ex british gas vans??

[brs73]

morning chaps.
i'm thinking of getting an ex British gas VW caddy. 30,000miles.
i know next to nothing about motors etc so do people think that this would be a wise purchase??
I've never heard of British gas to be in a hurry to do anything so maybe it hasn't been thrashed around??!!
thanks

 

[GMES]

Hi Brs, yeah bg are not known for rushing about so may be a good choice, but I suppose the other question is will a caddy be big enough for what you need i.e. what area are you in! domestic, commercial or industrial this can make a huge difference to what you end up carrying .
if funds permit I would always go for the biggest you can afford as I have just realised and upgraded to a larger van after 18mths of trading.

 

[brs73]

Thanks for the reply gmes. I've already got a trafic. This is gonna be the second one of the fleet!!!!!

 

[hasel5]

Al big vans have limiters fitted so watch out for that

 

[kajdean]

Is there a certain site they sell them on or just the normal sites?

 

[ENPulse]

Hi,
I purchased one 3 months ago from Leatherhead Vans in Surrey. They have a great selection of ex Bg vans. I am delighted with mine, particularly for performance, economy and comfort. All have the racking included- not forgetting a slam lock on the rear barn doors.
for what it's worth a great buy, but as advised earlier all are fitted with speed Restriction up to 70. This can be a pain especially on motorway driving.

regards
ENPulse

 

[brs73]

I saw them on various van sales websites.
Vws are expensive but obviously you get what you pay for.

 

[brs73]

Hasel do you mean speed limiters?

 

[haj]

I have an ex bg combo with the racking still in it. They left the speed limiter on too 75mph so at least it's not been flat out

 

[Dean Williams]

hi
ive got an ex-bg transit connect, i got it last year, its a 56 plate and came with 44000 on the clock. it came with racking which i sold on ebay for 50 quid. it came fitted with a speed limiter which i had removed for £45. also it came with bg fitted as standard elec pack including elec windows, air con and reverse park sensors. oh and 4x extra lights in the load space. i love it.

 

[jstephens251]

Where you thinking of buying from?
Got mine 12 months ago
Sdi 43000 now done 60000 and running great
averaging around 40-45 mpg
watch where you buy though, soon as I returned home I had a leak - long story short needed a new rad which was £300 all in. Garage only agreed to pay half which really p**** me off at the time.
Wanted to return it but travelled 150 miles to collect
Been a cracking van since though. Do find the Sdi quite sluggish when carrying a fair bit

 

[Hawk]

There's a few of them for sale over here in Northern Ireland. I was thinking of getting one but they are all sdi a tdi would be a better buy. Maybe that's why bg don't rush..... They can't they drive sdi's! Lol

 

[brs73]

whats the difference between sdi and tdi please?

 

[cmac70]

Sdi does 90 bhp the TDI (turbo)does 110 bhp. Hope this helps.

 

[Rikki360]

Good evening all, noticed it's been a while since anyone replied to this thread. But I've just got an ex British Gas caddy and wondered if any new what the little black speaker looking box is behind the passenger seat. It's got some wires coming from it and looks like a speak. Anyone aware of what this is. Cheers. Rikki

 

[Darkwood]

Welcome to the forum Ricki360, as your post is still relevent to the old thread then we are happy to keep the thread open, I'm sure one of our members might know the answer.

 

[LankyWill]

i find caddys too small for all my kit, that said i love transporters as they are hard as nails and fairly reliable.

 

[shanky887614]

i find caddys too small for all my kit, that said i love transporters as they are hard as nails and fairly reliable.

your right there, ive got a caddy but its too small

 

[LankyWill]

They are nice vans but not practical for electricians who are diverse in their field. Okay for bricklayers, carpenters, and most other trades as they require a small selection of tools.

 

[Skimpy Wan]

Interesting thread as I'm tied between a Caddy / Transit Connect or a Vivaro. I like the idea of the Vivaro as it has a larger payload, but could be a pain parking compared to the Caddy / Connect.

I personally prefer German built cars, so the VW is my preferred choice, but prices are still quite high.

All BG Caddy's Ive seen advertised today state 2.0ltr engine, but only 68bhp. All 2.0 ltrs specs I can see state that they had 110 or 140bhp. I'm guessing that the limiter may not just be on the top-speed limit but also on the engine output as well. Any ideas or know why they only have 68bhp?

 

[shanky887614]

Interesting thread as I'm tied between a Caddy / Transit Connect or a Vivaro. I like the idea of the Vivaro as it has a larger payload, but could be a pain parking compared to the Caddy / Connect.

I personally prefer German built cars, so the VW is my preferred choice, but prices are still quite high.

All BG Caddy's Ive seen advertised today state 2.0ltr engine, but only 68bhp. All 2.0 ltrs specs I can see state that they had 110 or 140bhp. I'm guessing that the limiter may not just be on the top-speed limit but also on the engine output as well. Any ideas or know why they only have 68bhp?

the 110 and 140 ones aare tdi e.g. turbo diesel.

most ex bg caddys are sdi or na bassicaly no turbo.


from what ive heard i think the ex bg maxi are turbo diesel but im not sure

 

[Skimpy Wan]

Defo need a trumpet on a diesel, so I guess a BG van isn't the one for me (if non-aspirated engine).

That makes more sense as the limiter usually only restricts the top speed and not performance.

I guess a few more hours / days searching for a van (and then a possible 4 -6hr drive to collect it) is in order.

 

[ruston]

Defo need a trumpet on a diesel, so I guess a BG van isn't the one for me (if non-aspirated engine).

That makes more sense as the limiter usually only restricts the top speed and not performance.

I guess a few more hours / days searching for a van (and then a possible 4 -6hr drive to collect it) is in order.

My mate has a Primastar/Vivaro.
To be fair , barring the usual niggles it has been a good van.
Comfortable to drive , nippy, and good on fuel.
Most of the problems he has encountered with it have been his own fault for ignoring the signs/lack of maintenance because he is 'too busy'.
He has had this Van for years ; I doubt it owes him anything.

 

[Skimpy Wan]

That's the main reason I'm looking at a Vivaro. They are about £4,000 large enough to carry almost all my tools (I hope) fairly economical and I shouldn't lose too much over a couple of years.

I'm getting the usual trouble of see the ad and it's already sold.

All Vivaros seem to be ex-BT, so minimum spec and 2 side doors, where I prefer 1 side door for racking etc (and lower insurance).

 

[ruston]

My mates has only one side door , but it is a load lugger.
He is a builder, so he carries a lot of gear , and a roof full of ladders. The van pulls well and never seems under powered.

He was pulled by the Ministry one day and escorted to the test centre , when weighed he was just a few pounds under the weight limit, so an electrician should have no problems lol.

Ps . before you buy the Vivaro, or any other diesel van with 'a few' miles on it , take the plastic engine cover off.
If there is any black carbon gunge around the injectors , walk away from it. This is known as 'the black death' and is expensive to cure, in extreme cases a new cylinder head.

 

[Skimpy Wan]

Thanks for the heads-up. As far as I know this only effects 2.0 & 2.5 ltr engines, due to the scuttle tray having a foam backing. If this is removed and filled with silicon it should sort the problem.

I'll be looking at the 1.9tdi (100bhp) as they are more fuel efficient and a new lump is about £400 rather than £1,500 if the need every arises.

Now I just need to find some shirt buttons to buy one with! LOL

 

[ruston]

Thanks for the heads-up. As far as I know this only effects 2.0 & 2.5 ltr engines, due to the scuttle tray having a foam backing. If this is removed and filled with silicon it should sort the problem.

I'll be looking at the 1.9tdi (100bhp) as they are more fuel efficient and a new lump is about £400 rather than £1,500 if the need every arises.

Now I just need to find some shirt buttons to buy one with! LOL

No , the problem is compression blowing past the injectors , the answer is to remove the injectors and and reseat the port. and a new copper seal.
The problem is they do not usually want to come out ,a special tool is available , but sometimes they snap.
The job is major if you have not got the gear. new injectors have to be coded to the ecu, it just goes on.

Here is an extreme pic on a Merc.

 

[Skimpy Wan]

That doesn't look good and looks like an expensive repair as you say. I'll definitely be looking at them more closely after that, so thanks.

 

[ruston]

To much hidden under the plastic lol.
If you hear them chuffing/spitting , it's odds on that's what it is.

It's good to look to see if there has been any signs of it , as sometimes they have had new washers fitted , but not reseated.
If this is the case it will just happen again, as the blow hole has not been eradicated.

 

[Harni]

The 1.9PD engine is a great lump. It sounds like a tractor but very reliable. Only common issue i know if with them is turbos (which manufacturer doesnt have issue with them? Normally down to the oil used) and the cams smash through the followers meaning top end rebuild time.
I had a Octavia with the same lump in and it was perfect for the 80,000 hard miles i did in it!

 

[ruston]

The 1.9PD engine is a great lump. It sounds like a tractor but very reliable. Only common issue i know if with them is turbos (which manufacturer doesnt have issue with them? Normally down to the oil used) and the cams smash through the followers meaning top end rebuild time.
I had a Octavia with the same lump in and it was perfect for the 80,000 hard miles i did in it!

My mate has them as taxi's . One had nearly a million miles on it before it was taken out of service. It is still running around as a private car.
Some still in service have in excess of half a million.
They are well serviced and looked after

You are spot on about the cams if they are not serviced.

 

[Harni]

My mate has them as taxi's . One had nearly a million miles on it before it was taken out of service. It is still running around as a private car.
Some still in service have in excess of half a million.
They are well serviced and looked after

You are spot on about the cams if they are not serviced.

I don't think its so much them not being serviced (although of course you need to be servicing it appropriately) but more so the oil thats used. They are very fussy from what Im told.
Only diesel engine i have had that was better than that, and i never ever thought i would say this was the 1.6TDi engine in the Kia ceed/Hyundai I30 which i think they also use in some of the Hyundai vans. It just would not die, was as smooth as a lot of lot more expensive cars and was still running sweet as a nut on 85k

 

[ruston]

I don't think its so much them not being serviced (although of course you need to be servicing it appropriately) but more so the oil thats used. They are very fussy from what Im told.
Only diesel engine i have had that was better than that, and i never ever thought i would say this was the 1.6TDi engine in the Kia ceed/Hyundai I30 which i think they also use in some of the Hyundai vans. It just would not die, was as smooth as a lot of lot more expensive cars and was still running sweet as a nut on 85k

Yes VW recommend their oil to be used

Did the Kia use Merc engines? It sticks in my mind the did/do..

 

[Harni]

Used to but the latest ones are actually their own (well, Hyundai, same company) engines. We had a lot of them at work at one point. One went back to the lease company at 3 years old with 160k on it. It broke down once and that was because of a blocked fuel filter so nothing really. Never thought id say this but i would recommend one to anyone!

 

[ruston]

I have three mates that run the 4 wd's for caravanning . They swear by them for towing ,and general reliability.

 

[shanky887614]

i know quite a few guys with the 2L sdi engine in the caddy at 300k+ still going strong on the original engine.

the ex gb caddy maxi vans are turbo diesel.

have a look at an ex aa renault traffic they can be had really cheap if you want a vivaro there the same with a different badge

 

[Skimpy Wan]

Cheers guys. Some food for thought.

I ideally want 100bhp minimum from an engine due to gear and overtaking etc.

Ive heard that parts for traffics (Renault) are more expensive than Vivaro's (Vauxhall) despite being the same vans with different badges etc.

I'm thinking I may end up hunting for a Connect because they're cheap and it's a van for now and then upgrade when the need arises though. Head over heart scenario (although heart really says a 911 turbo with a roof rack! Lol)