Talk:Volkswagen Type 2

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

message: 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)
replies: text: @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)
thread_title: First Minivan

message: 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)
thread_title:  Hippie Bus redirect is incorrect 

message: 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)
thread_title:  Do we need the kW values? 

message: * 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)
thread_title: Possible Solutions

message: 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)
thread_title:  kW was VW's official reference, and 1,600 cc was a 1967 engine 

message: 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)
replies: text: 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)
thread_title:  VW Bomb? 

message: 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)
thread_title: Page Move

message: 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)
thread_title: Bug/Van combo

message: 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 *talk* 13:14, 15 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: 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)
thread_title:  linkspam? 

message: 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)
thread_title: Pop culture

message: "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)
thread_title: Magic Bus?

message: 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)
thread_title:  Interior 

message: 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)
thread_title:  References in Culture: Film: Little Miss Sunshine 

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

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

message: Hannover and not Hanover  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.37.135.221 (talk) 19:28, 9 August 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  The city in Germany where it was manufactured is Hannover (double n) 

message: 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)
thread_title:  Crew cab 

message: 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)
thread_title:  T25 Syncro 

message: 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)
thread_title:  Samba Merger proposal 

message: 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)
replies: text: 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)
thread_title:  Electric and Hybrid conversions 

message: 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)
replies: text: 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)
thread_title:  Fitting Lucas 7 inch Headlamps to a 1972 (single screw) T2 

message: 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)
replies: text: 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)

text: @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)

text: @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)
thread_title:  Australian/NZ name 'Kombi' 

message: 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)
thread_title:  VW Hippie Bus 

message: 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)
thread_title:  Type 4 or "pancake" engine 

message: 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)
replies: text: 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)
thread_title:  official name? 

message: 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)
thread_title:  Crew cab listed as 4 door 

message: 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)
thread_title:  Production start date 

message: 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)
replies: text: 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)

text: 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)
thread_title: Divide-unbundle the first and second generations page