Transporter Aftermarket Windows

[John Deere]

Hi All, I am about to pull the trigger on a LWB TDI400 4Motion van. It is the only one around that has a front bench seat but it does not have rear windows.

As a bonus it does have some other nice options like rear diff lock, sat nav etc, but some options that I am not sure are that great like a second battery which I am afraid might be a half baked system given its low cost.

Anyway, the dealer has presented the option of fitting aftermarket sliding windows from a place called "Caddy Storage Systems" which are apparently a reasonably big company. I will be fitting seats in the back so I can fit the family.

Has anyone used Caddy Storage Systems to have windows or other things fitted? do they have a good name in the area? What should I be looking for as the signs of a good installation?

Any help appreciated. I am in Sydney if that helps.

[feenix74]

We have used Caddy Storage Systems to provide the fitout for a tradesman van (Toyota Hiace) at my work. Their fitout shelving and toolbox drawers are good quality. We get them through a local 4WD shop who order the kit and then fit it locally. Never had Caddy Storage windows on one of our vans as yet, so I cannot vouch for their sliding windows.

[Sunny43.5]

There are many places in NSW who do van conversions so it would pay to shop around first , there may only be a couple of aftermarket sliders on the market here in Austraila due to our small population . Obviously VW make their own but you would need to donate an arm and possibly a leg to afford them . I would suggest you contact Kingsley Enterprise as they used to supply all of our van windows when I had my conversion business many years ago Vehicle Search - Bushranger 4x4 Gear When I purchased our last VW T5.1a few years back I sourced our glass panels from Auto Extras here in Brisbane Custom Vehicle Modifications, Fit-outs and Conversions - Auto Extras as they were more than competitive on price as they supply non genuine fixed and sliding . Four fixed panels for around $800 for the lot as opposed to VW who wanted $600 for ONE glass only . Kingsley have been around for 40 years and supply most retailers anyway .

[kombosa]

hi,
i got aftermarket rear windows fitted to my lwb and factory sliders in door sections.can`t remember the manufacturer but i can tell you that they are a slightly different colour.i only noticed after all the windows were tinted.the after market glass is slightly purple? in comparison to the vw green .so i now have a legal tint on front glass and a much darker tint on rear glass but the rear a slightly different colour.i noticed it when i was reversing the car and was looking out rear window some days after the tint job........just something to ask about.

[John Deere]

Thanks for the feedback. The van has no rear side windows at the moment, so I was just going to get aftermarket ones in the doors and leave the load area with panels. If the glass is a different colour to the rear tail gate I don't think I will be too upset, but it is nice to knwo cheers.

@sunny35 the dealer has cut a pretty good deal for the windows with Caddy Storage. They are a pretty big outfit, the guy I spoke to said they fitted around 500 of these windows a year to vans, so whilst I don't know what the brand of the windows are, if they were rubbish I can't find any information to say they are, they do look different to the Kingsley units which look like a more traditional slider. The type they are to install is the flush looking ones with the square cut out that opens. I guess this is the trend these days for drag???

They look something like this Van Windows & Van Window Guards | Caddy Storage

[Sunny43.5]

I did not say the Caddy ones were rubbish only to give you some options on who and where you can get them from . As I said many conversion companies would resell the Kingsley ones or source other brands from another manufacturer , just as I was selling my business in 2000 there was a company from Malaysia or one of those that was starting to bring glass panels into Australia .

[John Deere]

Yes thanks for that. Options are good.

The "rubbish" term was mine, with the view that they sell quite a lot (admittedly according to them!) so if there were any systemic issues with them, it would be unusual not to find evidence of it. I've honed in on these ones simply because they have been offered at a very reasonable price and I am just doing a bit of due diligence to assure myself I am not buying a known issue.

[feenix74]

As another option . . .

Do you really need the sliders? Will just plain glass do?

I have the VW OEM slider in the left-hand sliding door of my Caddy Life (yes it is a bit weird but the MY2011 were specced from VW with the slider in the left-hand door only and the right is plain glass with no slider). We used it a couple of times early on, it then sprang a leak, we got it fixed under warranty. I have told the wife and the kids not to use it since and we really have not missed it. If it springs a leak again I will probably get it replace with just a plain glass window with no slider. Generally when you need fresh air the front two windows are sufficient if you are moving and if you are stopped then just open the sliding doors.

[Tornado T5]

IIRC, the codes printed on the windows will tell you which country they were made in, if you search the Internet you will find a list.

I had an aftermarket company fit glass to one of my vans, a Transit Custom and lets just say I didn't accept delivery from the dealer. I even told them when they were to refit the glass , 4 fixed panels in 2 sliding doors and the rear cargo area, to fit suction cups on the inside of the glass and draw them together inwards to ensure they sat perfectly flush when viewed in profile with the body work. Original fit had nearly my fat thumb in distance between the side body edge and leading edge of one glass panel and about 1cm protrusion along top edge of another panel. Caddy Storage are not the cheapest however I have had good reviews. Also ask if it's privacy glass or do you need to tint them.

[John Deere]

I ended up steering away from aftermarket windows and the stock vehicle and did a factory order with windows. Saved a few dollars as I left off options that I didn't really want.

Thanks for your help everyone. I think the aftermarket windows would have been quite ok.