Hi all, am due to pick up a VW Camper in a couple of weeks time, so the excitement is building
Now, am thinking of lowering it a little, as it is literally as it left the factory.
Not being mechanically minded, am wondering what is involved, is it an easy job to do, or does it involve getting new shocks fitted etc.
Any advise would be much appreciated.
thanks
What "VW Camper" is it? T4, T5, T6, Crafter, etc?
Splitie, Bay Window or T25/T3 - dunno, but certainly doable.
If it is a T4, then you just get different "lowering" springs at the back, adjust the Torsion Bar at the front, and adjust the brake load balance in the middle.
On the majority of T5 and T6 models, then it is pretty well just a matter of spring changes, but if you have a T32 (3200Kg) T5/T6 Van, it gets a bit more complicated and options are less as the rear suspension is different on that model.
Crafter? no idea. Never heard of anyone lowering a Crafter
Changing Springs and Shocks on a T4 and T5 is very easy. You just jack up the van, remove the wheel and the arm (or whatever it is called) drops down enough for you to just swap it out.
I went the other way and removed the lowering springs and put back proper ones! (and new shocks)
image.jpg6_3 by
David, on Flickr
Standard springs you may need to compress them a bit (I use straps as that does a good enough job). Lowering Springs are shorter and will just drop into place. Then lower the jack a bit to get everything positioned and that's that bit done.
Torsion Bar at the front can be more awkward as they don't tend to get serviced properly and seize up. Brake Load balance I would suggest get a garage to do as they can test on their MOT brake machine afterwards to make sure it is right.
If you got a garage to do all the work, I wouldn't expect to pay a massive amount - assuming there are no complications, whole job should be well under 2 hours.
(Once you are a VW Transporter owner, you will get used to the need to change springs on a regular basis anyway, so might be worth having a go yourself?)
Check out the VW T4/T5 Forum for lots of posts on the subject -
https://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/