New owner - Looking for expertise from this group!

J

Jw304

New Member
Hi All,
My wife and I have recently taken the plunge and bought a 2019 T6 highline campervan, and we are gearing up for 5 weeks away with our two kids over the summer. In the last minute panic there are a few questions that i could really do with some help on. Apologies that they are slightly scattergun, but couldn't find the obvious existing thread for each:

1. I have just picked up a second hand VW tailgate 4 bike rack. It has three locking arms, but no key. The rack is the VW T6 model. Is it as simple as just ordering a replacement key, or do i need to order 3 new barrel locks with keys - if so, any tips as to where would be best to pick these up from?

2. The van is fitted with the composition colour media system and only has speakers in the front cab. With the two kids in the back they struggle to hear the music unless volume is really high and then i can't hear myself think! Is this media system compatible with having rear speakers wired in? If so, can anyone point me in the right direction of the appropriate wiring loom and a basic speaker set (don't need anything high end!).....alternatively, is there a mechanism of removing the need for wires to a new set of rear speakers, by installing a bluetooth transmitter to the media system connecting to two bluetooth speakers (wishful thinking maybe!)??

3. There is a campingaz 907 cannister installed in a safety box near the rear of the van, which feeds the gas stove. This is fitted with a camping gaz adapter (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Camping-Ad...ocphy=1006886&hvtargid=pla-699930805621&psc=1), which then has a metal coupling attached to the supply hose and regulator, which eventually connects to the gas stove.....I am keen to take a gas bbq on our trip, and was hoping that i could tap into the gas cannister at the back. Has anyone done this? Is it just a case of buying the right hose and coupling that will connect the camping gaz adaptor to the gas bbq, although it's not obvious what the correct hose and coupling is!? If anyone has any experience of this or inspiration as to where i should look, it would be appreciated.

Any help on any or all of the above would be really appreciated! Thanks in advance, James
 
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Re the speakers, yes you can add rear speakers, the radio has a quad block in the back, you add the rear speaker wires to the quad block. You need to buy some pins off eBay for this. The rear speakers will work fine but for the front rear fader to work you will need to get the settings adjusted by someone with vcds- search on here for more on the speakers/ quad block. I bought cheap pioneers, work well
 
Welcome to the forum!

For the gas, I would say easiest thing is to take out the cylinder, so just turn off and undo the adapter, then get a separate bottle-top regulatior and hose for the BBQ.
 
Look at the locks on the bike rack. They have a 3-4 digit number on. Try a local lock shop first as they will be cheaper than VW, but VW should be able to supply the keys. You should have four keys. You could ask the seller if they have the keys?

IMG20230710175442.jpg
 
CAB said:
Welcome to the forum!

For the gas, I would say easiest thing is to take out the cylinder, so just turn off and undo the adapter, then get a separate bottle-top regulatior and hose for the BBQ.
Click to expand...
Thanks very much CAB. I feel a bit stupid! Hadn’t realised that you could unscrew the adapter and gas wouldn’t leak! So hose and regulator should work just fine as you say!!
 
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Reactions: CAB
DaveCrampton said:
Look at the locks on the bike rack. They have a 3-4 digit number on. Try a local lock shop first as they will be cheaper than VW, but VW should be able to supply the keys. You should have four keys. You could ask the seller if they have the keys?

View attachment 205075
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure the VW bike rack is made for them by Thule - so I'd try googling for "Spare Thule Keys"

First place I found seemed to do them pretty cheap and might be worth a shot if you know the key number: Replacement Thule Key N001 to N250 from WebKeys - replacement key cutting by mail order
 
@Jw304,

Welcome to the group... I am also new!

May I make a suggestion regarding the speakers dilemma, albeit perhaps not a permanent solution, but a quick one having some advantages.

I purchased a pair of these Bluetooth speakers.... you can get away with one but as a pair they link up to provide 'stereo' output.


Being that these are fully portable, it extends their general use to beyond the Camper. They are capable of producing quite impressive sound quality and can be sited in the rear of the van. I have mine situated as seen in the photo below.

Distinct advantages are that as independently powered speakers you are not using your vans power, as such. You can hook up to your phone and control them from there. They are powerful enough to give a decent performance throughout the van.

Even if you eventually get around to fitting the rear speakers and then getting the fading sorted, these remain quite useful, I believe.

Best regards, J.

Ps.excuse the bed roll.... just trying it out to see how it fits!!

IMG_5141.jpeg
 
Jeff G said:
@Jw304,

Welcome to the group... I am also new!

May I make a suggestion regarding the speakers dilemma, albeit perhaps not a permanent solution, but a quick one having some advantages.

I purchased a pair of these Bluetooth speakers.... you can get away with one but as a pair they link up to provide 'stereo' output.


Being that these are fully portable, it extends their general use to beyond the Camper. They are capable of producing quite impressive sound quality and can be sited in the rear of the van. I have mine situated as seen in the photo below.

Distinct advantages are that as independently powered speakers you are not using your vans power, as such. You can hook up to your phone and control them from there. They are powerful enough to give a decent performance throughout the van.

Even if you eventually get around to fitting the rear speakers and then getting the fading sorted, these remain quite useful, I believe.

Best regards, J.

Ps.excuse the bed roll.... just trying it out to see how it fits!!

View attachment 205077
Click to expand...
Thanks for this. I did think about running portable Bluetooth speakers just from phone, but was wondering whether I could link the rear Bluetooth speakers up via the car media unit. But I don’t think the solution exists! Although, given this forum has solved 2 out of 3 nagging queries in a matter of hours, maybe the speaker conundrum will get solved too….??!! Thanks very much all, such a helpful group!
 
Jw304 said:
Hi All,
My wife and I have recently taken the plunge and bought a 2019 T6 highline campervan, and we are gearing up for 5 weeks away with our two kids over the summer. In the last minute panic there are a few questions that i could really do with some help on. Apologies that they are slightly scattergun, but couldn't find the obvious existing thread for each:

1. I have just picked up a second hand VW tailgate 4 bike rack. It has three locking arms, but no key. The rack is the VW T6 model. Is it as simple as just ordering a replacement key, or do i need to order 3 new barrel locks with keys - if so, any tips as to where would be best to pick these up from?

2. The van is fitted with the composition colour media system and only has speakers in the front cab. With the two kids in the back they struggle to hear the music unless volume is really high and then i can't hear myself think! Is this media system compatible with having rear speakers wired in? If so, can anyone point me in the right direction of the appropriate wiring loom and a basic speaker set (don't need anything high end!).....alternatively, is there a mechanism of removing the need for wires to a new set of rear speakers, by installing a bluetooth transmitter to the media system connecting to two bluetooth speakers (wishful thinking maybe!)??

3. There is a campingaz 907 cannister installed in a safety box near the rear of the van, which feeds the gas stove. This is fitted with a camping gaz adapter (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Camping-Ad...ocphy=1006886&hvtargid=pla-699930805621&psc=1), which then has a metal coupling attached to the supply hose and regulator, which eventually connects to the gas stove.....I am keen to take a gas bbq on our trip, and was hoping that i could tap into the gas cannister at the back. Has anyone done this? Is it just a case of buying the right hose and coupling that will connect the camping gaz adaptor to the gas bbq, although it's not obvious what the correct hose and coupling is!? If anyone has any experience of this or inspiration as to where i should look, it would be appreciated.

Any help on any or all of the above would be really appreciated! Thanks in advance, James
Click to expand...
Post in thread 'T6.1 headunit removal tips?'
T6.1 headunit removal tips?
 
Welcome.

For the rear speakers you need one of these:

www.scrdistribution.co.uk

VW Transporter Plug & Play Rear speaker Add on loom

This cable is a plug and play loom for adding rear speakers to your audio system approx 6m so they reach the back of a short or long
www.scrdistribution.co.uk www.scrdistribution.co.uk

You simply remove the radio, unplug the connector block, plug the connector block into one side of the above and then plug the above into the radio.

Run the rear wires round to the back and install the speakers.

If you want speakers and pods too, then this is an option from the same company:

www.scrdistribution.co.uk

VW Transporter rear speaker and pod kit

Rear speaker and pod kit for the Vw Transporter which includes Speakers 6.5inch Wiring Loom Pods in a selection of colours (choose in
www.scrdistribution.co.uk www.scrdistribution.co.uk

This is where and what the rear speakers will look like:



The rear speakers will work without coding - but you’ll have no fader function on the radio so sound will be the same volume front and rear. As mentioned by others coding via VCDS will activate the fader functionality.
 
I got rear speakers fitted in the cupboard over the rear seats, coded them for the fader but now have the fader on the fronts 100% as the kids complain all the time. They listen to their phones on EarPods!
 
Re. The bike lock. We have the same bike rack & tbh the locks are only basic & for show. We have a bike lock similar to the one in the link below. This goes around the rack & through all the bikes. The advantage is that you can take it with you on a ride & lock the bikes up elsewhere.

Kryptonite Kryptolok Standard U-Lock with 4 Foot Kryptoflex Cable - Sold Secure Gold | Tredz Bikes

Save 38% - Kryptonite Kryptolok Standard U-Lock with 4 Foot Kryptoflex Cable - Sold Secure Gold £36.99 or available with 0% APR finance on baskets over £99. All D locks are delivered free to the UK mainland*, 365 day returns & Price Match. Buy Now.
www.tredz.co.uk www.tredz.co.uk
 
www.t6forum.com

Replacement 'speaker connector block' in head unit quad lock?

So it seems the previous owner of my van decided to install rear speakers, and instead of inserting new pins into the connector, they completely removed it and passed the cables for ALL of the speakers through the quad lock and directly to the head unit (2018 T6 - Composition colour). Here is a...
www.t6forum.com www.t6forum.com

As I said above you just need the correct pins to add rear speakers to your quad block. This thread has more details
 
Salty Spuds said:
Re. The bike lock. We have the same bike rack & tbh the locks are only basic & for show. We have a bike lock similar to the one in the link below. This goes around the rack & through all the bikes. The advantage is that you can take it with you on a ride & lock the bikes up elsewhere.

Kryptonite Kryptolok Standard U-Lock with 4 Foot Kryptoflex Cable - Sold Secure Gold | Tredz Bikes

Save 38% - Kryptonite Kryptolok Standard U-Lock with 4 Foot Kryptoflex Cable - Sold Secure Gold £36.99 or available with 0% APR finance on baskets over £99. All D locks are delivered free to the UK mainland*, 365 day returns & Price Match. Buy Now.
www.tredz.co.uk www.tredz.co.uk
Click to expand...
Same here, but with Abus Granite d-locks. They're heavy but very robust (though the "uncroppable" claims may well just be marketing BS).
 
jimc91 said:
Re the speakers, yes you can add rear speakers, the radio has a quad block in the back, you add the rear speaker wires to the quad block. You need to buy some pins off eBay for this. The rear speakers will work fine but for the front rear fader to work you will need to get the settings adjusted by someone with vcds- search on here for more on the speakers/ quad block. I bought cheap pioneers, work well
Click to expand...
This works really well as I had the same issue. Gives extra base to the sound as well if travelling solo.
 
Jw304 said:
Thanks for this. I did think about running portable Bluetooth speakers just from phone, but was wondering whether I could link the rear Bluetooth speakers up via the car media unit. But I don’t think the solution exists! Although, given this forum has solved 2 out of 3 nagging queries in a matter of hours, maybe the speaker conundrum will get solved too….??!! Thanks very much all, such a helpful group!
Click to expand...
I had wondered if Bluetooth portable speakers would connect to my VWT6 over the standard Head unit BT feature, unfortunately i tried 2 different popular types (Wonderboom and Soundcore) both failed to connect with a 'Profile not Available' message on the headunit. Is there a way around this? that said Im going to install rear speakers wired to the headunit following instructions seen elsewhere on this forum.
 
ThePearl said:
I had wondered if Bluetooth portable speakers would connect to my VWT6 over the standard Head unit BT feature, unfortunately i tried 2 different popular types (Wonderboom and Soundcore) both failed to connect with a 'Profile not Available' message on the headunit. Is there a way around this? that said Im going to install rear speakers wired to the headunit following instructions seen elsewhere on this forum.
Click to expand...
We just use our phone or iPad-Spotify & a Bose soundlink mini in the back of the van. If you’re not driving or parked up for the night, you don’t want to be using the head unit. It’ll flatten the vehicle battery, time out after about 15mins & you’ve got to scrabble to the front to change the volume etc. a separate Bluetooth speaker does it for us.
 
Salty Spuds said:
We just use our phone or iPad-Spotify & a Bose soundlink mini in the back of the van. If you’re not driving or parked up for the night, you don’t want to be using the head unit. It’ll flatten the vehicle battery, time out after about 15mins & you’ve got to scrabble to the front to change the volume etc. a separate Bluetooth speaker does it for us.
Click to expand...
PS. We’ve also found that a good quality BT speaker doesn’t “carry”, we can have it turned up in the van, but you can’t hear it more than a couple of yards away, so doesn’t piss the neighbours off. Using the head unit causes sound “bleed” from the door speakers (despite heavy sound proofing in the doors) which imho is rude & inconsiderate on a campsite. Just my 2 penneth.
 
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