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Date:         Tue, 26 Dec 2000 09:36:20 -0800
Reply-To:     Steven Johnson <sjohnso2000@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Steven Johnson <sjohnso2000@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: novice seeking enlightenment
Comments: To: kmkiester@USWEST.NET
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Hi Karen,

I've noticed that the list has not had enough useless drivel lately (big smirk here) so I thought I'd chime in my much desired (even bigger smirk here) $.02 here.

So you want to plunk down the lowest possible sum for the most VW camper you can get and not have to get your dainty pinkies dirty in the process? Well, you've come to the right/wrong place. "So what the hell is that supposed to mean!?", you ask...

The VW camper can be the most euphoric ride on this planet that you can get for your money and yet it can be the biggest con-founded pain you could ever wish on your worst enemy.

By that, I mean that with the VW camper you get not only a built in bed or two, but you get a fridge, stove, well thought out cabinets (some may argue this), a large galley, the kitchen sink and a water supply for cleaning and drinking. But wait! There's more! You get an up front ride in a captains chair with a spectacular view that is, bar none, better than any other vehicle on the road out there today. And when you get rolling down the highway, you just cannot beat the feeling of freedom/joy/power you get being up there in your self-contained space vehicle because you know darn well that it's the only one of it's kind out there that covers all the bases so well. And no matter what those other slick "minivan" vehicles equip themselves with, you know damn good and well that it's just fluff on an otherwise VW wannabe stationwagon. They can't just stop, pop the top and flip open a bed and crash for the night. They can't flip up a stove top and cook up some meal when they want. They gotta go find a hotel or put together a tent! What a piece of sh*t! Oh sure, it got them there in maybe a 3rd less time, or did it? You know with all of those seats, they're carrying a crew that must go to the bathroom every 1/2 hour. So maybe they can do 90 down the freeway, but you know they have to stop because those bladders just can't wait. How do I know this? I just rode with my brother in is standard minivan and sure enough a potty stop just had to be made in a 100 mile trip. Now with me and the wife? She would've just had to hop/climb around the passenger seat, shut the curtains and use the porta-pottie and I just keep rolling down the highway happy as a clam. No stoppin' for me. Whoo-hoo!

Okay, so now you're rolling along in your VW camper in glorious supreme euphoria when all-of-a-sudden, you feel it. A little minor jerk. And just when you're dismissing it as nothing, it happens again. "higgup".... jerk.... "What the heck?". The van starts bucking and jerking like it's trying to shake a bug off it's ass. So you pull over and stop and scratch your head and try to think of what the hell is wrong. If you're brave you toss everything out of the back and have look at the engine compartment and still scratch your head because you don't see anything wrong. (unless the air cleaner boot is disconnected in which case you reconnect and roll along merrily). So you think to yourself, maybe it's bad gas and go get some gas treatment, add it to the tank and roll along until...

Higgup! .... jerk....

It starts again.... Sh*t!!!!

What heck is going on? Well, my friend. In most cases, it has to do with the Air Flow Meter (AFM). What happens is that the AFM has a wiper that contacts a metal surface which is used to tell the engine computer how much air is flowing through the intake so that it can adjust how much fuel to put out of the injectors. Well... that's the simple explanation. Anyway, to make a long story short, a track gets worn on the meter surface by the wiper and there are slight imperfections on the surface that cause the wiper to send misinformation to the computer which in turn causes it to output the incorrect amount of fuel to the injectors. So you end up with a herky-jerky re-sponse from the engine. But there is a fix for this and this list will be happy to tell you how if you do indeed get a van. But this is one of several issues you will have with a VW Camper (Vanagon, that is) so you know that it is not completely care free.....

The other problems include head gasket leaking, fuel tank leaking, hard starting warm/cold. And a few other misc. problems. But hey! This is a VW and you must love your VW to keep it going the way it ought to. And.... if you don't already know... all other vehicles out there have their quirks and problems too. Don't let them fool you. They have quality/reliability issues and if you let them convince you that VW is the worst, then you deserve that rotten piece of useless road crap that you paid for!

So, there you have it. The VW Camper is the most unique, versatile, charismatic vehicle out there. Everyone knows what they are. They just don't realize its capability and how to fix t he quirks. So you buy a VW Camper and consult this list and you drive it, enjoy it, work on it and it becomes a way of life. If you are not ready for that, then go on your merry way and pay for some other ho-hum mobile and never know the joy/agony that you get from a VW magic bus.

End of drivel.... :)

Steven '91 Camper '86 Transporter

--- Karen Kiester <kmkiester@USWEST.NET> wrote: > Hello, > I am considering buying a VW camper van. I'm guess > I'm in > my midlife crises and want to reconnect to those > things that > I used to do and love. And camping is one of them > but not > roughing it too bad. I have never own a VW camper > but it > seems like what would work well for me. Because > this will > also be my primary vehicle. I like the pop up and > the size > of the vans. So please share with me what you can. > Think > of it as VW Camper Van's 101. > > I cannot afford a brand new one, at least until I > hit the > lottery (I'm not holding my breathe there!). So > what should > I look for (I've seen the notes about the head > gasket)? Are > any years better than others (or is this really > opening up > opinions rather than facts ;-) What are good > features to > have? I've heard that some people don't like the > stove > because of the cooking smells in the van. They > would rather > use a Coleman stove. > > I don't work on cars - I'm kind of a girlie girl but > not too > much. So all work will be done by a mechanic. I've > found > some information on the web. But if you know of > other sites > please pass those along. And if you know of any > books, I'd > also like to know about them. I'm a computer > program so I > research and analyze. I'm not in a hurry to > purchase. My > first trip in planned for late July. > > Thank you in advance for your wisdom and your time. > Blessings and Joy to you and your families this > holiday > seaons. > Karen Kiester (yes, like get up off it - it helps > one to > have a great sense of humor and not take life too > seriously > - in emails I go by k)

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