A customer has just suggested that I ought to name this section; "The idiot's guide to care and maintenance" I told her I couldn't do this as some might not take it in the spirit in which it is intended! However she was referring to herself as the idiot.
Apparently in this very cold spell this winter she left it parked up with the hand brake on for a period of time so when she did eventually want to use it all the brakes had seized up. This really is an example of what can happen if you don't take my advice in bullet point 1.
This is just a short section for those of you who would like some help with keeping your horsebox in the best possible condition and maximise reliabilty.
1.
Diesel likes to work so if you have a period when the weather is bad/the horse is lame/the family too demanding for you to take the horse out, do try and run it once a week if only to pick up your feedstuffs/do a supermarket shop/pick up your kids from school (!) etc etc.
2.
Do not park for any length of time on grass/mud - nothing rots a chassis quicker.
3.
Check oil and water levels before every journey, this way you can monitor how much it is using, hopefully detect any leaks and in this way protect your engine and safe guard your reliability.
4.
You should have at the least an annual service (perhaps when you have your MOT is a good time and have oil and filters changed). We actually reccomend for engine health a six monthly oil change.Ask your garage to be sure to check oil levels in gearbox when it goes in for service, we find in lots of boxes this has been neglected and it will undoubtedly effect the life of the gearbox if this continues over a period of time.
5.Cam belts should be changed every five years (whole kit is preferable) or every fifty thousand miles on the older models seventy thousand on the MK111's.
6.
Do not ignore unusual lights coming on the dash. Sometimes this can be a faulty wire, a something or nothing scenario, but it should always be checked out before proceeding. The more modern the vehicle the more likely inexplicable lights on the dash become a problem. Again this needs checking out but more often than not it is just an electrical issue. Customers are welcome to phone us if this happens to them when they are out and about and we will do our best to advise whether it is prudent to proceed or to call out the breakdown service!
6.
Because it is in the nature of horse transport that brakes have minimal use, it is quite a good idea to periodically go for a spin without the horses and really use the brakes - this often pays off at MOT time as underused brakes can create issues at test time.
7.
Tyre pressures. These should be between 55 and 60 on the Master/Movano - we would reccomend 55 in front then up to 60 at the back dependent on load. Another customer has said she has purchased a "tyre pal" and says these are really good and well worth investing in. She suggested I put in a link to this web site but as this is way beyond my internet skills I suggest if interested you "google" it.
8.
"The Silent Killer!" Those of you owning the more modern DCI/TDI engines need to be especially vigilent in checking your oil levels (preferably before every outing). The turbo on these can mal function showing no outward symptoms until the engine goes bang! The vehicle can still be driving really well - no loss of power, no black smoke no tell tale oil on the ground when parked- but in fact the turbo is silently sucking out the oil. If you think your vehicle is using too much oil do get the turbo checked particularly if your garage can see no obvious oil leaks. We run these horseboxes a distance before sale and religiously check the oil level but this can happen to the turbo at any time (we have found this on a low mileage vehicle) so the only way to safe guard your engine is to keep checking your oil.
As I think of new issues I will add to this section.......