r6pauls T6.1 day van build
- Thread starter r6paul
- Start date
The main reason for changing ours is a baby, so we’ve gone with a Kombi for the seats and then when the baby’s a bit more grown and my T5 has sold we’re going to use the money to do an Ovano bed with a big drawer at the back, and then leisure electrics and diesel heater so I can get the van warm for after those cold dives.
I’m just an open circuit diver, so drysuit, wing and single cylinder (I’ve got a 15 and a dumpy 12).. I’ve got a small pony too……. I had hope to progress onto a twinset when I finished my dive leader, but I want to prioritise baby, then van (as that will be my daily driver and family holiday vehicle for the foreseeable) and then diving…… I’ve got my kit, I’m well established in two BSAC clubs, that’s where I need to be right now.
I’m off Cyprus in April, booked into the Zenobia, so I’m looking forward to that. Where abouts are you diving? I’m mainly Sussex Coast (one club has a boat in littlehampton, and the other in Shoreham)
Next, is something that's been annoying me since I've owned the van. I HATE stop/start technology!
I've finally picked up the wiring kit off eBay from Auto Tech for £29.95
This was a really really quick instal. The easiest so far of the build. The switch pops out easily and it's literally plug and play. Done and dusted within 1 minute!
My only annoyance with it is that the orange light is still illuminated whilst driving. I was hoping this would be off so no lights would show. I know there are others out there that keep the light off. I'll have to see how I get on with this and if it bothers me or not.
I've finally picked up the wiring kit off eBay from Auto Tech for £29.95
This was a really really quick instal. The easiest so far of the build. The switch pops out easily and it's literally plug and play. Done and dusted within 1 minute!
My only annoyance with it is that the orange light is still illuminated whilst driving. I was hoping this would be off so no lights would show. I know there are others out there that keep the light off. I'll have to see how I get on with this and if it bothers me or not.
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Not a bad plan at all!
I did look at the Ovano setup but I do not like the idea of having the whole of the back area covered over. I want to be able to access everything from inside the van, including being able to go to the toilet in the middle of the night.
I'm open circuit too, although in sidemount. Most of my diving is solo. I always take atleast 4-5 cylinders on trips with me (2x 7 300s, 2x 12 232s, and normally a 7l 200 50% mix stage) so I can pick and choose the right cylinders for the dive (although normally use the 7s for most dives). I'll dive anywhere and everywhere including rivers. I'm over in Norfolk so shore diving for us is limited to only a few months of the year. I'm also part of a BSAC club (Advanced and Instructor) but don't really get to dive with them that often due to my shift pattern and young kids.
I also plan on picking up a little petrol compressor so need to factor space for that too.
The Zenobia is awesome, I've been 3 times now. The last time was in August. If you've not dived it before you'll love it! Make sure you atleast penetrate the dining area to see the pukka pie cabinets and the tartan carpet (make sure you take a decent torch!) and the bridge/wheelhouse. Both areashave loads of entry/exit points so you can easily get in and out. The whole wreck is awesome.
The next purchase was an awning:
I've spent a fair amount of time looking at awnings. I would love a Thule or Fiamma or 4x4 direct 270 awning but my budget doesn't currently allow and I don't want something permanently on the side of the van.
I've decided for the time being to just pick up a tarp awning for price and space saving. After a LOT of research I narrowed it down to:
- Outdoor Revolution Cayman Sun Canopy with the side panels and front:
- Stiches + Steel tarp awning:
I love the idea of the Cayman and I think I will probably buy this at a later stage to keep in the garage and only put in the van when needed but I've just ordered the Stiches + Steel tarp awning for now.
The reason for this is it packages down small, lightweight and something that can be kept in the van at all times for if the need arises.
For the Tarp awning with 2 extra poles (4 in total), with a 10% discount came in at £180.
I've spent a fair amount of time looking at awnings. I would love a Thule or Fiamma or 4x4 direct 270 awning but my budget doesn't currently allow and I don't want something permanently on the side of the van.
I've decided for the time being to just pick up a tarp awning for price and space saving. After a LOT of research I narrowed it down to:
- Outdoor Revolution Cayman Sun Canopy with the side panels and front:
- Stiches + Steel tarp awning:
I love the idea of the Cayman and I think I will probably buy this at a later stage to keep in the garage and only put in the van when needed but I've just ordered the Stiches + Steel tarp awning for now.
The reason for this is it packages down small, lightweight and something that can be kept in the van at all times for if the need arises.
For the Tarp awning with 2 extra poles (4 in total), with a 10% discount came in at £180.
I think the full width is best for us as there’s two. We’ve gone with a Kombi so we can take 2 rear seats out for a space for the toilet when going away.
I only really ever have the two cylinders at most, unless I’m giving someone a lift, but my wife wouldn’t be in those trips with us
I’m looking forward to the Zenobia, I think I’m only down for a day diving there as I’m actually on a family holiday and sneaking off for a couple of days, but I will ask to just do that little bit of penetration. Thanks!
Just think “what must non diving members on here be thinking we’re talking about?!”
The next purchase was a set of Lazer Lamps. It was cheaper to buy them from THQ than from Lazer Lamps direct at the show the other week so they were purchased online once back in stock and delivered on Friday. I also picked up their 'Canny' CAN Interface due to having the LED lights and also wanting to be able to operate them from the High Beam and also from a separate switch inside the cab.
I opted for the slightly more expensive option of the Triple-R Elite.
Supurb service from THQ again! Ordered on the Wednesday afternoon with their standard 2-4day delivery and they were delivered Friday morning.
I thought I would get these installed on the Friday afternoon thinking they would be a quick and easy instal due to the few videos I have watched on YouTube....
Although it turns out if you have AirCon there is more work involved as the front bumper has to be removed! So bare this in mind if you have aircon. Its not too difficult but it does take longer and is more of a pain in the arse:
-----
It started off quite simple with the adapters in place, marking out where needs to be cut and cutting through the grill:
It turns out there is a second grill behind the first grill! It was at this point that I re-read the small print on the installation instructions and noticed that the air con models need the instructions to be downloaded from the internet and that there were further steps.
I cut the passenger side out first and then removed the bumper to remove the air con pipe cover from the driver side:
Once all sections were cut I then tidied up the cuts, installed the lights into the bumper grill and re-installed the grill and began on the wiring:
The wiring instructions were really good and all parts required were supplied. A fairly decent kit, although it ought to be for the price compared to similar products.
The CANNY system and app is really great. I love how simple and well it works. I love that you can have numerous inputs to activate them.
I currently have the them wired up to the High Beam but I'll also be wiring up a second trigger wire up to a dash switch at a later date.
The drivers side one is slightly out of alignment at the moment, but I ran out of time and light so this will be adjusted at a later date.
Whilst they aren't the cheapest light they are fantastic! I've watched loads of videos and reviews on YouTube but it's not until I've seen them for myself that I realised just how amazing and bright they are!!! I am very impressed and it really is a night and day transformation driving at night down country roads even with LED lights!
I opted for the slightly more expensive option of the Triple-R Elite.
Supurb service from THQ again! Ordered on the Wednesday afternoon with their standard 2-4day delivery and they were delivered Friday morning.
I thought I would get these installed on the Friday afternoon thinking they would be a quick and easy instal due to the few videos I have watched on YouTube....
Although it turns out if you have AirCon there is more work involved as the front bumper has to be removed! So bare this in mind if you have aircon. Its not too difficult but it does take longer and is more of a pain in the arse:
-----
It started off quite simple with the adapters in place, marking out where needs to be cut and cutting through the grill:
It turns out there is a second grill behind the first grill! It was at this point that I re-read the small print on the installation instructions and noticed that the air con models need the instructions to be downloaded from the internet and that there were further steps.
I cut the passenger side out first and then removed the bumper to remove the air con pipe cover from the driver side:
Once all sections were cut I then tidied up the cuts, installed the lights into the bumper grill and re-installed the grill and began on the wiring:
The wiring instructions were really good and all parts required were supplied. A fairly decent kit, although it ought to be for the price compared to similar products.
The CANNY system and app is really great. I love how simple and well it works. I love that you can have numerous inputs to activate them.
I currently have the them wired up to the High Beam but I'll also be wiring up a second trigger wire up to a dash switch at a later date.
The drivers side one is slightly out of alignment at the moment, but I ran out of time and light so this will be adjusted at a later date.
Whilst they aren't the cheapest light they are fantastic! I've watched loads of videos and reviews on YouTube but it's not until I've seen them for myself that I realised just how amazing and bright they are!!! I am very impressed and it really is a night and day transformation driving at night down country roads even with LED lights!
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I also wanted to upgrade the reversing lights.
After seeing a FB post about rear lights I initially purchased these Ledson Nano 30w reverse kit which was £126 with a wiring loom included:
But before they were dispatched I spotted another FB thread with this Transporter Reverse Light Kit from VW T5 Upgrades:
Whilst these are literally double the price at £265 inc P&P and they don't even include a wiring loom, I thought these would look great and go with the swamper look so I cancelled my original lights order and ordered these.
They arrived quite quickly but it appears that I am very unlucky when it comes to this build... once again an item bought online and posted out has arrived damaged.
The surrounds which are 3D printed came with imperfections (dent in one, and white printing on the other) and one of the LED lights is damaged in that some of the powder coating has been chipped off and one of the plugs is bent:
The pictures do not show up as well as they look in real life:
- One has a dent in, and due to the way they are designed they can't be spun around, so the indent is at the top and clearly seen.
- One has a white corner due to the printing. Again, this is on the top corner and clearly seen. (there is white printing all on the inside of both, but as it can't be seen I'm not fussed by that, only what can be seen on the outside).
- The powder coating is chipped in 3 small places, and the plug pin is bent (both of these can easily be resolved by touching up and bending the pin back in place)
I know I may seem picky and why should I be too worried, and I wouldn't have been if I'd have paid £60, but when I'm paying £256 for something where the LED lights can be bought for £50 for two and 3D printed parts that cost pence to print off. (Don't get me wrong I appreciate all the hard work, effort and time it would have taken for someone to design, create and perfect these and I am willing to pay for this).
I am more than happy to pay the £265 if there were no imperfections and they came in a great condition.
I initially sent an email off on the 25th Feb with pictures and explanation of the defects, also explaining that I do love the lights I was just a little let down by the quality of what has arrived. I received an email back the next day asking if I wanted a full refund upon sending the item back or if I'd like them to check their stock for a kit with less imperfections.
I replied a couple of days later explaining that I would be happy with two new surrounds to be sent out and a new LED light and that I would be happy to post the other ones back. Again explaining that I thought they were great and how much hard work must have gone into getting the right.
After nearly a week of no reply I sent a follow up email and received an email back the same day telling me to send the whole kit back like what was mentioned before... although I've not been provided a return address. I replied the same day explaining that as I hadn't heard anything in nearly a week and wanting to get on with installation I had cut the holes out and practiced a dry fitting (without actually wiring them in or driving anywhere, just cutting the holes, and mounting the surrounds/lights). This was too see just how noticeable the imperfections were as if they weren't too bad I'd have kept them.
Frustratingly when tightening up the 8th bolt the lug literally just snapped off with barely any effort, clearly another printing defect issue in the strength of this final lug. I explained this in the email too and said that if they provided the address I would send them back.
After two days there was still no reply so I sent a follow up email today requesting the address again and how long it would take to get the replacement surrounds due to having now cut the holes in the panels.
I still think that this is a great kit, a little overpriced for what is actually contained, but I am willing to pay for what I want as long as its as described and comes in a condition I would expect at this price point... HOWEVER, one thing that grips my sh*t is customer service and companies that don't resolve issues promptly and effectively. I'm not asking for a refund, money off anything excessive... just some new 3D surrounds that cost pence to reprint and a £25 LED light, with all the original items being sent back to the seller.
Am I being fair? Or am I missing something and being unreasonable?
I did debate posting this or waiting until it is resolved, but I want to record the ups and downs of this build and with the companies that I deal with, openly and honestly. I also appreciate that there are always two sides to a story and this allows the company to provide a reply and explanation or their recollection if they wish.
We shall see how this unfolds and I will keep this updated. Hopefully it'll be positive update and I can say that the company resolves this promptly.
Meanwhile, here are some pictures of the panel cutting and practice installation of the kit...
The broken off lug:
As mentioned, I am looking forward to getting the issues resolved, wiring them in and having some decent reverse lights.
After seeing a FB post about rear lights I initially purchased these Ledson Nano 30w reverse kit which was £126 with a wiring loom included:
But before they were dispatched I spotted another FB thread with this Transporter Reverse Light Kit from VW T5 Upgrades:
Whilst these are literally double the price at £265 inc P&P and they don't even include a wiring loom, I thought these would look great and go with the swamper look so I cancelled my original lights order and ordered these.
They arrived quite quickly but it appears that I am very unlucky when it comes to this build... once again an item bought online and posted out has arrived damaged.
The surrounds which are 3D printed came with imperfections (dent in one, and white printing on the other) and one of the LED lights is damaged in that some of the powder coating has been chipped off and one of the plugs is bent:
The pictures do not show up as well as they look in real life:
- One has a dent in, and due to the way they are designed they can't be spun around, so the indent is at the top and clearly seen.
- One has a white corner due to the printing. Again, this is on the top corner and clearly seen. (there is white printing all on the inside of both, but as it can't be seen I'm not fussed by that, only what can be seen on the outside).
- The powder coating is chipped in 3 small places, and the plug pin is bent (both of these can easily be resolved by touching up and bending the pin back in place)
I know I may seem picky and why should I be too worried, and I wouldn't have been if I'd have paid £60, but when I'm paying £256 for something where the LED lights can be bought for £50 for two and 3D printed parts that cost pence to print off. (Don't get me wrong I appreciate all the hard work, effort and time it would have taken for someone to design, create and perfect these and I am willing to pay for this).
I am more than happy to pay the £265 if there were no imperfections and they came in a great condition.
I initially sent an email off on the 25th Feb with pictures and explanation of the defects, also explaining that I do love the lights I was just a little let down by the quality of what has arrived. I received an email back the next day asking if I wanted a full refund upon sending the item back or if I'd like them to check their stock for a kit with less imperfections.
I replied a couple of days later explaining that I would be happy with two new surrounds to be sent out and a new LED light and that I would be happy to post the other ones back. Again explaining that I thought they were great and how much hard work must have gone into getting the right.
After nearly a week of no reply I sent a follow up email and received an email back the same day telling me to send the whole kit back like what was mentioned before... although I've not been provided a return address. I replied the same day explaining that as I hadn't heard anything in nearly a week and wanting to get on with installation I had cut the holes out and practiced a dry fitting (without actually wiring them in or driving anywhere, just cutting the holes, and mounting the surrounds/lights). This was too see just how noticeable the imperfections were as if they weren't too bad I'd have kept them.
Frustratingly when tightening up the 8th bolt the lug literally just snapped off with barely any effort, clearly another printing defect issue in the strength of this final lug. I explained this in the email too and said that if they provided the address I would send them back.
After two days there was still no reply so I sent a follow up email today requesting the address again and how long it would take to get the replacement surrounds due to having now cut the holes in the panels.
I still think that this is a great kit, a little overpriced for what is actually contained, but I am willing to pay for what I want as long as its as described and comes in a condition I would expect at this price point... HOWEVER, one thing that grips my sh*t is customer service and companies that don't resolve issues promptly and effectively. I'm not asking for a refund, money off anything excessive... just some new 3D surrounds that cost pence to reprint and a £25 LED light, with all the original items being sent back to the seller.
Am I being fair? Or am I missing something and being unreasonable?
I did debate posting this or waiting until it is resolved, but I want to record the ups and downs of this build and with the companies that I deal with, openly and honestly. I also appreciate that there are always two sides to a story and this allows the company to provide a reply and explanation or their recollection if they wish.
We shall see how this unfolds and I will keep this updated. Hopefully it'll be positive update and I can say that the company resolves this promptly.
Meanwhile, here are some pictures of the panel cutting and practice installation of the kit...
The broken off lug:
As mentioned, I am looking forward to getting the issues resolved, wiring them in and having some decent reverse lights.
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I've heard back from VWT5 Upgrades and they've provided a returns address which is good. Although they state they will not post out a new kit until they have received the old kit back and it has been checked over. Even Vanstyle posted replacement items out before collecting the damaged ones.
I've already provided photos of the items and damage, (I've not provided a photo of the damaged lug as this came after), so I'm not sure what checking over will achieve other than slowing this down.
I understand that they don't want to be out of pocket, but equally I've now got two holes in the rear of my van and they could provide multiple kits and still not be out of pocket. (If they design the surrounds themselves that is).
For what little its worth, other than transparency, I did mention that I have included these updates in this conversion thread.
So my van currently looks like this:
(I know it needs a really good wash).
I've got to be honest, they were a lot more than I wanted to pay and a lot more than I think they are actually worth, however this is a Transporter and I knew before I bought it everything would be super expensive. Once replaced and fitted, if they work as I hope they will I will be happy and I do like the look of them. But yes, I was shocked at the price of both the item and the postage.
I've already provided photos of the items and damage, (I've not provided a photo of the damaged lug as this came after), so I'm not sure what checking over will achieve other than slowing this down.
I understand that they don't want to be out of pocket, but equally I've now got two holes in the rear of my van and they could provide multiple kits and still not be out of pocket. (If they design the surrounds themselves that is).
For what little its worth, other than transparency, I did mention that I have included these updates in this conversion thread.
So my van currently looks like this:
(I know it needs a really good wash).
I've got to be honest, they were a lot more than I wanted to pay and a lot more than I think they are actually worth, however this is a Transporter and I knew before I bought it everything would be super expensive. Once replaced and fitted, if they work as I hope they will I will be happy and I do like the look of them. But yes, I was shocked at the price of both the item and the postage.
