Recommended Converters in Yorkshire

[mopardave]

Well, I've gone and done it.......I'm taking delivery of my T6 Kombi next week.....can't wait! Now I need to find someone to do a line out, install some lighting and fit an awning etc. Does anyone know of any quality converters up here in Yorkshire? Also, I'm thinking of sound deadening it myself before it goes in. Do we know of any reasonably priced material.....or do I stick to dynamat or silentcoat?
Any guidance would be much appreciated.
MD

 

[Scruffy]

Exploria in Halifax come well recommended by many, but no personal experience myself.

 

[spook]

Well, I've gone and done it.......I'm taking delivery of my T6 Kombi next week.....can't wait! Now I need to find someone to do a line out, install some lighting and fit an awning etc. Does anyone know of any quality converters up here in Yorkshire? Also, I'm thinking of sound deadening it myself before it goes in. Do we know of any reasonably priced material.....or do I stick to dynamat or silentcoat?
Any guidance would be much appreciated.
MD

hi u used silent coat in all the panels took two boxs then 35mm Dacron then 6mm ply ,and fourway stretch carpet

 

[spook]

,,

 

[Richard Hewitson]

8Ball at Little Wheaton (north of Hull) have just finished a great T6 for me. Can certainly recommend them

 

[andys]

8Ball at Little Wheaton (north of Hull) have just finished a great T6 for me. Can certainly recommend them

I once saw a van 8Ball had done while my T5 was at Vagnostics, the standard of workmanship looked phenomenal!

 

[Berto84]

Our van going into 8 Ball next week for conversion. There work looks great and so far have been mega hepfull!

 

[Richard Hewitson]

Our van going into 8 Ball next week for conversion. There work looks great and so far have been mega hepfull!

Yes, got to agree with your comments. They installed all of my wish list and even suggested things that might not work for me to think over. To cap it at the end suggested I send details of my old T5 for then to advertise it for sale. Fantastic company and really helpful guys.

 

[Carbon13]

It's been an interesting month, before pushing 'add to cart' on a Cascade Conversion (which as a result of advice gained from our visits is now off the list) I decided some surprise house calls were in order at convertors across the Yorkshire region and so dropped in on seven at their premises in person, topping up with another four convertors at the show in Harrogate today.

I've learned a lot......some key points and interesting things I picked are;

Fancy hdr pictures of fancy vans on fancy websites need to be ignored, go and have a look at the workshop and speak to their staff, look at their wood prep area and where/how they cut their roofs, tidy, clean and organised work areas speak volumes. One 'respected' convertor (with a fancy website) was working on cosmetic internal items on a van in a muddy, potholed car park opposite their garage when I arrived and actually dealt with my entire visit on that car park whilst another 'recommended' convertor was situated in the same yard as a pallet company with the permanent smokey pallet fire burning in an oil drum, the workshop was an oily mess and smelled of woodsmoke. Another which came ' highly recommended' was in a damp barn and the owner spent half the time shouting at two guys cutting a roof on a seemingly unprotected van as the odd spark and swarf fell onto the floor !

Everyone tells you that the roof they fit is the best on the market no matter the price, because they know or have only been trained in fitting that particular roof. I've looked at them all afaik and consider HiLo and Austops to be the highest quality.

Everyone tells you the seating/heating/unit system they fit is the best and they'd never fit the stuff from the other guys because a,b,c etc...

They are obsessed with the edges of their units and the machine they just bought to band them.

Everyone tells you their M1 tested bed is the safest on the market, is unique, will survive a meteor strike, a nuclear strike, the zombie apocalypse and plague outbreak whilst also providing the most comfortable nights sleep you've ever had in your life.

Some 'bespoke' convertors just aren't, they build variations on a theme and just want to 'production line' their builds to get them out of the door, asking for anything other than leather or cloth or a different colour throws them fully out of kilter.

The majority fail to respond to emails, even after you've rung and they've asked you to email, some after you've sat down and given them a detailed spec, talked about build time slots and they've promised to email the final quote. There appears to be huge problems with almost all convertors communication with customers.

I had the best experiences with Exploria in Brighouse, excellent office and workshop staff, real bespoke builders, great workshop, pricey though. Camper_Versions in Darwin, Lancashire were also excellent, fabulous staff, great communication, premises were spotless, their conversions are stylish and reasonably priced, they were a little 'production line' however. Nod of the cap to A1CamperConversions who I met at the Harrogate show and were very friendly, genuine and seemingly bespoke, just waiting for their quote to come through.

I found, through FB (no website), a virtually unknown to the wider world convertor in a nearby town who ticked every box, small spotless premises, totally bespoke, 6 month waiting list, carpenter turned converter, honest and community focussed with a young keen apprentice. I actually don't want to name this guy, it's highly likely he'll do the work for us and until I'm on his waiting list he can remain anonymous....

Finally a big thanks to the honest to goodness convertor who told me 'you don't need a campervan mate, you need something between a day van, an MPV and a campervan', he was right, we went back to the drawing board, I think I'll create a separate post for a bit of guidance and any of your useful thoughts on that...

 

[Peatey]

i never buy anything from a salesman or company that tells me his is the best, i only buy from people that say this is what we do, this is what it is hace a look
and with a bit of common sense on both sides everything seems to work out ok , i want value for money they need to turn a profit, every ones happy

 

[James1000]

It's been an interesting month, before pushing 'add to cart' on a Cascade Conversion (which as a result of advice gained from our visits is now off the list) I decided some surprise house calls were in order at convertors across the Yorkshire region and so dropped in on seven at their premises in person, topping up with another four convertors at the show in Harrogate today.

I've learned a lot......some key points and interesting things I picked are;

Fancy hdr pictures of fancy vans on fancy websites need to be ignored, go and have a look at the workshop and speak to their staff, look at their wood prep area and where/how they cut their roofs, tidy, clean and organised work areas speak volumes. One 'respected' convertor (with a fancy website) was working on cosmetic internal items on a van in a muddy, potholed car park opposite their garage when I arrived and actually dealt with my entire visit on that car park whilst another 'recommended' convertor was situated in the same yard as a pallet company with the permanent smokey pallet fire burning in an oil drum, the workshop was an oily mess and smelled of woodsmoke. Another which came ' highly recommended' was in a damp barn and the owner spent half the time shouting at two guys cutting a roof on a seemingly unprotected van as the odd spark and swarf fell onto the floor !

Everyone tells you that the roof they fit is the best on the market no matter the price, because they know or have only been trained in fitting that particular roof. I've looked at them all afaik and consider HiLo and Austops to be the highest quality.

Everyone tells you the seating/heating/unit system they fit is the best and they'd never fit the stuff from the other guys because a,b,c etc...

They are obsessed with the edges of their units and the machine they just bought to band them.

Everyone tells you their M1 tested bed is the safest on the market, is unique, will survive a meteor strike, a nuclear strike, the zombie apocalypse and plague outbreak whilst also providing the most comfortable nights sleep you've ever had in your life.

Some 'bespoke' convertors just aren't, they build variations on a theme and just want to 'production line' their builds to get them out of the door, asking for anything other than leather or cloth or a different colour throws them fully out of kilter.

The majority fail to respond to emails, even after you've rung and they've asked you to email, some after you've sat down and given them a detailed spec, talked about build time slots and they've promised to email the final quote. There appears to be huge problems with almost all convertors communication with customers.

I had the best experiences with Exploria in Brighouse, excellent office and workshop staff, real bespoke builders, great workshop, pricey though. Camper_Versions in Darwin, Lancashire were also excellent, fabulous staff, great communication, premises were spotless, their conversions are stylish and reasonably priced, they were a little 'production line' however. Nod of the cap to A1CamperConversions who I met at the Harrogate show and were very friendly, genuine and seemingly bespoke, just waiting for their quote to come through.

I found, through FB (no website), a virtually unknown to the wider world convertor in a nearby town who ticked every box, small spotless premises, totally bespoke, 6 month waiting list, carpenter turned converter, honest and community focussed with a young keen apprentice. I actually don't want to name this guy, it's highly likely he'll do the work for us and until I'm on his waiting list he can remain anonymous....

Finally a big thanks to the honest to goodness convertor who told me 'you don't need a campervan mate, you need something between a day van, an MPV and a campervan', he was right, we went back to the drawing board, I think I'll create a separate post for a bit of guidance and any of your useful thoughts on that...

Hi why were cascade off the list?

 

[Skyliner33]

Did you visit Jaibow? What were your opinions?

 

[Carbon13]

Hi why were cascade off the list?

After running the use of the van through every scenario we could think of, whilst the U shaped seating would have been great for camping/sleeping it wasn't suitable
for carrying passengers. Our conversion was completed 4 months ago and the 150 RIB has had its fair share of passengers which I would never have been happy carrying in the U shaped layout.

 

[Carbon13]

Did you visit Jaibow? What were your opinions?

Yes, they made it onto my final list of 3, I was really impressed with the owner, the quality and most of the price. The reason I didn't use them was that at the time they only fitted the HiLo roof which was crazy expensive and didn't play well with the 150 RIB for headroom. I think the interior headroom is a bigger deal than the low profile look, the 'dangling leg' RIB issue for shorter passengers has been solved by an awesome cylinder shaped beanbag from Amazon from £15 and is a small price to pay for high quality, safety and sleeping comfort.

In fact passengers who travel in the back all now like to stretch their legs out and rest them on the beanbag First Class style, it's gone up a fiver but worth it because it doubles as an outdoor seat https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XDFB8MG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My original thread is a year old now, I bought my own new TSi Highline, bumped the power to 304 with Pendle and had the conversion done by www.skcampers.co.uk just outside Leeds. SK ticked every box, quality build, quality components, great price, attentive personal service and were happy to produce a van to my specs and by that I mean my mm perfect interior plan ( space is tight with a 150 RIB ).

 

[czmate1999]

Yes, they made it onto my final list of 3, I was really impressed with the owner, the quality and most of the price. The reason I didn't use them was that at the time they only fitted the HiLo roof which was crazy expensive and didn't play well with the 150 RIB for headroom. I think the interior headroom is a bigger deal than the low profile look, the 'dangling leg' RIB issue for shorter passengers has been solved by an awesome cylinder shaped beanbag from Amazon from £15 and is a small price to pay for high quality, safety and sleeping comfort.

In fact passengers who travel in the back all now like to stretch their legs out and rest them on the beanbag First Class style, it's gone up a fiver but worth it because it doubles as an outdoor seat https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XDFB8MG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My original thread is a year old now, I bought my own new TSi Highline, bumped the power to 304 with Pendle and had the conversion done by www.skcampers.co.uk just outside Leeds. SK ticked every box, quality build, quality components, great price, attentive personal service and were happy to produce a van to my specs and by that I mean my mm perfect interior plan ( space is tight with a 150 RIB ).

Hi Carbon13,

I am exactly where you were last year. I am just finalising my vehicle spec, T32 highland LWB, 204, 4Motion, etc. I would be interested to know what options you went for and would recommend? Also went to Cascade and was of the same opinion as you re travelling with the seat layout. Exploria looked fantastic and the guys there were great - but they are pricey. I just can't decide on convertor but would be interested to hear more about your conversion spec and dealings with your convertor. Also what sort of budget you worked with as this is concerning me as i appear to be putting most of my eggs into the base van...

I would truly appreciate your any advise/inspiration you can offer as, after the house, this is likely to be the biggest investment of my life!

Best,

CZ

 

[Carbon13]

Hi Carbon13,

I am exactly where you were last year. I am just finalising my vehicle spec, T32 highland LWB, 204, 4Motion, etc. I would be interested to know what options you went for and would recommend? Also went to Cascade and was of the same opinion as you re travelling with the seat layout. Exploria looked fantastic and the guys there were great - but they are pricey. I just can't decide on convertor but would be interested to hear more about your conversion spec and dealings with your convertor. Also what sort of budget you worked with as this is concerning me as i appear to be putting most of my eggs into the base van...

I would truly appreciate your any advise/inspiration you can offer as, after the house, this is likely to be the biggest investment of my life!

Best,

CZ

Run through every scenario in which you'll use the vehicle, camper for a few weeks (most comfortable bed) , overnight a couple of days, the odd commute, no hookup, proper campsite with facilities, below zero (heating) to plus 30 (panoramic canvas to let heat out), taking friends out for a meal (good seating, rear windows & safety) or getting asked to do an airport run, putting a child seat in it (isofix), picking up a new TV the size of a house to helping someone move house and of course taking stuff to the tip, these and more were all on my list of what I'd do with my conversion.

My original budget was 35k inc van conversion and vat, I went to 39k all in because I bought a new van at 25k inc vat albeit with a heavy discount, to put it into perspective Exploria wanted 21k inc vat for the conversion I had planned without a van !

My thoughts in no particular order are......

Try not to get caught up in the VW 'scene', it's expensive and frankly it's very sheeple imo.

Keep it simple, use high quality components and do it right first time.....stating the obvious.

Get the biggest most comfortable bed, it's no fun if you can't sleep.

I don't trust M1 pull testing.

Have some heating, it's cold in a morning in the UK even in summer let alone the Pyrenees in a hail storm in Feb at -5, first hand knowledge.

Sound deadening makes a huge difference, insulate well.

Have rear speaker pods from Skipton Car Radio fitted when it's in conversion, they make a huge difference when driving, get a reverse camera too.

I only have a fixed cooking/sink pod and fixed RIB bed (20cm slider) inside the van, everything else goes in and out depending on how I'm using the it
that week, fridge/freezer lifts in and out, toilet/clothes storage/chairs/awning/duvalays/food box likewise. I'm now packed for 2 weeks on the Scottish
Islands so it's full but last week it was just a RIB and a pod, everything else was in the garage.

Have USB/12v/240v sockets fitted in as many places as is reasonable, they'll all come in useful.

Spinning captain seats from the factory are awesome.

The Loc8 door mounted table is a great thing.

DON'T LET CONVERTERS TELL YOU WHAT YOU WANT or me for that matter YOU ARE PAYING GET WHAT YOU WANT

 

[czmate1999]

Many thanks for your reply and you are completely right on all points. Wow sounds like you got a cracking deal on the van!! Mines coming in at over £40k at the moment...

It will be a multi-use van but am happy with the side kitchen layout. will probably go with a Remio Variotech 3000 bed and track system. going with the 120cm width three seater option. this should allow me the necessary flexibility to cover that TV purchase/house moving help stuff that will probably happen . My main concern at the moment is getting the electrics and any audio system right as the cabling will only ever - really - be done once...

I had discounted the rear camera as it has parking sensors but you would recommend it? - i guess its not a lot of money in the scheme of things.

 

[Carbon13]

Many thanks for your reply and you are completely right on all points. Wow sounds like you got a cracking deal on the van!! Mines coming in at over £40k at the moment...

It will be a multi-use van but am happy with the side kitchen layout. will probably go with a Remio Variotech 3000 bed and track system. going with the 120cm width three seater option. this should allow me the necessary flexibility to cover that TV purchase/house moving help stuff that will probably happen . My main concern at the moment is getting the electrics and any audio system right as the cabling will only ever - really - be done once...

I had discounted the rear camera as it has parking sensors but you would recommend it? - i guess its not a lot of money in the scheme of things.

Sounds like you have a good quality conversion in the planning, reverse camera was fitted aftermarket by SCR and it's primarily to make hooking the van up to our caravan a one person operation however when used in conjunction with the sensors in daily operation I wouldn't be without it.

All my electrics are under the single passenger seat, 110 AGM battery and Sterling Split charger etc, if you don't already know Euro 6 can't run the traditional split chargers, have a look at Sterling on YouTube for an explanation.

 

[Skyliner33]

Yes, they made it onto my final list of 3, I was really impressed with the owner, the quality and most of the price. The reason I didn't use them was that at the time they only fitted the HiLo roof which was crazy expensive and didn't play well with the 150 RIB for headroom. I think the interior headroom is a bigger deal than the low profile look, the 'dangling leg' RIB issue for shorter passengers has been solved by an awesome cylinder shaped beanbag from Amazon from £15 and is a small price to pay for high quality, safety and sleeping comfort.

In fact passengers who travel in the back all now like to stretch their legs out and rest them on the beanbag First Class style, it's gone up a fiver but worth it because it doubles as an outdoor seat https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06XDFB8MG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My original thread is a year old now, I bought my own new TSi Highline, bumped the power to 304 with Pendle and had the conversion done by www.skcampers.co.uk just outside Leeds. SK ticked every box, quality build, quality components, great price, attentive personal service and were happy to produce a van to my specs and by that I mean my mm perfect interior plan ( space is tight with a 150 RIB ).

Interesting a RIB 150 is hight on my shopping list. Although I do quite like the Titan that Jaibow use. The 2 things I have not plumped for the bed are the dangling legs and therefore lack of headroom with the Hilo, although I think the Sport gives more.

 

[Carbon13]

Interesting a RIB 150 is hight on my shopping list. Although I do quite like the Titan that Jaibow use. The 2 things I have not plumped for the bed are the dangling legs and therefore lack of headroom with the Hilo, although I think the Sport gives more.

With the titan you sleep on the seat pad and seat back so the bed is a compromise in padding and sculpting as are most RnR beds. With the RIB you sleep on a surface built solely for sleeping, you can spec it with deeper foam if you like it softer or use a Duvalay sleeping bag which is our choice.

Low profile roofs are to some aesthetically pleasing but the canvas, bed board and mattress have to go somewhere when they close, if you don't want it inside the outer shell then they have to go inside hence the loss of headroom.

It's not just when travelling in a seat when headroom is important, if you are camping and weather for example means you don't pop the roof then spending a damp evening sat on a seat with your head tilted to one side having your tea and watching a film is no fun.

It all boils down to how the van gets used in the end though and of course how tall you all are