Date:         Fri, 14 Apr 2000 13:40:51 -0700
Reply-To:     Coby Smolens <cobys@WELL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Coby Smolens <cobys@WELL.COM>
Subject:      Re: help with brakes in SF
Comments: To: AmySilberman <asilber@SIRIUS.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hi Amy,

WE repair Vanagons and Buses as a way to make a living, yes, but we also
grew up in them and shared hundreds of thousands of miles traveled with all
kinds of wild friends and relations and thus have a somewhat loftier motive
for doing this work than just the grand green stuff... We love the vans and
are quite fond of most of their humans. We wish to see them continue to
occupy the asphalt as long as possible!

There's always enough folks around who'd rather pay the money and not be
bothered with doing the work to keep us busy, so don't hesitate to call for
tech support info (it's not even a 900 number!) if you're going to do the
work on your van yourself. I applaud all the brave souls out there who have
the interest and energy to figure out how their own vehicles work, and the
determination to jump in and get it done. I always felt that if I stared
long enough at a thing I could figure it out myself. It always galled me to
have to turn to an "expert". That's why I started working on cars in the
first place.

There isn't any part of the work you have to do on your van that you can't
do yourself with a few basic tools. You'll be replacing brake drums and
rotors, transferring bearings to the new rotors, replacing brake pads,
shoes, wheel cylinders. You could change the seals in the calipers, but from
what I remember you might give that step a pass - yours looked great (dust
boots intact, no sign of leakage).

Please don't hesitate, even for a second, to give us a call!

Coby

Valley Wagonworks
"Intimately acquainted with VW Vans since 1959"

Volkswagen Bus, Vanagon, Westfalia and Eurovan
Repair and Service Specialists

1535 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo, CA 94933
Voice:(415) 457-5628
Fax: (415) 457-0967
http://wagonworks.com
mailto:contact@wagonworks.com