UKC

I'm at the very first stage of a van conversion in that I am still deciding what van I want. I seem to hear and see a lot of people converting Vivaro's/Traffic's but much fewer converting Transits.

A quick Autotrader search and an equivalent (mileage and age) Transit is approx £1000 less.

Am I missing something? Why would I not choose a Transit? Are they harder to convert? More expensive to run? Less reliable? Or have I imagined the lack of Transit conversions?

In reply to t_hume:

I work for a large telecoms company and we use either vivaros or transits as our workhorse vehicles.
ive driven both and the main differences ive noticed is that the vivaros are more stylish but not as well laid out in the cab area , the transits don't look as good but rust far more than the vivaro, some excessively so after just a few years.
both are pretty unreliable as they get older and id say the vivaro is slightly more unreliable than the transit.
if it wasn't for the rusting id go for the transit if I was buying one myself.
our vans get a hard life but in some ways that's the best test of all for a van.
if you can afford it get a vw, pricey but far better than either of the above.

In reply to t_hume:

Probably mainly a size thing... Vivaro/Traffic should be a bit easier to use as an everyday van?

My initial thoughts were to do a transit, but after looking into it the ducato/relay/boxer is a much squarer shape that lends itself better to conversion. It's also wider, allowing those of us who are vertically challenged to fit a transverse bed. The handbrake on the door side to allow for swivel seats is also useful.

If you haven't already come across it, I'd recommend joining the SBMCC... by far and away the best £15 I spent on my conversion - I'd have done quite a few things differently if I'd joined during the planning phase rather than half way through the build.

In reply to t_hume:

I have 5 traffics and in general they are reliable and economical and don't rust due to a galvanised body.
I did have a mk7 transit for 3 years, it was not reliable and rusted bad. It might just have been a Friday afternoon van but I won't buy another.
The transit drives much better than the traffics though.

In reply to t_hume:

My Transit was easy to convert and is nice to drive but at 6 years old and 74,000 miles it is starting to rust which is pissing me off no end.

In reply to t_hume:
I second that Dave, love my Transit but after 6 years the rust has started, especially on the front roof above the windscreen. At around 70k it is also in need of a new clutch / dual mass flywheel which is going to be over a grand all in unfortunately, and which is a common problem I'm told. And EGR valves are a total pain - I've ended up disconnecting mine.

As a conversion the Transit is certainly easy to do and much less than equivalent mileage VWs to buy. Mine was a 'messing unit' which only needed minor alterations at virtually no cost and the heater/water/toilet/microwave/lighting was already fitted. Most such messing units seem to be Transits.

You can also now get a seat swivel for the double front seat which though a wee bit pricey is well worth it.

In reply to suilven:

I think EGR valves are a total pain in general. The one in my Trafic was a nuisance too, fortunately they're easily blanked off by simply taking it off and re-fitting it upside down.

I'd take issue with the comments above about a VW being vastly better than a Trafic. Not enough to justify the difference in price in my opinion. I work with a lot of people who drive T5s and they don't seem to be as reliable as all that, a few of them have had very expensive turbo problems at around 130000 miles ish. Maybe I've been lucky to dodge the legendary injector problems, but my Trafic is still reliable at 230000 and counting. (Though the gearbox is definitely beginning to feel like it's on the way out now, I think I'll be looking for a new van this summer.)

In reply to t_hume:

Transits as a new van are the cheapest you can buy new on the road, I would think conversions are rarer due to the fact that the travelers number one van of choice is a transit, the generic Nissan, Renault, vauxhall van, is a bit more new, and they're all a much of a muchness, Out of all of them for styling I prefer the SWB low top transit, you'd sleep in it full length, but not stand up, you can do that in a high top but they don't look as good. It all depends what you want out of your conversion.

When buying a used van the main thing is the service history, vans don't get much love, and they all can suffer from numerous issues arising from poor servicing. I get this work coming in on a regular basis, egr, tubo rebuilds, welding up broken cats, top and bottom end engine rebuilds, injector problems, charging problems, door cables broken, rust and body work, brakes, replace problematic gearbox bearings, It's all fixable if you have a good DIY outlook or you know a decent mechanic. Regards the VW situation folk think they have some hallowed status, VW make rot boxes same as anyone else.

In reply to t_hume:

Transits rust, amazingly rust prone................

In reply to t_hume:

Oh and my dads traffic was far more fuel efficient...

In reply to t_hume:

I have a 57 plate Vivaro, fully converted, and she's fantastic. Loads of space and drives well. Sadly soon for sale due to not being suitable to sleep my baby daughter as well as the two of us, but great value (£13k newly fully converted) compared to the VWs etc, and more space.

In reply to t_hume:

I've had three Vivaros/Trafics. They are good vehicles and a lot cheaper than a VW and just as good I think.

One thing I would say is get the high roof version. Humans have evolved about 4ft9 and no matter how cool you think your T5 is, it isn't at all when you have to bend over all the time.

Pop up roofs are also rubbish for Scottish winter. If that isn't your game then no problems.

In reply to t_hume:

Have driven transits of all ages and models for 1000's of miles and wouldnt have anything else tbh. Never had any major problems with any of them

In reply to t_hume:

Can't comment on Transits as I've only driven one, but we own a Vivaro LWB. As others have said, I'd agree that the Transit's nicer to drive and has a much better turning circle.

Vivaros - When they go well, they are great, fast, economical for what they are and comfortable. But when they go wrong ....!!! We've got a 2008 one, 109K miles with a FSH and it's not going; in fact it hasn't gone for well over a year.

Problems started when an injector went. New injector £400 + VAT and fitting. Garage (very reputable; not a bunch of cowboys) couldn't get the old one out of the head (a very common problem apparently) so had to get it done by specialists - another £350 + VAT. New injector fitted, van running on 3 cylinders only. Garage stumped, so they trailered it over to the main dealer for specialist diagnostics. Verdict? When the injector went, it took out the engine management ECU. (Not uncommon apparently.) Genuine parts ECU = £550+VAT, although the garage sourced a rebuilt one for £350+VAT. ECU fitted, injectors coded to it etc etc and ... still running on 3 cylinders.

The final step was to replace the rebuilt ECU with a genuine parts one. No difference; still chugging on 3. Both garage and main dealer stumped. That was last year and the van still isn't going. In fact it's basically scrap as we decided that we couldn't just keep throwing money at it. To date it has cost £2800 for 'repairs'. It's become a very expensive hen house.

Were we just unlucky? Well seemingly not after an off-the-record chat with the main dealer's service manager. Apparently the MD sees loads of Vivaros with injector and ECU problems, at all ages and mileages, both in and out of warranty.

Google ''Vivaro Problems''. See what you think then.

Toyota anyone?

In reply to Dave Williams:







I'd say this is because main dealers are essentially not very good at problem solving they charge top dollar and are basically parts fitters, stuck injectors are something you get used to and find ways around, taking £2800 for that work that's been done is pretty much criminal, however if folk think main dealers are reputable businesses well it's their choice to throw their hard earned money away.

In reply to John Simpson:

Thanks for your comments. I must point out though that you clearly haven't learnt to read properly. Please read my post again. It might then register that a stuck injector was only a small part of the problem.

Secondly, other than £60 for diagnostics, none of the work was done by a main dealer - so you can put your condescending superiority and thinly veiled criticism back in the box.

BTW, you're more than welcome to try and fix it.

In reply to Dave Williams:

I read it fully three times before posting, I understand a stuck injector is only part of the bill, I'm not sure why you have to go straight into attack mode because I say you've been ripped off, and I say main dealers aren't that good. Maybe you should take this attitude to the people who billed you for not fixing it rather than on here, sounds pretty strange. How can they justify charging you if they haven't fixed it. I could fix it probably and if not I know people who could. But I don't need the work thanks.

In reply to Dave Williams:

So lets have a look at this if you've tried 2 ecu's and problem is same chances of it been ecu are slim. if it's running on three still well there's a fault somewhere.

Basics remove all injectors, check cranking pressure of all cylinders, if checks out, get injectors refurbed by specialist should cost about 120 an injector at most, refit injectors and rebuild, if there is an ecu problem best option is to find someone who can crack the ecu code, basically it's a flash drive with a fuel map on, if file is corrupted it gets a rewrite, you can get this done for £80, 1 days garage labour backstreet price about 250.

And assuming it is an injector fault, it could be egr very similar symptoms, it wouldn't be the first time someones missed it.

But I would think fixing it would give you a price of around 600 - 700 to get it sorted in Yorkshire. Like you say it's a common problem and common problems have common fixes. I'm not trying to patronize you I'm trying to help.

In reply to John Simpson:


The garage simply maintained that they had done nothing wrong. They had tried - and failed - to repair the van for which, as a highly regarded local independent garage, they gave a very genuine and embarrassed apology. However, they stated that they could reasonably charge for all the new parts and materials and for their labour. They refused to hand the van back until they were paid, but offered a 50% discount on their labour cost due to their abject failure to repair the van.

We took legal advice. In law, a garage has a legal right, called a lien, to hold a vehicle until they are paid. But it also goes further than that. They can, after giving notice, dispose of the vehicle, deduct the bill and all their costs, and send a cheque for the balance. In practice they would write twice. First a threat such as 'if you don't pay we may dispose of the vehicle' and then a second letter giving an ultimatum such as 'If you don't pay up in 30 days from the date of this letter, we will sell the vehicle'.

We went partly down this road before (very reluctantly, following legal advice) paying up.

So this is how can they justify charging you if they haven't fixed it.

Hopefully, you are now better informed than you were previously.


[Sincere apologies for the thread hijack. ]

In reply to Dave Williams:

Thanks for the considered response, and I understand the situation as described as i work in the trade. This justification whilst legal still doesn't wash with me, as I may not be the best mechanic in the world but if I take a job on it gets finished even if many a time I've lost money on it. Therefore if they've fitted new parts which they haven't been able to set up properly well they've mis sold you some parts and surely it's your consumer right to return the parts for a refund.

In reply to Dave Williams:

I had this very same argument with my Dad about as it happens a main dealer who'd scammed him out of a couple of 100, they went bust a year or so later.

In reply to t_hume:

I've had a Vivaro for the last two years, just taken it off the road and gone back to having a car for the foreseeable future.

Mine's an 04 SWB Vivaro, ex-council fleet maintenance van that I picked up at a car auction for £1300. It'd done approx 130k, but with FSH and - being council owned - was well looked after (it seemed). It was great for the first year or so, but in the last year it's needed over £2500 of repairs, including new clutch, two new ball joints, new diesel pump, new cam-belt and water pump, complete disassembly and repair of passenger seatbelt system, and the latest breakdown is a suspected turbo failure, which has been the final nail in the coffin.

As others have said, though, when it's good, it's great. It drives well, doesn't rust badly, pretty economical and far more affordable than a T4/5. I know plenty of people who are very happy with their Vivaros/Trafics/Primastars, but I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole after my experiences. It seems to be a bit of a lottery, but I certainly don't know enough about these things to be able to offer any sort of advice about how to win!

Best of luck with the conversion - vans are brilliant and I'd love to get a T4/5 one day, funds permitting, but for now I'm going to see how sleeping in an estate car goes! Hopefully, being a Skoda, it'll be more reliable.

In reply to alexm198:
If your turbo has failed, there's some easy enough to find tell tale signs, the most obvious been take the hose off on the end of the compressor cover, and feel for the nut at the end of the turbine shaft if there's loads of play in it, and if there's loads of oil there turbo has failed. However you can always expect some oil and a very small amount of end float in the rotating assembly, don't just wiggle up and down also push end to end, as journal bearings or thrust parts can fail. If it has failed and you feel comfortable taking it off the van, or getting a DIY type mate to give you a hand, and you could could get it in the post. I could repair it for under £100 and give you a 12 month guarantee on the unit.

Sorry to thread for this post, but it wouldn't be the first time I've driven down to south Wales and spent 6 hours laying in the pissing rain to fit a turbo on me mates car cos some cowboys had done half a job a few 1000 mile before.