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VW campervan handover checklist

campervan cleaning

We take you through the steps of handing over the van

Checklist for campervan handover. We’ve been asked a number of times now what we go through when we hand over our VW campervan to new hirers. The process takes about an hour and is geared to help you get the most out of your holiday. People normally arrive at our depot by car. The meet and greet is a nice process as people are normally excited at the prospect of a trip away in a vintage camper.

The first thing we do is get the formalities out of the way. We take copies of driving license and proof of address for each driver and get the contract signed. The contract is quite wordy but it basically just says you are responsible for bringing the van back safe and sound.

A handbook is provided for each customer, tailored for the needs of that trip. For example if you are hiring the awning, and why wouldn’t you – see Amanda’s comments on a previous post – the handbook contains instructions on how to erect it. This is a high quality drive away awning which means you can easily unhitch it from the van and drive off for the day. Just leave it zipped up.
First thing we do is pop up the roof and show how that works. Then we take people through the operation of the gas, the cooker and the fridge. This includes how to switch over the electrics to the leisure battery.

Then we show them the storage alternatives including underneath the ¾ rock and roll bed. There is also a small hanging wardrobe although tbh we just use that to chuck things in. We don’t typically take posh clothes away on a trip in the campervan.

The bed then gets pulled out to show how that works (easy peasy actually) and at that stage we usually make the point that it is better to have the bed made up before you go out for the evening. Makes life simpler when coming back to the van when you have had a beer or two.

Collapsing the roof is an important part of the demo – you need to make sure the sides are tucked in tidily when the roof is in the down position. It is easy to clip in into position once the sides are sorted. We also show you how to use the moveable table. This is kept stowed when Betty is on the move but can easily be set up inside or outside the van.

Then we go for a spin down the road. At this stage we also have a quick run through the bluetooth DAB radio. There is a handbook for the radio kept in the glove compartment in case you need it although it’s reasonably intuitive for anyone who is used to using gadgetry.

At the end of the road the hirer takes over at the wheel and we drive back to the depot. It’s important at this stage to understand that campervan Betty, at the ripe old age of 46, is not very fast at around 55mph and braking takes a little longer than when you are slamming on the anchors on your modern motor.

So that’s it. Back at the depot we load up the awning and camping chairs and you are ready to go. Your car is parked somewhere out of the way – Betty is stored in a working garage which has its compound locked every night.

We wave off the hirers and head home ourselves.

If you want to know any more about our campervan feel free to get in touch via our contact page. Betty is a 1971 vintage VW Type 2 Bay windowed camper and is available for hire. Anne’s Vans is based in Lincoln and is ideally placed for trips to a wide number of holiday destinations.
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