Worth fixing an early T4 westfalia?

diyhell · Nov 27, 2022

Hi all - a friend bought a T4 Westie after seeing ours a few years back. Its a 94 Westie auto diesel in the blue green colour with all the usual interior stuff and an awning. It was a German import so LHD.

It's well used (200k miles)and although it had an MOT until 17th December, they took it in to get a new one and it failed, needing some bodywork and bits.

They're doing the 'it's not worth anything, we might need to scrap it' but they're clearly bonkers. I sold ours for 10k before lockdown - any idea what they're with now so I can persuade them it's worth fixing, or at least selling?

sidepod · Nov 27, 2022

diyhell said:
Hi all - a friend bought a T4 Westie after seeing ours a few years back. Its a 94 Westie auto diesel in the blue green colour with all the usual interior stuff and an awning. It was a German import so LHD.

It's well used (200k miles)and although it had an MOT until 17th December, they took it in to get a new one and it failed, needing some bodywork and bits.

They're doing the 'it's not worth anything, we might need to scrap it' but they're clearly bonkers. I sold ours for 10k before lockdown - any idea what they're with now so I can persuade them it's worth fixing, or at least selling?

Tricky one. LHD isn’t everyone’s cuppa so this makes it niche. To the right person it’s forth a fortune.
200k is nothing for a 4. It’s only just run in.
They’re all fixable for not much £.
Currently I wouldn’t fancy trying to sell anything but who knows.
Absolute worst case, it’s worth more in parts.

sidepod · Nov 27, 2022

…..you could, just for fun, gives us a clue what it failed on?

diyhell · Nov 27, 2022

Got him to send it over: ouch!

sidepod · Nov 27, 2022

Yeah, bin it.

dspuk · Nov 28, 2022

Whoever gave that an MOT a year ago needs sacking. There is no way many of these issues were not present previously.

Ref the repairs - it’s a long time since I lifted a spanner in anger as a mechanic but my best guess reading down, with a specialist repairer, is about 10K of repairs.

Everything apart from bodyworks is reasonably self fixable, but just that part along would be 2 - 3K. Once a body goes it goes, and this one feels a little gone but I’ve been generous with 7K as there will be a lot more corrosion once they start to peel it back.

Note - Sills are usually always where issue start from. The drain holes at the bottom of the door skins either get blocked and water sits, or they were not corrosion proofed properly before the skins were connected. I used to work in a press shop making these panels and the inspection of these holes was key - any small burr or split and all the corrosion resistance in the work would stop it rusting after a few years.

sidepod · Nov 28, 2022

Indeed. Obvs it’s hard to say exactly what needs cutting out/re-welding but, if the underside is that bad then the whole body probably wants a re spray which would probably be £5k.

calibusje · Nov 28, 2022

If I may just point this out: an original T4 Westfalia will always be left hand drive, correct me if I'm wrong.
We have made beautiful trips with our family in the T4 westfalia california for 10 years and sold it a month ago. It was in very good condition in terms of bodywork and that's important: if you can work on it yourself: do it! Otherwise it will be very expensive. Example: My brother-in-law, who has a garage, took one over that failed mot (as you say). The owner did not like the cost of the work that had to be done. But: my brother-in-law will also sell it, once he is ready, with a good profit.
Mechanically they are easy to work on and the pieces are still readily available. The interior, at least anything westfalia, is repairable but a lot harder to come by (so your friend's would be good for that). Plastic pieces of westfalia like the one at the top (trim work around the ‘hole’ to go up) is rare.
So, a lot of serious body work and another downside: it is an automatic and they are not so wanted and are clearly worth less or are hard to sell or even do not get sold. I sold ours a month ago for an amount that I still think: wow and was almost double the purchase 10 years ago. It is a T4 westfalia california April 1991, manual, 345.000 km, well maintained, very good bodywork and inside everything original and everything working; indeed: I am very proud of our previous T4 westy and was even touched when I saw it drive off with its new owners. What was most important to me is that it will be used and thus it went to a great couple with a baby. They already did a first trip with it and are very pleased. Not to boast, but good stuff sells, the rest is worth next to nothing or go for parts. Your friend is thinking in the right direction I'm afraid.

diyhell · Dec 2, 2022

Thanks all - too true re the 'good stuff sells': we had no problem selling our one but it had been pampered... Outcome is that my friends dumped it for £900 to a guy who's aware of the challenge ahead.

Funny to think that our still smart 2018 Cali will someday present someone with a similar issue!

sidepod · Dec 2, 2022

Excellent news that it’ll continue on.
I regularly check the mot status of our first van to see if it’s still going.

Ozzy Pete · Dec 2, 2022

Personally I think that this can only be economically repaired if you did all the work yourself. To take it into any body shop the costs would be astronomical. Probably 100s of hours of work.
Saying that it’s quite possible that like others have said the best thing would be to sell it for parts. It’s had a life so let it go peacefully....

B J G · Dec 2, 2022

dspuk said:
Whoever gave that an MOT a year ago needs sacking. There is no way many of these issues were not present previously.

Ref the repairs - it’s a long time since I lifted a spanner in anger as a mechanic but my best guess reading down, with a specialist repairer, is about 10K of repairs.

Everything apart from bodyworks is reasonably self fixable, but just that part along would be 2 - 3K. Once a body goes it goes, and this one feels a little gone but I’ve been generous with 7K as there will be a lot more corrosion once they start to peel it back.

Note - Sills are usually always where issue start from. The drain holes at the bottom of the door skins either get blocked and water sits, or they were not corrosion proofed properly before the skins were connected. I used to work in a press shop making these panels and the inspection of these holes was key - any small burr or split and all the corrosion resistance in the work would stop it rusting after a few years.

Testing regime puts doubt if that one was tested prior to sale

Light vehicles (vans, variations of passenger cars and mixed vehicles up to 3,500kg) MOT

Up to 2 years
From 2 to 6 years
From 6 to 10 years
More than 10 years

Exempt
2 years
1 year
6 month