I've had a few rust issues.

Chriswoody · Mar 2, 2019

So after four years of ownership I'd reached a crossroads with my current van. The TÜV was imminent and the rust was far to prevalent to ignore, we already knew the rear wheel arch was going to fail. There was no way I could afford another van if we were to sell this one and with no TÜV and rampant rust we were not going to see much money if we sold it. So we decided to take the plunge and invest a chunk of cash into getting it repaired. Once everything was stripped back it wasn't too bad underneath, though the front cross member was shot at both ends so that needed replacing as well which added to the bill.

So I was really pleased with the outcome after such drastic surgery. It was a bit of a horror show under there, but I'm pleased with how it turned out, the garage have done a really good job and hopefully we are good for another 10 years or so.

The van also flew through its TÜV, with a numberplate bulb being the only issue after the rust, not bad for a twenty year old van. Looking forward to hitting the road again this year with the family.

bxl_lad · Mar 2, 2019

Looking mighty fine...
And must say the colour is just the best

slyfb · Mar 5, 2019

Looks great. How much it cost if you don't mind me asking? 2 front arches done and below the front windscreen?

sidepod · Mar 5, 2019

Lovely

burnercan · Mar 5, 2019

Looks great. Gotta keep these classics going, better than money in the bank!

Chriswoody · Mar 6, 2019

Thanks everyone, I've got a real soft spot for these old T4's and it is great to keep one going.

So I've had new front wings left and right, being as the van is a long nose they were the most expensive of all the options! New front cross member, new wheel arch sections for the front, new inner wings for the front and new rear quarter panels left and right. It's also had a new windscreen as well as lots of repair work and repair patches all over the windscreen surround and inner front wings. I've also had a complete lower half respray along with the front roof section and windscreen surround.

Quite a comprehensive list, however the economics for me were simple, in order to get a good late T4 I would be looking at €18 - €24,000. Money I simply didn't have. With all of these rust issues and no TÜV I would be lucky to see double figures for this. So all in, with the admin costs for the TÜV, gas check etc I paid just over €6000 for the work. It's a lot of cash, but a hell of a lot cheaper than binning what was essentially a really sound van. Personally I would love to be able to do work like this myself, but with limited facilities and zero time in my busy life I needed to rely on a garage.

So were looking forward to our family holidays this year, my son has literally grown up in this van and is already asking when we can go camping again!