any tips on buying a t4?

[marcusmucus]

Hi Howard,
Thanks again for answering one of my newbie. You might be right about the 2 vs 2.5. I used to borrow a T4 last year that was a 2L carbie (from memory?) it was a little tired and I do remember the owner lamenting alittle about the lack of power, and i could see that happening, esp out country. Ive always only owned small engined cars and naturally gravitate to the smaller versions as I assume , maybe incorrectly that they are more fuel effiecent(?). Guess things are different in the world of vans. Thanks for the tips, I was already scrutinising the state of the real wheel arches and flooring, : ), guess on the flip side vans could also be pretty easy to tart up. I guess I have some kind of morbib fansination with that diesel ad i posted, not really considering it a option. At this stage of the game i would even consider a hiace with wing doors..(shhh) but they seem rare and what ive seen are clapped out and still 4000+.

btw Did the original engine in your sons leak any oil at all? would it be normal to come across a small oil leak in a vw engine this age?

Thanks again

[Sunny43.5]

Hi again marcus short answer no his old engine and gearbox were as dry as a bone amazing considering the old 2.4 diesel had 340000ks on the clock . The 2.5 petrol transplant engine was fine but I had noticed a tiny wet area on the gearbox as the previous owner had "done up" the gearbox so I suspect the gaskets werent done correctly . The rear of the vans are easy to tidy up depending on what you were going to use the van for , the side trims are only masonite and are easily damaged and punctured ,the bare metal floors are also easily scratched and dented . With all of our vans 2 x T5,s and my sons T4 we strip them bare when purchased and fit a soundproofing wool blended compressed material called "triflex" we glue this to all outer surfaces even the roof area it works two ways makes the vans really quiet and also would reduce damage to the outside skin if something penetrates the side walls from inside . We also fit large pieces of foam blocks cut into lengths these are fitted into any pillar areas and hollow sections it also reduces noise travelling in side the van through the cavities . Then a 20 ml ply floor fitted once all this has been done we covered the side walls with a flexi carpet from Auto Upholstery suppliers . Wheel arches are padded and covered with the same carpet . The ply is also covered with the triflex and then covered with house grade carpet for the floor . The end result one very quiet van it is amazing how much quieter they are once done . Regards Howard

[Transporter]

Hey Sunny43.5 ,these are a nice instructions for someone who want's to do up their interior. I wish I had time for this when I swap my van with a new one. It's always traded in or sold earlier, like it was last time, more than 6years ago.

Where do you get the triflex from and is it heavy (it shouldn't be if only wool)?

[Sunny43.5]

Hi Transporter , the triflex is quite dense but it isn,t that heavy to cause an issue but it works so well the trick is to remove every removable panel in the van and glue it to all outer surfaces I just keep stuffing blocks of foam into other hollow areas as the more you isolate open sections the better it will be . I even glued thin strips of foam to the back of the masonite trims it stops them rattling , also the roof as well helps with heat insulation and the noise as well . the tailgate and side sliding door are a bit tricky as you have to make sure that you don,t foul up any moving parts for the door locks and rear wiper etc . Front doors are also tricky as you can only add the triflex to the back of the door trim itself because the front doors are wet areas if you take off the plastic liner it can cause water problems . You can buy the product from Motor trimmers supplies like Nolans UDA
Adelaide Warehouse

489 Cross Keys Road
Cavan SA 5094
Telephone: (0 8260 1055 The product is actually called Premium Underlay [in the old days it was called Triflex] Also a company called Daleys Motor trim supplies will have it as well Howard

[Transporter]

Thanks for that and the extra tips.

[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