Reliable California?

[calimera]

Calimera; surely terriers should go in a Ford Terrier?!

You would think so, but they preferred the quality of the T5 "Ruby" hired from Martin.

 

[calimera]

VWestie Van

 

[sidepod]

How would I know if you have ability? Why would I care?. Having worked for F1 teams for almost 15 years, I've seen a few drivers that consider themselves quick. The quick ones generally don't shout about it. Doubtless you'll jump down my throat about that.

Whatever.

Back to camper vans and the original post. T4's are bloody reliable, unless off course your glow plug relay fails!

Pod.

 

[Bluestone]

How would I kow if you have ability? Why would I care?. Having worked for F1 teams for almost 15 years, I've seen a few drivers that consider themselves quick. The quick ones generally don't shout about it. Doubtless you'll jump down my throat about that

I did say sorry Well you must appreciate I got irate when people suggest I 'play' at racing. Sorry again, it's tough to know in what reference you meant the comment in.

Which team did you/do you work for? I have a racing mate who works for Red Bull at the moment

Yes and F1 is a different kettle of fish these days - so many paid drivers, such a shame when the real talent don't get a chance to have drives without a massive lump of cash behind them

I wish I had the opportunity to race at a high level now, but I'll sadly never know if I did actually have the talent to compete at the top - it's just silly money, another mate races in BTCC and of course he pays (as do pretty well all of them), all I know is that I raced against Tom Onslow-Cole and I out qualified him and beat him on track - mind you in his defence, it was the first time he ever jumped in the car, and he still holds the lap record for our series at Brands Indi - pretty impressive really.

Sorry again, I think I realised that it wasn't aimed at me after I jumped to conclusions and wrote my reply - I ignored the first comment about 'playing' at being a racing driver - as you well know, it's tough and dangerous and people get killed all the time so I thought it showed a lack of respect (clearly not from you though )

Can I say sorry one more time

 

[WelshGas]

If the issues were only about the conversion, I would have given ours more time - it is after all a complex upgrade and also fairly bespoke. But it's the base van that's the issue. It's the 180 engine (it would appear) with it's useless EGR valve (and cooler), it's DPF and in some cases, the turbos.

Here's a few others I know of personally (not lifted from the 'net)

2011 180 LWB Combi - entire new ENGINE at 10 months old. Now sold.
2011 180 Caravelle - issues with EGR valve. DPF and one new turbo. Now sold.
2014 (64 plate) 180 Sportline Transporter - only recently bought, loads of issues with DPF and emissions light coming on. Not yet sorted and considering selling.
2012 top spec Cali 180 4motion - an enormous list of issues both with the conversion and the van. Busted electric door, EGR valve, DPF, paint problems, parking sensors, control panel, etc. Desperately trying to sell.
2011 Cali 180 (owned by a well known member here) - another long list of van and conversion related issues.

And from my local indy garage;
Entire fleet (12 vehicles) of VW Transporters replaced for Citroens after multiple issues. He is absolutely sick of modern VWs coming in for diesel related issues.

So IMO it's the base van that is the real issue not the conversion.

So thats 17, no 18 including yours, vehicles over 4 years compared with ???? How many T5's sold in total over 4 years?

I rest my case.

 

[Bluestone]

So thats 17, no 18 including yours, vehicles over 4 years compared with ???? How many T5's sold in total over 4 years?

To have a fair comparison then you would need ALL the cases versus ALL the vehicles sold over 4 years - not just referencing the 17 above against all the ones sold!!

Hey listen I've never had a problem with any VW I've owned, but as I said previously I do know someone who had a fleet of Transporters (I don't know the exact quantity so will find out and also what the faults were) and had so many mechanical issues with them, he changed them all for Transit vans. I was left a little red faced when trying to say how good the T5 is

 

[KernowLad]

How would I know if you have ability? Why would I care?. Having worked for F1 teams for almost 15 years, I've seen a few drivers that consider themselves quick. The quick ones generally don't shout about it. Doubtless you'll jump down my throat about that.

Whatever.

Back to camper vans and the original post. T4's are bloody reliable, unless off course your glow plug relay fails!

Pod.

Steady on; I see a shared interest, not a reason to rant.

A guy turned up in a 10 year old Carrera 4S and was absolutely ballistic. Another turned up in a new Aventador (he was also very young!), failed the noise test and had to rent an Atom; he was also very quick.

Then three of us turned up in M135is and had a real laugh but our lap times were all a good bit worse than pro drivers in much "slower" cars. Humbling as well as very educational. Doesn't half torture the car though.

The T4 was the last "properly" built VW van is seems.

Welsh; I get it, no matter what evidence anyone produces, you won't have a bad word said against VW. Even with EGR failure at a mere 900 miles, you still fly the flag. Well it's impressive brand loyalty if nothing else.

 

[Bluestone]

Doesn't half torture the car though

Yes and you need to be careful of oil starvation - road car sumps are not designed for chucking it around the bends so quickly - to be fair I'm not a race engineer so this is what I've been told.

Yes T4's are more simple = more reliable (these days against modern complex systems) just a shame they are so damaging to the environment

 

[WelshGas]

No, not brand loyalty. This is the first VW I've owned. I bought it because it is the only Campervan made by a major manufacturer with a 3 yr warranty on the whole package. It does what it says on the tin.
When and if I change it, it will be for something that ticks all the same boxes. That could be a T7 or some other make as long as it is a total package.

The only vehicle I've owned, from new, that had no problems in the 5 years I owned it was a Morris Marina Coupe LE.

 

[Bluestone]

Morris Marina Coupe LE

Wow - that particular one must have been hand built using the best components Sorry, Morris Marinas weren't known for their reliability or build quality to be fair. When I was a kid, I went with a family on holiday to Cornwall and they had a Marina - nope it didn't break down, but we all had to get out and push it up a hill as it didn't have the power to get up it whilst towing a caravan as well!!

 

[KernowLad]

My first car was a 1973 Marina in beige bought by a well meaning grandad. It was horrific. Taught me a lot about car maintenance though!

I find this warranty thing interesting; if it has a warranty, it can break down as often as it likes...

Well I found each ruined business day, each awkward childcare sorting out, each long wait at the dealers, the non stop phone calls, the discussions with VWCS, etc rather irritating.

Just had our M135i serviced 2800 miles early at 21700 on the clock. One recall item, one litre of oil, only just replaced the tyres, nothing else at all. By the same time period the Cali had been in about 7 times. By the same mileage it had been in 12 times. That's a highly tuned, fast car that gets used as intended compared to a diesel van.

It's just not good enough.

 

[Max-Felix]

Continuing the slight hijack and digression but it seems any talk of VW's being unreliable or the dealers less than stellar upsets many people, so...

...test driving a 320d against a 330d tomorrow so will see how they go. Moving up from a 120D which has been awesome - obviously not up there with your very desirable M Kernow but it goes OK. Will be sad to wave bye to the 120 as I think the One Series is so pretty (although know many dislike the shape) but the kids and our gear are a struggle in the cosy One these days.

Have to say the greatest fun I ever had though was my early days of driving in a MK1 Fiesta, a '78 X19 1300 but most of all in a Citroen AX GT - built ridiculously light, I think it weighed under 800 kg with doors made of tinfoil but boy cars were fun then, revved the nuts off it and the power to weight ratio even with the little 1.4 made it a hoot to drive around like as loon as you could in the good old days. :thefinger

Having said that the fact you can buy a barely used 330D with all the luxury and toys you could ever want for around £24k that has 255 hp does the 60 in 5.5 secs and hits 155 but still is capable of 50mpg on a run and costs £100 to tax is incredible compared to the old days.

 

[Bluestone]

test driving a 320d against a 330d

Just out of interest, how many miles do you do a year? I test drove a 335D (which was an error as I immediately wanted one!!) but got sensible and got the 320D M-Sport (I did about 45K miles a year at the time), great car, but maybe it will feel a little underpowered compared to the 120D - 1 series is a great car

BMW's are great cars, shame they don't make campervans

 

[KernowLad]

Continuing the slight hijack and digression but it seems any talk of VW's being unreliable or the dealers less than stellar upsets many people, so...

...test driving a 320d against a 330d tomorrow so will see how they go. Moving up from a 120D which has been awesome - obviously not up there with your very desirable M Kernow but it goes OK. Will be sad to wave bye to the 120 as I think the One Series is so pretty (although know many dislike the shape) but the kids and our gear are a struggle in the cosy One these days.

Have to say the greatest fun I ever had though was my early days of driving in a MK1 Fiesta, a '78 X19 1300 but most of all in a Citroen AX GT - built ridiculously light, I think it weighed under 800 kg with doors made of tinfoil but boy cars were fun then, revved the nuts off it and the power to weight ratio even with the little 1.4 made it a hoot to drive around like as loon as you could in the good old days. :thefinger

Having said that the fact you can buy a barely used 330D with all the luxury and toys you could ever want for around £24k that has 255 hp does the 60 in 5.5 secs and hits 155 but still is capable of 50mpg on a run and costs £100 to tax is incredible compared to the old days.

Hope you like them! The 320d is a hell of an achievement for bhp vs emissions/mpg but the 330d is the one to have - sounds good (rare in a diesel!), creamy, smooth power from almost no revs and damned fast! Our 335d was excellent but they aren't anywhere near as frugal as the 330d; I can actually get better long term mpg in the M135i which has about 40 more bhp! The 120d is a good car too - that engine moves them along very nicely but space is definitely tight in the back. My kids just about fit....!

A mate who is a bit of a nutter loon had an AX GT - span it, rolled over a central reservation (clipped it in mid air), landed on his roof into oncoming traffic, emerged unscathed. Amazing! I remember him driving me in it and utterly cacking myself! He still crashes a lot.

 

[Max-Felix]

Cheers guys, he (AX GT) was lucky to survive, the roofs dented on those if you breathed on them, loads of fun though, like all the cars we used to drive back then: Fiat 128's, Capri 3.0's, Marina Estates, Vivas, MKIV Cortinas, Alfasuds - those were the days.

Yep, I don't drive enough miles sadly to do the 330 justice but for the same reason we have/need a 110 CSW for occasional off-roading, boat/bike/12 people transporting etc you sometimes have to go for the silly big engine just to make the blasts down to Eurodisney or the south of France more fun..

However, I will probably end up with the 320 Sport as more than adequate. TBH I prefer the look without the M-Sport front, 330 would have to be an M-sport as not made in the regular Sport and then I'd want the adaptive suspension etc, etc.

 

[Bluestone]

Yep, I don't drive enough miles sadly to do the 330 justice

If you do less than 12K miles a year then a petrol is a better option - the trouble with the BMW's is that (I don't know about the 330i vs the 330d) are more powerful, faster and more economical - they just cost more, so it's worth looking at the petrol version.

oh now a 110 CSW - now we're talking, I have one and spent £2K on it to get it back on the road, went to the Alps for a couple of weeks and it broke down 5 times!! Still love it though

 

[KernowLad]

This was ours;



Bought Used Approved but very very troublesome - turned out we'd bought a pretty thrashed one and when I asked for advice on a forum, I got threatened by the dealer (Rhymes with Car Goods)!! Still had fun in it though and it actually caused less headaches than the Cali. Horrible thirst and £500 RFL hurt though.

Definitely look at petrol - diesels are on their way out with heavy handed new legislation, a ban in Paris and more. They are suddenly not the fuel of choice. The 330d is still nice but you can no longer get a 330i - it's four cylinder 328i (just over 200bhp) or the N55 engined 335i (306bhp - same engine as ours but slightly de-tuned).

 

[WelshGas]

Wow - that particular one must have been hand built using the best components Sorry, Morris Marinas weren't known for their reliability or build quality to be fair. When I was a kid, I went with a family on holiday to Cornwall and they had a Marina - nope it didn't break down, but we all had to get out and push it up a hill as it didn't have the power to get up it whilst towing a caravan as well!!

1700cc Twin Carbs

 

[Max-Felix]

Cheers chaps, yes (utility) Landys are my first love, had loads and I'd never be without one. Sold my ex-military 90 soft top a few years back after ten years of fantastic ownership but once we had the 110 as well it just did not get used enough. You need to stick to the older 300tdi models TBH - ours is a last of line '98 and so cheap/easy to service at home with none of the TD5 electrickery foibles. The 300tdi was the best engine they ever made. :thefinger

I will stick with diesel though for the Beemer for the next few years, just love the way they pull.+ the economy and I haven't driven near a city for years. Plus 95% of the used stock out there is 320D's!

 

[KernowLad]

Yes we got it wrong getting a "new" Defender. If get a 300Tdi too; in fact we might one day (or a V8).
I used to be a Geotechnical Engineer and we pushed our modded 110s very hard. They needed loads of maintenance but they were amazing. Nothing else could tow a 3 tonne drilling rig at the time!

My Marinas engine blew up, stuck an Ital engine in it, sold it to my cousin who wrote it off a week later. Oops.

 

[Bluestone]

You need to stick to the older 300tdi models

Yep mine is a 300TDi - still it has got over 270,000 miles on it and still going up when I get a chance to use it Actually it just overheated a few times - I think I need a new rad - I think to myself 'I only just fitted a new rad in it, but that was probably over 100,000 miles ago!!

Doesn't get used much at all now (in my workshop looking sorry for itself) but love it too much to get rid of it

Welshgas, looks awesome , why does it look so much better now (actually to be fair that model always looked nicer) than at the time (although I was pretty young at the time!!). Oh I know, most mass produced cars look the same these days - actually evident with the new T6 looking almost the same as the outgoing T5.

I have to admit that I have lost a lot of interest in normal road cars since I started racing, I just use my Golf 2.0 TDi GT now, averages 61 mpg

 

[Max-Felix]

This topic has really gone off the rails now but here's a compilation pic of our current 110 and very sadly missed (although still in contact with 'new' owners so maybe one day) Ninety:

 

[T6 CFO]

Ok. Enough of the problems PLEASE. Our eyes are wide open about the issues.
Glad we changed from T5 180 DSG to T6 150 DSG . Having hired VW t5 ,looked closely at Ford Terrier by Wellhouse leisure & Marco Polo. Had madza Bongo in the past .We have decided to take the plunge with T6. Best way to travel with our terriers. Looking forward to lots of adventures & helpful, encouraging comments by fellow VW campers. The leisure battery change thread is a good example.

Quick question. Does the T6 150 DSG come in 4 Motion. I was considering the 204 but this thread and others has made me think again. Ta!

 

[GrannyJen]

Yes it does

 

[T6 CFO]

Yes it does

Excellent I shall be patient then and give one a test drive. I was willing to pay more thinking the 204 would be less stressed doing the same job. This does not appear to be the case. I am not a petrol or in the case diesel head and knew nothing about the apparent weakening of the engines in order to meet emission regs. If I am wrong I am sure someone on this thread will put me right

I have however owned an 11 year old VW Touran Sport TDI with DSG since new and it has been faultless. 100k on the clock and going to one of my boys when and if I buy my Cali