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This seems to be latest craze. Especially with VW T25 models (1980-1990). Buying a ‘GOOD’ UK can sometimes be quite difficult to find as there are now numerous ’so called’ dealers buying them,pinting them and selling them on for £££.

I have found that if your interested in buying a VW Camper especially the T25 version, buying one from europe will not only save you £ but you a lot more likely to get a much better van for your money. Or if you dont fancy importing one yourself (which is a lot less hassle than it seems) Buy a van that has recently imported and NOT messed with.

If you want to buy a van in europe yourself either try the relative ebay site i.e. ebay.de for germany or much better start searching google for VW Transporters for sale in Munich ETC ETC you’ll be amazed at how many there are. Flights are now so cheap with companies like ryanair and easyjet it will probably only cost around £50 mark to get there. You will find most europeans will be happy to meet your at the airport.

Then have a leisurely drive back. Obviously thats a very simplistic look at it but it is very easily done. There are now 3+ businesses set up specifically doing this so if you dont fancy driving seek ones of these out and buy a readily imported one.

Have you recently imported a van from europe??? post your comments

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An area worth checking is the front axle beam. Ancillaries such as Bump stops,Ball joints and shock absorbers are easily replaced at no great expense. But the Main axle beam is NOT. this is a big job. US Imported Camper Vans should NOT have any problems with front axle beams, But UK and European seem to suffer quite badly.

I have seen beams that have literally rotted through, Big Time. The problem is welding, I have know a lot of Garages FAIL a mot because of welded repaired beams, but some do pass. Personally if i was buying a VW Camper i would NOT buy one that has had the axle welded.

The best way to check the axle is to take the wheel off. The main problem areas are around where the Bump stops are and the Bottom of the axle corners, where they extensivley rust. If it has been welded it will clearley be seen. Please also take a small screwdriver to scrape away any dirt to see how it looks.

There are a few suppliers now around supplying rust free imported Front Axles so its worth pricing them up.

A major area for concern on all VW Campers are the front wheel arches and inside the fron wheel arch itself.

The Front arches are very prone to rotting away. A big problem with this is that over the years these get bidged up and people end up either filling them or sticking a cheap outer repair panel on them. These are awful and simply hide the rust and rot underneath.

If your are considering buy a van make sure it has had complete fron wheel arches fitted. If your van need front arches there are two options.

1. A replacement Complete front arch

2. A Genuine VW complete front arch

If you want to spend a couple of days fitting the arch then buy the replacement. If you want it to fit and be of a decent quality BUY THE GENUINE arch. These are a bit more expensive BUT will save you hour and hours of labour guarenteed.

A place on a VW Camper very prone to rusting is is the Battery Seat. This can be caused by the battery leaking aswell as being a bit of a water trap.

This is located in the engine bay on the right hand side. To check this is a Must. Its a bit of a pain as the battery has to be removed. But if you are spending ££££ on a VW Camper i woiuld seriously recommend spending at least 5 minutes removing it. If the seller is selling a genuine van they will have no problems removing this to show you how good their van is.

When check the tray under the battery check the exact same area on the left side. Although this is a lot less prone to rusting.

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A Big place that VW Campers rot is in the bottom 2 corners of the windscreen panel. Its is easily temporarily covered with filler and a bit of paint. Beware this can get very expensive if it has been bodged up. Check these very carefully, take a magnet with you. A fully restored van would probably have had a new front panel fitted so this will not be an issue.

A bodged up van will have been filled. This will soon cause the paint the bubble and probably wont even last a few weeks. This will result in a proper repair doing. It will get very expensive as it is very labour intensive. A new Front Panel will cost anything from £60-£75.00 and a new windscreen seal would cost around £25 for a genuine vw one. Labour i estimate around £300.00 plus paint etc.

Avoid restored vans without a NEW Front panel fitted.

Apart from the oil leaks mentioned in the previous post. There are some very basics to check just visually even to the ‘novice’ are easily spottable.

First off.
Check all around the carburettor for small fuel leaks.. The old ones are especially prone to leaking. These are very expensive to replace at around £120.00 each plus labour.

Check the fuel pump area. Especially around the base for leaks. These are a bakelite type flange that get very brittle in time and crack. However these are very cheap and easily replaced.

Check the Inlet Manifold boots. These need checking for cracks. They are not a simple job to do which is frustrating as the boots are only around £2.00 each.

Parts such as the Distributor cap/leads and engine surround seal are very cheaply and easily replaced. By if your buying a restored Van they should all have been changed.

Please add your comments below on other things worth checking.

911 Insurance

The first in what will no doubt be numerous articles on things to look for when buying a VW Camper.

First off we will look at the very Basics starting off here with a simplisitic look at the Engine itself. Here the most popular engine the 1600 cc is covered in general detail. A more detailed look will be covered later.

First Off.

1) Oil Leaks

There are 3 main areas to look for Oil Leaks.

1)Where the engine is bolted to the gearbox. A quick look underneath the van you will easily see where the engine is attached to the gearbox. If there is a drops of oil here however small this is very likeley to be the Crankshaft oil seal. This is a very very common fault and the majority on non recondictioned engine seem to be leaking. This in itself is not a major problem but will only get worse over time eventually causing oil contamination of the Clutch. Because the engine has to be removed , It can be a very expensive job to replace the seal which on its own costs only around £3.00, but the labour is usually around the £100.00 mark.

2)Pushrod tubes. The pushrod tube seals are also very prone to leaking. This is a bit difficult to see from underneath the van but if you look inbetween the cylinder heads and the main engine case any oil around that area is from these. There are 2 ways to replace the seals depending on how many are leaking. If you only have one leaking the cheapest option is to replace one using a collasible tube. This can be done in situ we saves on time and if your paying labour costs. If there are 2 or more leaking i would seriously recommend removing the heads and replacing all tubes and seals. The parts would cost around £20.00 but its the labour (around £150-£200) cost that can be expensive if your dont do the work yourself.

3)The final place very prone to leaking oil is the rocker covers. This is very easy to see from underneath. The cause of this can be a number of reasons. Incorrectly fitted gaskets, the spring loaded clips are worn and the rocker covers themselves maybe warped. This is an inexpesive job and i recommend replacing the rocker covers/clips and gaskets in one go. The parts will cost around £20.00 and easy i pretty esy DIY job for your self. And not very labour intensive should you be paying.

please add your tips and comments below.