Nouvelle Nicolle
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Unfortunately Nicolle was not retrieved and the insurance company settled the claim.
We decided to buy another Chausson Flash 02. With a length of 5.67m it just fits on our drive and we like the layout with a fixed bed. All other motorhomes with the same layout are longer. We could only find one for sale, at Lancashire Caravans in Darwen. Drove up and bought it on 9th December 2021 and collected it on 28th January 2022. Nouvelle Nicolle is 6 months newer than Nicolle and has only done 67,000 miles. Otherwise she is identical! |
When we bought her, Nouvelle Nicolle had a large satellite dome on her roof which we didn't want. The boys at Lancashire Caravans removed it and put on a solar panel instead.
Outside she is in pretty good condition with just a few dings and dents which we will sort out in time. Inside is a different situation, very grubby and quite a few things broken - bathroom cupboard door, small sky light above the bed and insect screen on habitation door. The bathroom tap leaks and some of the rubber seals need replacing. The engine is reluctant to start so we suspect a new battery is needed, changing gear is hard work and we've noticed that she is leaking some oil from the engine (leaving patches on the drive).
We've booked her in for both habitation and engine service so will find out in time what damage there is. We've also arranged for her to be reupholstered inside.
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Having bought a new motorhome, our top priority was to improve our security. We fitted two wheel clamps, a steering wheel lock, a clutch claw and a Fiamma lock for the rear locker. Inside we fitted Lock M Out window catches. Nouvelle Nicolle came with a Cobra alarm but we decided to fit an Outsmart the Thief combined alarm, tracker and immobiliser system. A rising bollard was put in at the end of the drive and we installed a security camera overlooking the drive.
Outside she is in pretty good condition with just a few dings and dents which we will sort out in time. Inside is a different situation, very grubby and quite a few things broken - bathroom cupboard door, small sky light above the bed and insect screen on habitation door. The bathroom tap leaks and some of the rubber seals need replacing. The engine is reluctant to start so we suspect a new battery is needed, changing gear is hard work and we've noticed that she is leaking some oil from the engine (leaving patches on the drive).
We've booked her in for both habitation and engine service so will find out in time what damage there is. We've also arranged for her to be reupholstered inside.
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Having bought a new motorhome, our top priority was to improve our security. We fitted two wheel clamps, a steering wheel lock, a clutch claw and a Fiamma lock for the rear locker. Inside we fitted Lock M Out window catches. Nouvelle Nicolle came with a Cobra alarm but we decided to fit an Outsmart the Thief combined alarm, tracker and immobiliser system. A rising bollard was put in at the end of the drive and we installed a security camera overlooking the drive.
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The habitation service at Pioneer Caravans, Peterborough, confirmed all was well with no signs of damp. They fixed the leaking tap and fitted a new rear sky light as well as the fridge vent which had fallen off in transit some where along the A47!
Engine service at EMG, Bury St. Edmunds, was not so hopeful. Nouvelle Nicolle came with an MOT pass with no advisories, and had been serviced before purchase, but there were a number of issues that needed resolving. Brakes and suspension were badly worn, rear light units were badly corroded, a new battery was needed as expected and the front engine cover was badly dented. The gearbox had been taken out, repaired and incorrectly installed! Two long visits to EMG were needed but hopefully she is now in tip-top condition.
We spent a long time scrubbing and cleaning inside and I repaired the broken cupboards. The seat bases were very rusty so I cleaned them up with a wire brush and painted them with Hammerite Kurust. I fitted new satin nickel coat hooks to replace the cheap plastic ones.
We took a trip to Bexhill-on-Sea (Sue lived there as a child and we got married there) to visit our friend Sally. Whilst there, Andrew Rezanoff reupholstered Nouvelle Nicolle and did a superb job. We chose Ross Perth Slub Royal fabric, a nice bright blue and the nearest we could find to the upholstery in our original motorhome. In Dunhelm Mill we found Linoso Denim curtain fabric that matched perfectly so Sue made new curtains. She now looks really nice inside!
Engine service at EMG, Bury St. Edmunds, was not so hopeful. Nouvelle Nicolle came with an MOT pass with no advisories, and had been serviced before purchase, but there were a number of issues that needed resolving. Brakes and suspension were badly worn, rear light units were badly corroded, a new battery was needed as expected and the front engine cover was badly dented. The gearbox had been taken out, repaired and incorrectly installed! Two long visits to EMG were needed but hopefully she is now in tip-top condition.
We spent a long time scrubbing and cleaning inside and I repaired the broken cupboards. The seat bases were very rusty so I cleaned them up with a wire brush and painted them with Hammerite Kurust. I fitted new satin nickel coat hooks to replace the cheap plastic ones.
We took a trip to Bexhill-on-Sea (Sue lived there as a child and we got married there) to visit our friend Sally. Whilst there, Andrew Rezanoff reupholstered Nouvelle Nicolle and did a superb job. We chose Ross Perth Slub Royal fabric, a nice bright blue and the nearest we could find to the upholstery in our original motorhome. In Dunhelm Mill we found Linoso Denim curtain fabric that matched perfectly so Sue made new curtains. She now looks really nice inside!
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We then turned our attention to the outside. The sealant where the coachbuilt body was joined to the cab was cracked and discoloured, clear sealant had been squirted over the top. I scraped out the old sealant, cleaned up the joints with white spirit and resealed with white sealant. I removed the cracked and broken wheel trims and cleaned and painted the wheels. The rubber seal around the rear locker door was torn and worn. Pioneer Caravans didn’t have the right seal but Highbridge Motorhomes in Somerset, who originally supplied the motorhome in 2008, had some in stock and Darren in the Parts Department posted 2 metres to us. Digital Creation. a local firm, made us a sticker to advertise our website. We had retained Nicolle’s registration number with the DVLA and had new plates made up.
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We're now ready for our first trip!
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