VANAGON ENHANCEMENTS
Don't think the Vanagon could be improved? Well we have found a few enhancements that definitely make a big difference to performance and comfort.
A smog legal 180HP 1.8T VW engine! Full details are available in the H2oVanagon Conversions section of the site.
New disk braking system provides much shorter stopping distance with less fade providing better safety. You may not know your Vanagon is under-braked until you drive your Vanagon with this system.
15" or 16" wheels and tires provide better traction and even looks better!
NOTE: Required with brake system upgrade
Headlight system upgrade, better known as a South African grill and lens kit are much brighter than the factory installed lights. Aftermarket lens and lights are night and day difference! More details can be found in our Grill and Headlight section.
Pop-Top canvas replacement. Newer designed canvases have three windows. A nice feature for ventilation during those hot days.
Bumper upgrades. The original bumper on the Vanagon's were not able to withstand even a very minor "fender-bender". In fact in 1988 the steel bumpers were replaced with fiberglass ones. Even less protection. Today there are several aftermarket bumpers available for the Vanagon. Check out our bumper section for more details.
Refrigerator upgrade. Your refrigerator in your Westfalia needs service from time to time. H2oVanagon is able to service your refrigerator and bring it back to it's cool blowing days. We can also replace your out-dated unit with a new high output low energy electric refrigerator that is so cold it even makes ice cubes.
Auxiliary battery installation. The Vanagon Westfalia never came with an auxiliary battery. This is important if do any amount of camping. With an auxiliary battery you are able to run all your accessories (Stereo, interior lights, DVD player, Electric Refrigerator etc.) and not worry about being able to start your engine.
Solar Systems. With all the electronic gadgets that some of us carry around with us today there may be need for a little extra juice to be pumped into your auxiliary battery or batteries.
Propane Heaters Systems. Propane heaters are great if your doing any camping where it's cold. These heaters have an automatic thermostat and will turn on at a predetermined temp just like the heater system at home.
These are just some of the improvements that we offer for your Vanagon! We have just about every imaginable change or upgrade, so if you want something done let us know and we will do our best to make it a reality for you.
Prices can vary drastically for enhancements. Contact a sales consultant for design and pricing options.
Electric Refrigerator
The Refrigerator in your Vanagon Westfalia is not adequate for keeping your food cold during hot conditions. The original fridge only colds down 40 degrees from ambient temp. So if it's 100 degrees "in your Vanagon" then your milk or beer will only be cooled down to 60 degrees. Enough to spoil your milk. There are other alternatives. We offer replacement of the original refrigerator with a couple different units. TruckFridge is a unit that is ran only on electrical power and uses very little of it. Ran off a German-made Danfoss compressor system designed to run quite and with little power. There is even a light inside this unit just like your home fridge. Much more room than the original refrigerator too. Let us upgrade your stock refrigerator to a new TruckFridge electric refrigerator that can make ice cubes!
Tough Bumpers
Now-ah days these old Vanagon's are coming around again like the old Bus did many years ago. They can be very nice vehicles when restored back to original condition. Some items are now made to bring the Vanagon close to today's standards. Surprisingly for it's age of construction the Vanagon body is extremely strong as proven in crash testing through the years. Of course there are no Air Bags like newer cars or ABS brakes. As the years moved on Tires were getting hard to get now due to the wheel size and again the weight. The bumpers were not up to today's standards. Quickly these items were produced by various vendors to get better service out of your Vanagon. Aftermarket bumpers now available to help out with city traffic life or fender-benders. Today there are several companies that build a bumper system far superior to the original Vanagon bumper. H2oVanagon does not carry bumper stock, but we do work closely with other bumper manufacturers and can install any bumper of your liking. We have installed various styles of bumpers that add greater protection than stock bumpers.
Grills
Back in 1986 the VW Vanagon went from two round head lamps to four square lights. Most agree they looked better then the round head lamps at the time but we quickly realized that the lighting was not quite bright enough. There are ways to improve the square head light system. Adding higher powered bulbs and a relay system designed to supply voltage to them can really help. In South Africa Vanagons were fitted with a four round headlamp system that is night and day better lighting than the square system. This system is available as a kit & comes complete with a new style grill, high beam and low beam head lamp lens and the relay system to power these brighter lights. At H2oVanagon we are able to install this South Africa grill kit complete with the necessary components to assist your driving experience at night. We can also upgrade your existing square head lamp or even the older two round lamp system for brighter lighting and bring your Vanagon up to today's standards.
Lights
LED Light kits provide.....
Center Consols
A center console specifically designed to work with Vanagons....
Cabinets & Sinks
Custom locally designed and built....
Dashboard
Recover to make your dashboard look new again.....
Entertainment
Whether it is adding a new stereo system to full on LED TV's we can do it....
