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I’m reviewing my own RV!!
The remodel of Das Bus was a long process that was finally completed earlier this year, when the repaint was finished, and we added some final touches like Clear Bra and tint. She’s now spruced up inside and out, and ready for whatever adventures we throw at her. To commemorate the remodel being all-the-way finished, (and to coincide with The Fit RV’s birthday week), we re-made our video tour of Das Bus, our Class B Sprinter motorhome.
As you might guess, since I’m going over my own RV, I find a lot to like in this one! Check out the video for an in-depth tour that we had a bunch of fun filming.
I need to give a big thank you to our friends and videographers: Will and Kyle. Thanks to both of you for giving up your time to help us with this one.
All in all, the remodel – and this video – were a ton of work, but worth it in the end. I’m interested to see what you all think of my handiwork. Let me know, and thanks for reading!
Need transit van conversion co for tailgating and light camping.
thanks
Our Class B Manufacturer List might contain some leads.
Great, Great Remodel. We have an 2004 MB Cruiser too. I’m in the process of a remodel and noticed you didn’t have a spare tire in your storage container in the back. Do you carry one?
We put a shelf over the driver and passenger seats. Very handy for storing fold up chairs. Plus we cut the dinette down 4 inches for a little more walking space to the bathroom.
Thanks for the terrific video or your RV. You put in lots of time and effort to make it better than many of the newer models.
A fellow MB Cruiser owner!! Welcome!
Glad you like the remodel. The floor plan is basically the same awesome floor plan it always was. Just much updated.
I actually took out the spare tire. We got Das Bus used, and she came without a jack – making the spare tire pretty useless. And while I certainly could, I just don’t ever want to change a tire on that thing. That’s what we have Coach-Net for! What I did is I bought 3 more rims off of eBay, had them powder coated, and now I have summer and winter tires each mounted up.
I thought about putting a shelf over the cab. I can’t remember why I stopped. Maybe I was dizzy from the fumes from the spray adhesive that holds the Pro-Dex insulation up in there. I suppose I could revisit it if we decide we need more storage space.
Glad you like our remodel. Hope you stick around for the fitness too!
Here’s another gizmo you might have fun thinking about adding to Das Bus or a new rig. Electronic smart windows.
http://www.invisishade.com/
O. M. G.
I must have it.
(I’m sure Stef will complain that a thousand dollars for a window shade is too much though. She can be a real killjoy like that sometimes.)
Liked your DasBus video a lot. We just purchased our first motorhome, also built on a MB Sprinter chassis, and we love it. (always had trailers).
I really enjoy seeing all of your blogs and experiments, how long have you been at it on line?
This is a wonderful source of information and entertaining to boot!
James, where can I fine that magnetic locking device you installed? I want one.
Hi Steph!
Hi Mike! We’ve had The Fit RV live for a little less than a year and a half now. It’s been fun to watch it slowly build up traffic. (I used to be able to tell when my mother looked at the site… not anymore.)
There should be a link to the magnetic latch in this post. You can get it from Amazon.com, among other places. Most of the other products I used in the remodel can be found at the bottom of this page.
And Stef says Hi!
Did you start from scratch or was this just a remodel? How much did you spend in $ and labor?
BTW, it’s really beautiful and well thought out. I will probably buy a class B and do similar mods – based on industrious/clever people like you.
Hi Skip – This was just a remodel. The basic layout was already there. I tore everything out and rebuilt it where it was. I actually haven’t added up the hours or the dollars. (I kind of don’t want to.) But I’m guessing the parts, appliances, wood, aluminum, etc. was probably over $5k when it was all done. The amount of time spent was pretty large. Every night and weekend for weeks on end. If I were doing it again though, I could be more efficient. Starting with a class B will definitely give you a leg up – holes in the chassis, major wiring, and the like will already be done for you. Thanks for looking!
Great video! Good to get some ideas of how to customize to make the van more comfortable & usable.
We pick up our new Winnebago Travato next week and I’m already planning several mods. First up: pleated windshield shades. You said you DIY’d yours. Where did you get them? About how much did they cost? Any advice on ordering or installing them?
Thanks!
Glad you liked our video. Congratulations on your new RV! We got the pleated shades from Eurocampers.com. They do sell some ProMaster accessories, but I didn’t see the pleated shades. The manufacturer is REMI, and I believe they’re German. They may already have something for the Ducato that would work for your Travato – if you can get it over from Europe. The install was actually pretty straight forward. I did have to put a couple holes in the dash, which made me nervous. But it all turned out OK in the end, and the instructions were pretty clear. Don’t sweat that part of it.
Just watched your video on the Das Bus upgrades. Impressive.
Although our Sprinter Class B is a bit newer I’m intrigued by the suspension mods you did via Upscale automotive. What exactly did you do in the front and in the back? Sometimes our little MH rides like a real tank in the rear and we would like to soften that up a bit if we could.
Hi David –
I did two posts on the suspension mods. The first was the Timbren SES kit. And the second was the Spring Assist Kit from Upscale Automotive. Of the two, the Spring Assist Kit made the bigger difference, but it wasn’t a “softening” of the ride. If anything, it firmed it up in back. Mostly, that upgrade was about control. I feel more confident in windy situations now.
But my advice would be to call the folks at Upscale Automotive. They were pretty knowledgeable about Sprinters and even different RVs built on them. If you chatted with them and described what you were looking for, I bet they would be able to guide you to an appropriate product.
Can we buy this when you upgrade, pretty please??
We’ll consider it. 😉
Of course, we have to be upgrading first…
Is this rig still for sale? How much are you asking?
Nice job on the remodel.
thanks,
Mike
Indeed it is still for sale!
You can find all the details on the listing on RV Trader.
(But you can always ping me back here if you have any detailed questions.)