Yes indeed, your van seems to be in very good health. How old is it? And how many kilometers on the odometer?
Actually, I don't know much about mechanics either. But I do have the basics:
- Changing a battery;
- Changing wiper blades;
- Repairing rust spots.
As for the rest, when I hear a strange noise, I go and see a mechanic for a diagnosis and an estimate. If I have any doubts about what he says, I go and see another one. Then I look on the Internet. There are lots of videos on everything, and sometimes the repairs look easy in some of them. So if I'm confident enough, I go for it. But it's rare ^^
South Africa must be magical! What's your current job, if you don't mind my asking?
All those Mechanical things sound a bit overwhelming to me but in the end, I guess it is just double when you get started.
My van is from 2010 with almost 180.000 KMs. So far, it has been doing great mechanically but It looked not so good when I bought it. But it got a (bit to cheap) paint job in Albania so it is good for an other round