Yes, it is that time again. Hurray! Finally, after the long winter in our non-mobile houses, we can get out our beloved vehicles.

Checklist

Hopefully you all followed the article Time for bed/ to help put your vehicle to bed for the winter. Now that spring is in the air and we are starting to think about getting out and communing in nature, this is a key time to get things ready.

Doors locks – there’s nothing more annoying than a failed lock. get it fixed now before the season really gets going. Door lock issues can be very straight forward but a simple lubrication can be key. Pun intended. A non residue lubricant is best to move the dirt away as WD40 can leave enough gunk to create issues. We favour silicon spray. A little into each lock.

Windscreen wipers – did they perish in the cold winter freezing them to the windscreen. Inspect and replace now.

Water – check the radiator if you have one. Ensure that the bottles that you emptied in the Autumn / fall have no mice, carefully hidden Christmas presents or mildew. Clean with a weak Milton solution if it is drinking water or food related.

Batteries – check the charge on each battery with a good meter. A flat battery can indicate an earth leak. A failed battery needs careful investigation.

Carburettor – Or equivalent. Check for good operation, no stuck flaps or other deterioration over winter. If you are a professional, this will be straight forward. If you are an amateur, a test drive very close to home will highlight problems! But only after the other checks.

Brakes – your vehicle should roll easily, otherwise this can indicate jammed brakes. Parking in gear for long periods of time can be better for your brake health than a jammed set of brakes. Check the brakes for operation. Check the brake fluid level. If it has been more than 5 years, change the brake fluid as it is hygroscopic and slurps up water incredibly quickly. Water is not a good fluid for applying the brake pads to the disks.

Seals – inspect all door seals for any signs of damage, water ingress or other problems and sort them out now. Glue any loose bits back down with the correct glue.

Windows – ensure that they all open and close fully. Or at least as fully as they did last year if applicable!

Ignition – Once you are feeling confident, get in to your pride and joy and turn on the ignition to number 2. Look at the lights on the dashboard. Check there ARE lights! Are they what you expect / are used to seeing? Have you got fuel (for those with a working fuel gauge)?

Crank it over – don’t expect it to start immediately but things should kick into life within a few seconds.

A little test drive on your driveway will allow you to test the brakes, maybe the steering and other important parts. Softly, softly.

Stay local, take your phone with you and warm clothing. Just in case!

Once you get home, assuming that you have a big smile on your face, make a list of snags, get indoors, put the kettle on and start planning for your summer.

Check out the events page and come and see us at a meeting soon!

With the summer holidays looming and
everybody planning their travels and holidays,
have you planned your maintenance and
checks of your VW in as much detail? It is
very important to keep your van maintained
properly, but with the hotter weather and
longer than usual journeys; even the most
well maintained engines can suffer problems,
such as perished or split fuel hoses. Something
such as a split fuel hose could mean really
bad news for classic (or even modern)
VW camper owners.
Every summer there are reports on social media
of at least one classic VW that has caught fire
and been lost. Although good maintenance
and preparation should prevent this, there is
always that small chance and a fire suppression
system will provide extra insurance against
losing your van to a fire.

Fire suppression systems are now readily
available and vary in function and cost.
There are manual systems that operate using a
lever and cable to activate the suppressor and
there are also automatic systems. Automatic
systems are preferential as they require no
input from the driver to activate.
Within the automatic suppressor range there
are two main systems that prove to be the
most popular.

The first one is a cylinder (much like a fire
extinguisher) that is mounted in the centre
of the engine bay over the engine and if a
fire occurs in the engine bay, the vial over the
nozzle melts, releasing a gas agent at 240 psi.
The nozzle is designed to ensure 360° dispersal,
meaning that the gas will completely fill the
engine bay. The gas is released at -19°C so will
cool down the engine bay helping to prevent
any re-ignition of petrol vapour. This system is a
small scale version of what is used within oil rigs.

The second automatic system is also a cylinder,
but rather than mounting the cylinder directly
over the engine, the cylinder is mounted
within the engine bay (usually) but out of the
way, (usually the left rear side of the engine
bay is most spacious). This system uses a linear
detection tubing which is installed throughout
the engine compartment. This tubing can not
only quickly and accurately detect a fire but
also extinguish it before it can damage adjacent
components. The tubing is connected to the
cylinder valve and charged with nitrogen or
compressed air. This pressure is utilised to hold
back the extinguishing powder in the cylinder.
Should a high temperature or fire occur, the
pressurised tubing will burst and the powder
will be deployed from the burst hole directly
onto the fire.
Both systems are fully automatic and come
with a full fitting kit.
Fitting is relatively simple and requires no
wiring or electrical input.
The first system with the 360° dispersal nozzle
can be purchased for approximately £60-
£100 and the second system that utilizes the
linear detection tubing can be purchased for
approximately £180-£250.
The design is personal choice and we would
not merit one over the other, but The Mechanic
has had experience of fitting the second system
and found it simple

With classic car vehicle theft on the rise classic
car security systems are more important
than ever.
The Mechanic has noticed some members
asking some questions on the Club Facebook
page about van security and what different
people use, so has decided to cover some
options for security to help members understand
what products and services are available to keep
your van as safe as possible.
Starting with the basics, your vans already
has some built in security features from the
factory that you should utilise and ensure are
working effectively before even worrying about
additional security measures.
Firstly check that all of the doors lock securely,
including the tailgate or rear doors in later
transporters. Full lock sets can be inexpensive
and a doddle to fit, depending on the model.
If the doors aren’t locking as expected, there is
plenty of adjustability with the striker plates and
latches, don’t be afraid to give it a go.
All van windows, whether they are manual
windup, electric windup, louver or sliding, should
close fully and latch where possible. Anything
short of this is an invite to an opportunistic thief.
All types of Transporter have a standard steering
lock fitted which is activated by turning the
steering wheel with the ignition key removed.
This stops anyone from being able to turn the
steering wheel and drive off without the ignition
key. The ignition key and barrel is another
standard security feature that should be present,
older vehicles can be modified over the years
to work in several ways depending on whether
there have been problems in the past, but the
ignition lock is something extremely basic that
you want to ensure is working.

Some other very basic things to consider are
where you keep your van parked when not
in use. Do you have a secure location such as
a garage or a lockup? Do you use a driveway
or park on the road? If you have a safer place
available to you, use it.
Now we have covered the basics, we can move
on to additional security devices. There are
various additional security devices available for
vehicles and they can be mechanical or electrical
and very affordable or expensive, depending on
the product and the application.
A basic additional security device that many will
have used at some point is the steering wheel
lock/clamp. These are a mechanical device that
fits to the steering wheel to prevent the wheel
from being turned in the event of you vehicle

being stolen. They vary heavily in application
and price and the choice is a personal decision,
but whatever you choose, a steering lock is a
visual deterrent for potential thieves as well as
a physical mechanical hindrance. I personally
always use a steering lock, even if only leaving my
van for a short period of time, it gives me peace
of mind that it would take longer for someone to
steal my van with it fitted than it would without
it, which should help to put off the opportunistic
types. There are many different types of steering
lock on the market, but “Stoplock” has been a
well known name for years.

Another basic, internal fitting mechanical device
is a pedal lock. These are not as common as
steering locks as some people find them fiddly
to fit and not as quick as simply fitting a steering
lock. These are more common when leaving
a van for a longer period of time and work by
locking the three driving pedals together. These
are more expensive than steering locks and
obviously need to be tailored to the application.
There are several available on the market such
as the “Safe-T Pedal” and “Clutch Claw” that we
looked at in the last issue of Transporter Talk.
These are less visual than a steering lock, but
if someone gets into your van and sees one
of these fitted, there’s a good chance they will
decide to leave it or will need to make noise
and spend time removing it in order to get your
van easily.

That’s not all for internal mechanical locks as you
can also buy devices that lock the gearstick to
prevent any gear changes. On some VW models
you can buy gear sticks and surrounds that have
locks built in. Or you can find devices that lock
the gearstick into position using a part of the
interior, such as seats or steering wheels.
Much like the steering wheel lock and pedal
locks, these are a visual deterrent and will also
slow down any thieves if they’re intent on taking
your van.
Use of these mechanical devices may be time
consuming, but can prove to be a very effective
and wallet friendly means of adding security to
your pride and joy.
Another simple mechanical locking device is the
use of an external wheel clamp. If you use your
van on a daily basis then this could prove to be
an annoyance, but if you use the van on the odd
occasion then using a wheel clamp is a cheap
and effective means of additional security. There
are various designs and styles of clamp available
and they vary in price, but the main thing is that
this extra security device is another problem that
any would be thieves need to break through in
order to get what they want.
With mechanical devices covered, we can now
move on to the electronic advancements that
can help to keep your van in your hands. Some
more modern vehicles already have electronic
devices fitted as standard, but those with older
transporter models will be lacking in this area.
Immobilisers are fitted to modern vehicles as
standard and are fitted to prevent the engine of
a vehicle from running unless the correct key or
chip is present. Those who have ever owned a

car that has an aftermarket immobiliser with
problems will tell you how eff ective they are!
Immobiliser kits can be purchased and DIY
fi tted fairly cheaply these days and there are
companies out there that off er fi tting and after
sales services too.
As well as immobilisers, alarms are also now fi tted
to most modern vehicles and these can now be
added to older vehicles as an additional security
measure. Alarms can be much more complicated
than immobiliser kits as there are more areas for
problems, such as doors and movement sensors.
It is highly recommended that alarms are fi tted
by a qualifi ed alarm fi tter and ensure that you get
some kind of warranty too.
Another excellent and worthy purchase in
the category of electronic security devices is a
GPS tracker.
A GPS tracker is a location device that will track
your vehicle if it’s taken without your permission.
This is the best way of locating your vehicle
quickly to have it recovered and so reducing the
chance of damage or loss.
There are several types of GPS Tracker on the
market, some are standalone devices that are
completely user operated and some utilise
a subscription service where a company will
monitor the tracker and can off er diff erent
levels of service. One such GPS Tracker service
is Skytag, which has been covered elsewhere in
this issue and now off ers VWT2OC member’s a
discount on their tracker service.
Other methods of additional security could
include kill switches or battery isolators, these
are cheap to acquire and simple to fi t for most.
These are best used when leaving the vehicle
for longer periods and can be operated with a
key. One problem with this is that if you have
a vehicle tracker fi tted, the battery isolator will
likely disable the tracker.
Some other diff erent and interesting ideas include
fi tting an electronic fuel pump that has a hidden
switch somewhere inside the van, no fuel, no
running engine! Or you could go very extreme
and remove the steering wheel from your vehicle
for longer periods of storage and would be much
easier on earlier transporter models.
Others have suggested removing the rotor arm
from the distributor as this disables the engines
ignition system, but again is probably best used
for longer periods of storage. To aid with tracking,
some also suggest fi tting a number plate to the
roof so that the vehicle can be identifi ed from
above in the event of it being stolen.
Hopefully some of these hints are useful to
members for helping to think about security
options, but remember that the most important
thing is to keep the basics working.
Without these, any other additional security
device loses eff ectiveness

This issue, The Mechanic takes a look at
an often overlooked but important issue,
windscreen wiper condition.

Windscreen
wipers are an
invaluable part
of any vehicle,
providing
the driver
with a clear,
unobstructed
view of the
road when it
is needed most. Whether it is rain, sleet, snow or
leaves covering your windscreen, the wiper blades
will quickly and efficiently clear the obstruction,
meaning you can continue your journey in safety.
However, of all the parts of a car which are subject
to wear and tear, windscreen wipers are perhaps
the most fragile. Manufactured from thin rubber,
they are designed to operate smoothly on the
windscreen without damaging the surface of
the glass, yet despite their fragility they are often
required on a daily basis, possibly for long periods
of time during wet weather. In winter they
become frozen to the glass and in summer they
are used to help to clean the windscreen, while
being subjected to high temperatures. It is hardly
surprising then, that windscreen wipers do not
last indefinitely and require regular replacement.
Often the need to replace wipers is overlooked,
although regular servicing and MOT testing
should identify if they are becoming worn.
However, rather than relying on these tests to
assess the condition of the blades, car owners
should be aware of the common signs that the
windscreen wipers are failing, especially with
autumn upon us. So what are they?
Streaking: blades that are in good condition
should clear the rainwater from the windscreen
effortlessly, in one complete action.
This means there should be no streaks of water
where the blade has failed to make contact with
the glass.
Unusual noises: windscreen wipers should
operate with minimal noise or ideally should
be silent. Sounds such as squeaks, screeches
or scrapes could indicate that the blades have
become worn.
Irregular movement: wiper blades which are in
good condition will move smoothly across the
windscreen. As they become worn over time,
you may notice that the blades judder
on operation which is an indication that
replacement may be necessary.
Ragged or distorted blades: visually inspecting
the condition of the windscreen wipers should
be a weekly task for all vehicle owners. By
lifting the arms of the wipers away from the
windscreen, you can quickly assess the condition
of the rubber. Ragged, jagged or distorted edges,
where the blade makes contact with the glass,
should prompt you to replace them immediately.
Worn blades may not only hinder your vision, but
can also damage your windscreen, which will in
turn not only cost you dearly in a replacement
screen, but also hinder your vision even more,
making it dangerous to drive with the vehicle in
such a condition.
Replacement blades can be picked up very
cheaply for all types of van, so there is no excuse
not to check yours and change if required, but
remember… “Buy Nice or Buy Twice”.