Caravelle Factory Soundproofing

[Lukavell]

A quick one for any Caravelle owners out there. What's the consensus on the factory soundproofing? The noise in my Kombi is one of the reasons I want to trade it in. I've soundproofed everything I can and whilst there is little road noise etc the 2.5 diesel engine is ever present and quite agricultural sounding. This is something I'd really like to avoid in a T6.

 

[Craigsom]

A quick one for any Caravelle owners out there. What's the consensus on the factory soundproofing? The noise in my Kombi is one of the reasons I want to trade it in. I've soundproofed everything I can and whilst there is little road noise etc the 2.5 diesel engine is ever present and quite agricultural sounding. This is something I'd really like to avoid in a T6.

I traded in a T6 panel van that I sound proofed, insulated and carpeted throughout, the second I test drove a caravelle I was amazed at the difference, I ordered it there and then mine is very car like when it comes to road noise, even with the 20" wheels , get and test drive one, you wont be disappointed

 

[chriscroft]

A quick one for any Caravelle owners out there. What's the consensus on the factory soundproofing? The noise in my Kombi is one of the reasons I want to trade it in. I've soundproofed everything I can and whilst there is little road noise etc the 2.5 diesel engine is ever present and quite agricultural sounding. This is something I'd really like to avoid in a T6.

The 2.0 bi-turbo Euro6 in a Velle is very quiet, as good as an expensive car imo. I have the laminated glass acoustic option as well. Even at high speed it is very quiet and refined. Also have the DCC, so the dampers/shockers automatically control the roll, so I have no need to change/lower the suspensions for handling reasons; this again I believe adds to the luxury and relaxed ambience of the cabin.
I drive a Volvo XC60 mostly, and the Velle is just as refined/quiet imo.
The Velle T5 whilst a great vehicle, but was much more a van than the T6 which is more like a luxury SUV.
If you want the ultimate T6 experience you could also consider a petrol TSI, even smoother and quieter by all accounts

 

[Lukavell]

I traded in a T6 panel van that I sound proofed, insulated and carpeted throughout, the second I test drove a caravelle I was amazed at the difference, I ordered it there and then mine is very car like when it comes to road noise, even with the 20" wheels , get and test drive one, you wont be disappointed

Music to my ears, just what I wanted to hear!

 

[Pauly]

Having bought and seen many caravelle parts it would seem there is lots of sound deading or at least sound reducing measures on caravelle parts, most dash panels etc have additional padding/wadding stuck to the back of them that i believe is some form of sound absorption/void fill its present on many parts even down to the backs of the pillar trims in places

 

[Lukavell]

The 2.0 bi-turbo Euro6 in a Velle is very quiet, as good as an expensive car imo. I have the laminated glass acoustic option as well. Even at high speed it is very quiet and refined. Also have the DCC, so the dampers/shockers automatically control the roll, so I have no need to change/lower the suspensions for handling reasons; this again I believe adds to the luxury and relaxed ambience of the cabin.
I drive a Volvo XC60 mostly, and the Velle is just as refined/quiet imo.
The Velle T5 whilst a great vehicle, but was much more a van than the T6 which is more like a luxury SUV.
If you want the ultimate T6 experience you could also consider a petrol TSI, even smoother and quieter by all accounts

I liked the look of the Acoustics Extra Package but noted that it automatically deletes the Heated Front Windscreen which I also liked the thought of, it's great in my (wife's) Tiguan anyway. Need to decide which is more important I suppose. How efficient is the fan heating system in a Velle?

I also liked the look of the DCC but it's an expensive option so haven't seriously considered it but might give it some thought now if it adds to the luxury and ambience of driving it. If I'm spending that much I want it to be like a luxury SUV. Not quite willing to switch to Petrol yet though, especially with the MPG figures!

 

[Lukavell]

Having bought and seen many caravelle parts it would seem there is lots of sound deading or at least sound reducing measures on caravelle parts, most dash panels etc have additional padding/wadding stuck to the back of them that i believe is some form of sound absorption/void fill its present on many parts even down to the backs of the pillar trims in places

I assumed it would be but this is all good news in the confirmation of my assumptions!

 

[Pauly]

Here's an example of a caravelle C pillar, you don't get that stuck on the back on kombi trims

 

[chriscroft]

I liked the look of the Acoustics Extra Package but noted that it automatically deletes the Heated Front Windscreen which I also liked the thought of, it's great in my (wife's) Tiguan anyway. Need to decide which is more important I suppose. How efficient is the fan heating system in a Velle?

I also liked the look of the DCC but it's an expensive option so haven't seriously considered it but might give it some thought now if it adds to the luxury and ambience of driving it. If I'm spending that much I want it to be like a luxury SUV. Not quite willing to switch to Petrol yet though, especially with the MPG figures!

I've got the acoustic glass and heated screen, so not sure what has changed? Mines 2017my
To be honest as the windscreen is already laminated, I thought the lamination referred to the side glass and/or rear glass.
We've had the Velle about 16months, and we had the night heater specked as well, so i can pre-heat the van before starting it. So in reality I don't really need the heated screen (it was standard on the Velle Exec).
I'm not sure petrol is for me yet either. I guess it all depends on your milage/usage/willingness to splash the cash at the pumps v long term woes with pdf/egr/ad-blu etc etc.
We spent a lot of cash on extras, and other than metallic paint, I think my favourite is DCC, which at present cannot be retrofitted. But if you want to lower the Velle say 50mm+ etc, then it may not be for you.
The general heating is very effective on a velle because it comes with an auxiliary heater as standard. You can't control it independently, but turn the heating up, and if the engine cannot supply the heat; the diesel burning auxiliary automatically switches on.
Also the 204 diesel has all sorts of trick bits which allows it to heat up more quickly, such as the intercooler has gone, and it now has a charge cooler which is controllable by the engine management system, much faster warm up.

 

[Lukavell]

Here's an example of a caravelle C pillar, you don't get that stuck on the back on kombi trims

Nope, I can vouch for that having stripped my Kombi. There is nawt!

I've got the acoustic glass and heated screen, so not sure what has changed? Mines 2017my

Interesting, I'm not sure whats going on there then. You can still get it on the Kombi configurator too which I though was odd. I just double checked on the caravelle configurator and its definitely crossed out on the standard equipment list if you specify acoustic package extra. Ill maybe have to ask my local dealers see if they know. Although, i doubt they will...

To be honest as the windscreen is already laminated, I thought the lamination referred to the side glass and/or rear glass.
We've had the Velle about 16months, and we had the night heater specked as well, so i can pre-heat the van before starting it. So in reality I don't really need the heated screen (it was standard on the Velle Exec).

Again, something i hadn't considered but will look into, there's several different options if I remember right?

I'm not sure petrol is for me yet either. I guess it all depends on your milage/usage/willingness to splash the cash at the pumps v long term woes with pdf/egr/ad-blu etc etc.
We spent a lot of cash on extras, and other than metallic paint, I think my favourite is DCC, which at present cannot be retrofitted. But if you want to lower the Velle say 50mm+ etc, then it may not be for you.

I think I'm going for candy white although I do like cherry red, reflex silver and Acapulco blue too!! Not too bothered about ride height, more comfort although I have fitted Bilstein B14s and some updated ARBs on my Kombi. That said they improved the ride no end, they were a fair bit more expensive than the DCC and whilst great on smooth roads they can be pretty rough on rough roads so DCC sounds like a great all rounder.

The general heating is very effective on a velle because it comes with an auxiliary heater as standard. You can't control it independently, but turn the heating up, and if the engine cannot supply the heat; the diesel burning auxiliary automatically switches on.
Also the 204 diesel has all sorts of trick bits which allows it to heat up more quickly, such as the intercooler has gone, and it now has a charge cooler which is controllable by the engine management system, much faster warm up.

I did not know that it came with an auxilliary heater so thats good to know. I'm looking at the Exec 150 so won' get all the trick bits to warm her up quicker I dont think.

Whats the speaker set up like with discovery media? Is discovery media worth 1500 quid extra? It came as standard in the Tiguan but the mapping isn't great although I do like the large screen and connectivity of it all.

Also thinking about the Dynaudio, anybody specced that? got that in the Tiguan and it's very impressive but it was a grand cheaper!

This is all very helpful guys so thank you very much.

 

[Fish]

Here's an example of a caravelle C pillar, you don't get that stuck on the back on kombi trims
View attachment 17108 View attachment 17109

There nice..

 

[chriscroft]

Nope, I can vouch for that having stripped my Kombi. There is nawt!



Interesting, I'm not sure whats going on there then. You can still get it on the Kombi configurator too which I though was odd. I just double checked on the caravelle configurator and its definitely crossed out on the standard equipment list if you specify acoustic package extra. Ill maybe have to ask my local dealers see if they know. Although, i doubt they will...



Again, something i hadn't considered but will look into, there's several different options if I remember right?



I think I'm going for candy white although I do like cherry red, reflex silver and Acapulco blue too!! Not too bothered about ride height, more comfort although I have fitted Bilstein B14s and some updated ARBs on my Kombi. That said they improved the ride no end, they were a fair bit more expensive than the DCC and whilst great on smooth roads they can be pretty rough on rough roads so DCC sounds like a great all rounder.
The DCC comes with "Dynamic lowering" included, so it is already 20mm lower than standard.
The button on the dash with sport/normal/comfort is really only secondary to the system continuously adjusting the compression and extension rates of each shocker independently up to 1000 times per second. I don't think there is a luxury SUV or large car that does have it either standard or as an option these days. It really is a must have imo.



I did not know that it came with an auxilliary heater so thats good to know. I'm looking at the Exec 150 so won' get all the trick bits to warm her up quicker I dont think.

Whats the speaker set up like with discovery media? Is discovery media worth 1500 quid extra? It came as standard in the Tiguan but the mapping isn't great although I do like the large screen and connectivity of it all.
I went for it because i wanted everything else other than the satnav; we have a top of the range tom-tom sat on the dash using a tom-tom bean bag thing; we much prefer the live traffic using a sim on the tom-tom; its really good.
But we wanted the larger screen/apple car play/car stick wifi- which works really well etc.

Also thinking about the Dynaudio, anybody specced that? got that in the Tiguan and it's very impressive but it was a grand cheaper!
mmmmm, I wanted dynaudio; the Mrs wanted the little store bin in the top of the dash. I lost
So 5 months later i spent a similar amount of money with jason @Absolut5 ; and am really pleased with the sound.
I think Ollie @BognorMotors has had a Velle with dynaudio, so perhaps he can comment

This is all very helpful guys so thank you very much.

 

[BognorMotors]

Sorry not got Dynaudio in our one, which we’ve just sold. Got a nice Oryx white one inbound now

 

[KEDSKI]

we had T5 velle and it was waaay noisier inside than T6 velle. When i tested T6 in 2016 i was amazed how car like it was! Now we can talk normally, not shout to each other when driving long distances

 

[Lukavell]

Sorry not got Dynaudio in our one, which we’ve just sold. Got a nice Oryx white one inbound now

Cheers for letting me know, appreciate it. I like Orxy white but haven't seen it in the flesh so not sure it's worth the extra outlay?

we had T5 velle and it was waaay noisier inside than T6 velle. When i tested T6 in 2016 i was amazed how car like it was! Now we can talk normally, not shout to each other when driving long distances

Great to know.

 

[Lukavell]

I went for it because i wanted everything else other than the satnav; we have a top of the range tom-tom sat on the dash using a tom-tom bean bag thing; we much prefer the live traffic using a sim on the tom-tom; its really good.
But we wanted the larger screen/apple car play/car stick wifi- which works really well etc.

Yeah, that's my thinking really. The factory Satnav is good for motorway journeys but pretty poor for inner city type navigation which is where even Google Maps on the App Connect is much better. Also, not that I'm planning on selling it, I think it will be looked on favourably come resale time.

mmmmm, I wanted dynaudio; the Mrs wanted the little store bin in the top of the dash. I lost
So 5 months later i spent a similar amount of money with jason @Absolut5 ; and am really pleased with the sound.

The Dynaudio is wasted on my Mrs but she doesn't know that there'll be a cubby hole missing either! What did you make of the speaker set up and sound prior to your absolut5 install?

 

[chriscroft]

The standard audio was fine to be fair, and given that when I'm in it I mostly listen to radio4 anyway
Just fancied the upgrade for the odd road trip we do into Scotland/Europe; and being a teenager again for a while, anyway.
One day i may get around to upgrading the aerial to a roof mounted amplified bee-sting or sharks-fin, because the dab reception can be patchy; due to the aerial(s) being in the mirror housings.
I think if you are a samsung/android phone user, "waze" - sat nav app works through the Android-Auto; and that is a really good google maps based nav system imo; which I think will become the market leader.

 

[WolverineMac]

@chriscroft thinking of adding Skinz Automotive sound deadening to the side walls, door panels, front cabin headline and floor, as well as the wheel arches and door plastics. How much difference did you find with the dynamatt and out of interest what does it cost

 

[Caravellet6]

Cheers for letting me know, appreciate it. I like Orxy white but haven't seen it in the flesh so not sure it's worth the extra outlay?

Great to know.

Oryx white is great not sure I’d pay the money VW want though, mine cost me nowt.
I’d go with everyone already said, the Velle is as quiet as a posh car we had an XC60 too and it’s really as good as that was, even better with laminated glass package too......

 

[Montecha]

I took a piece of the VW OEM sound absorption material down to 'the sound deadening shop' - by process of elimination I think this Silent Coat product has the same function. I've used it on all my new dash parts and the new door cards.

Silent Coat Absorber 15 Sheet