Does anyone know about t4's ?

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quattrodave
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Does anyone know about t4's ?

Post by quattrodave »

A mate of mine is looking at vw t4's at the moment, anyone have any experience of them, what to look for, driving compared to our vans etc ?
He's seen a 2.4d westy poptop but after looking online it seems to be pretty slow, anyone know how it compares to a 1.6td (he's been in mine as comparison) or what about the petrol 2.5 as well ?
Any advice greatly appreciated, going to post this on t4 forum as well
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Re: Does anyone know about t4's ?

Post by lefty67 »

Check for rust, especially the sill under sliding door. The 1.9 is very slow but will run and run, mine had 249000 on the clock when I sold it a couple of years ago.
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Re: Does anyone know about t4's ?

Post by davidoft1 »

I wouldn't worry to much about engines being slow etc, everyone has a different opinion but, the 2.4 are pretty bulletproof, they all have pros and cons, look at sills, look under the rear corners they rot , front chassis under the wings rot out, steps rot , behind the rear bumper too. I've got a T25 1.6TD westy, everyone tells me it's slow and to 1.9TDI it, goes up and down hills with 4 people, luggage bikes, fuel etc, I'm happy

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Re: Does anyone know about t4's ?

Post by HansT »

The T4 has a relatively modern feel to it compared with the T25. Chalk and cheese, really. But, as others have posted else where, DIY on the T4 is no where as easy as the T25.
Do check that the cambelt and tensioner have been replaced as per spec.
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Re: Does anyone know about t4's ?

Post by quattrodave »

Thanks for the replies everyone, he's just after something a bit more 'modern feeling' than the t25 and hopefully more reliable in the long run!

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Re: Does anyone know about t4's ?

Post by Mocki »

quattrodave wrote:Thanks for the replies everyone, he's just after something a bit more 'modern feeling' than the t25 and hopefully more reliable in the long run!
He's going to be sorely disappointed on reliability..... have a read on the t4 forums and FB pages....
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Re: Does anyone know about t4's ?

Post by AngeloEvs »

Recently sold my 2.5 TDi 88bhp . Modern feel and quite nippy compared to my T25 but if I had known about the electronic engine management system I would probably have gone for a 2.4 non turbo. The sensors are expensive and one failing causes errors with the other which can be a problem to identify. I can work on my T25 but servicing it myself was out of the question and expensive if relying on a garage to do it.

New cam belt and water pump is an expensive maintenance requirement every 4 years irrespective of mileage and my local garage could not do it because of the specialist equipment needed to set the injector pump timing.

Mine went into limp mode and the vagcom test highlighted an intermittent throttle pedal. They have a 'fly by wire' throttle which is basically a variable resistor actuated by the accelerator pedal - quoted £400 for a replacement. They are not cheap to service if things go wrong. Given all the bad press I would not buy another Diesel vehicle.
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Re: Does anyone know about t4's ?

Post by Jim San »

We had 2.5tdi and it was a good van. Don't know about above post and limp mode! I've never heard of aT4 having this. Can belt was the weak point but if kept on top of with quality parts it should be ok. Not as roomy as the T3 and a lot of dogs out there due to cheap short cut maintenance. Ours had little řot on it other than arches. I would have another if i couldn't have a T3
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Re: Does anyone know about t4's ?

Post by quattrodave »

Jim San wrote:We had 2.5tdi and it was a good van. Don't know about above post and limp mode! I've never heard of aT4 having this. Can belt was the weak point but if kept on top of with quality parts it should be ok. Not as roomy as the T3 and a lot of dogs out there due to cheap short cut maintenance. Ours had little řot on it other than arches. I would have another if i couldn't have a T3

Great thanks, nice to know that people who've had them still rate them, I had heard the 2.5tdi can be expensive to service and put right.
I think he's after a 2.4d plodder or 2.5 petrol

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Re: Does anyone know about t4's ?

Post by AngeloEvs »

Jim San wrote:We had 2.5tdi and it was a good van. Don't know about above post and limp mode! I've never heard of aT4 having this. Can belt was the weak point but if kept on top of with quality parts it should be ok. Not as roomy as the T3 and a lot of dogs out there due to cheap short cut maintenance. Ours had little řot on it other than arches. I would have another if i couldn't have a T3


Pop over to the T4 forum and search for 'limp mode'. Common problem with a variety of triggers to cause it. I would not buy another TDi.
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Re: Does anyone know about t4's ?

Post by CovKid »

Been in limp mode with my Smart for several months. Its VERY frustrating. It took me three hours to get to one sensor I hadn't changed and when I did swap it out, I discovered a small nick in an attached hose. Thats all it takes sometimes but bear in mind all these sensors were introduced to help cut emissions. Unfortunately our yearning for simplicity is completely outweighed (rightly) by increasing pressures to clean up the air we breath - with mixed results.
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Re: Does anyone know about t4's ?

Post by Winchweight »

Had two T4s, a 1.9 and a 1.9TD. Both had 249,000 miles plus on them when sold. Loved both of them, but in the end bought a T25 and never looked back.The 1.9TD can be slightly graded by tweeking the turbo pressure, fitting project power injectors and adding an intercooler. But don't believe the hype, you get a tiny increase unless you are prepared to significantly risk reliability. Also a taller 5th gear from a Golf makes the long runs quieter.

Watch for rusty sills and sliding door tracks, also foot wells and steps. Parts easy to come by and some DIzy is possible.

But.... a standard short wheel base with the bed down has just 40cms floor space to stand in (a LWB has an additional 40cms). Yes you can buy reversible front seat which help, but it's not the same. A T25 has about 1m. Even with the roof down in our T25 I can sort of stand up, but in our T4 it was impossible.

There's even more charlatans and shoddy DIY jobs out there in T4 land, buying plumbers vans and knocking out pi$$ poor conversions at shocking prices. There's no reason why a sorted T25 can't be every bit as dependable as a T4/5 and they are increasingly supported by aftermarket spares and accessories.

I'd never go back to a T4/5, not ever. The T25 is more fun, more roomy, more user friendly and more classy! :ok
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Re: Does anyone know about t4's ?

Post by quattrodave »

Thanks for all the info everybody :ok

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