Hi all from newbie camper owner (in dire need of a bit of advice)

Discussion in 'Introduce Yourselves' started by MaBlimey, May 24, 2012.

  1. Hello and good morning late bayers, I'm Caro (or Ma Blimey)! Married, a bit barking mad, owner of two soppy staffies and lover of all things unconventional. I have just in the last two weeks realised my teenage dream (it's taken over 30 years) and become the proud owner of a 1972 T2 bay. Now I am in love. She is just gorgeous, full of rusty bits, smelled like a henhouse when I picked her up and the poptop leaked like a seive! I've ripped out and replaced all the rotten flooring, carpets and mouldy curtains, repaired and sealed the poptop and made a start on the rust (fortunately only surface apart from a couple of holes under the nearside window and one of the jacking points).

    Being a total novice, I'd been reading posts on here to get advice before I found a bus I liked and went to buy (especially Stan's advice on why and why not to buy etc), so I went armed with my check list. I checked the VIN number, looked at the bottom 6 inches, looked under the mats, checked the arches etc., and everything was fine for the price, so I parted with my hard earned cash and drove her home.
    After ripping out the inside and putting in the new flooring etc., I started on the rusty bits outside (I know it's the wrong way round). Now, here comes the BAD bit and I really need some help and advice here... on taking stickers off the quarter lights, I find the windows have been etched... no problem there, except they're etched WITH A DIFFERENT REGISTRATION NUMBER! First off I thought, well they've obviously been replaced with quarterlights from a breakers yard at some point but then I thought, 'let's google the reg. no. it can't hurt'. Turns out it's from a 1979 camper, same colour as mine. This worried me, so I started reading up on various things things that had changed on a T2 over the years and I find a 72 should have proper hinges on the engine lid but mine has the later 'wire' hinges. Also I should have 3 screws in the headlight surrounds and I only have one. More and more I'm beginning to think I'm driving a 79 bus, possibly even stolen and yet the VIN plates match my V5. What should I do? Do I go to the police? Or the DVLA? Is it possible that a 72 bay would have the wire hinges and newer headlight surrounds? I'm running round in circles now not really knowing where to turn. Any and ALL advice gratefully received. Sorry to introduce myself with such a long-winded diatribe but thanks for listening!
     
  2. rickyrooo1

    rickyrooo1 Hanging round like a bad smell

    Hi welcome, sounds to me like someone's got a 72 v5 for the free tax and put it on a later van...... you have 2 choices, play ignorant and drive or inform the dvla and authorities and end up with a van on a Q plate...... let us know where you're based, someone local could come over and help you.
     
  3. Thanks Rickyrooo. Confirmed my fears ! I'm in Greenford Middlesex - what happens with a 'Q' plate? Does that mean it's re-registered? Obviously it would lose the tax exempt status? This is not how my vw camper dream was supposed to start :eek:(
     
  4. rickyrooo1

    rickyrooo1 Hanging round like a bad smell

    one of the problems is if it was stolen you may lose the van.... sorry to scare you, i would contact the previous owner and see what they say - tell them you are off to the 5-0 and see if they fold...... if it went on a Q you would lose the free tax unless you could prove it was pre jan 73 which i doubt it is, also some insurance companies don't like Q plates without a vosa check on it i would be interested on seeing the vin plate and if it's been welded in from the original van or looking at more of the detail to confirm the parts off the 79 etc..... you could put pictures up and we will give it a look but i'd be supprised if it isn't a bit dodgy....
     
  5. Moons

    Moons Guest

    Quick question - how did you find out about the later reg - i.e. you got the numbers off the window's and did what?

    If you looked on the DVLA website, what status did that reg number van have?

    Also, your current V5 - the reg you have on the number plates - what's it's history, can you check it going back?

    Many buses have mixed and matched parts - its not always a sign of a ringer - but a lot of them do add up.

    Maybe go to a specialist and ask them to investigate further - check the engine number, chassis stamp and the rivetted on plates behind the front seats.


    If indeed it's a ringer I would not play ignorant - you might get stung for what you have paid out at the moment, but you bought in good faith. If you carry on driving about, knowing about this, then you are committing a criminal offence - in any event your insurance is compromised and ability to sell the van on is hampered if its a ringer.

    It is the devil and the deep blue sea - if you do go to the authorities I'd take anything you have spent money on out of it before hand, you can at least claw back some of your spend that way.

    I'd be very surprised if you don't loose the van (though you are covered by some insurances depending on how you paid for it), but you have options to recover cost, including suing the previous owner (not as hard as it sounds) if they knowingly sold it to you.

    Put it this way - your worse fears are realised and it is a ringer - you carry on spending out and have a bump. The insurance assessor smells a rat and voids your insurance (or you could get pulled by a VW fan traffic cop) you then get nicked for null insurance and handling stolen goods (good luck with the career in these days of CRB checks) and loose the van anyway.

    Or you sell it on and the next buyer has the wake up call you've had and phones you.....what do you do then?

    Get it checked, contact the authorities if you need to buddy.
     
  6. Hate to say it but it sounds like a poor attempt at a ringer, hopefully not though. Get someone local on her to have a closer look for you, chassis number in the engine bay would be the most arkward bit to change i guess so might be a good starting point as most other identifyable parts can be swapped by any unscrouplouss moron. Hope you get this sorted.
     
  7. I can't just keep driving it, it's like a stone sitting in my stomach! I have to at least find out how it happened.
    I found the details of the other bus by typing my reg into Google and it led me to a site called Regarchive.com. There, the details of my supposed 72 bus were listed fine. Then I typed in the other reg in their search box and it came up with a camper registered between 1979 and 1980. I also checked the DirectGov website which brought up the fact that it was red and that it was unlicensed.
    I think the first thing I have to do is see if I can find out if the number etched on the windows is registered as stolen. I have little or no history on it, just a bunch of MOTs which only go back to 2002. It does have a Jacks Garage sticker in the window, maybe I'll give them a call and see if they have any record of either of the reg numbers. Can't believe this, my dream is turning into a nightmare... Not sure if I should contact the bloke I bought it from before contacting the authorities. I'm sure he must have known as he said his nephew had done some work on it.
     
  8. Zed

    Zed Gradually getting grumpier

    Oh dear. :(
     
  9. Later single screw headlamps could be because its had the front panel replaced

    Like the others have said stick some pics up
     
  10. Have tried 'insert image' doesn't seem to do anything. How do I post pics up?
     
  11. Not sure if I've done this right? There should be three pics. Let me know if I should take more and put them up. Thanks all of you for your help and advice, feally, really appreciate it.

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  14. Hi, sorry to hear your grief. It sounds like a night mare. Earlier late bay buses have the sliding door lock in the handle rather than separate and a recessed fuel filler cap with a flap over it as does mine, a 1973. Have a look on the show us your ride for some pics of other buses. There was a thread on here somewhere detailing the differences between years of buses so this could give other clues. I'm sure others on here will give you that sort of info.

    It sounds like you need to do the right thing though to ensure you don't end up on the wrong side of things as was previously advised. Otherwise it come back and bite you in the back side.

    Good luck with it.
     
  15. I have a 79 devon and some of the interior looks likes if from one of those , the straps plus the hole in the floor for the table to slot into ,of course these could have been added at a later date.
     
  16. Hi dont know if its of any use but the interior conversion is a Holdsworth and in nice nick by the look of it. From what I can see this is unlikely to be a 72 bus, petrol filler is incorrect, as you say the hinges on the engine lid arent right - seperate slider lock - you will find your switches on the steering column are the later ones and I would say its after 74.

    Best case scenario is that it is a aringer but not on a stolen bus. As someone said above possibly someone jsut trying to get the historic vehicle status.

    Im unsure how to advise on moving forwards but if the etched reg on the glass is not a stolen van then hopefully that will be its original identity. If it were me I would firstly be having a look at the area around the chasis number at the rear - has it been altered. You might not be able to tell! I do think that it will be difficult to identify what its original provenance is. What is its history - who had it when and is there any documentation mots etc. Why not see if you can get a trusted garage or possibly someon off here to have a look - where abouts are you?
     
  17. rickyrooo1

    rickyrooo1 Hanging round like a bad smell

    looks like a post 74 bus to me, it's deffo not a K reg unless it's had a lot of replaced parts if it was a K reg it would have more than likely a crossover/early front end although as i say it could have been replaced, thing is reading above it has been a K for 10 years now and you're the one who's "found it" unless as i said above the previous owner chose to ignore it, i'd bet my house that someone has just swapped i'd's over to get free tax as the original 72 bus what rotten, you need to find out details of the engine and gearbox number and check them against the 79 reg'd bus i'd guess they may match.... get in touch with the guy you bought it off before you go to the dvla and see if he knew and tell him you will go to the dvla if you think he did the swap, if you go straight to the dvla and it was stolen you could lose it, if it's just a ringer for tax you'll get to keep it but it's a faff....
     
  18. Thanks Dicky and Rickyrooo and everyone else...
    I'm in Greenford in Middlesex. The interior's in nice nick cos I've just done it all out! Wishing I had waited now . Did the earlier bays have indicator lever on the left and wiper lever on the right? That's what I've got - I'm guessing not... Very wary of going back to the previous owner... he was a big bloke and obviously saw me as a girlie who knew nothing (he wasn't far wrong)! But I think that's going to have to be my first port of call.
     
  19. Im sure you can get the history of a vehicle to see whos owned it but you have to pay -possibly DVLA thing. If its been like that for 10 years or so then its a tricky one. Long lasting stickers!!!!!!! surely someone must have noticed! theres fraud somewhere!
     

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