CADDY2K.com

My story so far..........apologies, it's a long one!

Disclaimer - before I go on, the previous owner maybe a member here and i should point out, the van was sold as seen and we both agreed on a fair price which we were both happy with so no hard feelings my end.

Anyway, i'd done the NC500 around Scotland a couple of times camping but at my age it was all getting a bit much putting the tent up and down so thought i'd get myself a Caddy, do it out as a stealth camper how i wanted it and jobs a gud'n

Unfortunately, i set my bar a little too high and late given i'd already committed with my mate to leave on 28th June so started to consider vans that had already been converted so eBay became my new home.

After frantic searching it was apparent that i'd never get exactly what i was looking for so compromised had to be made regarding colour, how i wanted the layout, wheels, spec........pretty much everything really.

Has to be said that eBay is an absolute minefield but anyway, the clock was ticking and i eventually found one which wasn't too bad so contacted the chap and arranged to go see it on May 1st, bank holiday weekend.

It was advertised...

Mileage 49785 - low mileage with comprehensive service history Years MOT - just MOT'ed Just serviced - for piece of mind New injector fitted

I'd already read up on the injector horror stories so didn't know whether i was happy to read that a new injector had been fitted or not but decided to get a lift down the 120 miles off my mate with a Ford Ranger and a towing strap just in case, which as it turns out, i'm glad i did.

After the deal was done, we stopped at a services not far from picking up the van and everything seemed spot on......we gave it a quick once over and decided to press on up the A1 back home.


Then about 40 miles from home doing around 65mph it lost power and the glow plug light on the dash was flashing so pulled over onto the hard shoulder......we both knew immediately it was the injector. FFS but had a good laugh as we both knew it was coming


I did try driving it but it was a Bank Holiday weekend and the traffic was pretty busy and there was no way i was going to keep up so we made the decision to strap it and tow it home, dropped it off at my local garage and went for a couple of pints.


I had to wait until the Tuesday as it was Bank Holiday to have it confirmed that injector No1 (apparently the one that had just been replaced) had failed.

Yeah, i'd read up on all the injector horror stories but still wasn't sure about the fix so after a frantic read up on forums and advice from all angles, i decided, rather than just replace the faulty one, i'd invest in a refurnished set of four (Injector 03L130277B Siemens VW Motor Caya 1.6 Tdi Continental Injector) from Diesel Fixneuss in Germany which turned up super fast so my garage was able to get them fitted right away.

Just as i was starting to relax and think that should see me good for a few miles around Scotland, the phone rang from the garage.............."mate, sorry to tell you but one of these new injectors is dead on arrival" AHHHHHH

Anyway, to give Diesel Fixneuss their due, they had me another sent out within two days from Germany which gave me a little confidence back and the garage got them fitted, coded and calibrated and the van was running perfect.


....anyway, if you got this far then hats off to you but seriously, this was just the beginning and i do need a bit of injector help but just to let you know, we did make Scotland and here's proof

Pics taken last week at Clachan Sands, North Uist, Outer Hebrides






I'll update in the next day or so with a few upgrades i did

Very cool first post. Welcome to the forum

Cheers Giddy and thanks

Welcome aboard

Great first post. Welcome to the forum, looking forward to hearing more.


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Lister79 wrote: ↑Sun Jul 17, 2022 9:18 am Great first post. Welcome to the forum, looking forward to hearing more.


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tommyzooom wrote: ↑Sat Jul 16, 2022 10:51 pm Welcome aboard

Cheers for the welcome.........you'll soon get bored

Anyway, once it was back home sitting on my drive with four new injectors fitted it was time to give it a good once over and stick some new wheels on.

Believe it or not, it just passed it's MOT and did have new-ish brake pads but the discs were shot so decided given i was planning on going up and down mountains in Scotland to fit new Brembo discs and pads all round for piece of mind more than anything else and they do stop the van on a sixpence compared to what was on





At this point, i was so tempted to get it lowered and go with 19" wheels as i'd already seen Autokraft Blackberry Stealth Camper which looks mint but given i'd already seen first hand how brutal the roads and pot-holes are up there, on this occasion i let my head rule my heart and settled for a set of 17" Audi A3 wheels which had been powder coated black from eBay and had them wrapped with Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3 225/45 R17 W Run Flats from Black Circles as i don't carry a spare wheel so practicality over aesthetics on this occasion but doesn't look too bad and the ride is firm but not too harsh tbh









my dog get's everywhere


Anyway, next up some interior stuff

To the inside.......i wasn't really sure what was going on at first with the rectangle recess in the floor? Obviously the table leg is clipped to the side in there and fits into the hole and using the small square piece of the bed behind the passenger seat turning it into a small table but doubt i'd really use it and anyway, i'd planned on having the full bed setup permanently so the dog has the full run of the back so needed some carpets made to stop him skidding around. Carpet and Binding NorthEast to the rescue who made some made-to-measure carpets which press stud in place and are absolutely perfect.....the dog loves them and grateful for not getting side slammed on every corner







Sat-Nav was obviously high priority when going to venture the unknown so again eBay sorted me out with a HD DVD SD GPS SAT NAV 7" Bluetooth USB CANBUS head unit that was literally plug and play with the stock original one

out with the old....


.....in with the new


Oh, and another thing worth mentioning was that the van already had the six anchor points behind the small plastic blanking plates so i got myself a cargo net which is great for storing the two piece foam mattress out of the way while travelling though i found it was sliding back and forward when travelling so i also attached three tight bungee cords which keep them nice and tight

Last but not least was my favourite purchase to date for my little van.....in fact in my life the Alpicool CF35 35L Car Refrigerator from Amazon

My van came with a 12v leisure battery already fitted with a split charger so no chance of running the main battery down and this fridge freezer was obviously designed to fit straight into the rectangle recess in the floor of my van which had puzzled me for so long

Seriously though, we were away for eight days straight and never once plugged into EHU (electric hook up) so it was running off my leisure battery alone and we never once drank warm beer but not only that, it can cool 18/26 cans to as cold as you want them in less than 4 hours which is way faster than my fridge at home, plus keep the milk, butter, cheese etc cool..........how cool is that man







Also worth mentioning that under the passenger side of the bed is a rear slide out Dometic double hob cooker and sink which normally would be quite exposed, so got a Brunner Pilote rear tent which turned out to be invaluable really for keeping the wind off and basically just extending the living area.....great bit of kit for the price, again, off eBay

Nice write up. Any idea what the fridge draws in amps at 12 volts, looking for something myself.Thanks

Nice! Glad to hear good things about the fridge/freezer, mine arrives tomorrow


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Moved this topic into "Member gallery & Build Treads" section of the forum. Deserves to be there.

Les wrote: ↑Tue Jul 19, 2022 3:37 pm Nice write up. Any idea what the fridge draws in amps at 12 volts, looking for something myself.Thanks

I don't mate but this model came with 3 settings to protect the battery running out and so it doesn't cut out if the voltage gets too low which apparently was a problem on the earlier models and also comes with 12v cigarette or 240v plug connector.

If you have a search on Amazon for Alpicool CF35 35L Car Refrigerator Portable Car Fridge Freezer 12/24v Campervan Boat DC Electric Cooler for Camping, Driving, Picnic it should hopefully give you all the info you need and all other Alpicool models.

Giddy wrote: ↑Tue Jul 19, 2022 5:55 pm Moved this topic into "Member gallery & Build Treads" section of the forum. Deserves to be there.

Cheers Giddy, thought i'd been barred already but realised the thread had been moved

She's a keeper

Must admit, i hadn't planned on keeping this van as it was bought pretty much last minute and didn't tick any of the boxes i originally thought i needed or wanted but i've got to say, it's been so much fun so far and i've become really attached so it's staying in the family for the foreseeable.

Anyway, not really anything to do with a "build thread" but unashamedly gets my post count up if nothing else and you never know, someone might be interested in our Scotland road trip

It really was a flying visit as my mate in the Ranger with two cockers and a Kayak had to be back for a holiday with the wife and kid so we bypassed soo much but i'll definitely be back for round two in a few weeks and tbf, it's all part of "My Story So Far"

This short blog from Andy Marsh was kind of the inspiration for this trip The Outer Hebrides: The UK’s ultimate remote road trip destination

The Outer Hebrides Road Trip 2022
Day 1
Newcastle to Oban - Gallanachmore Farm, Oban PA34 4QH
255 miles - 5h 34m

Strava screen grab of the journey


left Newcastle at 7am from Beamish Hall


quick pitstop and jumpstart an Audi sleeper in need


first time putting the new Pilote rear tent up......actually, first time everything


snug as a bug


the following morning.....cars still reasonably clean