State of the Henry

Well, I know we have been here over a week now, and I have plenty of time to write this particular article... call it laziness, I like to think that I have been putting it off because frankly it is upsetting.

So, we opened up Henry the morning after we got back.

We knew that he was not running so well, and that he would have to be sorted by a mechanic. But we also knew (and had conveniently forgotten) that a few cosmetic things had gone wrong just before we left, such as a drawer falling out (during a high speed corner!) and coming completely apart.

So, in addition to the mechanics, and broken drawer, we now had new problems, mostly thanks to Cairns extreme humidity.

To start there was plenty of mould between pieces of wood in the cabinet. The remaining drawers decided to follow the flying one and all came apart. Several pieces of wood in the cabinet have also expanded with moisture, making the table which glided effortlessly in and out before, require considerable strength and skill. Speaking of the table, it appears that there is a tiny leak in the roof that in extreme weather has let a few drips get through... onto the wooden table. So that has a nice new pattern, and of course that too has expanded.

The roof shelf above the bed has gone concave in the middle, and one side has come apart from the ceiling. As has the panel in the rear door. Both front door locks are very tight, and have to be locked from the inside.

Additional problems from before Henry's extended stay in Cairns include the passenger sun visor falling out, the passenger door handle being reduced to several bits of string, and the wooden table being too close to the bed for Emelie, even though it is fine for me (how does that work?!)

And to top it all off, there are rust marks all over the outside. Having said that, the toolbox and its contents made Henry's exterior look like he had just had a new paint job.

So, I hate to say it, but all I can think of now, is how I would do it all again, but obviously with new and improved ideas and experience!

Since then of course Henry had a very good session with Tobias the mechanic ($650 Kombi retail therapy). I have also temporarily fixed the bending rear shelf, re-riveted the rear door panel. I have screwed in a new passenger sun visor and door handle. The exploding drawers have been re-assembled with angle brackets (not pretty but it does the trick). The wooden table has had a piece sawed off which might help Emelie sleep better (?!?!), and I have WD40'd the runners, although I think that will provide only limited benefit. The stain is there to stay.

The roof leak area has had a squirt of silicon sealant. Anti-mold spray was used to clean the cabinet. I guess the peeling paint is there to stay for a while. We have tried to WD40 the front locks, with no change. Locking from the inside is now the norm.

As for the rust on the outside, we went and bought a wire brush, some anti-rust liquid, and some white spray paint. We have had this stuff for nearly a week, but seriously, it has not stopped raining here. I think in one 48 hour period the only weather changes were light rain, heavy rain, very heavy rain, and about 3 further levels each containing twice as much rain as the previous. Just when you thought it could not get any worse, it would go up one more notch. Hardly ideal painting weather!

And that is the state of the Henry. I hope we do not discover anything else.

Maybe if we stop somewhere for a while, I might do a small piece of work at a time. We shall see.

Oly