What Have You Done To Your Van Today?

Jonesy68 said:
I'm looking to adding this, where did you buy the tape from?
Click to expand...
www.vikingtapes.co.uk

Bike Protective Tape 3M™ 8671 HS Polyurethane Protective Tape Short Ro – Viking Industrial Products Ltd

Outdoor grade polyurethane protective tape with high shear acrylic adhesive. Very tough thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer designed for outdoor applications. Applications include surface protection applications in aerospace. Colour: Clear For full specifications click here for 3M pdf datasheet...
www.vikingtapes.co.uk www.vikingtapes.co.uk

Although it's gone up £10 since I got it a few months ago. Can probably get it elsewhere as long as its the same spec.
 
Yes, 3m x 50mm for my SWB. Take your time fitting it, plenty of water to van and underside of tape to limit any bubbles before pushing them out.
Good luck :thumbsup:
 
Vw for interim service and free health check. All OK and straight forward except front discs appear corroded sir recommend they are replaced, well last week's mot never had a problem with them and that's why I never used the FREE Vw mot as I feel its a license for you to steal my money.
The word recommend is used when something is not required do they need an immediate action and is the testing station at fault for an inferior test?
There are a few thousand miles in them yet sir, we just advise the replacement.

Well that's why I never have an mot at a station that carry out repairs.
I am changing all rotors and pads this weekend but the mot station tech had said there is another year in them yet.

Rant over and yes I hate main dealers will post up some pics of the rotors when their off.
 
New H&R coilovers and ARBs courtesy of @CRS Performance

They raised the rear fractionally and dropped the front to give some rake from the previous, underspeced H&R springs with standard shocks. The old setup was very harsh, uncontrolled and sagged at the back due to the camper weight. The handling and ride is now much better and much more composed. It’s on the firmer side rather than going for max comfort as I wanted to keep some drop and sharper handling. A pothole is still a pothole, but it’s got rid of the horrible shudder through the whole chassis. There is also almost no pitching during braking or acceleration and lean around bends/roundabouts is greatly reduced. The damping and chassis control is a quantum improvement. For a van it is now remarkably composed on tricky, bumpy B roads and challenging surfaces. It is also much more stable at speed on the motorway.

Overall, I’m very happy. Steve and the team were great and lived up to all the previous comments on here. It was like watching an F1 pit team at work, stripping and reassembling all four corners in a little over an hour. Great work. Thank you Steve.

Before:

5153E2FD-DDC1-4346-9097-0926CA7BC01E.jpeg

After:

44262BF1-B395-4474-8D58-0B947A949106.jpeg

Under:

8D8EB5FB-65F1-47BE-9B9D-93E249DA0CDA.jpeg

EB91A8F1-F84F-40AE-AB8E-4D5A6166E928.jpeg
 
ginkster said:
New H&R coilovers and ARBs courtesy of @CRS Performance

They raised the rear fractionally and dropped the front to give some rake from the previous, underspeced H&R springs with standard shocks. The old setup was very harsh, uncontrolled and sagged at the back due to the camper weight. The handling and ride is now much better and much more composed. It’s on the firmer side rather than going for max comfort as I wanted to keep some drop and sharper handling. A pothole is still a pothole, but it’s got rid of the horrible shudder through the whole chassis. There is also almost no pitching during braking or acceleration and lean around bends/roundabouts is greatly reduced. The damping and chassis control is a quantum improvement. For a van it is now remarkably composed on tricky, bumpy B roads and challenging surfaces. It is also much more stable at speed on the motorway.

Overall, I’m very happy. Steve and the team were great and lived up to all the previous comments on here. It was like watching an F1 pit team at work, stripping and reassembling all four corners in a little over an hour. Great work. Thank you Steve.

Before:

View attachment 200874

After:

View attachment 200875

Under:
Click to expand...
I do understand why you had the work done and yes it makes the drive better and stiffer.
But for me, after Steve had replaced all my shocks and springs and updated the ARB with H&R, it was like I was always sliding off the drivers seat towards the pedals.
Like I was sat looking at the floor and not looking at the horizon.
The California didn’t sit in a horizontal position.
The coach line from front to back, is now slanted down at the front.
If the drive is perfect for you then that’s great stuff, and Steve does an awesome job if that’s what you want.
Just wasn’t for me.
Mine was a FWD MY20.
Put the stock suspension back on and sold it.
Picked up a new MY23 4M.
The driving stance and suspension on my MY23 4Motion is totally different and rides perfect with no need to touch the suspension.
No rocking and rolling, no diving when braking.
VW really sorted the MY23 4M suspension out.
No idea what they did. But it’s solid.
 
Dave Mac said:
Vw for interim service and free health check. All OK and straight forward except front discs appear corroded sir recommend they are replaced, well last week's mot never had a problem with them and that's why I never used the FREE Vw mot as I feel its a license for you to steal my money.
The word recommend is used when something is not required do they need an immediate action and is the testing station at fault for an inferior test?
There are a few thousand miles in them yet sir, we just advise the replacement.

Well that's why I never have an mot at a station that carry out repairs.
I am changing all rotors and pads this weekend but the mot station tech had said there is another year in them yet.

Rant over and yes I hate main dealers will post up some pics of the rotors when their off.
Click to expand...
Which places do MOT and not repairs?
Is there a chain ?
All the places I’m searching for do repairs too.
 
Californication69 said:
I do understand why you had the work done and yes it makes the drive better and stiffer.
But for me, after Steve had replaced all my shocks and springs and updated the ARB with H&R, it was like I was always sliding off the drivers seat towards the pedals.
Like I was sat looking at the floor and not looking at the horizon.
The California didn’t sit in a horizontal position.
The coach line from front to back, is now slanted down at the front.
If the drive is perfect for you then that’s great stuff, and Steve does an awesome job if that’s what you want.
Just wasn’t for me.
Mine was a FWD MY20.
Put the stock suspension back on and sold it.
Picked up a new MY23 4M.
The driving stance and suspension on my MY23 4Motion is totally different and rides perfect with no need to touch the suspension.
No rocking and rolling, no diving when braking.
VW really sorted the MY23 4M suspension out.
No idea what they did. But it’s solid.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately the budget didn’t stretch to a new 4M so had to fix what I have. :( I haven’t dare tell SWMBO what todays visit cost yet!! The photo exaggerates the rake (sloping car park and background) and there is absolutely no sense of it when aboard. All it’s done is level up the previous crap setup that had an 80mm drop at the rear and 50mm at the front because the springs (40mm drop) were not suitable for a camper conversion. The drop now is even at both ends so puts the van back to standard rake, albeit lower. Once loaded up it should run pretty close to level rather than pulling a wheelie like it did before. At least if I find I keep sliding to the end of the bed I can always lift the front slightly with the adjusters!
 
Californication69 said:
Which places do MOT and not repairs?
Is there a chain ?
All the places I’m searching for do repairs too.
Click to expand...
Council MOT stations are worth a look. Also, some small independent places do MOTs only. I don’t know of a chain. I think Money Saving Expert has a page about this.
 
Best mod ever - got rid of the annoying accelerator pedal kickdown :)

I've done a write-up here:
www.t6forum.com

Accelerator Pedal Kickdown Removal

The only thing I didn't like about my T6.1 was the annoying 'kickdown' resistance in the accelerator pedal. There's no good reason to have it fitted on a vehicle with a manual gearbox, so I thought I'd work out what causes the resistance and get rid of it. I didn't want to risk breaking my...
www.t6forum.com www.t6forum.com
 
Fitted carpeted panels to both sliding door and fixed (drivers side) panel - the latter incorporating table and further storage, LED lighting and recess for 240V socket and diesel heater controls. Day van conversion nearing completion (or at least that's what she thinks!). Just awaiting cover for socket and to new (probably birch ply) table top.

IMG_0271.jpegIMG_0270.jpegIMG_0272.jpegIMG_0273.jpeg

IMG_0274.jpegIMG_0265.jpeg
 
Californication69 said:
I do understand why you had the work done and yes it makes the drive better and stiffer.
But for me, after Steve had replaced all my shocks and springs and updated the ARB with H&R, it was like I was always sliding off the drivers seat towards the pedals.
Like I was sat looking at the floor and not looking at the horizon.
The California didn’t sit in a horizontal position.
The coach line from front to back, is now slanted down at the front.
If the drive is perfect for you then that’s great stuff, and Steve does an awesome job if that’s what you want.
Just wasn’t for me.
Mine was a FWD MY20.
Put the stock suspension back on and sold it.
Picked up a new MY23 4M.
The driving stance and suspension on my MY23 4Motion is totally different and rides perfect with no need to touch the suspension.
No rocking and rolling, no diving when braking.
VW really sorted the MY23 4M suspension out.
No idea what they did. But it’s solid.
Click to expand...
some very unusual comments ! Standard Californias do sit lower in the rear than a normal van. , this is due to the weight of the camper equipment , not a design feature. If we fitted any kit to any van we always make sure they sit level , level means the chassis is 40 mm lower in front than the rear , ( the rake ) this ensures the steering gives proper feed back and limits under steer , no one has ever commented that they feel like they are sliding out of the seats , in reality that does happen with standard suspension due to excessive body roll from poor design standard shocks . our experience is that the 4 motion California also sits lower at the rear but of course the vehicle is quite a lot heavier , this might make it feel different . The shocks on both vehicles are the same so I can not see how they ride so different. The newer van would have 28 mm rear ARB and the H and R are30 mm so again better handling and cornering on the new vehicle doesn’t make any logical sense.
in my humble opinion the california in standard trim is the worst handling transporter available And even the later ones with a bigger ARB and higher rear springs are not much better .,
 
Californication69 said:
I do understand why you had the work done and yes it makes the drive better and stiffer.
But for me, after Steve had replaced all my shocks and springs and updated the ARB with H&R, it was like I was always sliding off the drivers seat towards the pedals.
Like I was sat looking at the floor and not looking at the horizon.
The California didn’t sit in a horizontal position.
The coach line from front to back, is now slanted down at the front.
If the drive is perfect for you then that’s great stuff, and Steve does an awesome job if that’s what you want.
Just wasn’t for me.
Mine was a FWD MY20.
Put the stock suspension back on and sold it.
Picked up a new MY23 4M.
The driving stance and suspension on my MY23 4Motion is totally different and rides perfect with no need to touch the suspension.
No rocking and rolling, no diving when braking.
VW really sorted the MY23 4M suspension out.
No idea what they did. But it’s solid.
Click to expand...
I must confess that I’m surprised by these comments. I have a Cali and @CRS Performance sorted it out to be spot on. The most important thing was to share with Steve what loads, towing and wheel size usage I intended. SWMBO conceded that it was money well spent (she is a closet petrol-head!) but did object to VW allowing Cali’s leave the factory as they do given the premium we pay!

More importantly (for me) is the “aftersales” service that Steve and his team provide - just contact them with any issues and they sort it out. VW raised a challenge when I went for my “All In” plan check - Steve was happy to speak directly with the dealer (who rolled over in less than a minute!)

I do think you should give @CRS Performance a chance to sort any issues you might have and be pleasantly surprised with the outcome!

(Disclaimer: I am not affiliated to @CRS Performance in any way other than as a punter!)
 
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