any tips on buying a t4?

[marcusmucus]

yeah, great tip alright! I will be definently looking into some sound proofing when we finally score the van we are hunting for.

Someone mention early about the age of the van and the up keep of keeping them going. Im curious as to what starts to go in a van say from the late 90's thats done 250k, are we taking things like hoses, cv joints etc. or more serious kinda things like pumps, elecs, gear, clutch, rings etc?..

Ive only ever owned older cars , a renault 12 and a 89 Camry. Both of these aged well are very simple and built to last. They ran very well and only needed the very occasional new bit.. i dont have much experince with cars/vans post early 90's, but do have the fear of this newer generations ability to last!.(hope this makes sense).

how have people found it sourcing parts? wreckers, genuine parts, after market?

cheers again!

[Sunny43.5]

In general VW make good quality cars/vans but like any manufacturer they can have some problems , one thing springs to mind when I had my 2.5 petrol T4 97 model there was a twenty dollar relay which when it dedided to play up would just stop the engine for no reason and anywhere it felt like it . After VW were not able to fault find mine I sort of gave up until the bugger cut out mid intersection , I nearly soiled my pants , went back to them for the umpteenth time and finally a parts guy said to swap this relay and it never did it again . Parts can be easily found at wreckers but some places charge ridiculous prices so it pays to shop around . Buy stuff from UK seems to be a popular way to beat local prices . Howard

[marcusmucus]

Something to consider, we got the right mirror ripped off by a semi last year in a t4 we were borrowing. Poor truckie swore like a trooper once he realised it was a volks. 2nd hand replacement was still $$$. Happy he stopped and was a nice bloke about it...

My folks had a mid 90's pug, they sold it on last year as a father/son project. It was at that point were things were starting to wear out/ perish and parts hard to find. horrible to be on that downward spiral!, so im just catious. might need to dig under the bed for some more $ to spend..

did you buy yours priavtely or from a dealer? Im reackoning it might be a buyers market, but how far can i push? hehe.

Anyone here from Melbourne with reconmendations for a good mechanic? might be a good place to ask around.

once again thanks!

[Cousin]

Marcus, Melbourne is blessed with many very good VW mechanics running their own shops
I use Volkshome in Thomastown
Speak to John Goodison
Have been using them for around 10 years now, more than happy with them
And I had the same problem as Sunny above, engine cutting out, 98 T4 petrol
Dealers had no idea, and couldn't find the fault
They got to the point of suggesting trial and error replacing parts, at my expense
That's when I went looking for a 'good' mechanic
Came across John, told him the problem, told me on the spot he reckoned it was the relay
Picked it up, he showed me the relay with the dry joint, problem solved easily and cheaply
Been happy with him and his staff ever since

M

[marcusmucus]

mm, another question, have you ever installed windows? would this be a costly exercise? I really like the idea of having more vision and being able to see out more (esp if we take it camping). Wonder if its best to look for a kombi, any differences apart from the windows?

cheers

[Cousin]

Turned a 98 T4 Transporter into a crude people mover
Windows, seats and flooring and poly outdoor carpet on the floor and walls
Jamiesons did the seats and windows, in Melbourne. They've moved since, don't know where they are now
Windows were about $140 non genuine, and around $200 geniune
Don't hold me to those figures, it was some time ago and I'm sort of guessing, but it'd be close
We were going to have all non genuine fitted, but they could only get the middle ones, so we had genuine fitted at the rears
In hindsight should have gone genuine all round, the non genuine glass was crappy, very wavy
They were all full sized windows, not the smaller ones you see getting around that make the vans look very cheap
Definately worth getting, but make sure you tint them
Tinting stops some heat, and affords some privacy


M

[Sunny43.5]

Hi Marcus ,when I used to have my old business on the Gold Coast we did large amounts of van windows seats etc . The main company we used to use was called Kingslley Enterprises they now go under the name of Bushranger here is a link to the section on van windows Index Van Windows - Kingsley Enterprises . As the T4, is getting on a bit the range may be limited as the ones we used to fit were the model with metal internal-external frames these were the best looking for sliding and fixed but when I bought my son a T4/ 3 years ago these were no longer available and we fitted the model with the rubber surrounds . They usually have agents in most states . Hope this helps , obviously if you can find wreck T4 caravelle you could get those installed . Howard