Has van design gone to far?

[roofman]

Newer 1.6 ones are rubbish. I've seen 3 year old ones scrapped, as the cost of anything major puts them over the typical 50% of value repair limit.
Costs over £5k to put a reconditioned engine in one, so any valued under £10k just get dragged to auction.

Commercially, repairing the engine isn't worth it.
17hr job to remove and refit a cylinder head, before you consider any other damage.
Leasing companies will take the view that if they have to pay 8hrs for a definitive diagnosis, and then still potentially pay another 11 to fit a new engine, they'll cut their losses (or bill the leaser for misuse if the data log shows it's been driven with various warning lights showing for several miles before melting).

Turbos regularly fail, and have been modified a few times.
Cooling system likes to spring leaks.
Hit anything with the front bumper, and it'll likely snap the radiator where the intercooler mounts, and push the intercooler pipe back so it rubs through on the alternator pulley.

I suspect Renault just took the engine from the car line where it was reasonably reliable, dumped it in a heavy van, and thought it would be just as reliable.
And I think Renault took the cheapest option they thought they could get away with on most components, given how many parts fail just outside warranty.

The older Trafic/Vivaro was pretty reliable, other than door handles, track rod ends, ball joints, and an occasional injector.

In all fairness my 06 Trafic has been a good one and still is despite the rep they get...my recent expenditure was a exhaust manifold gasket £16 and a new turbo core from meletts £80 including the metal gaskets...Ok a pig of a job to replace but well worth the effort imho.

 

[Bornfree]

Lets over complicate everything.

Electric handbrakes. My pet rant..

Why ?

And today's kids will never be able to learn the delight's of the handbrake turn. I used to spend hours practicing handbrake and j turns in my Mk5 cortina in the snow.

 

[bigegg]

My Dodge has got one of them - and it means the subtle art of initiating a quick turn, or the option of aiding the steering in low grip conditions with the rear wheel steering stick has been lost . . .

Used to be a bit of tape over the button for a fly-off lever, and autotest here we come . . .

It *can* be done: auto, so only need one foot for the brake/throttle.

ditchfinder tyres + RWD + 240bhp

 

[dobbslc]

Newer 1.6 ones are rubbish. I've seen 3 year old ones scrapped, as the cost of anything major puts them over the typical 50% of value repair limit.
Costs over £5k to put a reconditioned engine in one, so any valued under £10k just get dragged to auction.

Commercially, repairing the engine isn't worth it.
17hr job to remove and refit a cylinder head, before you consider any other damage.
Leasing companies will take the view that if they have to pay 8hrs for a definitive diagnosis, and then still potentially pay another 11 to fit a new engine, they'll cut their losses (or bill the leaser for misuse if the data log shows it's been driven with various warning lights showing for several miles before melting).

Turbos regularly fail, and have been modified a few times.
Cooling system likes to spring leaks.
Hit anything with the front bumper, and it'll likely snap the radiator where the intercooler mounts, and push the intercooler pipe back so it rubs through on the alternator pulley.

I suspect Renault just took the engine from the car line where it was reasonably reliable, dumped it in a heavy van, and thought it would be just as reliable.
And I think Renault took the cheapest option they thought they could get away with on most components, given how many parts fail just outside warranty.

The older Trafic/Vivaro was pretty reliable, other than door handles, track rod ends, ball joints, and an occasional injector.

Doesn't bode well for my new van when it arrives!
It's a Vauxhall Combo...

 

[m_c]

Doesn't bode well for my new van what it arrives!
It's a Vauxhall Combo...

Rebadged Peugeot Partner/Citreon Berlingo.

Seem ok so far, but not had many dealings yet.
Only problem I've seen so far are ABS wiring issues. Always the exact same point in the loom corrodes.

 

[pedrobedro]

now plan on just keeping what I'd got - maybe with a diesel transplant.

Don't even think of an engine transplant in a Berlingo unless it's the same engine, you'll need all the wiring and the BSI that goes with your new engine and it is a nightmare.

 

[Blobber]

Doesn't bode well for my new van what it arrives!
It's a Vauxhall Combo...

Lets hope your not a dodgy one, there seems to be a few issues!

 

[dobbslc]

Rebadged Peugeot Partner/Citreon Berlingo.

Seem ok so far, but not had many dealings yet.
Only problem I've seen so far are ABS wiring issues. Always the exact same point in the loom corrodes.

Mmmm Peugeot don't seem to be to bad at all in my opinion, my Ford Courier had a Peugeot engine unit that took a right thrashing for 85000 miles....

 

[mike os]

^ Vauxhall ^

Renault you mean

 

[Alan Reynolds]

The stupid Renault Kangoo handbrake is fitted across the van left to right! Dumb **** idea as you have to twist your wrist to operate it
Stupid Renault kangoo drivers door pocket that you can't get your hand in without opening the door
Stupid Renault Kangoo gearbox that's missing at least 1 gear going by the engine speed at 70mph on the motorway
I could go on but it's rose` time so I'll leave a few more of these for you all.

I know what you mean about a missing gear. I use my daughters old Corsa with 5 gears and in 5th the speed equals 1/2 the revs so I'm always changing up to the imaginary 6th gear.

 

[Alan Reynolds]

And today's kids will never be able to learn the delight's of the handbrake turn. I used to spend hours practicing handbrake and j turns in my Mk5 cortina in the snow.

The local oiks used to come into my car park in the evenings to practice high speed handbrake turns. I was watching them one night as they hurtled towards the wall, and then into the wall at full tilt. The handbrake cable had snapped. Rather apt as the wall was the one that separated my car park from the cemetery.

 

[Moose McAlpine]

The local oiks used to come into my car park in the evenings to practice high speed handbrake turns. I was watching them one night as they hurtled towards the wall, and then into the wall at full tilt. The handbrake cable had snapped. Rather apt as the wall was the one that separated my car park from the cemetery.

Could only be better if they were playing Jesus Take The Wheel while doing it.

 

[jerrytug]

.... Always the exact same point in the loom corrodes...

Henry Ford would have solved that problem by reducing the quality of every other part, so any particular thing was equally likely to break as anything else!
Why don't you people suffering from these ridiculous modern issues just buy restored Pinto or diesel engined Mk1/2 Transits? Still quite a few kicking about. They would be much cheaper to keep on the road, and old Fords don't seem to depreciate.
(Apart from the LEZ and other crazy eco-scams of course..)

 

[Barking Mat]

Mmmm Peugeot don't seem to be to bad at all in my opinion, my Ford Courier had a Peugeot engine unit that took a right thrashing for 85000 miles....

My last one did 300k kms, the head gasket seem to go at this point or 20 years.. Had a few.

 

[bricol]

The local oiks used to come into my car park in the evenings to practice high speed handbrake turns. I was watching them one night as they hurtled towards the wall, and then into the wall at full tilt. The handbrake cable had snapped. Rather apt as the wall was the one that separated my car park from the cemetery.

As 6th formers we might have done this . . .

My mate was in his dad's Citroen BX . . . the handbrake turn didn't quite go to plan . . . nearly wrapped it around a sawn off telegraph pole . . .

There is an problem for hand brake turns with a BX . . . the location of the brakes the handbrake works . . .

 

[m_c]

Why don't you people suffering from these ridiculous modern issues just buy restored Pinto or diesel engined Mk1/2 Transits? Still quite a few kicking about. They would be much cheaper to keep on the road, and old Fords don't seem to depreciate.

My current Transit Custom has 170bhp, does 40mpg, is as comfortable as any modern car, and has now done over 60k with only two services and a couple minor issues.

I'm sure you'll be old enough to remember city centres turning black due to diesel soot, lack of fresh air due to non-catalyst petrol engines vehicles, vehicles that needed serviced every 5-10k, and vehicle engines that rarely reached 100k without needing a major overhaul. It's surprising what rose tinted glasses make people forget.

 

[bigegg]

Henry Ford would have solved that problem by reducing the quality of every other part, so any particular thing was equally likely to break as anything else!
Why don't you people suffering from these ridiculous modern issues just buy restored Pinto or diesel engined Mk1/2 Transits? Still quite a few kicking about. They would be much cheaper to keep on the road, and old Fords don't seem to depreciate.
(Apart from the LEZ and other crazy eco-scams of course..)

Lexus...

 

[bricol]

1972 Transit:

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Not quite sure why they stuck most of Chrysler 300 in it though . . .

 

[Edward Teach]

Rebadged Peugeot Partner/Citreon Berlingo.

Seem ok so far, but not had many dealings yet.
Only problem I've seen so far are ABS wiring issues. Always the exact same point in the loom corrodes.

I thought Vauxhall were in cahoots with Renault and Nissan ??
Or is this something very recent ??

 

[MCKDAVID]

the peugeot expert, citreon jumpy, fiat scudo, and there's a toyota van, all identical apart from badges it seems.... so aye there's obviously some form of collaboration between them...

edit - toyota's called the "ProAce" apparently, over here at least, might be called something else in the uk..