Club 80-90 Forums

Hi folks - or should I say Volks

To satisfy that " I want to take a camper around Europe " desire, my wife and I have bought a T3. It needs soooo much work and to start us off a local South London VW Garage has quoted us the following.

Can I get a quick - This is accurate .. or You really should get another quote on the parts and labour ..

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Front brakes - pads are 50% worn however discs have a large lip.Recommend replace discs , pads (wheel bearings have to be changed doing this job) and metal brake pipe(corroded) - Cost £250

Rear brakes require new brake shoes , wheel cylinders , brake shoe fitting kit and metal brake pipes. - Cost £295

Water pump is leaking (there is signs of engine overheating)recommend replace pump and coolant. - Cost £295

Drivers side steering rack gaitor split - Cost £57

Exhaust tail pipe rusted , new rear exhaust box and tailpipe needed. - Cost £285

Clutch slave cylinder leaking. - Cost £165

There is signs of oil around the engine , we believe that the breather pipe may be the cause - we recommend replacing the breather pipe and degreasing the oil. - Cost £50
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Finally the gearbox is like a bucket of rocks & sand with a stick in it when selecting 1st and 2nd .. 3rd and 4th are good

I've been told that the gear linkage bushes are worn , but they are now obsolete. - Is this true or replaceable ??

many thanks in advance for all of your replies

and if you can recommend a GREAT garage who can do this work for less .. let me know !!!

cheers

Ian

Hello, welcome - and good choice!

Do you have any DIY skills at all? Would you be happy gaining some? Half of that list is a nice weekend getting gently greasy - and, if that's not you, are you sure you want to take a 25+yo van into countries where you don't speak the language...? (European breakdown cover is a frequent topic!)

For parts prices, have a look on Brickwerks. To give you an idea, front pads are £28 for both sides, front discs £38/side, bearings £30/side. So £165 for the lot. Rear brakes £66 for a full kit of shoes, cylinders and fitting kit. Brake pipes can be a bit more involved... But call it a good afternoon's work for all that lot, and you've just saved over £300...

your best bet is to go on a webshop like brickwerks and ad up the prices of parts, then work out his labour from that. Plus it depends whether he is fitting good or cheap parts, for instance a clutch slave in best quality is £70, cheapest is £20... Brickwerks are a garage too, and are very trusted, my van is there now and i live in south london (brickwerks is near huddersfield) they normally have a long waiting list though. another trusted garage would be this guy
http://www.t3volution.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
he is a member on here. What garage are you using in London?

i really do type too slow, Adrian got there 1st

Have to echo above thoughts. I'm 55 and even with stiff knees I'd still rather do the work myself. For instance, last weekend I changed part of the clutch and ok, I got oily (very) and ached for a couple of days but it would have easily been £250+ in a garage and cost me nowt in the end. The above prices (whilst not untypical) would be way too high for me - I'd rather get the odd bruise or cut and do it myself than part with that kind of money. I hear there are people that do though

Besides, its only a minor step up from meccano, plus you get familiar with things fairly quickly if you roll up your sleeves. The WIKI (link at top of page) talks you through virtually any job.

If diy is not your thing then phone a couple of mobile mechanics, say you will supply most parts a you want to choose the quality (Brickwerks or vw heratige) you just want labour, try one on a smaller job first.

supplying you own parts has the benefit that they dont disapear for hours to get parts, you need to be organised though and get what they need

Which part of South London are you in?
There are a few of us knocking around down here.

You guys are great .. just wanted to thank you before I look at each post in depth.

We are in Grove Park SE12 .. at least for another month.

Ian

Hi Again,

Can't seem to do individual replies .. Again thank you for the breakdown ( LOL )

I INTEND ( as does my wife ) to become at least a practitioner of the Volk arts, so we'll be working together on making Wanda or ( Vunda ) a well-running thing of beauty .. If I can build a computer, repair a bike, make a cheesecake and write a song .. I'm well on the way to getting her running.

T3volution Looks Great thank you for that - Yes Seen Brickwerks - I guess relying on those part numbers helps .. also checked out Limebug ? .. Adrian Talbot also seems to know what he's on about.

The quotes came from Volkspares in Sydenham .. decent enough guys to deal with .. just can't wear the cost(s) at this stage.

Cheers guys ..

Ian

Volkswagen...
Turning it's owners into mechanics for 60 years

My van is called Wanda, she must have an admirer.

Hi Ian,

My two pence worth. Oh agree on the DIY for some of these jobs by the way.

Teines wrote: Front brakes - pads are 50% worn however discs have a large lip.Recommend replace discs , pads (wheel bearings have to be changed doing this job) and metal brake pipe(corroded) - Cost £250

Personally, if money is tight and the pads look evenly worn, I don't consider they need changing. But on the other hand they are cheap(ish) and we are talking bout brakes. (I might leave them) The bearings don't have to be changed either. (E D I T= or do you ? - In all the years of T25 ownership I have not yet had to do this job) So, buy a pair of disks and fit them

Teines wrote:Rear brakes require new brake shoes , wheel cylinders , brake shoe fitting kit and metal brake pipes. - Cost £295

Ummm, if the cylinders are leaking, then yes, replace. The cost seems a bit high here !

Teines wrote:Water pump is leaking (there is signs of engine overheating)recommend replace pump and coolant. - Cost £295

Unless I have missed it, you don't seem to have mentioned what engine or what year the van is ? There is quite a lot of difference in the work involved here between early (pre 85) and late (post 85) petrol and the Diesels are different again. Lets hope the signs of overheating are just something simple and not head "gasket" issues, Petrol or Diesel, they can both do it. I simple "sniff test" by a garages exhaust gas analyser will tell.

Teines wrote:Drivers side steering rack gaitor split - Cost £57

Part is cheap and easy peesey DIY job there.

Teines wrote:Exhaust tail pipe rusted , new rear exhaust box and tailpipe needed. - Cost £285

Again, early or late exhaust system ? (is the silencer held on with 2 large straps and has just one input pipe on it ?)
Does the silencer really need changing, or is it just a matter of fitting a tail pipe (cheap) to a bit of a manky flange ? (there are ways around that common scenario, called a welder !)

Teines wrote:Clutch slave cylinder leaking. - Cost £165

Can be a tedious job. One of the bolts is hard to get at, but that's just an annoyance, the pipe attached to the cylinder often breaks when removing, but use of easing oil (NOT WD40 ! but PlusGas) before and using the right technique often works. Then you have to bleed it. If you are not used to doing this type of thing, then maybe a garage job, but again, the price looks around £50 too high to me.

Teines wrote:There is signs of oil around the engine , we believe that the breather pipe may be the cause - we recommend replacing the breather pipe and degreasing the oil. - Cost £50

Breather pipe = A proper modern silicone one is a bit dear (note = you cannot use ordinary hose as it is under a slight vacuum and it would collapse). However, B&Q sell some black corrugated, reinforced hose that fits and works just fine (with a bit of the old hose as a sleeve to connect it to the stubs). I have some spare here you can have, posted, for free. Then either clean oil with a rag, or use some engine cleaner and a hose pipe (being careful not to get splash back onto the interior of the van ) An easy DIY job that would take 30 mins max.

Teines wrote:Finally the gearbox is like a bucket of rocks & sand with a stick in it when selecting 1st and 2nd .. 3rd and 4th are good

I've been told that the gear linkage bushes are worn , but they are now obsolete. - Is this true or replaceable ??

Parts are quite easily available. Not too bad a DIY job, but not so easy without the van being up in the air on a lift. Plenty about "How to on here and in our "wiki" knowledge base as per HERE and HERE (@ CovKid, where has your gear linkage "how to" gone ?)

Let us know what engine you have, or put it in your signature (see mine) so it appears on each post

Hi and welcome to T25 ownership!

Teines wrote: If I can build a computer, repair a bike, make a cheesecake and write a song .. I'm well on the way to getting her running.

I can do all of those except the cheescake, and my songs are terrible. My motor mechanic skills are very limited, but 18 months of owning our current T25 have improved my confidence massively - small steps, even just learning what everything does, and having an understanding of the varying terminology helps. Get the correct tools for the job, and understand when it's time to step back, soak a bolt in WD40 overnight before continuing the battle

Finally, if you end up getting most of the jobs done by a garage anyway, find a VW/ T25 specialist who will take an interest in your bus, and has experience of working on them. Labour costs don't come cheap, so someone who understands and cares about your bus will do a better job more cost-effectively.

Have you tried T25 Direct? Based in Dulwich.
I used them earlier this year for MOT and a a few jobs. Not too sure how their prices compare to your quotes but they did a good job and know their stuff.

Steve

For this end of the country, I'd have a word with toomanytoys aka Simon at T3volution in Lincs.

Don't go paying London money or even Surrey money. I won't!

T25 Direct? Weren't they the lot who were selling ill-fitting Westy copy roofs? I see they have electric mirrors at £395 a pair. You could have new from Classic Parts for less...

PS it's AIDAN Talbot for transmissions

Forgive me if I've missed anything. So back to basics.
Does your van actually run ok? Has it been taken for an MOT to check the essentials? If it hasn't then for about £50+ it will show what actually needs doing. Was the VW garage a franchise garage or a T3 specialist? I cannot believe all these things need replacing straight away. I would take it to a garage like mine for a checkover to see what actually needs replacing? Where do you work and where do you live? That could offer alternative garage options that somebody here could recommend.