During the past 50 years I have owned and driven several Beetles, a Type 3 station wagon, a T2 Kombi campervan, T3 campervan and the T3 Syncro campervan. Upon initial purchase of these vehicles, they had mechanical problems of varying degrees of annoyance. Note, all of these vehicles were bought by me second hand. Some had problems I was aware of when buying them and others reared their problems as I drove them. However, apart from some cases of obvious mechanical abuse by previous owners I found that the other mechanical issues were simply brought on by poor, little, misunderstood, or no maintenance. As I owned these vehicles I rectified the mechanical issues (expensive at times) and every time thereafter the vehicles operated properly and reliably and, continued to do so with prescibed maintenance and prudent driving. Any modifications I made to improve the vehicles use were within the manufacturers parameters and tolerances.
Of course, once you step outside the manufacturer’s parameters you will likely encounter problems and mishaps, but also, you could discover successes unintended by the manufacturer’s vehicle design. Regardless, regular MAINTENANCE is the key to reliability and longevity of these vehicles. The VW T3 Syncro is a great vehicle!
I think that is the same with any vehicle.
No maintenance means a lot of time broken down on the side of the road.
Its a good way get to know your vehicle too.
I agree with you Scott, as the adage goes: ‘Maintain the rage!’ or in this case: ‘Maintain the maintenance!’
I wonder if there is a basic list of maintenance issues. I have an old Haynes manual for the transporter. It has a schedule according to mileage but it’s not Syncro specific. Peter
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Syncros have many interesting parts that make them the beasts they are – apart from obvious routine maintenance points, eg coolant, oils, filters, etc, I regularly scan and touch/feel the engine components for signs of leakage (coolant/vacuum), tell-tale discoloured stains, dust coagulation sites, componentry wear, adrift ties/wires/tubes/hoses, pipes, or simply stuff that appears odd or wrong. Then it’s crawl under the beast time (high clearance bonus) with a bright torch and do check regime similar to the engine. Also, I grab hold of the axles/drive shaft (bad play?), inspect shocks/mounts/springs, gearbox/diff casings and; at the front inspect all the bushes (shiny metal surfaces nearby, a bad sign). And last, I jack each wheel individually feeling for bearing wear (loose/noise).
How often? Roughly 10,000Kms and in between whenever in the mood or have time. And as Scott wrote earlier it helps you to get to know your Syncro (personality?).
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Great post. This is exactly what I am sure most of us do. Checking for subtle changes and always tinkering to get things just right. A lot more fun than just getting in a car and turning the key. Peter from Port
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Regular routine maintenance is definitely the best way to keep any old vehicle running. For those of us with a few vehicles this is also true even if not in use. My T2 though still registered is no longer in regular use, and the signs of lack of use are showing! If still needs regular Maintenace even if not clocking up klms.
As mentioned, getting to know your own vehicle is also very important, if you do get a mechanic to service your vehicle, they will not be aware of subtle changes that may be a sign of problems to come. Any car getting this this vintage will need more TLC than standard service schedules.
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