Advice - 2020 with 4 previous owners?

[emmseegee]

Hi all,
In the market for a van and have found one that ticks the boxes. Slightly put off by me potentially being the 5th owner of a vehicle registered in 2020.
Its a T32 Kombi DSG highline with approx 40k miles on the clock (200bhp model). Led to believe its well serviced and the current owner seems to be genuine enough as most people would be when they are selling something for a healthy sum of cash.

Is there anything in particular I should be wary of?
Have any of these models been particularly problematic for example.

Theres a bit of travelling involved for me to view the van so I need to be well prepared to make a good decision.
Any advice here or in DMs would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers in advance.

 

[kipperman]

I'd certainly be checking the engine type to make sure it isn't one affected by the EGR issues that can lead to a new engine being required, although being a later van it might be OK. This is a good starting point
https://www.t6forum.com/threads/204ps-bi-turbo-cxeb-t6-engine-turbo-problems.52916/page-2#post-693451

 

[JoshB_]

Is it standard? Being a 2020 van it could have been pre-reg’d. I’ve seen this a lot with the work vans, probably so the dealers could say they’d met their sales targets or some other during Covid.
Then you had the price rises, so someone bought the pre-reg that wasn’t quite the spec they wanted, saw it was worth £5k more than they paid for it and decided to cash in. Then possibly someone bought it for a conversion but then saw an already converted one… etc… etc…

Or, it’s a Friday car and riddled with issues…
Being a DSG it should have had the gearbox oil changed at 40k so make sure it’s had that. If it’s got decent history then no reason why it shouldn’t be a good van. Obviously you’ve got the issues BiTdi engine, so again, that might be lingering in the owners mind and they want rid.
If you’ve got access to a scan tool it would be worth while, something simple will do, I use an app called CarScanner that’s free and connects through your phone and is pretty good to be honest.
Make sure it starts on the beat, any hesitation then it’s obviously being sat and not used. Get an honest appraisal from the seller as to why they’re selling it, ask about previous owners, they might know.

 

[JumpShip]

Its a bi-tdi , do some research on them and make your own mind up.

 

[emmseegee]

Thats a horrific thread of disasters!
The engine type is CXEC but that thread is still pretty off putting.

I'd certainly be checking the engine type to make sure it isn't one affected by the EGR issues that can lead to a new engine being required, although being a later van it might be OK. This is a good starting point
https://www.t6forum.com/threads/204ps-bi-turbo-cxeb-t6-engine-turbo-problems.52916/page-2#post-693451

 

[emmseegee]

The research immediately doesn’t look great. I was close to diving in just from a good personal history with Volkswagens in general. Swaying towards giving this one a miss

Its a bi-tdi , do some research on them and make your own mind up.

 

[emmseegee]

It has had the suspension lifted (which im not overly keen on) and 20” aftermarket wheels fitted. Apart from that it has some of the usual basic extras such as heated seats etc. it appears to have done 15k between each of its last two MOTs so regular use.

What cable do you need for these car scanners apps and where does it connect? Does that then show a history of faults that a seller may not inform you of?

Is it standard? Being a 2020 van it could have been pre-reg’d. I’ve seen this a lot with the work vans, probably so the dealers could say they’d met their sales targets or some other during Covid.
Then you had the price rises, so someone bought the pre-reg that wasn’t quite the spec they wanted, saw it was worth £5k more than they paid for it and decided to cash in. Then possibly someone bought it for a conversion but then saw an already converted one… etc… etc…

Or, it’s a Friday car and riddled with issues…
Being a DSG it should have had the gearbox oil changed at 40k so make sure it’s had that. If it’s got decent history then no reason why it shouldn’t be a good van. Obviously you’ve got the issues BiTdi engine, so again, that might be lingering in the owners mind and they want rid.
If you’ve got access to a scan tool it would be worth while, something simple will do, I use an app called CarScanner that’s free and connects through your phone and is pretty good to be honest.
Make sure it starts on the beat, any hesitation then it’s obviously being sat and not used. Get an honest appraisal from the seller as to why they’re selling it, ask about previous owners, they might know.

 

[JoshB_]

I use Carista, but others are available. It’s connects via Bluetooth so no cable required. Must admit, I’ve not looked for the OBD2 port in my T6.1 yet…

I’m not a fan of lift kits either, in my cynical mind people only fit them to race down farm tracks!

If it’s done 30k in the last couple of years then it’s probably fine as the reason for the high owner count was it was passed from pillar to post during Covid. Mines had “1 previous owner” but it was a lease van so in reality it could have had 20 owners!

 

[emmseegee]

I had original concerns about the high turn over of previous owners and my biggest concern is now the engine!
I would imagine most people will avoid this particular model which may affect its ability to be resold further down the line also.

I use Carista, but others are available. It’s connects via Bluetooth so no cable required. Must admit, I’ve not looked for the OBD2 port in my T6.1 yet…

I’m not a fan of lift kits either, in my cynical mind people only fit them to race down farm tracks!

If it’s done 30k in the last couple of years then it’s probably fine as the reason for the high owner count was it was passed from pillar to post during Covid. Mines had “1 previous owner” but it was a lease van so in reality it could have had 20 owners!