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Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

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Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

Postby ghosttt » Thu Apr 29, 2021 10:27 am

I'm planning on building a day van to transport a motorbike and sleep overnight in. Might also be used for the occasional weekend away as well as a family+dog hauler and daily driver.

I had originally planned on buying a 2018+ facelift Transit Custom, however I have found that Tourneos are far better value. As they are classed as a minibus they do not have reduced speed limits and can be insured on a regular car policy.

Is there anything I should be aware of that I might not have thought about? The only downside I can think of is the rear windows lacking privacy but I can always board these from the inside if it's too much.

Final quesiton - How is the auto box when paired with the euro 6 engines? I'm coming from a dual clutch auto car so I appeeciate shifts won't be as quick or smooth but as far as regular autos go, I hear these are ok. I'm not dead set on an auto but it would be nice for longer journeys.
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Re: Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

Postby seanl82 » Sat May 01, 2021 7:57 am

I have a pre facelift LWB Tourneo Custom so can't offer advice on engine & gearbox info, but we bought ours to transport my son's kart around in and it's perfect for our needs. We're still fairly new to ownership but like you, it was bought over a transit due to value for money. With heated leather, the cab is a nice place to be and the rear row of seats come out very easily. Insurance can still be a little tricky unless If you have a single passenger front seat, but it shouldn't be as it is 8 passenger seats which is the key thing. It only goes into minibus territory for 9 PASSENGERS. Unfortunately some companies see 9 seats so won't insure. That said, as you've suggested it isn't a commercial vehicle so m'way driving isn't restricted to 65 mph. I think a lot of the newer commercial vans have electronic restrictors too which could cost you to have them mapped out if you wanted to. Fuel economy is pretty pants on the 2.2 though, so my 83 mile each way commute on mostly motorways, I sit with the cruise control set at 70 anyway which returns around 33mpg for the trip. If you're converting to a day van, you'll still want to insulate it so you'll have to remove interior trim, maybe think about removing the rear AC unit for a bit more space too. The rear windows have roll up blinds integrated into the cards and though they don't cover the entire window, I'm sure you could modify them and fit full width ones. As you say, a pop off curtain/blind is easily put up in the rear doors/hatch. Depending on how you fit a bed will determine on whether you have to cut up interior trim as well so it could become unsightly if you want to run it without the bed in place at times. For a motorbike if it's just yourself, I'd suggest a blow up bed that sits across the rear 1st row seats and down into the footwell as there is tons of space there. There are pros and cons to both, but it's worth doing a bit of research into how you would set it up. Look at other manufacturer conversions too along the same lines (VW Caravelle, Merc Vito etc...). Ours is an ex taxi too so although quite high mileage, the history and servicing are really good and much lower than the daft long intervals specified by Ford. That's added premium and harder to find for commercial vehicles as well. Good luck with your search.
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Re: Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

Postby ghosttt » Sat May 01, 2021 11:39 pm

Thank you mate, that's really helpful - All noted.

I expect the conversion progress to be fairly slow and I still need a daily so I think the Tourneo will be a nicer place to be until everything is done completely. The long term vision is to have a pop top but I'm still not set 100%.

The rear AC bits do seem to take up a large amount of room. I did wonder if you could cub it down in size and have it fit inside a cabinet with just one intake/exhaust as it would be a shame to rip it out completely. That said, removal seems to just be a case of looping the coolant and AC hoses so nothing too major.
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Re: Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

Postby dumper » Sun May 02, 2021 8:50 am

I removed the ac unit out of my mk8 bus and the ac engineer said that it’s better to block the pipes off as it’s pointless running the coolant round the pipe work all it’s doing is warming up the coolant and making the system less efficient.
MK 8 L4 H3 Motorsport campervan
Past camper vans
1974 mk1 v4 with 2.0 pinto fitted
1986 mk3 2.5 di swb
1990 190 lwb 2.5 di
1998 100 lwb 2.5 di
2006 350 jumbo 135 tdci
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Re: Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

Postby kingpeterking » Mon May 03, 2021 11:36 am

I'm keeping the A/C unit in mine. I have blocked off the top outlet with a piece of ply. I have also disconnected the motor that changes the airflow direction. I now have a single outlet (the one that used to do the floor) that I will reroute under the bed and to probably have four outlets around the rear windows.
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Re: Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

Postby dumper » Mon May 03, 2021 8:35 pm

Apart from freeing space in the back as mine was in the storage area at the rear I also had problems with it turning everything damp even with it not switch on it just enough of the coolant flowing through the system next to it I had two steel blocks I used for the awning that I hadn’t got round to painting and legs for the barbecue where damp and rust on the blocks.
MK 8 L4 H3 Motorsport campervan
Past camper vans
1974 mk1 v4 with 2.0 pinto fitted
1986 mk3 2.5 di swb
1990 190 lwb 2.5 di
1998 100 lwb 2.5 di
2006 350 jumbo 135 tdci
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Re: Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

Postby woodbutcherbower » Tue May 04, 2021 8:17 am

Almost everyone on here who has the auto box seems to really like it. Maybe s60r will jump in and give you some feedback as an enthusiastic auto driver. Good luck with the project.
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Re: Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

Postby CRM » Fri May 07, 2021 7:37 am

to the OP i was just about to do a long winded post comparing my old 14 plate sport to my new 21 plate sport auto.

If used to the sublime (when working) Audi / VW 6 speed DSG or S tronic, or even the dry 7 speed items - then you are in for some disappointment.
The ford box is beyond crude - i would go as far to say that the old slush box fitted in the focus 1.6 was way smoother and predictable.
This box as you would expect is not exactly high quality feel. it works yes, and has buttons you can flick up and down yes, but i find it revvy before it changes and when it does its a bit "elastic band" like if that makes sense.

You know when your VW / Audi 6 speed box is cold and takes a while to change up the box yes ?? this is like that when warm all the time.
I would say that after only 600 miles it may still be adapting to my driving style and learning and will get better - but this is ford so i expect it to head south from here on in.

One thing it does do it encourages slower more chilled driving that is for sure, it has also lost its balance in corners IMO so always feels like its running wide (some will know exactly what i mean here) when getting a bit of a lick on

mine was a factory order, honestly i should have tried the auto on demo first, i didnt i wrongly assumed it would be like a modern DCT box, more fool me. if i had my time again i would have gone with a manual again
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Re: Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

Postby ghosttt » Mon May 10, 2021 4:47 pm

Thanks all, sommmme really useful info.

CRM wrote:You know when your VW / Audi 6 speed box is cold and takes a while to change up the box yes ?? this is like that when warm all the time.


I know exactly what you mean. I've had box a 6 speed wet DSG box in an old A3 and a newer 6 speed wet box in a 2016 Golf. Both did this and it was annoying but as you say, it went away once up to temp.

I might be expecting too much but I would be heading back to the dealer if I was you. I haven't heard anyone else complain about it (in fact, quite the opposite) but that sounds dreadful if you're doing a lot of city driving.
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Re: Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

Postby CRM » Mon May 10, 2021 5:02 pm

Nope, i also drove a demo van after i ordered sadly, and that was the same perhaps not quite as revvy - i put this down to adaption as it learns while i drive.
Fact is, its an auto jim - but not as we know it.
seriously, its a cheapo ford attempt, far from refined, far from perfectly smooth but if its half reliable - its fine,
like with the DSG you drive around its weak points and play it to its strengths

Oddly the DSG worked way better in the old TT 3.2 and R32 V6, it suited that engine very well, yet when coupled to the 2.0 TFSI engine it did not work quite as well.
I put it down to the Audi mapping on the TTS as it always felt a bit keen to kick down and not exactly as smooth as when attached to the 3.2
Yet the 2.0 TDI 7 speed on the later golfs and Seats it works really nicely. way better than the 6 speed wet DSG on the same engines
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Re: Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

Postby Karina_T » Thu Feb 02, 2023 3:51 pm

seanl82 wrote:...if it's just yourself, I'd suggest a blow up bed that sits across the rear 1st row seats and down into the footwell as there is tons of space there.


Hi Sean, do you have any pics of this set up?

I've got a new (to me) 2018 Tourneo and to my joy, I can fold the back 3 seats down and stretch out fully across the width of the van. Planned to put some kind of camping mattress on top for sleeping purposes. Not sure what you're suggesting as regards the footwell - would be intrigued to see your solution if possible. Any pics or a diagram even?

Many thanks,

Karina.
Ford Tourneo Custom 2.0 310 EcoBlue Titanium 128bhp 284.00 torque Independence RS model
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Re: Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

Postby Karina_T » Fri Feb 03, 2023 11:58 am

I'd also chip in that I opted for a Tourneo over Transit for a day/camper van due to the car speed limits and being able to visit local ameneties like the tip.
Plus the legitimate seating that can configure in multiple, safe ways to carry occasional passengers/goods.
So far so good. Just a few decisions to make re insulation etc.
Ford Tourneo Custom 2.0 310 EcoBlue Titanium 128bhp 284.00 torque Independence RS model
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Re: Transit or Tourneo Custom for day van

Postby richbee » Fri Feb 03, 2023 4:18 pm

I looked this when I bought mine (2017). At that time, insurance for the Tourneo was a nightmare - they wanted silly money because they were treating them like minibuses and some companies wouldn't allow me to remove the removable seats as they would count that as a modification!!!

I bought a LWB DCIV in the end and loved it - then converted it myself into a day van / camper. The speed limit thing is annoying, but I've driven 87k miles now and always stick to car limits - unless there are average speed cameras - so far no problems.

Once you start any kind of (even internal or cosmetic) modifications, most insurance companies won't touch it with a bargepole, and then you need a specialist insurance company - I now use Aplan (who were happy to cover while I was doing the modifications), others use Brentacre and there are others
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