Thursday, September 6, 2012
Wow - is it really that long since I posted info
Well the bus is finished now. I really should catch up and put all my latest info together. Stay tuned - it will happen!
Here's a quick piccy to prove the interior is done!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Fitout - Shower
Considered a few options here - The build yourself option using waterproof panels and a shower tray – and I came across a number of schools of thought on this…
Or the complete shower cubicle – choices here as well – plastic or fibreglass? Well my decision was made once I saw the fibreglass shower cubicle installed by a friend in his Hino. Well constructed, strong, no chance of water leaks and great value at about $450 from Beachmere Fibreglass. I had seen shower trays at this price. Of course with everything in motorhome construction there is a hurdle to overcome, in this case, getting it in, and once inside, standing it up.
Step one is to remove a window which turned out to be a surprisingly simple task. Take off the pinch mould around the window frame. Get a friend to hold the window while you cut the silicone bead around the frame. Lower the window carefully to the ground – the frame will sag a bit so be careful you don’t drop a sliding window out.
Step two is to cut the shower cubicle down in height. The window is big enough to get the cubicle inside but because it is a three-sided unit you can’t stand it up otherwise. Calculate the height to cut to by measuring diagonally on the wall of the cubicle to your maximum ceiling height – I had to cut off 210mm to allow me to pivot the cubicle to an upright position. It also helps if you do this before putting other cupboards in because you need the space. In my case it was simply a matter of positioning the cubicle as close the wheel arch as possible [as I needed maximum space forward of that for a single bed.]
I cut the cubicle off neatly with an angle grinder and a fine [for metal] disk. Keeping the cut straight makes it easy to rejoin the cubicle with a plastic joining strip. [It is scary cutting into something you just paid nearly $500 for]
Step three. Rebuild your shower unit with a plastic joining strip (available from hardware stores). As the shower cubicle has a curve on the front edge I used a hair dryer to heat the plastic for bending around the corner.
I chose a cubicle with one diagonal corner [shelves] and a raised front lip. I used the space behind the diagonal corner to position my external water fillers. I also tried to position the cubicle so a cassette toilet would line up with a convenient wall frame space in case I fitted a [external door] cassette toilet later. There would be a fair bit of body frame to cut away to fit one. Always a compromise – I’m happy with my choice – but the plain rectangular unit would haven given a bit more space and made it possible to fit a roll-away door. We are just using a shower curtain at the moment.
To complete the cubicle on the curved top of the bus I bought a piece of 2mm matching fibreglass ($20) and basically pushed it into place, sealing with white silicone.
By the way – because I retained my windows – I fitted a sheet of black painted ply between the window and cubicle to hide it from exterior view.
Or the complete shower cubicle – choices here as well – plastic or fibreglass? Well my decision was made once I saw the fibreglass shower cubicle installed by a friend in his Hino. Well constructed, strong, no chance of water leaks and great value at about $450 from Beachmere Fibreglass. I had seen shower trays at this price. Of course with everything in motorhome construction there is a hurdle to overcome, in this case, getting it in, and once inside, standing it up.
Step one is to remove a window which turned out to be a surprisingly simple task. Take off the pinch mould around the window frame. Get a friend to hold the window while you cut the silicone bead around the frame. Lower the window carefully to the ground – the frame will sag a bit so be careful you don’t drop a sliding window out.
Step two is to cut the shower cubicle down in height. The window is big enough to get the cubicle inside but because it is a three-sided unit you can’t stand it up otherwise. Calculate the height to cut to by measuring diagonally on the wall of the cubicle to your maximum ceiling height – I had to cut off 210mm to allow me to pivot the cubicle to an upright position. It also helps if you do this before putting other cupboards in because you need the space. In my case it was simply a matter of positioning the cubicle as close the wheel arch as possible [as I needed maximum space forward of that for a single bed.]
I cut the cubicle off neatly with an angle grinder and a fine [for metal] disk. Keeping the cut straight makes it easy to rejoin the cubicle with a plastic joining strip. [It is scary cutting into something you just paid nearly $500 for]
Step three. Rebuild your shower unit with a plastic joining strip (available from hardware stores). As the shower cubicle has a curve on the front edge I used a hair dryer to heat the plastic for bending around the corner.
I chose a cubicle with one diagonal corner [shelves] and a raised front lip. I used the space behind the diagonal corner to position my external water fillers. I also tried to position the cubicle so a cassette toilet would line up with a convenient wall frame space in case I fitted a [external door] cassette toilet later. There would be a fair bit of body frame to cut away to fit one. Always a compromise – I’m happy with my choice – but the plain rectangular unit would haven given a bit more space and made it possible to fit a roll-away door. We are just using a shower curtain at the moment.
To complete the cubicle on the curved top of the bus I bought a piece of 2mm matching fibreglass ($20) and basically pushed it into place, sealing with white silicone.
By the way – because I retained my windows – I fitted a sheet of black painted ply between the window and cubicle to hide it from exterior view.
Fitout - Cupboard construction
I decided to make the bench run all the way from the bed to the door – a distance of 3m. I had considered a wardrobe type unit near the bed [I had seen a conversion done this way] but I didn’t want to block windows and it closed off the bed space making it feel too claustrophobic.
I built the bench in modules. A lot of planning went into drawer layouts, height of drawers, purpose of drawers, space for the oven, alignment with body frames [considered an external rollout BBQ initially], where the sink would go. I also required a 120mm kickboard as an electrical box had to be relocated to the floor underneath the cupboards. [I originally considered moving this to under the bus as I have learned others have done but I was concerned about keeping a considerable number of relays high and dry]
I used 9mm ply to build the carcase for each cabinet. I believed that when I joined these together the 18mm walls would be adequate – wrong – I could not believe the amount of movement and flex using this method. It wasn’t until I glued on a tassie oak face that the units became sufficiently rigid. From the bed end I created two extremely large clothes drawers – these sit above the wheel arch. Then there are 3 drawers used for groceries and pots/pans. The second unit is half height with one large drawer for the oven to sit on. The final unit closest to the door contains 4 small drawers and then a 3 drawer layout underneath the sink top. The drawers themselves are all made from 9mm ply boxes, varnished externally and lined with auto carpet (for sound damping and a quality look). Drawer fronts are constructed from a tassie oak surround [biscuit joined] and then routed to hold a 9mm ply panel and a 3mm face ply front. Conventional kitchen handles and metal drawer runners were used throughout.
A word on catches: Because I was using all drawers a lot of the conventional caravan mechanisms were unsuitable [never mind the expense] because I would have needed to place a divider between each drawer and lose valuable space. I opted for a pair of simple plastic cupboard latches at the rear of each drawer. These were relatively easy to fit with the cupboard units out of the bus. These locked the drawers quite solidly – in fact a little too well – and in the end I changed to a lighter weight spring loaded catch. These worked beautifully …. UNTIL … Lesson learned – once weight is added to the drawer going round a relatively sharp bend in the road resulted in drawer Armageddon. Back to the heavier catches – you get used to them and they work. In fact what we do now is once opened we do not close the drawer fully until we’re ready to move on. Another compromise!
Bench tops:
I wanted a good looking gloss laminate bench top and went to a couple of kitchen manufacturers. I investigated laminated 25mm ply rather than 40mm chipboard and could simply not justify the $1100+ pricetag for 3m x 50cm of bench top especially when I was going to cut 2 huge chunks of it out for the sink and the stove. Even a chipboard top was a ridiculous price. IKEA to the rescue – ready made laminated panels with a rolled edge [yes they are chipboard and heavier than I would have liked] cost me about $240 for the bench AND a table top. They even provide matching laminate edge strips for when you cut them to size. Another compromise!
While I was at IKEA I picked up a 16mm black kitchen panel in their odds and sods section to use for the splashback behind the bench. Also doubles as a neat finish behind the cupboards as the bench is above window ledge height.
I built the bench in modules. A lot of planning went into drawer layouts, height of drawers, purpose of drawers, space for the oven, alignment with body frames [considered an external rollout BBQ initially], where the sink would go. I also required a 120mm kickboard as an electrical box had to be relocated to the floor underneath the cupboards. [I originally considered moving this to under the bus as I have learned others have done but I was concerned about keeping a considerable number of relays high and dry]
I used 9mm ply to build the carcase for each cabinet. I believed that when I joined these together the 18mm walls would be adequate – wrong – I could not believe the amount of movement and flex using this method. It wasn’t until I glued on a tassie oak face that the units became sufficiently rigid. From the bed end I created two extremely large clothes drawers – these sit above the wheel arch. Then there are 3 drawers used for groceries and pots/pans. The second unit is half height with one large drawer for the oven to sit on. The final unit closest to the door contains 4 small drawers and then a 3 drawer layout underneath the sink top. The drawers themselves are all made from 9mm ply boxes, varnished externally and lined with auto carpet (for sound damping and a quality look). Drawer fronts are constructed from a tassie oak surround [biscuit joined] and then routed to hold a 9mm ply panel and a 3mm face ply front. Conventional kitchen handles and metal drawer runners were used throughout.
A word on catches: Because I was using all drawers a lot of the conventional caravan mechanisms were unsuitable [never mind the expense] because I would have needed to place a divider between each drawer and lose valuable space. I opted for a pair of simple plastic cupboard latches at the rear of each drawer. These were relatively easy to fit with the cupboard units out of the bus. These locked the drawers quite solidly – in fact a little too well – and in the end I changed to a lighter weight spring loaded catch. These worked beautifully …. UNTIL … Lesson learned – once weight is added to the drawer going round a relatively sharp bend in the road resulted in drawer Armageddon. Back to the heavier catches – you get used to them and they work. In fact what we do now is once opened we do not close the drawer fully until we’re ready to move on. Another compromise!
Bench tops:
I wanted a good looking gloss laminate bench top and went to a couple of kitchen manufacturers. I investigated laminated 25mm ply rather than 40mm chipboard and could simply not justify the $1100+ pricetag for 3m x 50cm of bench top especially when I was going to cut 2 huge chunks of it out for the sink and the stove. Even a chipboard top was a ridiculous price. IKEA to the rescue – ready made laminated panels with a rolled edge [yes they are chipboard and heavier than I would have liked] cost me about $240 for the bench AND a table top. They even provide matching laminate edge strips for when you cut them to size. Another compromise!
While I was at IKEA I picked up a 16mm black kitchen panel in their odds and sods section to use for the splashback behind the bench. Also doubles as a neat finish behind the cupboards as the bench is above window ledge height.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Body and layout
Part of my aim was to build a quality setup while keeping costs at a reasonable level. Always a balancing act to find something cheaper to do the job you want, maintaining quality and knowing when to spend the money required on an expensive item.
Body and layout
Let’s face it – there are limited ways you can layout a 7m bus to make it a useable practical space. Everything becomes a compromise – there isn’t the width of most caravans so it’s always going to be challenge to get everything in.
The Body
After looking at a few converted buses, pictures of others and speaking to a couple of conversion folk it was apparent there are two schools of thought. Pull out the original windows and replace with panels and smaller windows making it look more like a motorhome OR leave things as they are. The black framed windows in our Hino were already tinted and in good condition and I wanted to retain as much visibility as possible so it seemed logical to just leave it the way it was. As I am sitting at the table writing this blog I think my decision was justified as I’m getting a great view of the lake and surrounding bush through the large window area.
Height
Interior height on the RB145 is only about 1.8m and some people opt to raise the roof. As we are both under 6’ it was a pretty easy [and cheaper] decision to live with a low ceiling and just leave things as is. [I was quoted about $8000 for a roof raise through Koolah campers – I’m not sure if this included the resultant impact on the aircon system.] The air conditioning in this bus works great with the ducting running full length on either side. I wanted to retain the air con so using snips and a lot of effort I cut the ducting off and resealed the tubes with ply panels. The ducting would have been more easily removed without the roof panels gone but as the vinyl was in very good condition I didn’t want to disturb it. I was also able to retain the existing curtain tracks. All the aircon pipes are on the passenger side of the bus and as I cut the ducting off at the doorway I was able to strap a lot of my wiring to the pipes. I was a bit tricky on the drivers side because even though I cut the ducting off where it would meet the shower cubicle I left a narrow exit and “double skinned” it so that cool air could still reach the rear of the bus. I also using the ducting to run some wiring which I will mention more in an electrical section.
Note: I saw one bus where the aircon ducts were actually left inside overhead cupboards – a bit pointless as they took up most of the cupboard space.
Layout:
While considering the layout there were several factors that influenced our decision.
The Rainbow is just wide enough for us to sleep across and being able to do so saves some valuable space. I had also seen a conversion with the double bed raised and a hatch installed for external access to the space underneath. Our first experiences using the bus without a fitout confirmed this was the way to go rather than carry an outside table and chairs through the vehicle at every stop. I thought I’d try to build in an extra layer of storage for access internally which I achieved by making the bed quite high. Removable drawers sit in a ply frame that supports the bed frame. This brought the mattress to window height so for privacy I made side panels out of ply and covered with auto carpet. A narrow box along the back sill also allows privacy and doubles as storage for books and magazines. The bed frame was a bit of a find. I sometimes investigate the local recycling centre [at the dump] and came across a sprung-slat king size frame [still in the plastic] for $30. It was quite an effort cutting down the frame and rebuilding it with sleeved joints but the effort was worth it as it is light weight, strong and quite comfortable. The bed frame was hinged at the back with large plastic marine hinges. I was intending to use gas struts to lift the front but was talked out of it and ended up using some sliding supports [cheaper option – about $20 pair] because they would last forever. I’m not entirely satisfied with their performance and Karen can’t comfortably lift the frame so I intend to change to gas struts in the future.
[Note: I have changed to gas struts and they are SO MUCH better. Went to a local manufacturer who was able to make them up for me for $30 each. I wasn't sure on what strength I would need - struts are measured in newtons - but the other advantage of ordering from this guy is he was prepared to adjust them for me if needed. I had read an article somewhere that roughly estimated 400 newtons lifted 40kg of weight. I opted for 300 newtons to each strut to lift the frame and the double mattress. The struts were 700mm long. I had a bit of mucking around getting the mounting position right so they lifted to the right height and closed correctly. As it turned out no adjustment was necessary - a slight lift of the bed frame and it raises itself and a controlled push down lowers it - fantastic!)
Couldn’t believe the price of foam mattresses when I priced them and ended up obtaining a double inner spring mattress from “Forty Winks” Did have to place a special order to have it made about 10cm shorter than standard but I don’t think it cost me any extra. [1800 x 1370]
Materials:
I had seen a few conversions done with chipboard and was quite underwhelmed. I priced Duralite at the caravan show and was a bit overwhelmed with the $7000 materials only quote so I opted for a ply alternative. Ply for the entire job so far has been about $700 ??. I obtained my ply from a local supplier … it was an imported hardwood ply with a good surface on both sides. [For those who don’t know ply comes in various grades which relate to the glues used, the finish on the surface and the timber used – high quality ply can be very expensive] I had seen standard ply varnished and it really wasn’t the look I wanted so I opted for a ply carcase, a ply veneer finish, tassie oak timber trim and grey auto carpet for some panels. I’m pretty happy with the look.
Body and layout
Let’s face it – there are limited ways you can layout a 7m bus to make it a useable practical space. Everything becomes a compromise – there isn’t the width of most caravans so it’s always going to be challenge to get everything in.
The Body
After looking at a few converted buses, pictures of others and speaking to a couple of conversion folk it was apparent there are two schools of thought. Pull out the original windows and replace with panels and smaller windows making it look more like a motorhome OR leave things as they are. The black framed windows in our Hino were already tinted and in good condition and I wanted to retain as much visibility as possible so it seemed logical to just leave it the way it was. As I am sitting at the table writing this blog I think my decision was justified as I’m getting a great view of the lake and surrounding bush through the large window area.
Height
Interior height on the RB145 is only about 1.8m and some people opt to raise the roof. As we are both under 6’ it was a pretty easy [and cheaper] decision to live with a low ceiling and just leave things as is. [I was quoted about $8000 for a roof raise through Koolah campers – I’m not sure if this included the resultant impact on the aircon system.] The air conditioning in this bus works great with the ducting running full length on either side. I wanted to retain the air con so using snips and a lot of effort I cut the ducting off and resealed the tubes with ply panels. The ducting would have been more easily removed without the roof panels gone but as the vinyl was in very good condition I didn’t want to disturb it. I was also able to retain the existing curtain tracks. All the aircon pipes are on the passenger side of the bus and as I cut the ducting off at the doorway I was able to strap a lot of my wiring to the pipes. I was a bit tricky on the drivers side because even though I cut the ducting off where it would meet the shower cubicle I left a narrow exit and “double skinned” it so that cool air could still reach the rear of the bus. I also using the ducting to run some wiring which I will mention more in an electrical section.
Note: I saw one bus where the aircon ducts were actually left inside overhead cupboards – a bit pointless as they took up most of the cupboard space.
Layout:
While considering the layout there were several factors that influenced our decision.
- Drawers wherever possible – not cupboards
- An oven would be nice
- A decent sized sink
- Prefer a comfy double bed [completely over a foam mattress sitting on ply]
- Shower and toilet (will have to share a space)
- Have to fit in a 3rd [single] bed for Blake.
The Rainbow is just wide enough for us to sleep across and being able to do so saves some valuable space. I had also seen a conversion with the double bed raised and a hatch installed for external access to the space underneath. Our first experiences using the bus without a fitout confirmed this was the way to go rather than carry an outside table and chairs through the vehicle at every stop. I thought I’d try to build in an extra layer of storage for access internally which I achieved by making the bed quite high. Removable drawers sit in a ply frame that supports the bed frame. This brought the mattress to window height so for privacy I made side panels out of ply and covered with auto carpet. A narrow box along the back sill also allows privacy and doubles as storage for books and magazines. The bed frame was a bit of a find. I sometimes investigate the local recycling centre [at the dump] and came across a sprung-slat king size frame [still in the plastic] for $30. It was quite an effort cutting down the frame and rebuilding it with sleeved joints but the effort was worth it as it is light weight, strong and quite comfortable. The bed frame was hinged at the back with large plastic marine hinges. I was intending to use gas struts to lift the front but was talked out of it and ended up using some sliding supports [cheaper option – about $20 pair] because they would last forever. I’m not entirely satisfied with their performance and Karen can’t comfortably lift the frame so I intend to change to gas struts in the future.
[Note: I have changed to gas struts and they are SO MUCH better. Went to a local manufacturer who was able to make them up for me for $30 each. I wasn't sure on what strength I would need - struts are measured in newtons - but the other advantage of ordering from this guy is he was prepared to adjust them for me if needed. I had read an article somewhere that roughly estimated 400 newtons lifted 40kg of weight. I opted for 300 newtons to each strut to lift the frame and the double mattress. The struts were 700mm long. I had a bit of mucking around getting the mounting position right so they lifted to the right height and closed correctly. As it turned out no adjustment was necessary - a slight lift of the bed frame and it raises itself and a controlled push down lowers it - fantastic!)
Couldn’t believe the price of foam mattresses when I priced them and ended up obtaining a double inner spring mattress from “Forty Winks” Did have to place a special order to have it made about 10cm shorter than standard but I don’t think it cost me any extra. [1800 x 1370]
Materials:
I had seen a few conversions done with chipboard and was quite underwhelmed. I priced Duralite at the caravan show and was a bit overwhelmed with the $7000 materials only quote so I opted for a ply alternative. Ply for the entire job so far has been about $700 ??. I obtained my ply from a local supplier … it was an imported hardwood ply with a good surface on both sides. [For those who don’t know ply comes in various grades which relate to the glues used, the finish on the surface and the timber used – high quality ply can be very expensive] I had seen standard ply varnished and it really wasn’t the look I wanted so I opted for a ply carcase, a ply veneer finish, tassie oak timber trim and grey auto carpet for some panels. I’m pretty happy with the look.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Stripping the vehicle
Boy those Japanese sure know how to squeeze them in. This is what our Rainbow looked like before the removal process began. Note the fold down "dicky seats" in each row. There was another one of these in the front passenger seats. From my calculations she was once a 28 seater (including the driver).One of the things I've noticed in reading other peoples project stories is how far they are willing to go in stripping back the vehicle. Because most bits were in such good condition I decided not to demolish more than I needed to. For this reason I didn't remove things like the roof lining or replace the vinyl floor. I also saved the bolts, screws, fittings and even some of the steel from the excess seat frames.
The roof clearance is only just over 180 cms so if you were taller than us you'd be forced into a roof raise but as we both had a couple of centimetres to spare I decided to leave her just the way she is.
Import agony - Lessons learned
OK - What I should have done is said to the dealer "You get it registered and THEN I'll buy it." This was something that I learned the hard way. As I mentioned, this company normally stripped and fitted out the buses themselves but I wanted to get hold of it before they did anything. I wanted to strip it for the experience and for the possibility of re-using any bits and pieces they normally discarded.
When I took delivery the airconditioner had been complianced and re-gassed for Australian regulations, the diesel had been serviced with new filters and oil, they'd done some polishing (and marked some of the black window frames in the process) and nothing much else. I should mention they also threw in a tow-bar (not fitted), a pair of approved seatbelts, a fire extinguisher and the promise of any assistance I might need. The bus was also covered by a very basic warranty plan [$1000 value]. Fortunately I didn't have to find out if this was useful or not.
I also purchased a Dometic rollout awning through them at purchase time - they used these particular awnings on their own motorhomes and research proved I was getting it at a good price. [Not the original price I was promised but still very good compared to other quotes].
I was also given a trade plate to get my vehicle home to the other side of Brisbane which was a nice gesture on their part.
Everything sounds ok here [and I AM actually very pleased with the vehicle] but there were some promises made and not kept and I always felt that dealings were a bit "dodgy". Statements like "You won't have any troubles registering it!" proved to be quite an exaggeration and I've spoken to a few others since who have confirmed my lack of confidence in this firm.
I knew I needed to get the bus complianced for it's new life so after I stripped it out [I'll go into detail in another section] I fitted new front seats, retained one double passenger seat and fitted new seatbelts. I found a local guy that could get me a compliance plate for the new 4 seater configuration. He advised me what to do, came back and printed me a compliance plate without really inspecting the work. He also recommended where I could take the vehicle for the safety certificate required for registration and didn't foresee any dramas.
Drama. When I arrived for my safety inspection they weren't sure what category the vehicle fell into and after conversations with the local transport office the situation became even more unclear. Because the imported vehicle did not carry a GVM plate [Gross vehicle mass] the inspector really didn't want to get involved. Now all this happened about 18 months ago so the actual details are a bit fuzzy now but what I do remember is that every time I spoke to a different person from transport department I got a different answer as to how I could resolve the issue. I had also organised third party insurance before I drove the bus and there was also confusion here as to what category it fell into. I should probably touch on vehicle weights here - the Rainbow is a fairly heavy vehicle and came in at about 3.9 tonne. There is a category limit at 4.5 tonne with vehicles over that amount requiring more expensive registrations and annual inspections - a scenario which I was trying to avoid - and one my dealer had advised would not occur.
Solution underway. As you can probably imagine this was all getting a bit stressful but I decided to tackle the problem by taking the [unregistered but third party insured] vehicle back to the other side of town to the inspection station the dealer used for his own vehicles. It was there they informed me that I did not have the correct import compliance for them to undertake the inspection of the vehicle - once again the lack of GVM was the issue. Back to the dealer to then make contact with the engineer who did the compliance certificates for their vehicles. Now if all this is starting to sound a bit dodgy you'd be right - one engineering workshop where my dealer told me to take the vehicle for advice told me that "I asked too many questions!". I finally made contact with the dealer's engineer, received a 60 second inspection, paid my $220, got my import compliance certificate with a GVM of 4.495 tonne and headed back to the inspection station. They found a few minor issues with the vehicle - a leaking master cylinder and some suspension wear and a bit of rust in the step that would not pass certificate. I had to fork out about $800 from my contigency fund for the mechanicals. My dealer, who had promised to help me out with the rust repairs, was suddenly too busy for several weeks so the vehicle came home again where I repaired the rust myself. Another week down and back across town, where I finally had a safety certificate in hand. I returned to my dealer who had promised me one of his guys to accompany me to transport department to expedite my registration. Once again they were far too busy for after-sales service but eventually relented and decided to help. Going through the dealer registration did make things quick and after the transport official measured the vehicle [what a joke - the dealer told me he puts 4 of this exact same vehicle through for registration every month] and I paid my money I was actually able to drive home in a registered vehicle.
This was not quite the end of the dramas though - when my registration arrived I noticed my third party insurance category did not match the insurance certificate I had taken out. When I visited my local transport office to try to sort this out - it was once again all too hard and no-one seemed to know what to do. So I went to my insurer's office where for once things went smoothly - they had already been advised by transport department that the category needed to be changed - I paid my extra $23 and was on my way with the revised certificate. I still can't work out why one transport office knew this change was underway and the other had no idea - I thought their computer system was linked.
Success at last: All I know is I now had an Australian complianced vehicle with paid registration and third party insurance and was very relieved to have that very stressful part of the project done and dusted. As I started out by saying - I know how I should have done this now and I would never buy an unregistered imported vehicle again. Let someone else jump through the hoops and have the headache!
When I took delivery the airconditioner had been complianced and re-gassed for Australian regulations, the diesel had been serviced with new filters and oil, they'd done some polishing (and marked some of the black window frames in the process) and nothing much else. I should mention they also threw in a tow-bar (not fitted), a pair of approved seatbelts, a fire extinguisher and the promise of any assistance I might need. The bus was also covered by a very basic warranty plan [$1000 value]. Fortunately I didn't have to find out if this was useful or not.
I also purchased a Dometic rollout awning through them at purchase time - they used these particular awnings on their own motorhomes and research proved I was getting it at a good price. [Not the original price I was promised but still very good compared to other quotes].
I was also given a trade plate to get my vehicle home to the other side of Brisbane which was a nice gesture on their part.
Everything sounds ok here [and I AM actually very pleased with the vehicle] but there were some promises made and not kept and I always felt that dealings were a bit "dodgy". Statements like "You won't have any troubles registering it!" proved to be quite an exaggeration and I've spoken to a few others since who have confirmed my lack of confidence in this firm.
I knew I needed to get the bus complianced for it's new life so after I stripped it out [I'll go into detail in another section] I fitted new front seats, retained one double passenger seat and fitted new seatbelts. I found a local guy that could get me a compliance plate for the new 4 seater configuration. He advised me what to do, came back and printed me a compliance plate without really inspecting the work. He also recommended where I could take the vehicle for the safety certificate required for registration and didn't foresee any dramas.
Drama. When I arrived for my safety inspection they weren't sure what category the vehicle fell into and after conversations with the local transport office the situation became even more unclear. Because the imported vehicle did not carry a GVM plate [Gross vehicle mass] the inspector really didn't want to get involved. Now all this happened about 18 months ago so the actual details are a bit fuzzy now but what I do remember is that every time I spoke to a different person from transport department I got a different answer as to how I could resolve the issue. I had also organised third party insurance before I drove the bus and there was also confusion here as to what category it fell into. I should probably touch on vehicle weights here - the Rainbow is a fairly heavy vehicle and came in at about 3.9 tonne. There is a category limit at 4.5 tonne with vehicles over that amount requiring more expensive registrations and annual inspections - a scenario which I was trying to avoid - and one my dealer had advised would not occur.
Solution underway. As you can probably imagine this was all getting a bit stressful but I decided to tackle the problem by taking the [unregistered but third party insured] vehicle back to the other side of town to the inspection station the dealer used for his own vehicles. It was there they informed me that I did not have the correct import compliance for them to undertake the inspection of the vehicle - once again the lack of GVM was the issue. Back to the dealer to then make contact with the engineer who did the compliance certificates for their vehicles. Now if all this is starting to sound a bit dodgy you'd be right - one engineering workshop where my dealer told me to take the vehicle for advice told me that "I asked too many questions!". I finally made contact with the dealer's engineer, received a 60 second inspection, paid my $220, got my import compliance certificate with a GVM of 4.495 tonne and headed back to the inspection station. They found a few minor issues with the vehicle - a leaking master cylinder and some suspension wear and a bit of rust in the step that would not pass certificate. I had to fork out about $800 from my contigency fund for the mechanicals. My dealer, who had promised to help me out with the rust repairs, was suddenly too busy for several weeks so the vehicle came home again where I repaired the rust myself. Another week down and back across town, where I finally had a safety certificate in hand. I returned to my dealer who had promised me one of his guys to accompany me to transport department to expedite my registration. Once again they were far too busy for after-sales service but eventually relented and decided to help. Going through the dealer registration did make things quick and after the transport official measured the vehicle [what a joke - the dealer told me he puts 4 of this exact same vehicle through for registration every month] and I paid my money I was actually able to drive home in a registered vehicle.
This was not quite the end of the dramas though - when my registration arrived I noticed my third party insurance category did not match the insurance certificate I had taken out. When I visited my local transport office to try to sort this out - it was once again all too hard and no-one seemed to know what to do. So I went to my insurer's office where for once things went smoothly - they had already been advised by transport department that the category needed to be changed - I paid my extra $23 and was on my way with the revised certificate. I still can't work out why one transport office knew this change was underway and the other had no idea - I thought their computer system was linked.
Success at last: All I know is I now had an Australian complianced vehicle with paid registration and third party insurance and was very relieved to have that very stressful part of the project done and dusted. As I started out by saying - I know how I should have done this now and I would never buy an unregistered imported vehicle again. Let someone else jump through the hoops and have the headache!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Selecting a vehicle
The spouse committee approved the project despite the fact "it was too soon" so I began searching classifieds, websites and magazines for the appropriate vehicle. All the research pointed to the Hino Rainbow, a 7 metre, rear-engine, turbo diesel powered, flat-floor bus as the ideal specimen for conversion and ironically it was one of these I had seen and photographed in NZ when we were there.
I had been told these vehicles were available for as little as $15000 but I couldn't locate anything at those prices. I know there are Toyota Coasters, Nissan Civilians and others out there but the Hino did seem to be the go - here are some of the things on the selection roundabout I considered.
- I found a company in Australia disposing of some of their older Rainbows - these vehicles had done between between 300 -600000 kilometres and were priced in the mid 20k.
- I found a website dealing directly with a Japanese based company and considering organising an import for myself. The possibility even existed to fly to Japan, inspect purchase and import or take the chance and buy sight unseen. For someone bolder and braver than me it did seem a way of getting one at the right price (under $A10000) but let's face it - I just wasn't game to do it that way.
- I found a guy in NZ who organised imports as a job and conversed with him via email. He was experienced in getting the right vehicle but it also sounded messy to have him organise it from NZ and have it arrive here in OZ. Too hard again. [Note: - the prices in NZ seemed a lot cheaper than here]
- I found an e-bay advertisement for a Hino Rainbow from a Sunshine Coast based advertiser but even his post seemed a little bizarre "Don't waste my time with stupid questions" - Now there's someone I'd want to buy from - NOT!
- I found a Gold Coast based importer also advertising on e-bay and these seemed a definite possibility. Prices in the mid $A20's.
- Next stop was Koolah Kampers at Loganholme where I met the owner, Ray, who gave me great advice on buying an import and if he had the right vehicle at the time it would be his company who I would deal with. It was here I made my decision on the RB145A Hino. They do conversions on these buses as well as the widebody RH160 and 9 metre Fuso and Hino imports. The RB145's were priced in the high $A20k with the latter two demanding around $20000 more. They did all sorts of engineering mods including roof raises, luggage bins and fitouts.
- I found another southside company who also imported the RB145A regularly but generally did them up for sale themselves. At the time I enquired, they had a couple to choose from so I headed over for a look. I had a pick of two - one with 270000 km on the clock for around $25000 and one with 107000 km priced at $30000. I also had the opportunity to see some of the fitouts they had done and failed to be impressed. With fitted out prices between $60000 and $90000 I thought I could make a reasonable go of it for much less. After much agonizing - I bought the dearer bus because I thought when and if it came to resale time the lower k's would really count. I had also seen about six of the RB145's by this time and the condition of this one was the best by a country mile. I'm not going to mention the name of the dealer here because in all honesty my best recommendation would be to deal with them with extreme caution. I learned a lot over the coming months.
One of the things I forgot to mention earlier is that at the time I knew nothing about diesel engines. As I didn't want to risk my money on a dud I organised a mechanic from the local bus company to come and do a pre-purchase inspection. He passed the engine ok and it only cost me a $100 for piece of mind.
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