any tips on buying a t4?

[marcusmucus]

hey all,
any advice on this t4?
Just started looking and its the only diesel in melbourne for our price..worried about its high km's and what I can imagine being a scketchy history..

thank you in advance.

VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER (SWB) T4 - Somerton - VIC - $ 5,990.00 (http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Automotive/Used-Cars/AdNumber=D1341701002241?AdOnTop=)

anyone know where I could ring around to find something?

cheers

[Sunny43.5]

Hi marcusmucus [snot a very good name]:facepalm: I bought my son a T4 2.4 diesel about 2-1/2 years ago for his sixteenth birthday , The van had done 346000 kms the body externally was in very good condition for its age 1997 the interior was a bit untidy by the time I had finished with it its a real good looker . We paid $7800 now I had previuosly owned a T4 but a 2.5 petrol model so I did not know much about these diesels . You have to remember they are not turbo like the 2.5 diesel so performance is not that great , but in its defense for a learner driver and his last year and a half on "P " plates I think it was a good idea for my son . The motor had from the start a intermittent nocking noise which turned out to be the brake vacumm pump as these engines don,t have manifold vacumm for the brakes . Economy was very good as you can,t flog them like a turbo model . I had the car checked by a mechanic here in Brisbane who told me that for the kays it had done it was still a good motor and he had seen much worse in other makes with less kays apparently VW make good motors . It was JMAC on this forum who found out the problem with the vacumm pump I would suggest you maybe ask him about some known problems with this model . Some things to consider with a sketchy history you should consider essential things to do when you get one , first Timing Belt if you have no proof of when it might have been done this would be a priority as a failed belt will destroy the engine . When the belt is done you need to do the water pump at the same time as its in the same area as the timing belt so it saves a second removal if the pump was to fail , as a rough guide I would guess that to fix a belt and pump with labour will cost around $1200 approx . Check all the controls for the heater air con etc as they are notorious for the plastic internals behind the rotary dials failing and even second hand ones are a bit pricey , other than these couple of things just give it a good look over for rust or damge and gear change etc . Regards Howard PS as matter of interest when my son became tired of low performance I transplanted a complete 2.5 petrol engine/gearbox etc from another van we bought .

[danros]

Speaking from recent experience, the auto trans cost between $5-$6k to rebuild & have fitted so a manual is not a bad option in a high km vehicle

[jets]

One of the problems with older/high mileage vehicles is the cost of keeping everything working. Are you mechanically minded & prepared to find out how things work & repair them yourself? I think they are basically good vehicles & have the advantage that they old school/low tech. There are many things that can go wrong but to list them here can give the wrong impression. There were 1.7 million T4s made with plenty of spares available particularly in the UK & Germany. Likewise lots of info from the OS forums.

[marcusmucus]

hi all,
thanks for your replies,
I understand there is always alittle bit of luck involved i getting a pre loved or well with our budget, pre , pre, pre loved vehicle. It is nice to always find a few tips and pointers to check out though, kind of gives a idea or hint at how the van was treated.
I have also been told to check out the heater for rusting out.
anyne have any advice on a good car yard or mechanic here in melbourne?
only 2 i have seen over the last week have been
t4 '98 198613 kms, for $6999
and
t4 swb '99 203987kms, fuel injt 2l for $6900

dream of a diesel for 7k!

[marcusmucus]

Hi everyone,

Thanks in advance for any advice or tips.

We are based in Melbourne and are looking for a t4 for our little business, We are pretty tight on budget and t4's for sale within our price range < $8000 are looking rather thin on the ground in Vic.

Ive always dreamed of a T4 since having the luck of scoring a job in europe where i drove a new 2001 tdi 2.5 L for its first 50k up and down a highway... ( btw if your curious. 187km/hr, flat to the floor on a slight down hill. I was young and stupid)
anyway,
I would greatly appreciate some knowledge and advice on the current market value or what we should expect to pay for a van 1994 - 2002...

ideally we would love a diesel but feel its the next price up from our budget...

what do you guys (and girls) like of these two that are currently for sale here in Vic?

VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER T4 - Ocean Grove - VIC - $ 6,900.00 (http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Automotive/Used-Cars/AdNumber=TP004676571?AdOnTop=)

VOLKSWAGEN TRANSPORTER (SWB) T4 - Somerton - VIC - $ 5,990.00 (http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Automotive/Used-Cars/AdNumber=D1341701002241?AdOnTop=)


anything I should look out for?

thanks again!

[IN2VWS]

have you thought about a Caddy?

[Transporter]

I don't know if you could stretch that budget a bit more and perhaps upgrade to that Caddy that IN2VWS suggested or maybe T4 TDI with less km's, since there is more to the van than just the engine and at +300,000km it will be quite worn out (in the need of repairs and it will cost you money). :)

[marcusmucus]

hi,
yeah we need the transporter for the extra room. Ive never checked but i do assume the transporter SWBis still bigger than a caddy.

Thanks
( I would go the LWB myself, but might be too much of a handfull for my gf)

[Sunny43.5]

The second one at a car yard looks a bit knocked around I noticed the horn button is part missing and the rear cargo area has had a beating , I know when I bought my sons one a few years back that some people have no idea how to present a van for sale , after looking at quite a few here in Brisbane we found one which 1/ was clean and polished 2/ cargo area had minimum damage / 3 body work was original with little or no dings and 4 / mechanicly was quite sound [except for brake vacumm pump] a little clacky it was a 2.4 diesel. The first one looks reasonable but its hard to tell as in both vans the photos don,t get too close to show detail . You have to drive several and have a good look around them before parting with your cash . As a word of advise the T4 2.4 diesel are a strong motor but don,t expect brisk performance once out on the highway . They run out of passing steam once you get to around 100kmh passing manouvers have to be planned well in advance ! 2.5 Turbo diesel or 2.5 petrol will give a much more spirited drive . My son eventually grew tired of the performance or should I say lack of so I bought another complete T4 with the 2.5 petrol and did a complete transplant as the donor van wasn,t in as good condition body wise as my sons one was plus I had already spent a fair bit of time and money tricking his up , now with the 2.5 petrol it goes so much better with great performance . We fitted his old engine gearbox etc to the other van and sold it for $2000 more than we paid for it in the first place . As I said before about presentation this van even with its dings around the body looked a 100% better than when we first got it , I fixed the rear area with new carpet retrimmed the front seats and just made sure every thing worked and that it was clean and mechanicly sound . Howard

[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: (08) 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

[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 (http://www.bushranger.com.au/i_windows.html) . 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