Volkswagen 1500 FAQs

Check out real-world situations relating to the Volkswagen here, particularly what our experts have to say about them.

• What tow vehicle or hybrid camper should I consider for after retirement?

  The last decade of dual-cab four-wheel-drive utes have emerged as the tow-vehicles of choice, and you see them everywhere filling roles exactly like the one you have planned. Popular models include the Ford Ranger you’ve nominated, Toyota HiLux, Mazda BT-50, VW Amarok, Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Isuzu D-Max. But there are also cheaper alternatives including makes like the South-Korean made Ssangyong and various Chinese brands like LDV and Great Wall.

  Just make sure you know exactly how much you need to tow before making a decision as some of the cheaper models don’t have the same outright towing capacity and even if they do, some of them don’t have the engine performance to make towing as easy as it should be. For parts availability, the Toyota would be king in really remote areas, but any of the major brands are pretty well covered in Australia.

  Meantime, don’t rule out ute-based wagons such as the Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuna. These offer better ride comfort when unladen thanks to more sophisticated rear suspensions and most have as much or almost as much towing capacity as their ute brethren.

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• Where can I find an auto transmission cable for a 1975 VW Kombi?

  If you’ve tried conventional parts stores and online sellers and done no good, the next step is to try a Volkswagen specialist. These are dotted around the country with a handful in each capital city. These shops tend to stock rarer, harder to find bits and pieces and often have suppliers around the world whose aim it is to keep old cars like air-cooled VWs on the road. Even if the part you need is no longer available, a good specialist will possibly know what equivalent part number from another make and model will do the job.

  If all that fails, there are also specialist cable makers who can produce one-off cables to order, provided you can supply either the correct specifications or, even better, the old, broken cable to use as a template for a new one.

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• The tailshaft of my 2014 VW Amarok is wobbling

  It sounds like you’re chasing a problem that is a bit elusive. If your initial suspicions were that the centre bearing was worn, what makes you think the rear universal joint is now the problem? You could spend a lot of time and money replacing things that, ultimately, don’t fix the problem.

  The best advice is to take the car to a transmission specialist who will be able to diagnose what’s really going on and replace or repair those things. Even if the universal joint is worn out, replacing it can be a bit tricky as you have to maintain the driveshaft’s original alignment to avoid introducing new imbalance dramas into the equation. It’s not, therefore, as straight-forward as it looks on paper.

  But don’t rule out a damaged, bent or unbalanced driveshaft as this can also cause the sort of symptoms that a worn universal joint can contribute.

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