T5/6

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by wendygun, Jun 13, 2020.

  1. I know a few on here also have t5's or t6's.
    I have been looking at maybe buying 1 mainly for work but it also has to have rear seats...has anyone info on best engines and dsg gearboxes..
    I don't have a budget to be honest but none look cheap. I don't think the wife's private bank will push for a new one.
     
  2. Matey is currently looking at T4s after selling his bay :rolleyes:

    There`s some real bargains to be had if you ignore the converted builders van and stick to `proper` conversions done from new and spent their whole life being looked after and driven rarely with FSH .
    10 to 12k will get you a good van with all the whistles and bells which we lowly bay owners can only dream of - diesel , 5 speed box , captain seats , gas properly plumbed in copper etc etc , the bonus being they had a great anti rust system sorted out by then which means most are 100% solid . So they`re ugly sods but all he wants to do is camp and fish in it so ticks all the boxes .

    He`s impressed , and if was in the market ......

    Might not be in the T5/6 arena but an option ??

    :hattip:
     
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  3. Barry Haynes

    Barry Haynes I dance in leopard skin mankini’s

    Warlock burn him at the stake:p
     
  4. Don't worry the bay is not going anywhere....
     
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  5. I had a T5 for 5 years as a builders van it did 70k or near as from new all in my hands build quality was spot on side loading door was given a bit of stick and fell off the runners a few times it was common in the fleet tbh.
    5 speed box died at 60k ish no warning or symptoms just pop.we had few that went but they where loaded to the max.
    Engine was fine and good mph.
    T5 is about as new as I would go
     
  6. Adrian1975

    Adrian1975 Supporter

    I have a t5.1 2013, caravelle, with factory bed pack all blinds ECT being a caravelle,

    Its done 287,000 miles on same engine and box ,I'm the second owner, 140bhp remapped to 180bhp, manual transmission

    Great busses, keep them serviced every 10k using Mann filters only and you be fine

    Had mine 3 years and no problems, drive it everyday( there is a few pics on here of it somewhere)

    Good luck you won't be disappointed
     
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  7. Jack Tatty

    Jack Tatty Supporter and teachers pet

    Loved ours and would have another one no problem. Much preferred it to our Bay @Barry Haynes ;). Ours was 2.5 litre though I read on some T4/5 buying guides that the 2 litre was the better engine. I’d certainly have a look at the T5 owners websites for buyers guides.
     
  8. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    Mine is a very early low ( ish ) mileage multivan. 6 speed box 2.5 130 bhp remapped to 170 and just about the best dub to drive I've ever owned. 2nd gear went at 170k, so changed the DM flywheel, clutch and waterpump at the same time as the box rebuild, not a cheap month, but it was fully fully maintained by PO and me now so well worth doing and she took us to southern France no problems last year. There is a bit of bodywork to sort at some point, but I would highly recommend a T5 multivan, they're badged as caravelle in the uk, If it has the table, bed and the rear seats on rails it's a multivan, if it has two rows of three seats in the back it's a shuttle.
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2020
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  9. matty

    matty Supporter

    Get a transit or Renault much the same but cheaper
     
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  10. Adrian1975

    Adrian1975 Supporter

    And less cool
     
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  11. Lazy Andy

    Lazy Andy Supporter

    We have a 2013 T5.1 Kombi 140 T32 6 speed manual, twin slider.

    it’s been faultless in the year we’ve had it. Our intention is that we can use this as a dayvan with relatively minimal investment over and above the purchase price... lining carpet, a bit of insulation, fortywinks Kombi bed, leisure battery and a few sockets.

    With that basic spec I can run it around and go to shows and weekends away, then restore the bay... the only problem, is I’ve got into it as a project and I’m elaborating on the interior and enjoying that instead!

    It’s quite novel doing something on one side of the van and then flipping the template and applying to the other side without having to scribe another template... you don’t get that with a bay!

    the 140Bhp engine is good and strong. I’m considering a remap to 178ish which is supposed to make it a bit smoother as well as more powerful.

    The engine to avoid, at all costs is the early facelift 180 bi-turbo. They drink oil before consuming themselves inside out. They fixed the issues from around 2015 onwards and then developed that engine into the 200bhp + version in the T6.

    The only thing mine didn’t have that I wanted was the blackberry metallic paint... best colour on the T5 imo!!
     
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  12. Lazy Andy

    Lazy Andy Supporter

    Oh, you have to get used to the lack of effort in the wave department... maybe an odd raised index finger every now and then!
     
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  13. Moons

    Moons Supporter

    You PO is a very generous lady, fair play,
     
  14. I like that colour.....I know I should not base what I buy on just colour buttttt..
     
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  15. In a dusty corner of my mind I seem to remember someone saying they have wiring isssues. Does that take a lot to sort out?
     
  16. I heard the older 174 engines also eat themselves, manage about 80k miles and die, similar symptoms. Is that the same engine @Lazy Andy ?
     
  17. Merlin Cat

    Merlin Cat Moderator

    T4 the way to go!! We’ve had 3 and driven back and forth to southern Spain numerous times with no problems. Apart from service items we never had a single issue. 2 were Westies and the other a Reimo.

    my partner would like a T5/6 as Luke’s the smaller gear stick and says they’re quieter and less can like - I would have another T4 instead as think 2.5tdi is more reliable and cheaper to fix.
     
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  18. mikedjames

    mikedjames Supporter

    There is an ongoing issue where some peoples aluminium EGR cooler gets hot, cracks and disintegrates into the intake causing problems. Apparently other brands EGR coolers are stainless steel because of the heat..

    And my AA man telling me that the poptops leak water into electronics killing the van.. Probably designed with the idea that the bit near the roof is very dry, only to have that undone with a big hole.

    Next door neighbours non poptop T5 had a massive water leak in the opening bit of the nearside side window. ( the one in the side of the van) .
     
  19. Lazy Andy

    Lazy Andy Supporter

    I drove 150 miles to see a BlackBerry one, loved it, agreed a price and then they handed me the last MOT report and it listed the engine as the 180 spec... it had been advertised as 140.

    I walked away... well, drove 150 miles back empty handed!
     
  20. Lazy Andy

    Lazy Andy Supporter

    Yep. Something along the lines of the extra oil cooler for the EGR had alloy plates in it that would break down and the alloy particles then ruined the barrels. The first you know is that it’s drinking oil.

    I paraphrase, there’s lots of info out there.

    If you had an early but low mileage T5.1 then it’s possible to change the cooler, but that’s a £1k job
     
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