VW Transporter as a bike van – what to look for when buying second hand?

As per title really… What should I look for when buying a VW Transporter as a bike van second hand?

e.g. most suitable models, obvious mechanical pitfalls to be aware of, good places to buy etc

Any advice much appreciated 😀

Are you looking at a T3, T4 or T5? (guessing it wont be anything older than that?)

2.5 5cyl 130ps T5 is the most popular, 35mpg is achievable easily but bags of torque. Don’t go for 184ps with auto, you’ll be lucky to get 20mpg, flying machine that begs to be thrashed. I did 34K in 6 months in one, was putting £100 a day in it.

Are you after a T4 or a T5? Any T4’s are getting pretty long in the tooth now, early T5’s are not too expensive (I have a 54 plate T5).

I have the 104bhp 1.9TDi engine, you can get an 88hp version which I wouldn’t fancy, and more powerful versions that you don’t really need. SWB will fit in a standard car park space, LWB won’t, normal height roof will get in 95% of multi-storey carparks, mid/high roof won’t (and generally cost more on ferries, as does the LWB)

TBH, you just need to look for all the standard stuff – service history, belts changed at appropriate intervals etc. Cenral locking can go a bit squiffy, so keep an eye out for that, make sure it all works.

Are planning on leaving it as a van, or doing a camper conversion?

Oh, the 104 will get high 30’s mpg driven normally and that’s with a full camper conversion in the back), heavy foot will reduce that quite a lot

i have a 2002 t4 88bhp
has it had/does it need a cambelt soon? it is very expensive to do because there is a front belt for the cam, and a rear belt for the fuel pump. if it does need doing, knock some off. i got my local garage to do it, and using geniune parts including pullys and a new water pump and new ‘fan belt’ it was nearly 800 quid.

is the clutch ok? get it warm, and give it max throttle up a steep hill, max torque is around 2000rpm, so it will slip there. 500 odd quid for a new clutch.

other than that, just the usual stuff. oh, and make sure the side door opens and shuts properly.

Have a good look on here[/url], you’ll soon get an idea of common issues with both T4 & T5. They’re pretty helpful over there.

I’ve got an early T4, pre-facelift interior 2.4D AAB engine, camper conversion. Love driving it, when you get to a hill you just plant your foot and wait a week till you get to the top!

The common issue with the T4s is a rattle from the engine, commonly mistaken for tappet noise but its actually the push rod in the vac pump, not a major issue. If you test one that rattles, pump the brake peddle, if the rattle stops its the vac pump, not a knackered engine! 😀

Ideally looking for an early T5 SWB, will be leaving it as a van, but may tidy up the back a bit to give the option of flooring for an airbed. Comfortable cab up front would also be preferred.

Advice about the fuel economy is much appreciated, as is the parking size issues… thank you.

At what mileage is the Cambelt Service on a T5?

IIRC 60k or 5 years. Get them to change the water pump when doing it too. It’s a known weak point.

88bhp model does 0-60 in over 20 seconds. I wouldn’t want to be in something thats that slow for overtaking etc.

We looked into a T5 but would have wanted the extra row of seats/RnR bed in the back etc and in the end, decided that the extra cost/faff etc wasn’t worth it over a big, fast estate that’d be cheaper to buy and run.

A VW Caddy Maxi is another option I would consider.

If its a T5 ask whether its had a new half-shaft. They tend to go about 50-70k. £400 to fix. Otherwise they’re great.

As I usually do on these threads, I will plug Amdro as an excellent T5 conversion. Did mine last year and lived in it, literally, for six months around Europe, no problems at all. And unlike most conversion, you get a boot space that stays in place even when the bed is folded out.

http://www.amdro.co.uk/

If its a T5 ask whether its had a new half-shaft. They tend to go about 50-70k. £400 to fix.

Mine’s just hit 75k, how would I know if it needing replacing?

my 88 does 40mpg measured on a mway run, 35ish otherwise. It came with a black box thingy on the pump which gave loads more torque, but made the mil light flash. I took it off.

Halfshaft get noisey/click with lots of steering lock. They normally fail early because the cv joint boot gets damaged and all the grease falls out.

What’s the difference between T26, T28, T30 etc different models?

What’s the difference between T26, T28, T30 etc different models?

Power, I believe. T26 – 88bhp, T28 – 104bhp, T30 – 134bhp (I think)

Isn’t T26/28 etc to do with the load carrying rating (or whatever you call it)?

What’s the difference between T26, T28, T30 etc different models?

it’s the gross weight it can carry. 2600, 2800, 3000 kg. empty van is roughly a tonne.

theres also a T32 which is 3200 kg. the t32 has different running gear & is more expensive to lower etc – if you ever wish to.

if you are thinking of a camper conversion avoid the t26. mostly t28s & t30s out there.

HTH

re load rating, yes, it is the same with transits

t26 = GVM or MAM of 2600kg, etc.

transit T260 = GVM of 2600kg, etc

Well, there you go, learn something everyday

Thanks Chaps 😀

Ah I see, not too important as I’d hope my bikes would weigh considerably less than that!

Worth looking at the alternatives unless you’re dead set on a VW, where you’ll pay quite a bit in scene tax. Vivaro/Trafic/Primastar in top spec is a good alternative option imho.

Vivaro/Trafic/Primastar in top spec is a good alternative option

especially if you are not looking for aftermarket upgrades.

I had a very brief ownership experience of a facelift 2011 Transporter T30.

It was a lovely looking van, but they’re not as well built as VW would have you believe.

In the first few months of ownership (800 miles) it needed a new steering rack, new driveshaft on driver side and new side windows as the factory ones would not stop leaking.

After a long battle with VW, I eventually got my money back where upon I ended up saving myself around £12k and buying a brand new Citroen Dispatch which has a lot more bells and whistles.

note the t32 needs a slightly different class of mot that not all garages will do – not a big deal just a bit more inconvinent if you dont need the extra payload

cam belt and water pump for a t5 is £300 with any reputable private dealer not sure who quoted you £800 but tell them to take a running jump, just had mine done and a service for £288.

all round fairly bullet proof van, id make sure its ply lined though or you can get it done reasonbly cheaply that made a big difference to ours.

Check the exhaust manifold for cracks. If you get slight fumes in the cabin – it’s gone. To replace it you need the front of the van off – expensive!

Also, dual-mass flywheel go about 80,000 miles – check if this has been done. Needs to be replaced along with the clutch. More pennies!

Got an 08 T5 130 T32 LWB myself and converted it to have 6 seats and a bulkhead. Love it!!!

Mine is for sale.

130 swb kombi. Fsh, new front tyres. Just serviced. 76k. Silver with privacy glass. Driveshaft at 65k!

I’ve driven the lowest power model (88hp) and it doesn’t have enough grunt, avoid them.

I’d agree about the Vivaro/Trafic alternative too- these along with the Transporter are my favourite vans. Again, avoid the basic engine and you’ll be fine.

Mikertroid

Have you got a link or more details? Cheers.

Paceman

some good words on here.

re. the engine. DO NOT rule out the engine basic 1.9 84hp. Google Pendle Performance and £275 and your 84hp becomes a reliable 135hp with a whopping 100nm more torque AND better fuel economy.

all the 1.9’s are the same but in different states of tune. i would not pay more for a higher-output 1.9.

2.5 5-pots are great as they have a 6-speed box, but they can suffer from expensive issues.

i have a pendle’d 1.9 with a 5-speed box and it drives so well. i drove to the s.of.France at a steady 80mph and returned mid-30’s mpg.

join the vwt4 forum and swot up

There are differences between the 1.9 84 and 102bhp engines, they can both be remapped but the 84 doesn’t have an intercooler which the 102 does so it has to work harder.
I’ve had a few t5’s over the years, a 2.5 130bhp kombi and a 1.9 104bhp standard van. Both would do 40mpg driven gently, the 6 speed box of the 2.5 is nice but they’re often a lot more expensive. If you want a decent spec aircon, electric windows/mirrors etc then a 2.5 is generally more likely to have them but you’ll reduce your choice of second hand vans significantly.
The 2.5’s have more problems than the 1.9’s and are less reliable overall. The 1.9 has the big advantage of being in huge amounts of VAG stuff so anyone can repair/service them and parts are cheap, worst case a new engine is easy to get this isn’t the case with the 2.5.

T5`s of the 1.9 flavour have poor gearboxes. When mine failed at 62K VW were to paraphrase “yes and what should WE do about it????”
Dont buy on reliability its a hoax.
Powersteering pump,turbo relief valve,gearbox and assorted electrical niggles on a 57 plate…..
Buy a big japanese people carrier instead

I switched my car for a 2004 T5 van last year. It’s the SWB 104 model. Fuel seems to be around high 30s mpg, up to 40mpg if driven carefully.

I’m really happy with it, great bike wagon. I don’t miss the car as it fits in normal spaces and almost every car park. Only downsides are higher running costs for insurance, fuel, road tax but I had factored that in.

Not that it’s something I’m planning on any day soon, but one of my ‘life plans’ is to convert a panel van.
Was looking a lot at Transporters, but TBH I couldn’t justify the higher price of these compared to vivaros/primastars – You’re looking at 4-6k for a good base mode, plus 2k for a lifting roof….
Then you can knock yourself out on the innerds! Like a child, I spend many an hour sketching away the internal design of my imaginary campervan!!

DrP

It’s a bit vain but when I chose a van it couldn’t be white, a transit, the vauxhall/nissan/renault thing, the fiat/peugeot/citreon thing. This left the Transporter or Merc Vito. I think they’re just a bit nicer.

Paceman, ill mail you details tomorrow night. On a fairly dismal MTB week in wales. Both my riding partner and.I have been felled by manflu :’-( !!

Theres one for sale in the STW classifieds at the moment a VW25