1993 VW Trident. Probable porous head- help!
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1993 VW Trident. Probable porous head- help!
by ShildoNI Sun Dec 03, 2023 11:12 am
As said in the title, our van has been off the road for around 3 years due to COVID and life stuff and we wanted to get her up and running again last month. Got her insured and had a mechanic out to see it as we couldn't get her running. Turns out the head is cracked and the mechanic recommended we sell it. Very reluctant to do that
Any advice? If we did decide to sell what sort of price would be reasonable? If we decide to try and get it fixed what are we looking at and how should we go about it. Quite a bit of body work needs doing as well and probably new breaks, etc so not a small job.
Any advice? If we did decide to sell what sort of price would be reasonable? If we decide to try and get it fixed what are we looking at and how should we go about it. Quite a bit of body work needs doing as well and probably new breaks, etc so not a small job.
ShildoNI- New Member
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Posts : 1
Joined : 2023-12-03
Location : Northern Ireland
Auto-Sleeper Model : Trident
Vehicle Year : 1993
Re: 1993 VW Trident. Probable porous head- help!
by Dave 418 Sun Dec 03, 2023 12:48 pm
Sorry to hear about your problems. It sounds like you are unfortunately heading for big bills to get the van back on the road. Assuming the mechanic is right regarding the cracked head that’s going to be your first big bill if it just a cracked head and no further problems are found in the engine.
The biggest cost will be labour especially with the body work. When our Duetto bodywork was repaired the costs went up daily because of rust that was exposed as the work progressed. We knew there were no major mechanical issues and we could have a couple of years use after the repairs were finished. We couldn’t sell it for anywhere enough to get our money back so we used it as a trade in for the Rienza.
It’s always a hard decision to make but it would be hard to sell any vehicle that’s a none runner or needs repairs and wouldn’t have a lot of value.
I can’t give you a value but someone might take it on as a restoration project. Good luck how ever you decide.
The biggest cost will be labour especially with the body work. When our Duetto bodywork was repaired the costs went up daily because of rust that was exposed as the work progressed. We knew there were no major mechanical issues and we could have a couple of years use after the repairs were finished. We couldn’t sell it for anywhere enough to get our money back so we used it as a trade in for the Rienza.
It’s always a hard decision to make but it would be hard to sell any vehicle that’s a none runner or needs repairs and wouldn’t have a lot of value.
I can’t give you a value but someone might take it on as a restoration project. Good luck how ever you decide.
Dave 418- Donator
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Posts : 3841
Joined : 2012-10-17
Member Age : 69
Location : N/E Lincolnshire
Auto-Sleeper Model : Rienza
Vehicle Year : 2005
Re: 1993 VW Trident. Probable porous head- help!
by Roopert Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:32 pm
Assuming it was running OK when parked up, the most likely reason for damage would be if it had been left with too low a concentration of antifreeze for winter temperatures.
The UK [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is an excellent source of info, so if you want to confirm that the symptoms you are getting really do lead to a diagnosis of a cracked cylinder head, there would be a good place to look and ask.
It's almost impossible to give a value for a van in non-running condition, because its value will be as much determined by bodywork and interior as the running gear, and prices in your area may be different than elsewhere in the UK. But you may be able to get an idea by looking at "completed listings" on Ebay for similar vans that have been auctioned recently (though of course that is probably not the way to get the most money back from the van!).
The UK [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is an excellent source of info, so if you want to confirm that the symptoms you are getting really do lead to a diagnosis of a cracked cylinder head, there would be a good place to look and ask.
It's almost impossible to give a value for a van in non-running condition, because its value will be as much determined by bodywork and interior as the running gear, and prices in your area may be different than elsewhere in the UK. But you may be able to get an idea by looking at "completed listings" on Ebay for similar vans that have been auctioned recently (though of course that is probably not the way to get the most money back from the van!).
Roopert- Member
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Posts : 3698
Joined : 2019-03-10
Location : South East
Auto-Sleeper Model : Trooper
Vehicle Year : 2005
Re: 1993 VW Trident. Probable porous head- help!
by IanH Mon Dec 04, 2023 2:19 pm
Sadly, I'd say your main problem is the bodywork, if visible rust on the outside the chassis would be very suspect too.
Mechanical bits are easy enough, just component changes really, but rust is a very difficult and expensive problem
Sorry for you tho......
Mechanical bits are easy enough, just component changes really, but rust is a very difficult and expensive problem
Sorry for you tho......
IanH- Donator
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Posts : 8193
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Location : NORTH WALSHAM
Auto-Sleeper Model : Executive
Vehicle Year : 2002
Re: 1993 VW Trident. Probable porous head- help!
by Dave 418 Mon Dec 04, 2023 4:13 pm
Not wanting to put a bad note on your decision but the body work repairs on our Duetto were just under £5000 .
The only parts were the A Pillar and the o/s sill from the B Pillar to the wheel arch. The rest of the repairs were patch repairs and filler. The biggest cost was the labour.
There was no one local that would carry out the repairs. One local body shop told me it was only fit for scrap. A friend of mine restores car for a living but couldn’t fit it in his garage. Also repairs to campers and motorhomes means removing any insulation or furniture anywhere near welding.
The only parts were the A Pillar and the o/s sill from the B Pillar to the wheel arch. The rest of the repairs were patch repairs and filler. The biggest cost was the labour.
There was no one local that would carry out the repairs. One local body shop told me it was only fit for scrap. A friend of mine restores car for a living but couldn’t fit it in his garage. Also repairs to campers and motorhomes means removing any insulation or furniture anywhere near welding.
Dave 418- Donator
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Posts : 3841
Joined : 2012-10-17
Member Age : 69
Location : N/E Lincolnshire
Auto-Sleeper Model : Rienza
Vehicle Year : 2005
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