Running a vw t5 van as a family car? any experiences ..

I have a t4. Brilliant. Just hastle free. Would quite like a shiney one but it keeps going.

“Kombi” is the VW speak for second row of seats in a more basic format than the full on passenger carrying vehicles

T5 Kombi then up to “Shuttle” then “Caravelle”. Difference is fit out inside, more plastics, interior lights, aircon vents etc etc.

Kombi often works as less plastics in the back = more space and less damage with bikes and stuff of everyday life..

Thanks for that!

This might sound like a silly question but if you have non opening side Windows for the rear seats do the rear passengers get hot or do the fans work effectively enough?

Also what are the running cost like for servicing etc?

If you have non opening windows then caravelle and shuttle have other vents in the rear to get air con / heat around. I think any window problems were sorted before 2008, mine has no leaky windows ….

Probably best to take a clean bike to the VW dealer and get your mind bent by options and look at the difference between LWB/SWB and van/kombi/shuttle/caravelle….

HTH

Those with swb kombis, can you get a bike in the back without taking it apart? Or do you need the lwb?

servicing on the 2010 on models are every 25K miles or 2 yrs, not sooner… and i was quoted a package price of £349 for 2 services bought upfront and that was from a vw dealer. thats for 4yrs of servicing and 50K miles. thats about 1/4 of the price it cost to service my freelander.

get on the t4/5 forum. i learnt enough on there to fully build a camper from an ex aa t4. i just costed doing another one on a t5 but went with a second hand california instead…

i wouldnt be without a vw van. the missus is happy to drive it as her main car but the parking sensors on the t5 help…

check out bca auctions for a t5. i bought my t4 at auction 6 yrs ago and saved a heap.

I have a SWB Kombi and with all the rear seats in there is plenty of space for bikes to go in diagonally.

I take the single rear seat out and the bike will go sideways along the back the the double seat with the front wheel turned. and lashed to the headrest.

I am going to get it lined soon and get a load of lashing points put over the back to hold bikes etc. which should make it more practical.

Get some pics up then!!

What’s a California?

California = top spec = top money

@chrispy. What model is that and does it come with pimply rubber as standard? Can the single of the three middle row seats be taken out on its own? Ta.

Hi boblo,

It’s a T32 5.1 Kombi twin slider. I got it second hand so i’m not sure if the rubber floor is standard but its actually pretty good as it is like memory foam.. ie. stuff sinks into it a little bit so doesn’t move around as much.

The single seat does come out and since taking that picture I only run the two rear seats as removing the single one makes the van more practical for me.
I have only had the van for a week and I love it already.

Because I was pretty sure of getting the lwb version but looking second hand they are much rarer! Still might get the lwb because it provides more options in the future.

California is a T5 based VW factory built camper with a pop top roof as opposed to a conversion. Comes in two versions – one with a kitchen and storage called the SE and one with more seats more like a people carrier called a Beach.

@crispy.

Tell me some more about your van as it looks quite ideal for me!

What age is it, miles and how much if you don’t mind me asking?

Twin sliding doors? Is that rare?

Overall what do you think?

Sorry Renton, my interest has been piqued too….

What’s the dimension between back of front seats and inside of rear door please. I.e. what’s the longest thing you can get in on the floor of the loads space if the rear seats are out?

2353mm if it is tall and comes up the back seats if it is flat and slides under then 2570mm

See here under dimensions

https://www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk/range/transporter/transporter-panel-van/

I think some of the MPGs quoted for T5s are wishful thinking/creative accounting. I get around 25-28 on mine, but it is the 130 LWB so that makes it a bit more costly.
I really can’t see how you could get anywhere near 40mpg without driving like a nun.

Interesting thread… !

Mpg is a much talked topic and the word “depends” is used a lot…

I found that the wind is a big factor too, driving into it can muller your mpg … so overall 30-35 is probably about right…

front wheels off and bikes top n tailed, its possible to fit 6 across the back of a swb… pimply rubber mat is a option to stop loads sliding around and is comfy to sleep on…

All dimensions are available from VW ccomercial as pdf’s…

With nun-like driving on french autoroutes (cruise control set at 60mph, keep chuntering along for 4hrs at a time) I regularly get 39mpg (measured) and once got 40mpg.

Normal use is around 35mpg.

It rather depends on a) the way you drive and b) the engine configuration.

Mine is a very simple 88bhp TDi. I reckon chipped or higher powered variants are only more fuel efficient when you do a lot of accelerating/decelerating, not with cruising.

Just been on the t5 forum!! There are some very nice vans over on there!!

For those of you that have them how do your partners find driving them?

Is it worth fitting front and rear sensors to aid parking?

How big is the tank and what sort of range do you get from it?

Only worth fitting if your partner cant use mirrors……

Think its an 80 litre tank (save those 5p off Tesco or ASDA coupons) and range is 500 – 600 miles but see posts about mpg on the T4/5 forum, there is always something posted about this…

1.9 may be more frugal but may need to work harder, plus 5 spd box
2.5 may be more frugal but will accelerate harder and use more fuel, plus 6 spd box.

a dpf will also use more fuel than a catalytic converter.

I think there is something in the simple lo tech engine thing. These Euro 4/5 compliant vehicles are so full of sensors sometimes they do seem fragile…. sensors failing etc etc.

Heres mine:

Mate that is very nice!

I noticed it has the side Windows that open, do they leak at all?

What model is it to get that much bhp?

Is that classed as a kombi then?

Looks good that!!

Can I ask how much it cost you?

Think we have the thread to ourself…

Side windows dont leak at all, but curiously the drivers footwell gets wet ?

Its a T5 T30 (refers to the vehicle weight.. T28 T30 T32) 174 mapped up and the dpf removed. It was dyno-ed after the dpf removal and it now makes all that lovely torque lower in the rev range. Plus the graph was rum after the first map when the van had less than 5k miles

Its a factory Kombi, with M1 chassis so car speed limits as opposed to N1 which is a van and often the base for conversions (and curiously the new 5.1)

Cost, got a deal off a STW regular who used to be on here and the VW commercial mgr in Carlisle… think with the spec I wanted it was £24k ish..

Keep going on the T5 forum, there are way more knowlagable and better spellers than me…

get a 85s and get it mapped,£130 rfl a year, good fuel consumption,all cars have there own problems my T5 has just done 62000 , if something gose tits up with it I shant worry to much, allways going to be hit and miss buying a used motor. service history Is a must tho.

http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=147

I made up som ebike supports that I will try and post up here if I can remember how to do it.

Renton, IIRC there were two issues with the VW sliding windows.

The VW sliding windows (ie Caravelle ones) do not fit the van bodyshell very well as the two vehicles are different. Also the sliding windows rely on a channel to get rid of the water. On the factory Kombis these channels were being inadvertently blocked by the bonding agent.

The aftermarket sliders are designed to fit the van bodyshell and therefore should not leak. But they vary in quality and much depends on how well they are fitted.

I have SDG ones which are a bit more expensive but very well made.

I have an 06 LWB T30 104bhp. Been using it as a daily commuter for last two years. Get something like 30-35mpg but its had a full conversion so a bit heavier than a Kombi.

Really comfortable driving position for longer journeys and i find the higher position is less tiring due to better forward visibility .

Find parking sensors useful for the LWB, in public car parks. Occasionally find its too long for normal carparks, but only maybe two or three times in last 3 years.

Bit underpowered when loaded, but ok for A roads, ie 60mph limits.

Ive had mine re-registered as a motorhome, so normal car speed limits apply.

Due to weight, i think wear and tear us a bit higher than a car.

I find extra length useful as we can seat five and carry five bikes, plus cooker, fridge etc.

Hi I am on my 2nd t5 after a t4 here’s what I know
The first one we had was a 2.5 factory kombi. It was a 6 seated so had 3 up front. Anyo e in the back was a bit shut out. The 2.5 had a lot of power but was thirsty. There are known problems with injectors and heads vw no longer use this engine.
Was advised by a mate at vw to get a 104 tdi. Couldn’t find a kombi for anything like sensible money so looked at shuttles. Found a tidy 8 seated shuttle and took out the back row of seats. It seats 5 now. It has opening side glass, we never open them. It also has front and rear air con and heating. Having 2 normal seats up front is more comfortable and stops the front / rear divide. Performance was fine but I had 15% more power re map and its nicer now.
Personally I would avoid a caravelle as the interior is too precious for bikes and dogs and they all use the 2.5 engine.
Kombi caravelle and shuttle all classed as car, so car speed lots applied.
Tailgate much more useful than 2 rear barn doors
Double sliding door ( one on each side) very handy with passengers / kids.
Wanted opening rear side glass but in reality don’t use it.
Costs £100 to fill fuel tank will do 550 miles on a tank
Will take 4 men and bikes and gear for a week long road trip around Scotland with a bit of careful packing:-)

Thanks for all the replies!!

I will be chopping in a 60 plate Mazda 6 and will be adding a bit of cash to it so my budget it anywhere between 9 and 12 k.

I think I’m going to look for a converted combi or a shuttle and remove the rear seats.

Ideally I want captains seats upfront and then a row of three with one seat removable.

Will look at the 1.9 85bhp as I’v. Been told these remap to same Power as the 102 but cost less to buy.

Do you think I can get a half decent van for that money?

Should I be put off by high mailers?

Any recommendations on where to look for a decent one.

Each to their own, but i went for the twin doors, as you can still open them with bikes on a rack on the back. Plus easier to access in car parks etc, especially if LWB.

But the tailgate looks nicer.

We use our slider windows a lot.

Shuttle sounds ideal for what you want, ie more car like than converted van.

We went low mileage, ie sub 30k but had a load of issues at 60-70k, ie drive shaft, dmf etc. So if you go high mileage most of those things may have already been replaced.

First one

Second one

Third one

And current one

I don’t think I’ll ever go back to a car!

How much does re-mapping affect insurance prices??

not everyones choice of colour watch out for the VAT on vans!

not mine btw cant vouch for it just saw the ad

http://vans.autotrader.co.uk/used-vans/volkswagen/transporter-shuttle/2007-volkswagen-transporter-shuttle-1-9tdi-pd-102ps-s-minibus-diesel-healy-road-vfpa-8a6ae6dc3cf64fc6013d16dad9ec44de/makemodel/make/volkswagen/mileage/min/99999

or this

http://vans.autotrader.co.uk/used-vans/volkswagen/transporter-shuttle/2007-volkswagen-transporter-shuttle-1-9tdi-pd-85ps-se-minibus-diesel-healy-road-vfpa-8a788d133d017a39013d16dad9e51828/makemodel/make/volkswagen/mileage/min/99999

But it’s greeeeeeennnnnnn!! 😐

Anywhere to look at some nice converted vans on the net for sale?

fleabay always loads on there, I stalk regular (waiting for lotto win)

Top tips

1./ Get a lifting tailgate
2./ Find a caravelle if you can = no VAT + classed as a car for all things ferry/speed limits/VED
3./ Buy the VW 4 bike carrier = with 1./ above you can open it with bikes on.
4./ Twin Sliding doors if possible
5./ Go for a 2.5 130 if you can find one. Timing chain as opposed to belt

For bikes in the back get

This unistrut

and these

fix the channel to a wide piece of wood fastened to the rear load anchorage points. Set the brackets to fork width and front wheel off and secure with QR.

Check out this vid demonstrating the clearance of the Atera rack if you have a tailgate and want a lower tow bar mounted rack.

Atera Strada DL3 fitted to VW T5 California

Here’s the strada on my T4, works brilliantly.