Hello and van questions

Hello Everyone,

This looks like a great forum full of information which I hope I can tap into and hopefully contribute as well. I have years of experience travelling using large 4x4 off-roaders. You could say been there done it and as I am now in my 50’s I want to slow down.

We (myself and my wife) have been looking for years at a T2 camper for when we were ready to slow down and take life easy which brings me to this forum.

We are looking at Brazilian campers mainly on VW kampers site and have a few questions.

Thanks in advance

Is it safe to assume if the camper is over say 6 years old and shows no sign  of rust it has been rustproofed ? This is important as we are from sunny Scotland

Hi and welcome.
6 years old and no rust -
It could have been rarely used and dry stored.
It could have had extensive rust treatment.
It could have any rust patches dealt with.
The only way to truly find out is to ask the seller, who in the case of VW Kampers, would give you an honest answer.
Good luck with your search.

The original paint treatment was more appropriate to Brazilian rather than European climates. Danbury offered undersealing as an option, but I think you can safely assume that if a van hadn't been undersealed by Danbury at the factory or independently soon afterwards it would be showing obvious signs of rust after 6 years. Regular waxoyling of the body and door cavities is also a good idea.

Thanks for the quick reply’s. That’s put my mind at rest a bit, and after more reading nothing looks terminal if dealt with quickly. It still comes down to what I could buy for 30K plus but every emotion is saying buy a T2

All I have to add is that you do have to accept there will be ongoing maintenance some of which will be to the bodywork. On our van which we sadly sold recently we had to replace the engine lid, the rear valance & crossmember under the engine lid and the rear bumper.

You just have to build prevention and repair as required into your thinking and budget.

Our van was undersealed by Danbury when new and the condition underneath seemed to be very good.

All our camper undertake a full referb before being handed over.

We look at all the mecanics, engine, gearbox, exshaust, brakes, tires and water pipes and replace where needed as well a full majotr service.

All our campers are re-wax oiled and any rust or damage is taken care of in our in house paint shop..

We then check all the internals, fridge, sink pump, heaters, lesure system and run a check on teh lesuire battery, 70% of the time we fit a new battery as a matter of course.

The campers are then profeionally valted with seats and upholstery shampooed and the body work machine polished and detailed...

All this is standard on our campers and backed up by a 3 months parts and labour warranty.

Ian VWK.