ok.............my two cents.
On a passenger Vanagon..........not bad. Tolerable, and easy to improve.
On a Westy however............
be careful there about noise.
I know of one case where a couple had a tdi conversion done to their syncro
westy I think it was............and were not at all happy about how noisy it
was after that - usually at speed, like 60 to 70 going down the road.
That's when the noise factor can be quite apparent.

And of course lots of sound insulation can be added etc.............but
westy's just by 'how they are' with wooden cabinetry that amplifies sound,
like an acoustic guitar body, and the poptop..........the lack of a full
headliner to absorb noise -  seems to be a factor also.

I built a TD conversion for a guy in an 82 Westy once.........I thought it
was just horribly noisy ..............but the guy was about 70, and I
thought he might not notice or care, and he wrote me later saying how much
he LOVES that van...............so I guess it didn't bother him, but I
noticed the noise factor in that one for sure.

this is more 'personal opinion' .,..........but noise and vibration are two
of the numerous downsides to diesels.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Miller" <mwmiller@CWNET.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2008 12:28 PM
Subject: TD/TDI noise?

> All,
>
> Will any body with any experience with a syncro TD or TDI conversion give
> me
> an idea of how noisy it is/was?
>
> Mike
>
> Wanted a diesel but someone said they were very noisy inside the cab.