General Buying advice

[Hamster67]

It's worth noting the T30 is mechanically little different to the T28.

If you saw a T28 and it was love at first sight and found the extra 200kg payload capacity was really important you can get it "up plated" as high as 3.1 tonnes for a couple of hundred quid, a purely paper exercise.

It's also worth bearing in mind that not all specs are created equal. For example, the Startline was available with a "business pack" that bestowed aircon, cruise, autonomous braking, parking sensors, Cat 1 alarm, and which brings the equipment spec close to a highline (main differendes is still lack of colour coding on the exterior trim) for often a lot less cash.

I thought the van had to be checked over. Can you advise how to go about this if its just a paper exercise.
Im pretty sure I must be near capacity when fully loaded ( if not over)
I have upgraded to So low NXT suspension and intend to upgrade the brakes to nutexa in the next 6 months.

 

[Sasquatch]

Uprating

As you may be aware, the DVSA is paying close attention to the condition and weight of vehicles, because over recent years it has found that more and more of them are running overloaded. SvTech can uprate most makes and models of motorhomes, horseboxes, minibuses, pickups and LCVs;

www.svtech.co.uk

 

[Kind of Blue]

I have not seen a multi agency road block for a little while now but they used to be very common in Wales and would have police pulling vehicles all over an area not just those that passed the usually large hard standing. I understand and news local paper reports confirmed that many aspect of vehicles and ownership where delved into and that some vehicle where on occasion taken to weighbridges. Traffic approaching and passing the inspection sites where slowed right down and officers of multiple agencies including police would look very carefully at each approaching and passing vehicle before waving on or pulling. Occasionally a marked car would go after a vehicle presumably to return it. Truck, Vans occasionally cars would be pulled. It always appears very industrious occasions and several vehicles might be waiting in a cordoned off area at any one time. I have never been pulled so have no real idea of the process only some of the results as reported in the news paper or on local BBC TV News bulletins. I do know that they also looked for illegal working and I think claiming benefits while working as well as drivers rules stopping for breaks adherences Tachograph and such vehicle faults and suspected overweight vehicles MOT insurance irregularities tank dipping for illegal use of untaxed red diesel common in back water Wales and so on. I know that they seemed to be aware of people avoiding the area by seeing the occasional vehicle being stopped for some reason out of the immediate area.

 

[wheelnut]

If it helps regarding weights, I weighed mine today. It's a T6.1 T32 150bhp DSG LWB with high roof.
At weighbridge it was 2.9 tonnes gross, nearly loaded for a trip to E. Europe. Axle weights well within the 1710/1720 limits, too.
I have added 160kg for stuff not yet loaded (wife etc) so I get to 3060 kg gross. Leaves 140kg spare payload for booze on this trip, and for rear towbar rack and awning as well on a future trip.

Prior to this I had a 3.5T coachbuilt Burstner on a Ducato base. The blasted thing was always on the weight limit. This T6.1 3200kg VW is great, I deliberately went for a T32 because of weight worries. It also has big front brakes, and its stopping power is brilliant. And I know that I can throw full fuel and the kitchen sink into it, and don't have to worry about getting pulled over.

 

[ginkster]

I thought the van had to be checked over. Can you advise how to go about this if its just a paper exercise.
Im pretty sure I must be near capacity when fully loaded ( if not over)
I have upgraded to So low NXT suspension and intend to upgrade the brakes to nutexa in the next 6 months.

Also worth looking at Van Weight Engineering.

Van Weight Engineering

I used them to up-plate my T28 to T31.5. Paperwork exercise by filling in a form and sending a few photos. The only difficult part was the ever-useless DVLA not doing their job properly and taking 2 goes to get the V5 correct - total cretins. Dee and Claire were fab and I would certainly use them again for the next van.

 

[CAB]

Also worth looking at Van Weight Engineering.

Van Weight Engineering

I used them to up-plate my T28 to T31.5. Paperwork exercise by filling in a form and sending a few photos. The only difficult part was the ever-useless DVLA not doing their job properly and taking 2 goes to get the V5 correct - total cretins. Dee and Claire were fab and I would certainly use them again for the next van.

Unfortunately, they are currently unable to do this in the UK, unless something has changed in the past few weeks.

 

[ginkster]

Unfortunately, they are currently unable to do this in the UK, unless something has changed in the past few weeks.

Someone mentioned that a while ago but there is no indication of that on their website or FB page. Shame if that’s the case as the service was great.

 

[d8smt]

If it helps regarding weights, I weighed mine today. It's a T6.1 T32 150bhp DSG LWB with high roof.
At weighbridge it was 2.9 tonnes gross, nearly loaded for a trip to E. Europe. Axle weights well within the 1710/1720 limits, too.
I have added 160kg for stuff not yet loaded (wife etc) so I get to 3060 kg gross. Leaves 140kg spare payload for booze on this trip, and for rear towbar rack and awning as well on a future trip.

Prior to this I had a 3.5T coachbuilt Burstner on a Ducato base. The blasted thing was always on the weight limit. This T6.1 3200kg VW is great, I deliberately went for a T32 because of weight worries. It also has big front brakes, and its stopping power is brilliant. And I know that I can throw full fuel and the kitchen sink into it, and don't have to worry about getting pulled over.

Similarly I weighed my T32 T6 1 150 DSG with Reimo poptop, Rib bed and fitted kitchen when I'm Italy, came in at 2520kg with one person (75kg), 2 weeks luggage (say 25kg) and camping gear (say 15kg).