Talk:Volkswagen Type 2

redirection

Why does "splitscreen" redirects here? isn't it a multiplayer game mode? --Skippan (talk) 00:26, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

What the page still needs:

• Someone should have look over all the facts and dates, because I'm not that deep in Type 2... done
• Non-German external links done
• Some more details on differences between T1a and T1b done

First Minivan

I posted this on the Featured Article page in February, but as it is no longer a Featured Article, the comment has gotten no responses, so I have copied it over to here as well:

"This change arguably makes the 1963 VW the first true minivan, although the term wouldn't be coined for another three decades.[citation needed]"

This is a comment to mention that there won't be a citation as this is only a sentiment expressed within the contemporary VW enthusiast community. The sentence even contains the word, "arguably", setting the sentence tone as rhetoric or opinion rather than fact. I am not opposed to opinion per se, but this idea really cannot be upheld.

The first problem is with the definition of "true minivan". The article's introduction already has links to Ford and Dodge products inspired by and competing with the VW Type 2. The term minivan was coined in reference to the gas-crunch-inspired downsizing of vans and trucks, giving rise to the terms minivan and mini truck. While these minivans had sliding side doors, the sliding side door can hardly be considered the defining feature of the minivan. The defining feature is the downsizing, thus contrasting full-size vans with minivans. So a VW enthusiast might look at the T1 sliding door and make a mental-image comparison and rightly think it resembles the minivan, but it by no means makes it the first minivan.

The statement is also heavily laden with background sentiments within the VW enthusiast community which go well beyond the scope of the paragraph:

1) The sentiment expresses pride by VW owners in their favorite vehicle.

2) The sentiment expresses regret that Volkswagen did not maintain their dominance in the van market, thus leaving current VW bus enthusiasts in a minority and diminishing position.

3) Additional sentiment underlying the statement are current VW enthusiasts' dissatisfaction with Volkswagen of America (VoA) for:

 a) poor customer support for purchasers of new model Volkswagens

 b) lack of support for the vintage Volkswagens

 c) vigorous prosecution of enthusiast and after market support websites and businesses for unauthorized use of the VW logo and name.

Further research on these topics can be done in the archives at type2.com.

```` jkolak 2 Feb 2008 Jkolak (talk) 08:07, 24 June 2008 (UTC)

@Jkolak Not a mini-van it's a full sized van, it can be configured as a Micro-bus, but it's bigger than all Panel-Vans. Any bigger then It would be a truck- 124.170.97.215 (talk) 07:55, 5 October 2023 (UTC)

Hippie Bus redirect is incorrect

A hippie bus is a converted former school bus, not a VW bus. Yet "hippie bus" redirects here. 71.141.254.22 06:04, 5 April 2007 (UTC)Steve P.

--XTaran | Talk 19:22, 25 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I would think that in popular culture most would agree that the word "hippie bus" conjures up an image of a VW bus, not a converted school bus, though the latter certainly was a part of the scene.

```` jkolak 2 Feb 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jkolak (talk • contribs) 09:26, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Do we need the kW values?

I'm not entirely happy with Bobblewik's kW conversions. It's a good idea in general, BUT: the hp values that were given in the article were SAE horsepower, which don't convert all that nicely to Kilowatts.

For instance, the 1200 cc Bug engine is referred to as a "40 hp engine" by Americans, while in Germany it has 34 (DIN) hp. Those 34 DIN hp convert to 25 kW. If you now convert the 40 hp to kW, you end up with a kW value no-one uses for that engine.

Possible Solutions

• Get rid of the kW values ...
  • and add the DIN hp: "the 40 hp (34 DIN hp) engine"
  • and leave out the DIN hp: "the 40 hp engine" (as it was originally)
• Retain the kW values ...
  • but have them refer to DIN hp instead: "the 40 hp (34 DIN hp/25 kW) engine"

Personally, I'd prefer the first option. No-one talks about aircooled VW engines in Kilowatts anyway. This is not about comparing performance to a new BMW, it is about identifying an old engine. The less confusion, the better.

Ermel 09:12, 1 Apr 2004 (UTC)

---

Well, one positive thing, the kilowatts have, is that younger european people probably better can imagine how powerful an engine is (not :-), if there is written 25kw instead of 36hp. But due to the US still not using kilowatts it's nearly senseless to convert there SAE hp to kilowatts. If kilowatts should be mentioned because of younger people can't imagine horsepowers, it should be the DIN hp to be converted. But if we do this, we have SAE hp, the DIN hp and the DIN kw, so we have three power values which would probably confuse much more people than helping others.

My suggestion: Use at maximum 2 values (preferably SAE hp and DIN hp to stay international) in the text and add a table at the end of document which lists all values mentioned before, together with the DIN kw values and perhaps also British hp values (which AFAIK differ from DIN hp a little bit), too. --XTaran | Talk 09:50, 1 Apr 2004 (UTC)

---

I added DIN hp now, and re-calculated the kW from them. However, I don't know all the SAE horsepower values. Rather than calculate them (and, according to Murphy's Law, mis-calculate them), I'd have some US Volkswagen enthusiast who knows their VW history add them. All they would need to do is replace every instance of "xx DIN hp (yy kW)" with "zz horsepower (xx DIN hp/yy kW).

The reason I don't do this myself is that when I make a mistake, the resulting information is just as confusing for US readers as their "36 hp engine" is to German ones. Therefore I'd rather that someone do this who know what they are doing.

Ermel 12:35, 1 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I did some posting of hp values from the VW published owners manuals in the T1 section.

````jkolak 2 Feb 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jkolak (talk • contribs) 09:29, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Oh, I also moved the T4/T5 stuff to its own page, VW Eurovan.

Ermel 12:38, 1 Apr 2004 (UTC)

kW was VW's official reference, and 1,600 cc was a 1967 engine

I gave away ALL my original VW factory service manuals for the Type 2 when I gave away my last Type 2 ... waaaa ... but in there, you can see that VW used kW to identify their engines (someone in a Springfield Virginia Tech School may still find the service manuals on the shelf somewhere?).

Working for a VW dealer for a few years, I saw all the parts manuals going back to the 1930s!

They sold almost all engines as generator kits with kW ratings.

There are so many variations in production, I think cc displacement volume is also critical for our records, along with other engine identification nomenclature.

But use the VW official kW, not our approximate calculations, unless we write "estimated 40 kW" or "VW official 43 kW".

And I recall the 1,600 cc in my 1967 VW Westfalia Camper, (bought used, so I don't know if it was a VW US model, or a personal import by folks who bring one home via vacation in Europe).

In the mid-'60s, drag race tuner Dave Berg flow-benched the VW heads with great success, and then VW copied his simple modifications, so the 1,600 cc received dual intake ports per head, and no intake valve stem casting support interrupting the flow in the intake stream, only in the exhaust stream (those of us brave folk cut everything away in both streams!) -- the thing was a torque screamer (Dave Berg also "sunk" the valve heads so they "pop" open during lift cycle, but I'm not sure if VW copied that, too -- aftermarket tuners still do, to great power flow advantage).

Dave Berg also created the 4-to-1-exhaust system for the VW, which was surprisingly quiet without a muffler because it was properly tuned to NOT lose any energy: I do not believe VW emulated it at least because of engine compartment space requirements, but Yamaha did on a motorcycle, but withdrew it for a louder system at a 10% power loss because people do not like quiet bikes!

My point is that there is much feedback between VW and the aftermarket that influenced VW back and forth, and has lead others to innovate, too.

The story never ends: VW owns rights to the gasoline 4-stroke engine, diesel engines, and the rotary engine; the 2-stroke and Sterling cycle being just about the only petro-fuel engines VW has no ownership rights over -- unrelated, but a clue to VW's engine prowess and marketing strategies.

I know this is a VW Type 2 article, but somewhere the cultural and industrial and technical elements must be brought out in a true encyclopedia article ... unless we really are merely a republisher and amalgamator of articles elsewhere?

71.191.240.216 (talk) 22:38, 18 April 2015 (UTC) Peter Blaise @ yahoo . com ;-) 2015-04-18 6:33 P.M. EST -5 GMT

PS -- See http://oacdp.org//pdfs/5867s1.pdf for the few "H"-series engines in the last 1967 VW Type 2 -- it was 1,600 cc. I also see that VW used "bhp". -- PB — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.191.240.216 (talk) 22:51, 18 April 2015 (UTC)

Title does not seem to match content

The title is VW Type 2, but the article seems to be about VW Types 1,2 and 3 and some front engined types. Very confusing. Should the article be perhaps renamed VW Transporter (currently a redirect here) and VW Type 2 redirected there?. -- Chris j wood 20:07, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

What's confusing is naming the generations T1, T2, T3, T4..., while naming the different models Type 1, Type 2, Type 3... If I understand this correctely VW Type 2, is the VW Transporter of generation T1 and T2.

Does anybody knows what the T, in the generation names stand for?

/boivie, 8 Aug 2005

Well, I suggest this page being moved back to VW Type 2 because that's the main focus of this article. The T3 has its own page Vanagon, and the T4 has VW Eurovan.

VW Transporter should be a disambiguation page. --Boivie 13:16, 12 October 2005 (UTC)

I take the T in T1,T2,T3,T4 as Transporter. They are all subtypes of Type 2. One could think of them as Type 2.1, Type 2.2, Type 2.3, Type 2.4. They in no way refer to the Type 1, Type 3, Type 4, or various Audi/NSU related vehicles (Rabbit/Golf, Scirocco, Dasher, etc)—which are mentioned, but only glancingly. —überRegenbogen 04:25, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

VW Bomb?

I recently heard (on CBC)that one of the earlier models often had trouble with the fuel lines and sometimes even exploded. Can anyone tell me which one? Auric The Rad 04:04, Feb 20, 2005 (UTC)

Any 30-year-old vehicle is going to have brittle rubber fuel lines which will lead to engine fires. VW buses are no exception. The only difference with VWs is that they tend to last a lot longer than other vehicles, so their lines have a chance to deteriorate.

One possible source of mayhem is that the fuel tank is a fair bit higher than the fuel pump. A leaking tank to pump line could result in a lot of fuel introduced onto a hot engine. Indeed, to prevent flooding while the engine was stopped, our '63 Combi (1500cc) had an electric main jet.

LorenzoB 06:18, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

The fuel cutoff valve is a standard feature on all stock VW carburetors (including the water-cooled models, if i'm not mistaken). Its purpose is to prevent dieseling—not drainage (which the float-valve will otherwise deal with, if not faulty). (Many 3rd party carburetors (including those horribly unelegant Holley contraptions that people put on because they can't handle tuning the dual Solex carbs on the Type 4 engines) do not have a fuel cutoff valve.) —überRegenbogen 04:52, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

At least some fire departments seem to be aware that the higher temperatures in an air-cooled engine compartment cause fuel lines to get hard and brittle faster than on water-cooled vehicles, and thus advise, as do VW enthusiasts, that the fuel lines in these vehicles be changed frequently, at least every other year. VW enthusiasts also note that corresponding US hose sizes may seal initially through compression, but eventually leak faster than the proper metric size. VW enthusiasts also recommend genuine german hose for quality and fit, as well as the fabric protection on the outside.

There is also an issue with carburetor float valves sticking and flooding the crankcase with fuel.

```` jkolak 2 Feb 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jkolak (talk • contribs) 09:37, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Request for references

Hi, I am working to encourage implementation of the goals of the Wikipedia:Verifiability policy. Part of that is to make sure articles cite their sources. This is particularly important for featured articles, since they are a prominent part of Wikipedia. The Fact and Reference Check Project has more information. If some of the external links are reliable sources and were used as references, they can be placed in a References section too. See the cite sources link for how to format them. Thank you, and please leave me a message when a few references have been added to the article. - Taxman 19:56, Apr 22, 2005 (UTC)

Page Move

I've requested this page be moved to Volkswagen Type 2 as "VW" is an abbreviation/stylized logo, not the name of the company or the car.Gateman1997 19:46, 24 October 2005 (UTC)

Brazilian Transporters

Although the article has emphasized on all four generations (European production), there should be a secondary reference for Transporters produced in Mexico, Brazil, and South Africa - especially pics of the non-German built T2s. VintageBus.com has several pics of the "T1.5" (pre-1967 bodyshell with a Bay Window nose and front doors) submitted by Brazilian nationals, and the Mexican model which featured a watercooled inline 4 sourced from VW/Audi.

Bug/Van combo

I have seen combinations, where a bug's upper portion was incorporated into the roof of the van, giving it a "cupola". Is this a common customization, or very rare? GBC 21:13, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

• Pretty rare I would say, only seen pics on thesamba.com. You'd run into centre-of-gravity and clearance issues. It'd be very impractical. ~ c. tales <sup>*talk*</sup> 13:10, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
  • I used to see some Type 1/Type 2 combos that were Type 1s cut off just behind the rear door posts and with the last segment of a Type 2 body welded on. Whogue 08:01, 23 August 2006 (UTC)
  • The top of a Type 3 Squareback would fit more gracefully atop a Bus. —überRegenbogen 05:32, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

linkspam?

The external links section has gotten quite large. Could someone familiar with the Type 2 check them as I don't have time to? Thanks, ~ c. tales <sup>*talk*</sup> 13:14, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Most look OK, though there seems to be some duplication between the Communities and External Links section. Should communities already linked in the Communities section be removed from the external links section, or should the communities section be merged with the external links section?

I cleaned up some of the more obvious "advertising hype" and removed inconsistant bolding.

• I removed a full section of external links, we don't need to link to every group talking about VW. The external links section is just too big, reduce it to 10 or less before removing the {{external links}} tag, please. -- ReyBrujo 16:39, 18 November 2006 (UTC)

Yah so now we have the DMOZ ?? Give me a break... The DMOZ is dead, there links are horrible & outdated... I agree reducing the size of external links but the DMOZ? come on... I know there is a better solution than that... http://www.fullmoonbusclub.com http://www.thesamba.com http://www.lovemybus.com http://www.ratwell.com http://www.type2.com

I want to add this link http://www.van-sales.org/volkswagen_kombi It shows modern Kombi vans in 2008 model year. These vehicles are coming popular once again across UK and Europe due to changes in tax laws on commercial vehicles —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.86.55.35 (talk • contribs)

That's a blatant sales site. Sorry, no way the article is going to link to it. 77.183.117.142 (talk) 15:44, 16 April 2008 (UTC)

I was so bold as to remove all the remaining links except dmoz. (lovemybus.com was even listed twice, for crying out loud.) If the quality of the dmoz directory seems lacking, remove it altogether; articles don't have to have an external links section.

Remember the purpose isn't to collect 'convenience links' or to build a portal to related websites, no matter how good they are. For each new link there should a rationale of how its content adds to the material of the article, as opposed to being a mere web directory entry. 77.183.117.142 (talk) 15:49, 16 April 2008 (UTC)

I understand your point but many users come here for information, they find the information, and then when they are at the bottom of the article the link out to sites. The DMOZ is dead, it is a waste of time even talking about it, and I would rather see link spam there then the DMOZ. Adding the 5 links above would make much more sense then the DMOZ 80% of the inks in the DMOZ are 404. ----

Pop culture

The section has become a basic list and adds no value or information to the articles topic. The section was added without discussion so I'm going to remove it. If anyone objects, rv the change and lets hammer out the details. Pop culture is not a list of films, video, etc. so if the section is to stay it should contain encyclopedic content.--I already forgot 21:06, 24 December 2006 (UTC)

Magic Bus?

"The Who's "Magic Bus" is said to be about this vehicle."

This doesn't jive at all. Magic Bus is obviously about a transit coach: "Every day i stand in the queue, to get on the bus that takes me to you." —überRegenbogen 05:29, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

That is correct. I have heard that the Who did some promotions for Volkswagen. If true, that may be where the idea came from. ```` —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jkolak (talk • contribs) 09:44, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Interior

What are these vans like on the inside? What features do they have, etc.? Has the interior changed much over the years? There seems to be hardly anything about the inside in the article (save the sentence of the reasons why it was a major counterculture symbol). I'm paticularly interested in the Type 2, T1 Campers. Can anyone help me? Thank you very much. 82.27.17.39 16:31, 14 April 2007 (UTC)

they rarely had leather interiors, it was mainly the cheapest materials they could get, it was all cheap and extremely minimal. Volkswagen of the time was cheap and inexpensive to make and buy it had all the existing parts Volkswagen already owned, and design is what made it sell.

you know where the founder of ikea got the idea from when you look at the early Volkswagen company. 82.171.59.199 16:31, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

these days you can get everything you want, Volkswagen is a big and expensive company, they can't make cheap cars even if they want "even skoda isn't that cheap" 82.171.59.199 16:32, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

Primarily masonite board with padded vinyl covering. Camper vans had thin plywood. David Eccles has published an authoritative book on VW camper vans with extensive photos of the various editions.

```` jkolak 2 Feb 2008 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jkolak (talk • contribs) 09:50, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

References in Culture: Film: Little Miss Sunshine

If any one objects to me removing the actor list for Little Miss Sunshine, please let me know. The text Alan Arkin also appears in this movie, as does Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, and Toni Collette. is irrelevant to this article. This is an article about the bus and it is not important who was in this and that movie with the bus. If anyone really wants to know who is in the movie, they will follow the link to the movie page. Fsamuels 13:36, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

New Bus

They need to reference the new Bus. 67.188.172.165 16:47, 26 July 2007 (UTC)

merge

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section. A summary of the conclusions reached follows.

The result was no consensus to merge. -- AdmiralKolchak (talk) 14:09, 2 June 2009 (UTC)

---

Volkswagen Transporter should be merged with this article, they cover the same subject. Theo (talk) 22:43, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

• Volkswagen Transporter covers not just the Type 2, but also the Type 4, and Type 5. AdmiralKolchak (talk) 22:05, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The city in Germany where it was manufactured is Hannover (double n)

Hannover and not Hanover —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.37.135.221 (talk) 19:28, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

Crew cab

Does anybody know when the crew cab version (ie with 2 rows of seats and a cargo/utility tray at the back) was introduced? I would like to add it to Pickup truck#Crew cab.  Stepho  (talk) 05:05, 7 April 2011 (UTC)

shaggin' wagon

Would Ian Dalziel and Mr Neese like to discuss your differences about "shaggin' wagon" like civilised people or would you prefer to edit war each other?  Stepho  talk  18:47, 8 April 2012 (UTC)

Would someone like to provide a source to support the term being applied specifically to the Type 2? Like a civilised person or otherwise. Or would you prefer original research? -- Ian Dalziel (talk) 23:14, 8 April 2012 (UTC)

For what it's worth, in a search for "shaggin wagon" on Google Images, I count six VWs in the first twenty pages.

shaggin wagon

I don't think the epithet belongs in this article, and that goes double for a link to "car sex". -- Ian Dalziel (talk) 12:16, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

In Australia this term is applied to any passenger vehicle with a long, enclosed, rear area - typically panel vans based on passenger cars. It's a generic term that is not specific to the Type 2.  Stepho  talk  23:36, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

Well, precisely... That's why it's not appropriate to list it as a nickname for the Type 2. So what do you feel we should discuss before I remove it again? -- Ian Dalziel (talk) 23:48, 9 April 2012 (UTC)

I was hoping that Mr Neese would also join the discussion so that you would have a chance to persuade him to stop his unilateral action - or for him to provide a persuasive argument to you. Since he doesn't want to join the discussion (but had found time to revert you after being asked to discuss it first) we can only assume that he has nothing to add. Unless anyone else has any objections, I have no problem if you delete the phrase. I'm guessing that Mr Neese will just add it back in again but he would be acting against the consensus.  Stepho  talk  03:45, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

Type "volkswagen shaggin wagon" into Google. Not only does Google complete the phrase for you, but plenty of pages come up. Punch the same into Google image, and see what happens. Are they "reliable sources" as per Wikipedia policy? Who knows. Who cares anymore. Like everyone else in the world, I grew up referring to this vehicle as a "shaggin' wagon", and have heard it described as such many times. Do what you like. Mr Neese (talk) 04:35, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

Type "volkswagen" into Google, and it finds Volkswagens. Well, it would, wouldn't it? Try the same with "chevrolet", or "ford", or as above without a maker's name. No-one is saying that the term hasn't been applied to Volkswagens, just that it isn't specifically a name for the VW Type 2. -- Ian Dalziel (talk) 06:18, 10 April 2012 (UTC)

Decent attempt to rig the discussion. Must try harder, though. Mr Neese (talk) 07:41, 11 April 2012 (UTC)

You grew up referring to this vehicle as a shaggin wagon. I grew up never associating this term to a VW of any type.Flight Risk (talk) 20:36, 8 October 2021 (UTC)

Holden HQ shaggin' wagon

Ford Falcon XA shaggin' wagon

I tried 'Volkswagen shagg' and google did indeed auto complete it for me. I also tried 'Ford shagg' and it also auto completed it for me. Same for 'Chevy shagg'. Sounds like Google thinks it's a generic term - or at least not specific to VW. You claimed 'Like everyone else in the world, I grew up referring to this vehicle as a "shaggin' wagon"'. Well, the Type 2 (or Kombi as we called it) was not popularly known as a shaggin' wagon in Australia because here it normally had rows of seats which made it hard to use in that manner. Here in Australia we normally used 'shaggin wagon' for the much more common Holden HQ panel van and the matching Ford Falcon (Australia) panel van. What people remember as 'everyone' calling it is usually a regional thing that isn't necessarily shared by other regions.  Stepho  talk  08:15, 11 April 2012 (UTC) And It's really fun and Impartant — Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.171.202.116 (talk) 07:29, 16 June 2012 (UTC)

T25 Syncro

Missing!
Commonly regarded as the best T2. There should be a section on this -- I should be bold and DIY, but...
See: The Syncro Story, etc. ~E 74.60.29.141 (talk) 21:30, 25 September 2012 (UTC)

Picture T2

According to my sources, the picture shows a T1 in stead of T2. T2 doesn't have a V in the front panel. Sorry no time to login — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.95.108.178 (talk) 16:17, 20 November 2013 (UTC)

Now time to login ;-) As said above, the picture is wrong, it is a T1 vehicle, as such I will remove it. In fact the entire article seems to be written from the idea that the T1 is the beatle car. But T1 is actually the first version of the bus / camper. The titel of the whole article should probably read "Volkswagen T1" Jobbew (talk) 18:14, 20 November 2013 (UTC)

The picture you removed looks like a T1 (with a V) to me. Have you got the codes confused? Type 1 is the Beetle sedan. Type 2 is the Transporter (aka Van, Kombi, Bus, etc). The Type 2 was then further divided into the Type 2 T1 (with V panel in front), Type 2 T2 (with squarish panel in front), Type 2 T3, etc. Perhaps you have confused Type 1 (Beetle) with T1 (first Transporter).  Stepho  talk  23:06, 20 November 2013 (UTC)

I think you are right. Apologies. It looks okay now Jobbew (talk) 10:22, 21 November 2013 (UTC)

No worries - anyone can make a mistake.  Stepho  talk  11:11, 21 November 2013 (UTC)

Samba Merger proposal

User:Regushee has proposed that Samba (bus) be merged into this article.

• Support The Samba article is tiny and the Samba bus is just a minor variant of the T1. It will be easy to merge it into here.  Stepho  talk  00:11, 4 January 2014 (UTC)

Recommend changes the VW Transporter Type 2 be consolidated. As the colloquial reference to the Transporter First generation T1 'nickname' is confusing. Recognised German VW clubs and enthusiast do not refer to the vehicle as anything but a VW Transporter T2 First or Second generation, as does the manufacturer Volkswagen Germany. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ask412 (talk • contribs) 05:24, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

• Question - Were the Sambas only available as First generation T2's? ---------User:DanTD (talk) 03:09, 28 December 2014 (UTC)

Electric and Hybrid conversions

I'm surprised that there's no coverage of electric and hybrid power-train conversions. There's mention and a picture of a flex-fuel modification. Surely this merits a section. LeeColleton (talk) 23:53, 11 November 2014 (UTC)

We try to avoid one-off conversions and personal projects unless they have had a significant affect on the community. Otherwise we'll have hundreds of one line mentions of little notability. Also, Wikipedia is not a how-to manual.  Stepho  talk  06:59, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Fitting Lucas 7 inch Headlamps to a 1972 (single screw) T2

I have a 1972 T2 which I have owned since new. The single screw type headlamps are so poor in light output even with halogen bulbs that I would like to replace them with Lucas H4 7 inch units. Has any one details of the brackets/lugs that would be needed to mount the fixing shells? (I guess three per lamp, fixed to existing 'bucket') With diminishing eyesight and oncoming gas discharge lamps, night driving is hazardous! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.22.248.95 (talk) 19:56, 12 February 2018 (UTC)

Sorry, this talk page is about improving the article. It is not a forum about fixing/improving your own vehicle.  Stepho  talk  23:05, 12 February 2018 (UTC)

Australian/NZ name 'Kombi'

The article mentions informal names in the UK and US, but neither of these names are likely to be understood in Australia or New Zealand. (A 'camper' is a more generic term for a particular type of van of any brand, and a 'bus' is a much larger passenger vehicle.) In Aus/NZ, this type of VW vehicle is known as a Kombi, even when it's actually some other type of VW van, like a Microbus.

My edit to add the Aus/NZ term was rejected, because 'Kombi' is already mentioned in the opening sentence. I understand that reasoning, but since the article mentions the informal term in other countries, and because few Brits and Americans understand Australians when they talk about a Kombi, I do think the cultural distinction is worthy of note.

Any ideas for writing about this elegantly?

MikZ (talk) 05:35, 26 March 2018 (UTC)

Hi! The sentence in question was "The Volkswagen Type 2, known officially (depending on body type) as the Transporter, Kombi or Microbus, or, informally, as the Bus (US), Kombi (Australia/NZ) or Camper (UK), is a forward control panel van introduced in 1950 by the German automaker Volkswagen as its second car model." Your version said 'Kombi' twice in the same sentence - which seems a bit repetitive. The name 'Kombi' seems to be well known in many parts of the world, so it doesn't have to be linked to Australia in particular. By the way, I'm Australian too :)  Stepho  talk  11:28, 26 March 2018 (UTC)

@Original mikz In Aus, and I presume NZ, they are called Kombi. All front, water-cooled, engine VW vans are Transporters. interesting to note that in the 90s in Brasil all micro-bus where called Combi(no K in Portuguese). 124.170.97.215 (talk) 07:38, 5 October 2023 (UTC)

Interesting indeed, and that explains why I heard them called Kombis (or, perhaps, Combis) when I lived in Perú.

And it illistrates up my point: 'The name "Kombi" seems to be well known in many parts of the world, so it doesn't have to be linked to Australia in particular.' Turns out they're still sold as Kombis in South Africa, and while I don't doubt they're more commonly called campers in the UK, everyone I spoke to at a music festival there knew exactly what I meant, when I told them I was camped near the yellow Kombi. ☺ It's only in the US where people haven't been sure what I've meant, even though I still hear that Men At Work song in the US more than anywhere (Travelling in a fried-out Kombi). (I thought Nigel Thornberry had one, too, in that US cartoon, but that turned out to be a Com-V, or communications vehicle. My mistake.)

But I suppose the article is still okay the way it is. MikZ (talk) 16:59, 12 September 2024 (UTC)

The naming can be confusing, since 'Kombinationswagen' short 'kombi' is the german word for station wagon, not small Bus ;) greetings from berlin KhlavKhalash (talk) 09:27, 7 January 2023 (UTC)

@KhlavKhalash The key is the word Kombi, Stihl has a series of tools which are interchangeable parts for one engine which is called Kombi. I don't speak German but I was sure Kombi had something to do with worker or tool. The rear engine air-cooled ones have always been called Kombi in the Antipodes- in Brasil they used to refer to any van/micro-bus as a Combi(no K in Portuguese), even in Mexico they said Combi(no K in Spanish either). I suppose out side of the US they where sold as a work van, except for the camper, which was a Kombi camper and had the pop-top. 124.170.97.215 (talk) 07:49, 5 October 2023 (UTC)

VW Hippie Bus

I wanted to touch base on a topic that seemed to have discussed before on here about adding a little more to the page how the VW Type 2 is also refereed to by many as a "Hippie Bus". For some reason the another user indicated that a hippie bus was a school bus which doesn't seem right, I did note there was mention of it already in the article however I feel there is more to add. I am working on a project for an English class and we have to contribute to a Wikipedia article, I have done a lot of research and have some solid credible sources that validate the use of VW Type 2 and other similar VW bus models. Below I will attach some of my sources and I am basing my research on, I would really appreciate some feed back on what other users thoughts on this are. The VW Type 2 became popular during the counterculture movement of the 1960s for several reasons and I think its important to list them on here. This way when people come back to the page and read it they can understand for what reasons it was so popular. It was used to transport large groups of people to anti-war protests as well as to music festivals and for comfortable long travels. It was popular for its room capacity, easy to work on and reliable. Many of the vans were decorated with bright colors and designs....( I also think it would be nice to possibly add a picture of one of the painted bus) The VW bus was used by some popular bands such as the "Grateful Dead" for touring and appearing on some other album covers. When people think of a hippie bus they think of VW! Thanks again guys and looking forward to some good feedback!

https://qz.com/1006112/how-the-volkswagen-van-became-iconic/

https://www.theverge.com/2013/9/26/4772614/last-vw-bus-to-be-produced-this-year

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/vw-bus-icon-of-counterculture-movement-goes-into-production

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20130929/business/709299963/

https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/trucks/a26207/volkswagen-microbus-vw-bus/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Talaveraalex17 (talk • contribs) 02:02, 30 July 2018 (UTC)

Type 4 or "pancake" engine

I think that in this line, "In the Type 2, the Type 4 engine was an option..." we should edit it to say "In the Type 2, the Type 4, or pancake, engine was an option...". It would help the reader understand the type of engine a type 4 is, to a non VW owner. As we know, the Type 4 engine is quite different that a standard, up-right engine.

Calipeet (talk) 18:40, 20 September 2018 (UTC)

official name?

When I was growing up in the 1950s and 60s, we called it a Microbus. I got to wondering what the official name of the Type 2 was. The truth, I’m afraid, is complicated.

Checking on-line, I found a German brochure from 1950 that called it “der Kleinbus” = “small bus.” This is the name used most prominently, but in the descriptive text it is also called “Transporter” and the word “Kombi” comes up too. The panel van version was called “de Lieferwagen” = “delivery car.”

Other names Volkswagen used at various times in the US:

Micro Bus…1957 brochure

Microbus…1962, 1972, 1974 brochure

Station Wagon…1958, 1962 brochure, 1960s ads

Volkswagen Wagon…1976 brochure

Volkswagen Bus…1977 brochure

Yes, there are brochures from 1962 with both “Microbus” and “Station Wagon.” I haven’t checked brochures and ads for every year yet, but this research shows they switched back and forth frequently. 74.104.189.176 (talk) 14:17, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

It probably also differs by language too. German brochures may use different names than English/Spanish/Italian/French/etc brochures even of the same year.  Stepho  talk  21:13, 11 May 2021 (UTC)

True. BTW, “transporter” is a German word, as well as English. But this whole article treats the name “Microbus” inconsistently…sometimes it’s used as a model name, other times it’s called a nickname or said to be used “informally,” and it even appears uncapitalized as if it were generic. Further, it could have been an “official nickname" from VW, like when Pontiac called the GTO the “Tiger” when it first came out. 74.104.189.176 (talk) 01:26, 12 May 2021 (UTC)

Samba

"The Volkswagen Samba, in the United States marketed as the Sunroof Deluxe....and could be ordered with a large fabric sunroof".

So, the Sunroof Deluxe didn't always have a sunroof?

"The windows had chrome tables".

Really? Or do they mean to say chrome trim? Although a few chrome tables would be nice. Flight Risk (talk) 03:53, 11 December 2021 (UTC)

It's not worded clearly but careful reading says that in the US it was called the Sunroof Deluxe. Slightly later it says in could be order with a fabric sunroof for driving in the Alps.

My knowledge of US and European geography is a bit vague (I'm Australian) but I'm pretty sure that the Alps are not in the US. So, I conclude that in the US the fabric sunroof was standard for the Samba but in Europe it was optional.

We're open to suggestions on how to reword it.  Stepho  talk  11:11, 11 December 2021 (UTC)

Crew cab listed as 4 door

Crew cabs only have 3 doors (not four) the third rear door is typically kerb side. 2001:8003:8807:CD00:C5DB:3B10:695F:A3C4 (talk) 18:18, 7 August 2022 (UTC)

Production start date

The history section says "1949 ... the first production model, now designated Type 2, rolled off the assembly line to debut 12 November." But the T1 section says "The first generation of the Volkswagen Type 2 with the split windshield, informally called the Microbus, Splitscreen, or Splittie among modern fans, was produced from 8 March 1950". Which date is correct?  Stepho  talk  05:15, 22 March 2023 (UTC)

Divide-unbundle the first and second generations page

Proposal to divide-unbundle page like as with Deutsch wiki and other generation Volkswagen Type 2 (T3), Volkswagen Transporter (T4), Volkswagen Transporter (T5), Volkswagen Transporter (T6), because the car presents significant differences with years '60 and '70 changes bodywork and mechanical different. Without opposing, that i do it. 2.43.230.88 (talk) 10:58, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

Agreed. Leave a single paragraph summary for each generation (eg like Volkswagen_Type_2#Third_generation_(T3;_1979) and the other information can be moved to Volkswagen Transporter (T1) and Volkswagen Transporter (T2).  Stepho  talk  12:16, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

I agree. The first and second generation models are far more notable and iconic than the other generations, so they absolutely deserve that.  750h+ | Talk  12:14, 17 April 2024 (UTC)