VW Camper has become an iconic part of motor history. The first models went on sale in the early 1950?s, and since then people can?t seem to get enough of them. As well as being aesthetically appealing, these vans provide a perfect camping experience, with its large interior and comfortable living space. A VW camper can make your holiday, which is why it is such an iconic model today.
The VW Camper has become a retro icon during recent times, probably due to its association with hippies in the late 1960’s. Many people now look to buy to restore them into their original forms, and then can live the culture that they created in the 60’s. The Volkswagen Camper is a fun and fantastic option if you are looking to go on a holiday which requires you to travel as well as find your own accommodation.
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VW CAMPER VAN BUYING GUIDE
The most important thing to look for on either model or it's spares is rust as it the most
expensive and time consuming in repairs. The bottom 6" of VW Camper usually suffers all
round. Look for signs of serious rust on chassis box-a valuable parts of your VW Camper,especially at the
front near the front axle - an important spares and up to the front bumper, but also on the front and
rear outriggers up to the sills. The roof guttering, sills, rear bottom corners,
front panel edges (especially at window bottoms), wheel arches - all can
disappear with rust.
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| Floors can usually be reasonable, but could have patches
anywhere in front of the VW Camper 's wheels and also a common floor rust place is
side to side behind the front seats (above a box section that gets wet from
driving wind blast). If there are cover plates under the floor this can hide a
horror story of trapped moisture and rust. Look for signs of filler/repairs all
around in your VW Camper, because if they've been done badly, they'll rust through in no time,
and it's expensive/time consuming repair work. Check for rips in lifting
roofs. |
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Any VW Camper that has been 'lowered' be wary of, because badly lowered or
adjusted suspension can be dangerous, and the ride may be harsh. It may
look 'cool' but you'll be uncomfortable on long journeys and you won't be
able to see over hedges or over other cars, which is part of the fun. Neither
will you be able to crawl underneath for any impromptu repairs.
Engine oil leaks near the gearbox flange usually mean an 'engine out' job to
change the flywheel oil seal. Gearboxes are usually tough and synchros
usually last, but listen for bearing whines, floppy gearchange is usual, but
check all gears work and don't jump out of gear (accelerate and decelerate
sharply in each gear with warm engine). VW Camper engine should not blow out smoke.
Knocks are bad, rattles usually less serious. Lots of oil inside the engine
compartment is bad news. Pull and push the bottom pulley wheel - if you
feel a loud 'clunk - clunk' the engine needs a rebuild and will not last very
long. Very very small movement is OK.
Watch out for inoperative heaters and controls, that often means it needs
new heat exchangers and/or lots of new cables/pipes/grazed knuckles.
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Petrol tank leaks - a smell of petrol inside the car usually means the rubber
breather pipes in the tank chamber (in front of the engine behind a fire wall
panel) need renewing - an 'engine out' time consuming and fiddly job. Or it
could be the flexible filler pipe. Also tanks can rust through underneath if
exposed to other rusty bits of bodywork underneath.
Steering should be direct with hardly any play. The steering box can be adjusted or replaced, but check it hasn't been fully adjusted and it's still wonky.
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Where to get repairs advice of Camper spares and parts
Look for an experienced VW Camper spares specialist that's been here for more
than 40 years and you can inspect a car that have been restored here or get a
customer reference. |
