New Van Day (new to me that is)

[GRW]

Yesterday I took the plunge & bought a replacement for my 23-year-old & now defunct LDV Convoy.
Fingers crossed it proves to be reliable!

2008 Renault Master LWB High Roof. Ex council van (wooden racking & a big roof rack suggesting it was a Chippy or maybe a Plumber's vehicle?). Just short of 80k miles.

Research suggested a Master might be a reasonable gamble with galv body panels and the Renault 2.5cdti engine (I hope).

Anyone run one & got any useful info?

 

[Bornfree]

You did well to find one with such low mileage

 

[GRW]

You did well to find one with such low mileage

I've spent more hours than I care to think about online looking. Like most things, van prices are stupid, and there's a vast number of starship miles and/or tatty/rusty heaps for sale with "you're having a larf" price tags.
I also wanted to avoid Euro5 (dpf & OTT electrickery) or god,forbid Euro6 (like E5 but Adblue & even more techno-crud.
So I was looking fir a Unicorn, old enough to hopefully avoid the worst inevitable techno unreliability & "how much" mtce & Repair bills, but young enough to not be rotten with rust, but with reasonable mileage.
After weeks of looking, this seemed about as good a compromise as I was going to find.

 

[premmington]

I've spent more hours than I care to think about online looking. Like most things, van prices are stupid, and there's a vast number of starship miles and/or tatty/rusty heaps for sale with "you're having a larf" price tags.
I also wanted to avoid Euro5 (dpf & OTT electrickery) or god,forbid Euro6 (like E5 but Adblue & even more techno-crud.
So I was looking fir a Unicorn, old enough to hopefully avoid the worst inevitable techno unreliability & "how much" mtce & Repair bills, but young enough to not be rotten with rust, but with reasonable mileage.
After weeks of looking, this seemed about as good a compromise as I was going to find.

So you did not go for an electric van then mate?

 

[Ubique]

They're reasonably hardy beasts - you've avoided all the emissions related hardware BUT, at that age/mileage/presumed usage, there will be a lot of soot & sludge in the oil and EGR / charge air tracts. I'd recommend (if you're planning on keeping it long term) doing an oil change - no need to change the filter yet. Take it for a long steady drive ~2 hrs+ on open roads, keeping it in a lower gear than you'd normally use, then doing another oil & filter change. that should clear most of the crap out.

 

[GRW]

So you did not go for an electric van then mate?

Funnily enough..... no

One of those things would be about as much use as a Chocolate Welding Torch in rural Wales.

 

[GRW]

They're reasonably hardy beasts - you've avoided all the emissions related hardware BUT, at that age/mileage/presumed usage, there will be a lot of soot & sludge in the oil and EGR / charge air tracts. I'd recommend (if you're planning on keeping it long term) doing an oil change - no need to change the filter yet. Take it for a long steady drive ~2 hrs+ on open roads, keeping it in a lower gear than you'd normally use, then doing another oil & filter change. that should clear most of the crap out.

It's got a full MoT, & the seller did an oil, oil filter & coolant service before Sale, & I drove it over 100 miles home down the M4 after purchase.
I'm going to keep an eye on oil colour & condition - if it goes black fast I'll do as you suggest.
I've no clue when the cambelt was done (no service history with the van - I dare say the Council never supplied that when they got rid of the van)

 

[Shedendman]

keep a very close eye on the rear cross member,esp where the spring hangers are,massive rot area you wont see till the last moment,big job to,oh,and as for panels,renault van uk dont do them,all has to come from the frogs

 

[GRW]

keep a very close eye on the rear cross member,esp where the spring hangers are,massive rot area you wont see till the last moment,big job to,oh,and as for panels,renault van uk dont do them,all has to come from the frogs

Good to know! Thank you

 

[Ubique]

It's got a full MoT, & the seller did an oil, oil filter & coolant service before Sale, & I drove it over 100 miles home down the M4 after purchase.
I'm going to keep an eye on oil colour & condition - if it goes black fast I'll do as you suggest.
I've no clue when the cambelt was done (no service history with the van - I dare say the Council never supplied that when they got rid of the van)

If it was a council van, then it would either be serviced 'in house' or by dealer - you should be able to get hold of the online service history if it was dealer serviced.

 

[GRW]

If it was a council van, then it would either be serviced 'in house' or by dealer - you should be able to get hold of the online service history if it was dealer serviced.

Didn't know you could do that!
Is there a way to search using the Reg or something?

 

[Smallfry]

Had my 2006 MWB Dci100 for nine years. I have driven many different vans, and I rate the Master Mk2 the best van ever, thats not to say they are not without problems though. They are a bit bus like to drive, but for all practical purposes they are better than anything else IMO. Which is why I am giving mine a refresh at the moment. Nothing else ticks as many boxes, and the later model feels rather flimsy in comparison.
Mine has the GU9 754 engine, which has no EGR or DPF, so avoids the problems these things give. Most problems are down to poor or non maintenance and bodgery by garages. They are easily capable of 300k miles, but of course, things do wear out. If there is no history of cam belt change, get it done at that mileage ASAP. If it snaps, its adios to the engine.

Their main achilles heel is the gearbox, which is known to eat their bearings, the correct oil MUST be used and be changed regularly. Its supposed to be a filled for life thing, but change it to avoid (hopefully) problems. Symptoms start as humming, then whining, then growling. Also difficulty in engaging some of the gears. DO NOT let this go on as it will get expensive. Is yours a PK or PF type ? Should be a six speed ? They DO NOT have a dual mass flywheel either.

A very common problem is the manual fuel primer bulb. The bulb can split, and as they have no lift pump, will cause very difficult or non starting. DO NOT buy a cheap rubber replacement as they will only last six months to a year.

Other main problems are the front jacking points under the front end of the sills, you must keep these clear of mud, and also behind the front wheel arch liners. The sills themselves can corrode, but this seems to be mostly campers and motorhomes, as a result of condensation. Also the rear spring hanger brackets can dissolve, but they are nowhere near as bad as Transits and Sprinters/Grafters for rot.

Get shot of the roof rack if you don't use it. Mine will do 39/40 mpg at 60mph without it, and 34/35 with it fitted.

They also can suffer from electrical gremlins, like many French cars do, but I have not found it a problem.

 

[fizzy]

Looks like a great buy - and very low mileage considering

 

[Shedendman]

Other main problems are the front jacking points under the front end of the sills, you must keep these clear of mud, and also behind the front wheel arch liners. The sills themselves can corrode, but this seems to be mostly campers and motorhomes, as a result of condensation. Also the rear spring hanger brackets can dissolve, but they are nowhere near as bad as Transits and Sprinters/Grafters for rot.

Bang on about the sills

 

[frank horton]

never seen one here....always liked the first MK1 Master....geared power steering !!!!! and gutless but just ran and ran.....
Mine had no maj rust probs just looked edgy.......

They still run Merc 308's and the derivetives here...twin wheelers delivering build materials.....all totally rebuildable plus no rot either......
still chuckel everytime I see one working.....
all the smaller vans, only one or 2 Transits but mostly Japanese...still see the odd one of these classics......
I want one but her indoors wont let me.....hahaha....

Merc.... Toyota......

n these are comon place.....reminds me of my early days in Calif.....

 

[Ubique]

Didn't know you could do that!
Is there a way to search using the Reg or something?

Most manufacturers require you to input the full VIN, there should be a link on the Renault UK website, or try contacting their CS by email etc.

 

[GRW]

Had my 2006 MWB Dci100 for nine years. I have driven many different vans, and I rate the Master Mk2 the best van ever, thats not to say they are not without problems though. They are a bit bus like to drive, but for all practical purposes they are better than anything else IMO. Which is why I am giving mine a refresh at the moment. Nothing else ticks as many boxes, and the later model feels rather flimsy in comparison.
Mine has the GU9 754 engine, which has no EGR or DPF, so avoids the problems these things give. Most problems are down to poor or non maintenance and bodgery by garages. They are easily capable of 300k miles, but of course, things do wear out. If there is no history of cam belt change, get it done at that mileage ASAP. If it snaps, its adios to the engine.

Their main achilles heel is the gearbox, which is known to eat their bearings, the correct oil MUST be used and be changed regularly. Its supposed to be a filled for life thing, but change it to avoid (hopefully) problems. Symptoms start as humming, then whining, then growling. Also difficulty in engaging some of the gears. DO NOT let this go on as it will get expensive. Is yours a PK or PF type ? Should be a six speed ? They DO NOT have a dual mass flywheel either.

A very common problem is the manual fuel primer bulb. The bulb can split, and as they have no lift pump, will cause very difficult or non starting. DO NOT buy a cheap rubber replacement as they will only last six months to a year.

Other main problems are the front jacking points under the front end of the sills, you must keep these clear of mud, and also behind the front wheel arch liners. The sills themselves can corrode, but this seems to be mostly campers and motorhomes, as a result of condensation. Also the rear spring hanger brackets can dissolve, but they are nowhere near as bad as Transits and Sprinters/Grafters for rot.

Get shot of the roof rack if you don't use it. Mine will do 39/40 mpg at 60mph without it, and 34/35 with it fitted.

They also can suffer from electrical gremlins, like many French cars do, but I have not found it a problem.

Great info, thanks very much for that .

Ns sill just behind the front wheel does have some paint bubbling will need attention if/when it ever stops raining long enough (dismal here the last couple of months).

I noted the front jack points (the ns one had some muck in it), & I've noted to make sure they are cleaned out and some waxoyl or some sort of protective barrier applied - again need a bit of dry weather.

I noted also rearmost spring hangers are separate to chassis & have some surface rust. Thinking again a clean & treat / protect soon might fend off the tin weevil.

Yes this is an 08 dci100 with a 6-speed box. Good news if there's no DMF - I didn't know these were still solid flywheel! Guessing it must have the EGR at this age though (I need to learn more about this van).

Electrical. Hmm. No issues on test drive, but y-day I noted there are bad connection on the stalks - a bit of wiggling or the instrument back-light doesn't come on with the lights, & other stalk the intermittent wipe can be err... interrupted. Probably inside the stalks, dammit (but still working overall).

Sounds like changing gear oil & cambelt (more money!) are must-do's & highest priority.

 

[sako243]

Looks almost identical to what my neighbour recently got. His was an ex BT Open Reach van, he went for a slightly older higher mileage one because it had all the racking in the back.

Had a play with it last week when he should have been working in my workshop but we figured out all the toys. Came with a big inverter setup to run a microwave, hot water boiler, and sockets on an internal bench. Has a Webasto air heater in the back too, can lock and unlock the back of the van from inside and also has runlock on the van.

Wouldn't be surprised if there was almost £10k worth of kit when it was installed left in there.

 

[8ob]

His was an ex BT Open Reach van,
Came with a big inverter setup to run a microwave, hot water boiler, and sockets on an internal bench. Has a Webasto air heater in the back too, can lock and unlock the back of the van from inside and also has runlock on the van.

Wouldn't be surprised if there was almost £10k worth of kit when it was installed left in there.

Yep typical Bt or utilities truck, loaded with all the work avoidance essential gear. Somewhere to sit/while away the time while they use up all of the allocated TM slot.

Bob

 

[sako243]

He's not complaining... Being able to charge batteries on the move is handy. Considering he's usually up on roofs in the worst of weather a hot lunch or cuppa is very appreciated.