you 😊

[@foureyesontour]

@@comealongdearno just going to see what happens. Our first time going and coming back in March

[@comealongdear]

Lovely, well have fun! I remember our first time driving there, the excitement was unreal - all that new stuff to explore!

[@anniemac3075]

A couple of decades ago I was driving my Mini & having stopped at traffic lights on a slip road couldn't engage lst gear. Short version of the ensuing story - the gear stick selector rod pin had fallen out, a friend put a paperclip in temporarily & I was able to drive the car home to get it fixed by my Dad - new rod pin fitted & back to normal again. Hopefully all will be well for you now, you need to work on doing something to be able to get warm in Daisy, won't do you any good getting so cold.

[@comealongdear]

It's quite scary when it happens out of nowhere like that isn't it! I'm glad you got yours sorted, and isn't it lovely when you know someone who has the skill you need to remedy something 😁 Ours was a bit different, it was the gear linkage bushings under the bonnet, but VW fixed a new one and we've been fine ever since. As always, we're just grateful it was something relatively simple so we could get back to the UK! 🙏

[@anniemac3075]

@comealongdear A huge relief I'm sure, it's particularly difficult when you don't speak the language too. Did you see my other reply about the lemon & pepper crisps online in the UK?

[@comealongdear]

Oh no sorry, I didn't see that, that's weird 🤔 is it under another comment? But I need to know more now, where can I get these heavenly crisps online?! 😂😍

[@anniemac3075]

@@comealongdear Haha, no it's another comment I put on this video but anyway they're called Sarriegui Limon & Pimienta crisps 40g £1.60 sold by Ultracomida. Just put limon & pimienta crisps uk into a search engine & quite a few come up including Ultracomida. Probably a lot more expensive than Aldi!

[@comealongdear]

Ooh brilliant, thank you! I can really see us doing that at some point as they might be our favourite ever crisp flavour 😁

[@NathanMeakin-l9g]

Time for a new van boys sell Daisy on and buy a van do a self-bild. Poor Steve looks like he got a lot on his mind in this one. Its hard people think just go get it fixed but don't understand not all of us have money like that but keep ya heads up boys

[@comealongdear]

Thanks Nathan. Steve was definitely worried - as soon as stuff like this happens, obviously our whole life set up wobbles before our eyes and you realise everything can change so quickly. Thankfully this one wasn't too bad in the end. We have thought about upgrading, but self building one is a huge step and we'd need somewhere to do it. Maybe though. Lots to think about! Cheers 👍

[@NathanMeakin-l9g]

Yeah you're right I didn't think about the fact that if you sell ya van 1- you need somewhere to stay 2- you would have to live and build at the same time if you got a new van 3- money all about money Anyway no matter what you do as long as you stick together hopefully it all works out. And thank you for your reply...

[@comealongdear]

You're welcome Nathan and yes it's never simple, but that's okay, one idea is finding a base, stopping full time vanlife for a bit, look after Daisy (and maybe have mini trips in her, weekends etc) and one day in the future perhaps return to vanlife, maybe with a new van. Life never stays the same and as you say, if we stick together we'll find a way through ❤️

[@love1614]

i hope all is wel

[@comealongdear]

Thank you, well it was in the end, and it wasn't as bad as we feared. We're just relieved to get Daisy going again and everything has been fine since 😁🙏

[@love1614]

how sad

[@comealongdear]

Aww, but it was all well in the end though eh 😁🙏

[@ashleylovestennis6476]

Yes indeed, and I think that mechanic suspected you guys were very knowledgeable in terms of mechanics the way you were describing the problem. He probably knew he could not take you for a ride. Still it would be nice to see you guys in a better van some day. Daisy looks a bit small and outdated.

[@comealongdear]

I think that's the first and last time anyone will say we are knowledgeable of mechanics, but I thank you 😂 KZbin was our friend there. Yes, Daisy is very small and long in her years, and a newer, more convenient van would be more comfortable. We would like to try to fix her up a bit before we jump to that though, get some more life out of her before moving on to another ❤️

[@darrincambridge2377]

A cheap fix. Time destroys all things 😅

[@comealongdear]

Undoubtedly, but you have to give these things chance to last MORE time, whatever the inevitable end result might be 😁

[@UOO303T]

Weather here in uk is s$it with heavy snow and freezing temperatures on the way next week 🙃

[@comealongdear]

We should've stayed in Spain 😂

[@UOO303T]

Wots wrong with yr heating system

[@comealongdear]

The heating is fine but it does use an awful lot of lpg gas quite quickly, and can drain our battery. It's great in a bind but we can't rely on it too much. We decided to ride it out since we had to get up and move anyway. It was more just the shock of feeling like that in Spain to be honest, we weren't even high up! But then we didn't research it and I think inland Spain does get much colder than the coasts

[@UOO303T]

@comealongdear may be a idea for you guys to get a diesel heater they do a Chinese one which im told are good 👍

[@comealongdear]

Yes we keep thinking about this - it's one of the few things that should be able to fit in our van I would think 🤔

[@groundhog1143]

maybe get a new daisy 😂

[@comealongdear]

Aww but we love our Daisy 🙈 However its definitely something we've talked about, along with some other options. Lots to think about in the new year...

[@thisweekwithstupid-n3m]

I would pay good money to see Stephen without his mustache and wearing a straw hat and holding a pitch-fork. He is l@@king very Amish today!! 🤣🤣🤣 (No offence intended Stephen)

[@comealongdear]

😂😂 Now I quite like the sound of that actually! He's just shaved his beard off, but I want him to grow it back just so he can model that farmer look 😁

[@RVTIRED]

If it’s not one thing it’s another! Yet, you carry on! I finally posted a video of my van at a free campsite in the middle of California. Not exactly Spain, but nice. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHLJooKEeMd9pKM

[@comealongdear]

Hello! Yes we keep on keeping on, as you do in all walks of life, challenges and bumps are just part of the road and this one was a little one at least 🙏 Excellent news about the video, I hope you're having fun in the van! Will check it out in a bit 😁

[@motorhometravels-r7d]

no that's uk

[@jplay1i973]

I would try to figure out how to replace Daisy a.s.a.p, as soon as I crossed the border of England. Things with Daisy will not improve, but degrease. Sorry for Daisy, she had a marvellous time with you, and you've had a more than fantastic time with Daisy but the time has come to say goodbye to Daisy.....

[@comealongdear]

We are contemplating a few different things at the moment. I still think Daisy has life in her, and we'd like to keep her. Equally, beyond repairs potentially getting worse, there are other needs we have in a van too that Daisy, god love her, can't provide. But equally we always knew we wouldn't do this forever so we continue to look at maybe settling and being in the van part time - and having a base, we would at least be able to give her the tlc that we struggle to provide when living in her. Lots to think about!

[@Awd.d]

Fix it ureslef

[@KewiCampervan]

Wow never known a more negative person than Steve, actually unbearable. Bye Steve your a mood hoover god knows how people watch this

[@comealongdear]

Oh my god, that's so sweet of you! 🥰 I absolutely love my mood hoover, best appliance ever, in fact we now we have a new pet name, Steve loves it 😍

[@KewiCampervan]

@ 😂 hopefully it made him smile without cracking his face