A bit of a bitsa?

[Two7Five]

Hi all,

Have joined up after a bit of a break in T ownership, but have had and messed with many.

I bought a …(Tranist) for a bit but couldn’t put up with it not starting, so have ordered a new T6.1. Anyway I bought a very nice stand in panel van until my new order arrives (quoted 15 months) but it’s been a bit curious here and there when I’ve been doing a few bits - the left hand side is a Kombi set up in that all the seat belt mount points etc are all in, and has the emergency door pulls. Bulkhead but heated and wiper rear screen, with internal release etc.

My bulkhead was a PIG to get out as has a number of significant full pen stitch welds as well as some quite large spot welds - defiantly not as per previous vans I’ve had with bulkheads and suggests it was ‘hand assembled’. It was added pre paint and the whole job seam sealed (which gave a good fight too).

I’m wondering if there’s been a bit of a change with VW now (or then…?) building things that can be tweaked later in the build or whether it’s a bit more common in current times that you get what you’re given. Worse I ever had in the past was the handle missing on the drivers pillar of a highline.

I know my van wasn’t a special order, it was picked from a list as a demo/obligatory stock for the dealer (which was also hired out a couple of times until it got to the magic 6k) 150 highline with heated seats and a rear camera (with a window yet also having a bulkhead). Dec 21 build (and definitely not had a fabulous accident)

I’m 100% going to amend the new van order as it was ordered with a bulkhead but I prefer the Motexion one. The bulkheads been quite a job to remove!

 

[t6blo]

Sounds like an interesting van - maybe the hire company ‘adapted it’ in some way?

 

[Paynewright]

I nearly bought a van that had the kombi seatbelt anchor points on the left side. I wonder if the sliding door frame components are standard for the van/kombi or interchangeable when the van component is out of stock?

 

[Two7Five]

I nearly bought a van that had the kombi seatbelt anchor points on the left side. I wonder if the sliding door frame components are standard for the van/kombi or interchangeable when the van component is out of stock?

Maybe - That’d make sense. Was it about the same age? Historically they’ve been incredibly tight with the purse strings with this sort of thing. I was hoping for tow bar wiring prep but the build sheet (got from here) states not.

 

[Two7Five]

Sounds like an interesting van - maybe the hire company ‘adapted it’ in some way?

It was a main dealer that does hire. It’s all factory built and done pre body paint. Could have been done by the dealer of course, but it’d pass concourse inspection with the spot welds and under seal, so unlikely.

 

[t6blo]

I nearly bought a van that had the kombi seatbelt anchor points on the left side. I wonder if the sliding door frame components are standard for the van/kombi or interchangeable when the van component is out of stock?

More likely the interchangeable when out of stock - or reducing costs by only having one type of panel.

My previous 2016 T6 was a panel van and definitely did not have any Kombi/shuttle seat belt anchor points on either side of the van.

My 2019 is a factory Kombi and does have the third row shuttle seatbelt anchor points.

 

[Two7Five]

Yep - almost every van I’ve sold previously have gone to friends - two were converted into kombi’s (by me with my friends ‘helping’) neither had any sniff of kombi in them. The first one (an ‘06) we ended up putting some big plates in the c pillars for the belt mounts as they were single skin/not particularly meaty, altho the B pillar on this new one feels about the same. Very thin! My last 5.1 was also converted with a sliding seat/bed - was a lovely van but was very nice indeed once that was fitted (no good for bikes tho….)

Might me something in the sliding door side being single part numbers between all models nowadays. Handy for folk converting - I found it incredibly hard to find a panel van in my search for this stand in tho, nearly everything seems to be a kombi these days.