Our second second progress report reveals tyre and gear problems
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and some minor snags marring our time with an otherwise excellent van.
Tyre wear was the greatest concern at the end of the last report on our VW Transporter long-term test van (CM 21-27 May). At the 16,000km (10,000 mile) service, Drift Bridge Garage of Epsom warned us that the nearside front tyre was on the way out. A glance at the offside tyre showed that it wouldn't last much longer either.
Before they finally expired, we also encountered a couple of other minor problems. The radio aerial snapped, the victim of a particularly vicious apple tree. We thought replacing it would be routine and ordered the part from Drift Bridge. Transporter aerials were apparently hard to come by. Drift Bridge charged £61.21 for the privilege — £26,60 for 0.7 hours labour and £25.49 for the aerial, the rest was VAT. We wished we'd strolled down to Halfords... Not long after, gear selection got a bit vague. The lever flopped from side to side and it was difficult to find first. We soon discovered that as with the front tyres, we weren't the only Transporter operators who had experienced this problem. We understood it was a loose bolt in the selector mechanism.
We drove straight to Drift Bridge and explained the problem. Could we bring it back on Monday? It was 09:00hrs on Friday. We reckoned if we took it away, a simple repair would turn into a roadside recovery, The receptionist relented: it would be done that morning.
At 11:30hrs we phoned and were told the job hadn't been started. Drift Bridge had only one ramp that could take the Transporter. We said we'd phone back in half an hour.
We did and still it had not been started. We explained that a van is a working vehicle. No van today — no work today. Finally at 14:45hrs Drift Bridge called to tell us it was ready and yes we were right, it was the gear linkage. If we had needed the van for our daily bread, we would have gone hungry. Drift Bridge Garage's usual high standards had slipped but at least the work was done under warranty.
Soon after that we encountered another problem with VW's service backup, but this time it was VAG rather than its dealer. Parked in a narrow London street, the Transporter fell victim to a careless passing motorist who hit the driver's door mirror. The spring-loaded assembly ensured there was no damage to it or the door but the glass was lying in the gutter, held together by its adhesive backing. We fitted it back into its mounting so at least we had some rear vision on that side.
Meanwhile the front tyres had finally expired with the mileage recorder reading 13,463. This time Drift Bridge managed a better job. The problem was traced to the front suspension geometry. Torsion bar height was reset and the tracking adjusted, which cost a further £98.25. It wasn't until later that VAG agreed to rectify the problem under warranty on all Transporters. We went to a tyre dealer to find replacement rubber. The 15in van tyres, like so many other Transporter parts, were hard to come by. National Tyres in Sutton ordered a pair and they turned up a day later at 2,85 (exVAT) each. Overall it left us with little change from £300.
A few weeks later the Transporter was due for its 15,000 mile service. The total came to 2,70.67 including VAT and £31.83 in labour charges. We ordered a replacement mirror glass and were told it would be ready in "a couple of days." Three weeks later it arrived, nearly two months after the original order.
Appreciate
We returned H366 CNH to VAG rather reluctantly, with the mileage recorder reading 21,779. In the time we had it, all who drove it came to appreciate the excellent ride and handling, welldesigned interior and torquey five-cylinder diesel engine. Fuel consumption overall was an excellent 8.8 lit/100km (32.1mpg).
Parts availability was our greatest complaint. Even for a new model range, two months to find a door mirror is unacceptable. By the time the Transporter went back, there was no sign of repeat tyre wear problems, so it seems that the re-aligned suspension geometry cured the problem. Would we recommend a Transporter as a good buy? The answer has to be yes,
Eby John Kendall