Blue View – Cabinets for Blue

Blue View – Cabinets for Blue

Since we’ve been focusing on our upcoming walk of the Via Francigena, poor Blue has been neglected for the past couple of months. We did manage to get a couple week’s attention which I devoted to installing the rear walls, overhead cabinets and rebuilding the bed support.

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Blue View - Repairing the Fuel Filler Door on Blue

Blue View - Repairing the Fuel Filler Door on Blue

The fuel filler door on Blue is rather unique. It is located just aft of the driver’s door, and can’t be opened without first opening said driver’s door. I like the arrangement except for one teeny-tiny detail - the little tab on the edge. It’s put there to make the door easier to open when it’s time to fill up, but it has a tendency to catch on my pants pocket as I exit the driver’s side, especially when we’re parked in a tight space and I can’t open the door all the way. On at least one occasion, I’ve exerted enough leverage to actually break the hinge that holds the filler door.

It’s not cheap to repair… the dealer wanted $485. As it turns out, the repair is quite simple and a whole lot less expensive to do it yourself, once you discover a couple of little disassembly tricks. Watch our video that describes the process…

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Blue View – Comparing the Cost of Owning a Van vs Owning a Boat, Part 2

Blue View – Comparing the Cost of Owning a Van vs Owning a Boat, Part 2

Now that Blue has been part of the family for a year now, I thought it would be a good time to take a reckoning of what he's cost us, and compare that to the cost of owning Nine of Cups. Last week in Part 1, I tallied all the fixed costs – those dollars that don't change much whether Blue is sitting in the driveway or carrying us across the country. This week, I'll total up the operating expenses. These are the costs like fuel and maintenance that do vary more or less directly with the amount of driving we do.

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