Rusty VW bothering …. (Now with added Peugeot Boxer content)

[Tickman]

That is a beast

[Dyslexic Viking]

That looks nice and a major upgrade from a van.

[mk2_craig]

1 hour ago, rusty_vw_man said:

so money paid, tax taxed and insurance insuranced and I’m away…. 

Now it may have left the factory as a two seater, but bugger me some stuff has been added to the back since! 2007 boxer/Ducato chassis with a whole shed plonked on the back. 

Reason I can afford it - one rear leaf spring is cracked at the eye end and it’s sitting on its arse. New springs and shocks in the way……

That is exactly what I expected/was hoping you’d be buying. 

[rusty_vw_man]

It is indeed a beast - it is 7.2m long and the overhang from the back axle is ridiculous, I can see a grounding in my future!  

Its a proper departure from What I’m used to, its the second newest vehicle I have ever owned and is powered by the devils fuel which I know nothing about other than it’s the black one I don’t touch at the pumps! Proper learning curve ahead I think, hopefully cure my fear of having a ‘modern’ thing with an ecu (which autocorrect just changes to evil!). 
 

In other news the reupholstered seats for the T25 were shite, the foams weren’t replaced (as per contract) instead they’d just lobbed in a load of cotton wadding that slowly moved around and formed a ridge right where a man doesn’t need a ridge to be. Awful. This improved it slightly:

but after a full and frank discussion we have been refunded. Just weighing up if it’s best to get someone else to have a go, or just bite the bulllet and get the ready made covers and fit them myself. I chickened out last time but having seen what an expert does (for a grand!) I’m confident I can do at least as well! The ‘repaired’ bolster on the drivers side is worse than it was when it went in looking at the photos side by side. Why is it so hard to get stuff done properly?! 

[Fabergé Greggs]

Nice to see someone properly using their T25! 22 Mpg makes me feel better about the 20 Mpg I get out of my air cooled auto. 
 

Have you put sound proofing in yours? The most tiring aspect of long trips in mine is the road noise- I need to dynamat the cab and under the seats methinks 

[rusty_vw_man]

32 minutes ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

Nice to see someone properly using their T25! 22 Mpg makes me feel better about the 20 Mpg I get out of my air cooled auto. 
 

Have you put sound proofing in yours? The most tiring aspect of long trips in mine is the road noise- I need to dynamat the cab and under the seats methinks 

The back is caravelle so it is factory lined to an extent, but cab is just rubber mat over the metal floor. Under the front seats is just bare metal.

Noise is definitely an issue - the worst is actually the gearbox whine that transmits up through the gear change rod. It is quite tiring on a long run. 

[High Jetter]

Looks like it's got legs tho, should give you (& us) some adventures!

[rusty_vw_man]

Ordered leaf springs, new 'rear suspension rebound blocks' (or bump stops?!), new rubber mounts and new shocks. New heavier duty axle stands await at Halfords. 

All parts on 24 hour dispatch. Most have arrived apart from shocks, as apparently they have to check compatibility before shipping and their system was down. Did suggest that maybe if they offer parts specificlaly for an '07 boxer then if I have an 07 boxer and order these parts the hard work should already have been done surely. Now arriving Monday which is 5 day shipping not 24 hours. Never mind, they can be done later, but why does it always seem to be so hard to actually buy stuff now. 

So mostly set, and the weather is looking spot on for groveling around in the gutter: 

I can almost feel the water entering my trouser legs and running back out through my collar now..... Got to love street mechanics as a hobby....

[rusty_vw_man]

I fear after today I may have become amphibious - even in waterproofs I have been able to wring out my under crackers form the rain that’s come in. 

How it started - wheel off and jacked up, with a little stream running down the kerb:

 

old things - life expired bump stop/spring assister thing, shock without a dust cover (and it’s got a small kink in the rod which ain’t ideal) and is leaking oil, although it is till surprisingly tough to operate  

 

So was it bust, I reckon yes, seller agreed discount but said he thought it was supposed to be like that -

nice to be right. It’s actually fractured where the part number was stamped on it, so well done fiat for creating a stress fracture propagation  point during manufacture. Been like it for some time as both faces are well corroded. Been through a recent MOT as well. 

New spring and assistor thing, shocks still in the post but have cracked off both bolts so it’s an easy job when they arrive

Back on it’s wheels,

The old springs had the much shorter assistors resting on them, have gained almost 2 inches in height. 

Finishes the broken side at about 15:30, not time to do the other side before we were due out for dinner, so that awaits tomorrow….. yay. 

Also found there is a hole in the back box which I missed during inspection so need to have a better look and see if it’s omg replace now or it’s actually a bit of paste and give a while! 

[stuboy]

On 17/09/2025 at 14:45, rusty_vw_man said:

so money paid, tax taxed and insurance insuranced and I’m away…. 

Now it may have left the factory as a two seater, but bugger me some stuff has been added to the back since! 2007 boxer/Ducato chassis with a whole shed plonked on the back. 

Reason I can afford it - one rear leaf spring is cracked at the eye end and it’s sitting on its arse. New springs and shocks in the way……

how many berth?

[rusty_vw_man]

53 minutes ago, stuboy said:

how many berth?

Six - with six travelling seats. I was amazed how many had 5-6 berths but four or less travelling seats. 

[stuboy]

5 minutes ago, rusty_vw_man said:

Six - with six travelling seats. I was amazed how many had 5-6 berths but four or less travelling seats. 

similer too my Fil's

[rusty_vw_man]

All done - before and after are hilarious:

before its level, now it’s proper ass up, which is great as then when I put all my gear in it will sit level. Laughing. 

Bruised all over now from rolling around in the street. Have just treated  myself to a high quality impact wrench - it was £22 - to ease future adventures…..

[High Jetter]

@puddlethumper might have tips for you

[rusty_vw_man]

T25 is plodding on, and getting much use as a general runabout. Oil and water seem to be mostly staying inside the engine, but the temperature is getting slower to rise, and temp gauge is consistently sitting a bit low so suspect thermostat is on the way out. It’s the later model engine so in a fragile plastic housing, which is in some ways better than the alloy early version which had a habit of welding itself together by corrosion trapping the studs in their holes. Will change when I get a minute. It was also handy transport for the donated pumpkins that required transport to a charity event - this is after most of them had gone;

Found the motor home is leaking a bit, redid the side seals and that improved the situation, but found the roof has small holes thanks to galvanic corrosion between the steel screws and staples in the wood frame and the ally sheet: 

spent the day today painting the roof with magic fibre reinforced goo - the stickiest mankiest stuff that got everywhere. Also stunk, got a bit light headed by the end of the day. Paint was immune to wonder wipes, white spirit, wd40, thinners and water. However I found brake cleaner did shift it, but it does make your skin a bit tingly, and my beard may never fully recover (yes it really did get everywhere!) miserable job, no photos as my hands (even with gloves) were too sticky to use my phone. 

also added Bluetooth to the existing stereo (as changing it is an arse as it’s integral to various systems), but by a plug in the back and a 12v receiver I am a winner

I now have tunes. 

Also done oil and filters, new battery and leisure battery. First trial run is booked in for 2 weeks time, think it’s almost ready. Back end has settled nicely on its new springs, sitting nicely now.

[paulplom]

I have a 2016 Relay and I changed my head unit for a generic 7" android unit about four years ago. It has a reverse camera too which stops me reversing into skips again. I bought an extra cable so I could still use the steering wheel controls.

It doesn't have android auto so I added a 10" extra screen yesterday recommended by L1 and GM as the sat nav on the 7" was shite and too small.

The photo doesn't show it at a good angle but it doesn't get in my view at all.

[rusty_vw_man]

24 minutes ago, paulplom said:

I have a 2016 Relay and I changed my head unit for a generic 7" android unit about four years ago. It has a reverse camera too which stops me reversing into skips again. I bought an extra cable so I could still use the steering wheel controls.

It doesn't have android auto so I added a 10" extra screen yesterday recommended by L1 and GM as the sat nav on the 7" was shite and too small.

The photo doesn't show it at a good angle but it doesn't get in my view at all.

That’s cool - l like the size of the screen, I use my phone at the moment but it’s a bit small! Had a hire transit with car play and it was great. 

I need a magic wire to change mine apparently, something to do with the way it integrates with the van - certainly if you take it out the dash gets grumpy.  Cheapest version of wire is £60. It will get done, just lower down the list of priorities. At least I have Bluetooth now, not sure I was up for a return of the giant wallet of CDs (ah the forgotten skills the Youth will never know!!) 

[Noel Tidybeard]

at work it is not uncommon to find an ipad wearing a nutcase clipped to the pop-up clipboard for navigational duties