radin2son

Welcome to the vagaries of Nissan keys. Original key will not manually unlock doors. Didn’t know this as we always used the key fob. After thinking we lost a key and fob, bought new. Fob works fine, key unlocks doors but dead in the ignition. Crusty most likely has the info you need.

Thanks. Staying off the pavement is one of our compromises. No longer willing to risk getting stuck. Did you camp at Arches? Last time we did, we got caught in an early November snow storm. Too windy and temps in the teens, so we pulled the top down and slept below. Learned we needed better winter gear.

Grand Canyon: Rain then snow from Kingman, AZ to GC, south rim. High temps in the upper 30s with snow showers for 2 days. (Snow level about 7000’.) Lows in the 20s. Considered bailing but a hot cup of coffee does wonders. Lots of empty sites, either no shows or 1 nighters. Can’t see spending just one night. A little over 1000 mi trip that didn’t settle our debate or dilemma.

We are in the process of deciding whether to keep our van or move on. Depends on how many compromises we can live with. When the weather was perfect in the SW, I made reservations for 2 nights at Cottonwood CG in Joshua Tree National Park. Again, since the weather was perfect, I made reservations for 3 nights at the Grand Canyon. (If you plan to stay more than 1 night at JT or GC, you have to make reservations thru Recreation.gov to ensure you get a site.) Joshua Tree: We have yet to find a level site anywhere in JT. Very windy and low temps in the 30s. So much for great weather.

The “penthouse” or poptop will be hard to replace in a new(er) NV or some other van. Colorado Van possibly will do it for $15k or so. They may still have a kit if you are comfortable with cutting a very large hole. Same for Quigley. Too costly to add to another van. Both are reason enough to keep it unless you want/need a high, fixed roof. Or if no one sleeps on top. There are plenty of diy posts here to give you some ideas.

Try painting it with bed liner. Brush on version has lasted for years and can be touched up when needed. Should cover any filler you use.

I assume the back ordered part is only available from a dealership Makes sense to wait if you have warranty left or the oem part has Nissan warranty. If you can’t wait, try an independent/chain AC shop to see if there is a different diagnosis/fix or find a donor NV. Both will be out of pocket. If you’re not happy with the latter, you can always buy/install the Nissan part. Depends on how soon and hot it gets in TX.

You are right. David Anderson, a climber and videographer originally posted his build, Magic, on his web site. I couldn’t find it there either. He eventually sold it. Did find a lot of diy build videos.

Searching this site can be difficult but you should be able to find info on swivel seats etc. Post some pictures of your van project and how you use it.

Under “Cargo, Hauling,Towing” first page, scroll down to “Got me a front receiver.”

Van wobble, full bath? My post from 7 years ago makes no sense at all. Why did I even post it? Death Wobble? Are you referring to braking? An almost as old post under brakes was started in 2018.

Check baby tooth replacement under maintenance if the above doesn’t solve this long term.

New post on Sportsmobile forum. Allstate in Colorado no longer insures RVs, camper (trailers?) and camper vans May be restricted to Colorado and vans registered as RVs (certified), not diy van conversions. Current insurance remains in effect but will not renewed. American Family, no specific location, also stopped insuring RVs, giving 30 day notice to current policy holders. Progressive continues to insure RVs for now per post. As an aside regarding diy van conversions, you may have limited coverage, a certain $ amount over the current value of a cargo van. Anything conversion above that amount may not be covered.

If you don’t get a response, contact AdventureMartens directly by clicking on name and envelope.

The problem with the VW was unreliable reliability. Most of the time, no problems. Never stranded. Speed/power and MPGs weren’t a strong points. Our NV has been reliable, plus it just is a more capable van. Met a “large” guy in a rented VW Weekender van. He looked at our NV and the VW, and he was overcome with nostalgia for a VW of his own. (That reminds me, I would have loved to own the ‘67 VW van with 911 Porsche engine and chrome wheels. VW nostalgia.)

Found this photo in a box my parents had. Crossed the country several times to see them when they lived on Cape Cod. May have made it to Kittery, Maine. Forecast was warm and sunny. Used our ‘83 VW as a base camp on a short backpacking/day hike trip in northern New Mexico. Second night out, torrential rain. Able to dry things out until it started snowing. Headed back to van. Same floor plan as our NV, so it was a no brainer when decide to return to van camping.

Thanks. One more dream, long trip in the works? Since we had to cut our last trip short due to my getting sick, we still have to make it to Maine. (Clan gathering in July.) Once there, we may look at Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Labrador, and Quebec. All we need are 2 spare tires…so they say. Went to high school in Sept-Iles, Quebec. The road ended there at the time. Always wanted to head west on the Trans Canada Highway. My other dream trip was the Pan American highway. Did the northern part, but the southern is out of reach.

Old post. We had the opposite problem. Thought we lost a key and fob. Ordered new key and fob from dealer and had them reprogram it. We now have 3 keys and fobs. One fob unlocks/locks but the key won’t start the van. Fits fine in ignition but nothing happens when you turn the key. This key manually works in the locks. The others work fine except don’t manually work the locks. When camping, we leave the ignition-less key outside the van… You can imagine what I said when I unknowingly tried this key in the ignition when we on the other side of nowhere. Saw a sign that Ace will program keys.

Thanks. Happy New Year! Turned 77 in November, so it may be time to buy a motor coach and hit the resorts and casinos. I don’t think so… Trip #54 was a short one to Chiricahua National Monument for my birthday. About 15 Coati Mundis joined us. Mexican Blue Jays sat on the Coleman stove lid to see what was cooking. Site #4 for those interested. Can’t see how they are going to turn this into a National Park.

No plans, but that’s typical. Urge to pack up and go can happen any time. Usually follows “Anywhere you want to go.” No tornado alley, however, as we had enough warnings, watches and flooding this past May.

1 hour away more or less through some beautiful areas, particularly on 2 lane roads.

Quick look underneath sliding door. House batteries take up almost all of the frame if this is how they are attached. Same for space between batteries and sheet metal under door. Probably won’t work.

I just happen to live in Tucson and unexpectedly need running boards. l’ll PM you with my info.

The dog formula seems to be the smaller the dog(s), the larger the RV. Large dogs fit fine in an NV. Don’t leave them at home.

Nice. Except for a short period between dogs, we enjoy having them along on camping trips. On one occasion, I absentmindedly put just bought scones and bread on top of a food box instead of in it. Previous dogs wouldn’t have cared but our first time camper dog thought otherwise. Retuned from getting fish and chips to find our van interior covered in crumbs.