Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2020 i VWT Lifestyle

First, a big thanks to all those who have taken the time to say how much they enjoyed seeing the new look August issue. Obviously with the lockdown it’s been super tricky arranging photoshoots, but now things have eased a little the loyal team of photographers who work for Camper&Bus will be out scouring the country for suitable feature candidates. So, if you have a vehicle that you think might fit the bill and want to see it in the magazine, then please get in touch. Fire off an email with some photos in the first instance to camperandbus.ed@kelsey. co.uk. We’d love to hear from you... In case you hadn’t heard, the postponed VolksWorld Show at Sandown Park won’t be happening in October. While disappointing, it makes perfect sense given…

Spence Pritchard is head honcho at the Bristol-based Old Dub Shop. Funnily enough, when we called him he was on his hands-free hauling his ’54 Oval Bug on a trailer behind the subject of this article – an ’87 single cab T25 that he acquired a couple of years ago. The fact that he was on his way back from a gruelling 500-mile round trip to Clacton, battling with a busy M25 en route, didn’t seem to have phased him. You see Spence has a real passion for VWs so it makes sense that his works vehicle is a Volkswagen. As he explained: “If you run a business servicing and restoring old VWs and you’re a true enthusiast, you need a classic truck. And I use this one all the…

A physical lock on board a vehicle that prevents a thief from driving it acts as an effective visual deterrent. Independent tests have often shown that many locks are not impossible to break, but the time required to do this is hopefully sufficient to put off a thief. Steering locks begin with basic ones, such as the Stoplock, which costs £39.99 from Halfords. There are also full-sized disc locks for steering wheels, which aim to make it more difficult to turn the steering. Noisekiller (www.nkgroup.co.uk) offers a pedal lock, known as the Clutch Claw, which fits over the brake and clutch pedal on Splits, Bays and T25s with prices starting at £109.The two-part lock is clamped over the pedals, making them impossible to operate. The lock where the key is…

There are a range of universal alarms and immobilisers available,with prices starting from as little as £20.Alarms can be quite sophisticated, detecting a drop in voltage when a door is opened or an interior light is activated,for example.Others can detect motion inside a vehicle or general movement.The cheapest alarms appear to sense motion and most are powered by the vehicle’s battery.However,there are also some interesting anti-theft locks and alarms for motorbikes,which can also be used for vehicles.The Oxford Screamer (www.oxfordproducts.com),priced at £39.99,for example,is designed to be locked to a motorbike disc and its alarm is activated if moved – a key switches off the alarm and allows it to be taken off.This can also be used in a vehicle and locked around something that prevents the device from being removed.…

With a family of seven, it takes a bit of juggling where transport is concerned. Being in France, I initially did what the French did and bought a tatty Peugeot 806. It was actually pretty good to be honest, only broke down once, and handled well for a seven-seater. Alas, my eldest two boys eventually ran out of legroom, so the search was on for a more appropriate VW replacement. The vehicle that ticked all the boxes was a 2004 T5. It was being sold by a local funeral director who had purchased it new from the town’s VW agent. Thankfully, it had spent most of its life as a taxi as opposed to carrying coffins, so I wasn’t too spooked. Nor was I particularly worried about the fact that…

Across all the various Facebook groups lately, the most commonly asked question has been, “love your awning, what is it?” So we thought we’d try and answer by reviewing some of the most popular ones out there. “Not all awnings are the same. The way they go up, and the materials used all vary” Now, in attempting to do this we came upon an immediate headache. It seems with Covid-19, etc, most awnings had already sold out before the summer really got going, and with limits on supply new stock won’t be coming in anytime soon. Moreover, most awning manufacturers release their new range in October/November – another reason why supplies right now are likely to be a little fragile. So the caveat here is to use this guide to…

It’s fair to say that few people ever bought Volkswagen Transporters because they were impressed by their blistering performance. The air-cooled models were always a bit, well, pedestrian in their progress. And for many, that’s part of the appeal – the pace of life is slower, more relaxed in a VW Bus. They’re every bit as chilled and laid-back as most of their owners. And for those who do fancy a bit more muscle, then there are plenty of modding options to wring a few more horses out of your Type 2, including, of course, squeezing in an air-cooled Porsche 911 unit. However, the change from air- to water-cooling during the T25 era did allow Volkswagen to add a little more poke to its standard models. By 1985, VW was…

As we all know, Volkswagen’s air-cooled Transporter was by far the world’s most successful light commercial, with around 5.5 million sold in its first 30 years. Its success as a load and passenger carrier was actually surpassed by its popularity as a motor caravan base, becoming No 1 with constructors across Europe. But only one European-built VW motor caravan has ever won a share of the British market – that Van being the Westfalia Continental. Despite its higher price compared with British conversions, it originally gained a small following in Britain through its Teutonic quality and ingenious features, but was thought by some to be too clever to be practical. When its price reached 25% above that of the top UK converter, the Westfalia was designated ‘special order’ and soon…

If you’ve carried out a restoration yourself you’ll know that regardless of how well organised you are, or how meticulously you’ve timetabled everything, right down to delivery dates on parts, things rarely go to plan. Sometimes you have to have a take a deep breath, have a rethink, and start all over again. This isn’t always the owner in question’s fault, however, and that’s certainly true of Adam Young, custodian of this ’63 Split Screen Bus. The original plan was to get the body restored in the States before exporting it over, then get all the mechanical bits sorted here as soon as it had been unloaded from the container. But as Adam will go on to explain, fate had other ideas… “I’ve worked in Houston, Texas over the last…

When someone who has never owned a classic Volkswagen before finally gives in to their often-repeated mantra of, “I’ve just always fancied one,” it goes either one of two ways. They never look back and wish they’d listened to their dreams years ago, or they sell it after a month and book a package holiday to Majorca to recover from the experience. Lloyd Cooper is thankfully well and truly entrenched in the former camp. “My mum said when my son, Sam, was just two that we should get a Camper,” recalls Lloyd. Here it comes… “By coincidence, I’ve always wanted one (bingo!) and had my eye on a ’72 camper that was sitting unloved near the workshop where I run my business, Kent Bodyworks in Ashford.” Sam is now eight-years-old…

Since the mid-’50s, there’s always been an eager following for VW Transporters in California and this interest has resulted in the creation of several shows devoted solely to Split Screen Buses, including the SOTO Meet hosted by the Society Of Transporter Owners. The club had over 1000 members at its peak in the 1980s. By the end of the ’90s, SOTO folded, while another group catering for pre-1968 Type 2s took over: the Orange County Transporter Organization (OCTO). It was founded in 1999 by a handful of friends, including collector Charlie Hamill, who decided to organise three annual shows: the famous OCTO Meets, held in February, June and October. Winter in LA The June edition remains the best known, as it’s part of a series of VW events spanning several…

If the worst happens, a tracking device will be one of the most effective methods of getting your vehicle back. Many use a satellite or mobile phone signal to identify their location and several devices are a DIY fit, requiring power from the vehicle’s battery, although most have a battery backup as well. Obviously the tracking device when installed needs to be hidden out of view. There’s more to most trackers than merely locating a vehicle in the event of it being stolen. Data such as the vehicle’s speed, distance covered and route can be collated and displayed online via a map. Alerts can be triggered if the vehicle leaves the country. Skytag’s tracker device is smaller than a computer mouse and contains a GPS chip that can pinpoint its…

All these things will help prevent a tea leaf meddling with your motor, but there’s some more obvious measures you can take to prevent it being stolen. If you are out and about, park it where you can see it, where it’s most visible – not tucked out of the way up a back street. Likewise at home, if it’s on the drive, park it under a window, and install a security light in case someone comes along while you are asleep. Better still, put it in the garage if you have one. Always lock your car. And here’s the cheapest way to stop someone driving it away – take out the rotor arm or, better still, remove the steering wheel. Finally, here’s a plug for the Stolen VW Register…

The New Forest is great. It’s fairly easy to access, but more than anything it offers a wide range of activities from mountain biking to museums – all set in a varied coastal location. The New Forest is still largely owned by the Crown, but in March 2005 it was awarded National Park status which has opened up the entire area for the enjoyment of all throughout the year, raising national awareness of the New Forest as a most precious resource. Indeed, there are few other places in Britain or beyond where you can visit and enjoy whatever the season. As early as January, as the hours of daylight imperceptibly lengthen, carpets of woodland snowdrops are the first sign of a change of season. Spring arrives with an explosion of…

Glawning How much: £849 Contact: www.glawning.com If you’re after something with a bit of glamour, why not consider the posh-looking Glawning, a luxury fire-resistant canvas bell tent awning with two doors and a canopy which allows it to be attached to any Camper. Made from fire-retardant 350gsm unbleached 100% cotton canvas, it’s got that lovely retro appeal that would go nicely with any classic Camper. Oh, and it’s likely to prove safer and more durable than other awnings, and because all the poles are galvanized, copper-zinc coated affairs – it will last a lifetime if looked after. Inner tents are available, too, to make it even cosier inside. Vango Tolga How much: £549 Contact: www.vango.co.uk Vango’s retro looking Tolga airbeam awning is the perfect attachment for VW Transporters and uses…

FAB C&B OFFERS Save money and get your favourite mag delivered direct to your letterbox Grab a great post-lock down deal and stay safe by having VW Camper&Bus delivered direct to your door.You can buy a single issue at the usual cover price, with free UK delivery (£1 extra for international postage), when you visit shop.kelsey.co.uk/issue/VWC. What’s more, UK customers can save money by ordering the three next issues for just £9.99 with our three-for-two offer at shop. kelsey.co.uk/suboffer/cb2ovwc (offer code CB2OVWC). We’ve even thrown in a free digital issue for good measure. Or how about a 12-month subscription so you can get the magazine before it hits the shops? We’re doing some good deals right now so check them out on pages 44-45 this issue or click on shop.kelsey.co.uk/subscription/VWCand…

Visit any coastal town on a blustery day and you’re bound to see an assortment of T4s in the beach-side car parks, their wet-suit clad owners energetically unloading their kitesurfing kit from the boot. However, father of two Ben Smith, 35, who lives in a small town on the Wiltshire/Dorset border, doesn’t need the wind or waves to enjoy his hobby. He’s hooked instead on the rapidly growing pastime of paramotoring – put simply, a powered powerglider – and his T4 provides the perfect lifestyle vehicle to do it in. Occupational therapy Ben, who’s an operations and logistics manager for Gilo Adventure Sports and Parajet International, purchased ‘Sacha’, a 1996 1.9 SWB T4, a little over 12 years ago for £2,000. “She started off as a plumber’s Van, doing most…

The theft of classic Buses – and not just Splits, but increasingly Bays, T25s and T4s – is depressing, especially as such vehicles, as we all know, often become viewed as a much-loved member of the family. But sadly, there’s no straightforward answer to protecting your vehicle and no 100% thief-proof method of ensuring it cannot be taken. Instead, there are a number of ways to make pinching it more difficult, the most popular of which we’ve outlined over the following pages. Cut-off switches, locks, alarms, immobilisers and trackers are some of the options worth considering. Many are quick and simple to install, and most can be fitted yourself. However, there’s no single device that provides the best, most foolproof measure to combat theft which is why we recommend fitting…

A battery isolator or cut-off switch is an effective means of cutting off the electrical supply for a VW, so if thieves break into it, they will need to reconnect the electrics to start the engine. There are a number of different types of battery cut-off switch, the simplest being a quick release battery terminal, which can be lifted up to disconnect it from the battery. These are available for both the positive and negative terminals – a negative/earth connection is more suitable here as there is less risk of creating sparks when disconnecting the terminal. Budget for around £5 for one of these. A similar quick release terminal is one which has a screw type switch attached, so the terminal clamp doesn’t need to be released. Instead, a screw…

The fuel tank on a Bay Window is hidden away in front of the engine (concealed by a removable panel) and behind the rear seat squab. It’s generally forgotten about until the smell of petrol emerges and action needs to be taken before posing a potential fire risk. Petrol fumes and leaks can be caused by a number of issues, which have become more widespread due to the increasing levels of bio-ethanol in petrol. Petrol tanks can corrode because higher ethanol content fuels generate more moisture, carburettors can become blocked if the engine hasn’t been run for a long time and fuel lines and filler necks have broken down more rapidly. The petrol tank in a Bay Window uses a series of expansion tubes as breathers. This pipework is largely…

Due to Covid-19, the 10 Camping in the Forest sites (which includes the popular Hollands Wood site in Brockenhurst) remain closed until April 2021. However, there are plenty of other excellent choices. We’ve selected ones that will still be open when this issue goes on sale in September, but for a full listing visit www.thenewforest.co.uk • Tom’s Field, Godshill, Fordingbridge – our favourite all time site in the New Forest because of its rural location and the fact that it’s a family run affair. There’s no electric hook up, no music at any time, and only 50 pitches. But that’s why we love it. www.tomsfield.com. Pitch from £26. • Green Hill Farm, Landford – a peaceful 100-pitch hideaway set in woodland on the edge of the New Forest that’s open…

Although T25 production stopped during 1991 in Europe, it did carry on elsewhere in the world – as is often the case with so many Volkswagens. However, it wasn’t the usual suspect Latin America that continued with the T25 this time because it was still building the T2 Bay. However, the T25 was also built in South Africa, at VW’s Uitenhage plant.And when Europe moved onto the T4, Uitenhage didn’t. It persisted with T25s right the way through until June 2002, facelifting it in 1991 with bigger side windows. However, it was what happened in the engine bay that really made the South African T25s fascinating. In an attempt to give the Bus real balls, a 2.5-litre five-cylinder fuel-injected Audi engine was installed during 1991.This rose to 2.6 litres in…