Jerba v Autohaus T6.1 conversion

[interbear]

Hi all, newbie here, been in deep research mode for a camper meeting our requirements and have narrowed it down to Jerba in North Berwick and Autohaus in Minehead. Their internal designs look right for us. A friend has an Autohaus conversion, it seemed very good in terms of quality and practicality.

SWB T6.1 Auto 150 with Highline and LED lights is the van spec.

Priorities for conversion are 4 seats / 4 berth, storage flexibility, safety, quality of the beds (Rib preferred over rock n roll). So many questions but some initial ones that I’d appreciate some insight on:

• Jerba v Autohaus - any comments?
• Jerba is a good 6-7 hour drive from home, Autohaus is a mere 1.5 hours. Is this an important consideration when choosing a converter? I’m thinking post sales follow up, support etc.
• Jerba is one of the 4 converters accredited under VWs Motorhome Qualification Scheme which includes full Type Approval and NCC approval. Autohaus say they are “officially recognised vehicle builder” with VW and are VCA Type Approval accredited (NSSTA and WVTA). I’m confused. Are both of these claims an assurance of safety and quality. Is one better than the other?
• The Jerba zip away canvas on the pop top is a nice feature. Seems they are the only converter to offer this. Anyone know of any others?
• Also interested in the Wallas diesel hob/heater to remove the need for gas. But Autohaus also offer an underslung LPG tank. Any thoughts on what approach is best?

Thanks all, I’m sure I’ll have more questions very soon

 

[Rich N]

Like you and many others I suspect, I spent many hours on researching a converter prior to taking the plunge! I have an Autohaus Ashton conversion on a T6. The build quality is to a very high standard with only well known brands used (such as Reimo roofs) and the fact that they are 1 hour from me was also a major factor in selecting them as my preferred choice. The fact that they are also VW approved converters also contributed to my decision (after a chat at my local caravan centre). They are a very helpful and supportive team who really know their stuff and are able to guide you to what exactly what you need without any undue sales pressure - you can take your time to make the decision on the final spec. They are always really helpful if you need any advice, their after sales support is also great and it certainly helps with hab checks etc that they are only an hour or so away.
One thing I have learnt though is to get the base van spec right first - things I wish I'd added at the time was the 150ps, LED lights, App Connect, front sensors and a reversing camera. I did spec power latching for the side door though. I guess it was as the cost was rising that I thought some economies may be needed - the VW options list is very tempting!
Hope this helps in your deliberations!

 

[oldiebut goodie]

Autohaus are 300 miles from me but had no hesitation due to the distance. They accommodated everything that I required that would fit in. Mine is a 2 berth hightop as that is all that I needed. My van is a Highline LWB on a T30, 204 engine, DSG . I specified LED lights at the factory also, thank goodness. I had the LWB as then I had the rear toilet/shower room. Very easy to deal with.Nearly 3 years down the line I have no regrets.
I haven't had any contact with Jerba other than I bought some midge screens from them - very quick and courteous transaction.

Edit to add:
Went for underslung gas tank for the hot water heater, hob and oven.
Added the diesel heater myself as they were not used to the OEM fitting of a larger heater - they appear to only fit the Air Top 2000 2Kw models whereas I fitted an Air Top Evo 40 4Kw one.

 

[interbear]

Like you and many others I suspect, I spent many hours on researching a converter prior to taking the plunge! I have an Autohaus Ashton conversion on a T6. The build quality is to a very high standard with only well known brands used (such as Reimo roofs) and the fact that they are 1 hour from me was also a major factor in selecting them as my preferred choice. The fact that they are also VW approved converters also contributed to my decision (after a chat at my local caravan centre). They are a very helpful and supportive team who really know their stuff and are able to guide you to what exactly what you need without any undue sales pressure - you can take your time to make the decision on the final spec. They are always really helpful if you need any advice, their after sales support is also great and it certainly helps with hab checks etc that they are only an hour or so away.
One thing I have learnt though is to get the base van spec right first - things I wish I'd added at the time was the 150ps, LED lights, App Connect, front sensors and a reversing camera. I did spec power latching for the side door though. I guess it was as the cost was rising that I thought some economies may be needed - the VW options list is very tempting!
Hope this helps in your deliberations!

Thanks. Useful insight. It's the Ashton model I am looking at. "VW Approved" indeed but I am not quite sure what that means as they are not listed as 1 of the 4 approved converters on the "VW Motorhome Qualification Scheme". This is one of the things that I need to delve into a little more. The 4 are Jerba, Hillside Leisure (I quite like their Birchover conversion), Rolling Homes (use real wood so discounted, we don't want that) and CJL (close to us in Weston Super Mare but they seem to focus more on specialist leisure vehicles for bike fans etc). So, Jerba Tiree and Autohaus Ashton are the main two I am looking at. Sounds like you've had a fine experience with Autohaus, which is encouraging. On base van spec, I agree - DSG, 150bhp, LED lights and Reversing camera are on my "must have" list already. The HIghline pack covers the rest of it (parking sensors, privacy glass etc). No intention of paying for the sat nav as happy with App Connect to use Apple Car Play. Still, even those items I've already defined as "must have" make the base van an expensive starting point, I agree.

 

[interbear]

Autohaus are 300 miles from me but had no hesitation due to the distance. They accommodated everything that I required that would fit in. Mine is a 2 berth hightop as that is all that I needed. My van is a Highline LWB on a T30, 204 engine, DSG . I specified LED lights at the factory also, thank goodness. I had the LWB as then I had the rear toilet/shower room. Very easy to deal with.Nearly 3 years down the line I have no regrets.
I haven't had any contact with Jerba other than I bought some midge screens from them - very quick and courteous transaction.

Edit to add:
Went for underslung gas tank for the hot water heater, hob and oven.
Added the diesel heater myself as they were not used to the OEM fitting of a larger heater - they appear to only fit the Air Top 2000 2Kw models whereas I fitted an Air Top Evo 40 4Kw one.

Thank you. Another positive endorsement for Autohaus. We pondered LWB but have settled on SWB for day to day practicality, the camper will replace a 2nd car. The toilet question is one everyone faces of course, I think we have decided to go for the portable cassette toilet route for emergencies.

Question on underslung gas tank - This has some appeal for the external BBQ point, which I think would be really useful. I presume this means you don't need to buy camping gas canisters, but instead fill up at petrol stations who sell LPG? Is that right or am I way off? If I'm right, are they widely available in the UK and Europe (we travel to France regularly so need to be sure it's OK). One of the reasons we are considering the Wallas diesel hob / heater is to simplify things in terms of fuel.

 

[Ozi]

Thank you. Another positive endorsement for Autohaus. We pondered LWB but have settled on SWB for day to day practicality, the camper will replace a 2nd car. The toilet question is one everyone faces of course, I think we have decided to go for the portable cassette toilet route for emergencies.

Question on underslung gas tank - This has some appeal for the external BBQ point, which I think would be really useful. I presume this means you don't need to buy camping gas canisters, but instead fill up at petrol stations who sell LPG? Is that right or am I way off? If I'm right, are they widely available in the UK and Europe (we travel to France regularly so need to be sure it's OK). One of the reasons we are considering the Wallas diesel hob / heater is to simplify things in terms of fuel.

Yep, the BBQ point relies on an underslung LPG tank which you can fill up at any service station with an LPG pump. My last fill up last week cost me the hefty sum of £3.82…..compare that to the cost of a 907 canister!

And before anyone pipes up about the initial cost of the underslung tank, yes I know its more upfront. But more gas on board gives greater off grid capability and over the lifetime of use, it’s way cheaper than canisters.

 

[Rich N]

I have an external BBQ point on my Autohaus Ashton which is plumbed to a standard gas cylinder. However, I agree that the LPG option is far better in the long term and I would probably specify this next time. I guess my only concern would be pump availability given the move to 'electric' forecourts but I'll almost certainly be too old and decrepit to drive by then anyway! In respect of the VW converters list, an article about this in the latest edition of Campervan mag which has just popped into my inbox, says that VW are looking at 4 more converters currently with a potential list of up to 20 so it seems that the list is work in progress. I guess that you will have some time to consider further as looking at other threads on here, there seems to be quite a wait for a new van and then you have to factor in the wait for the conversion - watching a You Tube video from Jerba the other day I'm sure they said they are looking at bookings until early 2023! More time to save to spend on VW options

 

[oldiebut goodie]

My Autohaus is a Camelot Grandi - not a model that is seen much. Being at the top end pricewise with my specs it isn't surprising ( £65K area )
I don't travel out of the UK so someone else will have to answer about availability abroad - it can be hit or miss a bit in the UK as a lot of LPG carrying fuel stations closed ( Shell?) but as you are carrying a lot more gas than the little cylinders it isn't a great problem.
I have heard that the diesel heat and cooking combo may not be to everyone's taste due to the controllability of the heat but have no direct experience of one.
I use the van as a daily driver - no difference to a SWB in my opinion, of course no parking spots suit a T6 to begin with as regards to width, the extra length isn't noticeable at all.
The only regret that I have with my van is only going for the 70 litre fuel tank rather than 80 but it isn't really a problem that worries me greatly. ( and should have had a twin slider which would have been handy )
If you go for barn doors be aware that VW wouldn't factory fit a reversing camera with them. I had to add a rear view camera myself so that I could use that all the time and not just for reversing.

 

[t0mb0]

The 907 cylinders are certainly a very expensive way of buying gas. However, we’ve found that in practice they last absolutely ages if you’re just cooking with them so it’s an absolutely negligible proportion of total trip expenses. I think you’d need to get through a hell of a lot of gas to get the underslung LPG cost to pay for itself.

It’s a different story with motorhomes where you’ve got a three way fridge munching its way through gas.

 

[oldiebut goodie]

Oven, hob and water heater will soon eat up a piddly little cylinder so was well worth the fitting of a tank.

 

[Ozi]

The 907 cylinders are certainly a very expensive way of buying gas. However, we’ve found that in practice they last absolutely ages if you’re just cooking with them so it’s an absolutely negligible proportion of total trip expenses. I think you’d need to get through a hell of a lot of gas to get the underslung LPG cost to pay for itself.

It’s a different story with motorhomes where you’ve got a three way fridge munching its way through gas.

And that’s a key point @t0mb0 regarding the 3 way fridge and why we specced the gas tank, as wanted the ability to run off grid and away from EHU for a week or two if needed, so the extra gas capacity was more important for us. But if you are only cooking with it, not as necessary id agree

 

[t0mb0]

And that’s a key point @t0mb0 regarding the 3 way fridge and why we specced the gas tank, as wanted the ability to run off grid and away from EHU for a week or two if needed, so the extra gas capacity was more important for us. But if you are only cooking with it, not as necessary id agree

You're running a three way fridge?? That's really quite unusual in a T6, I thought they'd pretty much all moved over to super-efficient compressor fridges and solar panels for off-grid.

 

[interbear]

Interesting info on gas canisters vs LPG vs diesel hob/heater.

I’ve read quite a bit about LPG being removed from some forecourts and also some challenges in France, which we travel to a lot to visit family. So I’ve decided not to consider underslung LPG tank any further and will either go with the camping gas for hob plus Webasto diesel heater (both Jerba and Autohaus do this), or the combined Wallas diesel hob/heater (Jerba do this, Autohaus do not). Overall I’m leaning towards the more typical approach of gas hob and diesel heater. As I only need the gas for cooking I’m less worried about the smaller capacity. Keeps my other conversion options open.

 

[Rich N]

I just use gas for the hob, have the Webasto diesel heater (which is really good) and have a solar panel which will keep the fridge going between using EHU. Did also spec an oven and grill (also gas of course) but having a Cadac is probably just as good especially with a Ridge Monkey.

 

[interbear]

Some more naive newbie questions.

Gas - due to long term availability concerns, I’m pretty much decided not to get the underslung LPG tank and instead go with the more standard 907 gas bottle, but:
1) Is there any indication of capacity so it’s visible when a refill is required? I‘ve been away in mobile homes many times and the only indication of the gas running out is when everything stops, nice when in the shower
2) Is it advisable to always have a spare gas cylinder in the van, if so where is it stored? Or do most people not bother with this?
3) Am I right to assume that either butane or propane cylinders would run the typical gas hobs in a camper? So either would be fine.
4) Any gotchas when travelling to France that I should be aware of when relying on gas cylinders? From recollection they seem widely available. But I know that different bottles / regulators are required compared to UK cylinders. Which complicates matters. I suppose the best way for me to understand if this is a potential issue or not is to know how long a UK 907 gas cylinder would last on a trip. It would only be used for cooking on the hob and via the BBQ point, not heating, so my assumption is that a cylinder would last a decent amount of time. Any guidance on this. Would 1 cylinder be OK for a 2 week trip to France, for example?

Solar - our usage will be 2-3 nights max off grid. Any longer and we will use campsites with electric hook up. So:
1) Is spending on a solar panel worth it for our use case? I’m thinking not, as a bit of driving will charge the leisure battery anyway.
2) What should I expect in terms of leisure battery capacity. If used only for the fridge and lighting, how long should it typically last on a charge?

Oven/Grill option - pondering whether this is a useful addition or something that will just eat up storage. Presumably it only runs when hooked up anyway but wondering what more experienced camper van owners think about it’s practicality / usefulness.

Thanks in advance for any insight or opinions.

 

[Ozi]

Some more naive newbie questions.

Gas - due to long term availability concerns, I’m pretty much decided not to get the underslung LPG tank and instead go with the more standard 907 gas bottle, but:
1) Is there any indication of capacity so it’s visible when a refill is required? I‘ve been away in mobile homes many times and the only indication of the gas running out is when everything stops, nice when in the shower
2) Is it advisable to always have a spare gas cylinder in the van, if so where is it stored? Or do most people not bother with this?
3) Am I right to assume that either butane or propane cylinders would run the typical gas hobs in a camper? So either would be fine.
4) Any gotchas when travelling to France that I should be aware of when relying on gas cylinders? From recollection they seem widely available. But I know that different bottles / regulators are required compared to UK cylinders. Which complicates matters. I suppose the best way for me to understand if this is a potential issue or not is to know how long a UK 907 gas cylinder would last on a trip. It would only be used for cooking on the hob and via the BBQ point, not heating, so my assumption is that a cylinder would last a decent amount of time. Any guidance on this. Would 1 cylinder be OK for a 2 week trip to France, for example?

Solar - our usage will be 2-3 nights max off grid. Any longer and we will use campsites with electric hook up. So:
1) Is spending on a solar panel worth it for our use case? I’m thinking not, as a bit of driving will charge the leisure battery anyway.
2) What should I expect in terms of leisure battery capacity. If used only for the fridge and lighting, how long should it typically last on a charge?

Oven/Grill option - pondering whether this is a useful addition or something that will just eat up storage. Presumably it only runs when hooked up anyway but wondering what more experienced camper van owners think about it’s practicality / usefulness.

Thanks in advance for any insight or opinions.

The oven/grill is personal choice really, but I’d say not essential.

But in a SWB van it’s going to use valuable space and if you are going with a bbq point, you’ll find you can do a lot of what you want on a Cadac. Very easy and quick to cook a pizza on a Cadac for example (use the cover to create an oven) besides the obvious grill use. I know others swear that they can cook baked potatoes and croissants on them too, although I haven’t tried that yet.

 

[DXX]

Interesting info on gas canisters vs LPG vs diesel hob/heater.

I’ve read quite a bit about LPG being removed from some forecourts and also some challenges in France, which we travel to a lot to visit family. So I’ve decided not to consider underslung LPG tank any further and will either go with the camping gas for hob plus Webasto diesel heater (both Jerba and Autohaus do this), or the combined Wallas diesel hob/heater (Jerba do this, Autohaus do not). Overall I’m leaning towards the more typical approach of gas hob and diesel heater. As I only need the gas for cooking I’m less worried about the smaller capacity. Keeps my other conversion options open.

Wallas XC Duo does heating and cooking, no servicing, no fuel issues.
Search the Forum with ’wallas’, there are many advantages over gas.

 

[interbear]

Wallas XC Duo does heating and cooking, no servicing, no fuel issues.
Search the Forum with ’wallas’, there are many advantages over gas.

Yes I looked at that and liked the principle. Not requiring any gas on board is a definite advantage that appealed. The fact it takes a while to heat up doesn't bother me. Only a few convertors seem to offer it though, Jerba being one of them.

 

[Mavis]

Hi all, newbie here, been in deep research mode for a camper meeting our requirements and have narrowed it down to Jerba in North Berwick and Autohaus in Minehead. Their internal designs look right for us. A friend has an Autohaus conversion, it seemed very good in terms of quality and practicality.

SWB T6.1 Auto 150 with Highline and LED lights is the van spec.

Priorities for conversion are 4 seats / 4 berth, storage flexibility, safety, quality of the beds (Rib preferred over rock n roll). So many questions but some initial ones that I’d appreciate some insight on:

• Jerba v Autohaus - any comments?
• Jerba is a good 6-7 hour drive from home, Autohaus is a mere 1.5 hours. Is this an important consideration when choosing a converter? I’m thinking post sales follow up, support etc.
• Jerba is one of the 4 converters accredited under VWs Motorhome Qualification Scheme which includes full Type Approval and NCC approval. Autohaus say they are “officially recognised vehicle builder” with VW and are VCA Type Approval accredited (NSSTA and WVTA). I’m confused. Are both of these claims an assurance of safety and quality. Is one better than the other?
• The Jerba zip away canvas on the pop top is a nice feature. Seems they are the only converter to offer this. Anyone know of any others?
• Also interested in the Wallas diesel hob/heater to remove the need for gas. But Autohaus also offer an underslung LPG tank. Any thoughts on what approach is best?

Thanks all, I’m sure I’ll have more questions very soon

Like you we did a lot of research before we committed to buying a new conversion, a Jerba Cromarty, 4 years ago. We had the benefit of being able to see different manufacturer's vans almost side by side at the NEC and Jerba just stood out from the rest in terms of the detail in their build quality, materials and innovative ideas to maximise the flexibility of van use for their customers. As you say Jerba are one of the few companies who are recognised by VW as a Motorhome Qualified Convertor.

We have never had an issue with the extra length of van in the LWB but the additional internal space this offers is great. We also opted for the Wallas hob and it is a great bit of kit and saves on the worry of carrying gas in terms of space and replen, it obviously takes a bit more time to get going versus gas. I know its a long way but given the cost of van plus conversion I would visit both convertors. Certainly our experience with Jerba was and continues to be extremely positive, they were really helpful, not pushy at all and go the extra mile to give you all the information to make the right choices and tweaks to your conversion.

 

[oldiebut goodie]

Oven/Grill option - pondering whether this is a useful addition or something that will just eat up storage. Presumably it only runs when hooked up anyway but wondering what more experienced camper van owners think about it’s practicality / usefulness.

Thanks in advance for any insight or opinions.

The oven /grill/hob runs off gas not electricity hence my having an underslung tank when coupled with the gas water heater.