Date: Sat, 3 Feb 2001 22:22:13 -0600
Reply-To: John Rodgers <jhrodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <jhrodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: my vanagon sob story
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
In the area I live in now I spent a lot of time talking around and
visiting various mechanics before I found two that I felt were
competent. One had worked on vanagons specifically, and the other was
long on experience as a general mechanic and and had a long history with
the air-cooled engines. By the time I got to them, I had learned enough
from the membership of this list and also on my own to know if a
mechanic knew what he was talking about when it came to Vanagons. Some
work I do myself, but the big stuff I take to the mechanics where they
have all the tools and equipment to do a job right....tools and
equipment I don't have, and will never buy just to support one vehicle.
But before I take my machine in for work, I have already figured out
exactly what is needed and required, so I know ahead of time where the
mechanic is going with his work. I don't get any surprises that way. If
something unexpected is discovered, the mechanic and I make a visual
inspection together, I listen to his recommendations, then I make a
decision. It's my van and my wallet.
As for your vehicle, what you have into it at this point is what is
sometimes called "sunk costs". You will never get your money out of it
at this point, but you have a machine that you are beginning to know
intimately, and that is worth a great deal, in my opinion. You are faced
with dealing with the demons you know vs the demons you don't. For me,
I prefer the demons I know.
The engine in my van blew last year and required a major
overhaul....total rebuild. My cost to replace was going to be about 3 to
3-1/2 grand. I was strongly encouraged by family and friends to get rid
of the van and get another vehicle.........specifically something not so
quirky as a vanagon and something really common that every shadetree
mechanic and up could work on....like maybe a chevy pick up truck, or
something.
There was no way.
First I'm a vanagon man.........it does what I want it to do and meets
my needs perfectly. I can haul my 12 ft step ladder inside, 4 X 8 sheets
of plywood, a pallete load of bricks, plaster or cement; or I can go put
the back seat down as a bed and go camping, touring or whatever; or I
can haul all the kids from the Sunday School class in it. There is no
way I would part company with it. There is not another machine on the
market today that does what it does the way it does it.
Second, I know my van. I have learned it's systems (I'm still learning)
and it's little quirks, and I have just learned to live with them. In
actuality, I suspect that they are no quirkier than other vehicles. They
have their own unique systems, and their own unique weak spots and
failure points but so do other machines, especially after they get
100,000 miles or more on them.
The one thing I have found about them is they love to be treated well.
Keep the systems in good shape, take care of preventive and other
maintenance in a timely way, and you will most likely get long service
without surprises. Establish routine maintenance and service and she'll
go a long way.
For your situation, I suggest you contact Robert Lilley and Bob Donalds,
both members of this list and talk with them. They have good experience
with the various problems and solutions on these engines, and they can
help you get ready for that engine repair or rebuild.
Check them out.
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
Chris D'Amico wrote:
> dear list,
> i need some advice on what to do with my 89' wolfie
> weekender. long story short. bought vechicle 14 months
> ago for $5,500. (orange county, ca.). within the first
> year i have sank another $5,000 into the car (rear
> brakes, recharge ac, new ecu, repack rear cv boots,
> tune ups, new tires, reseal the tranny, and of course
> the dreaded head gasket job that cost me $2200. now,
> 12 months and 20k miles later, the head gasket is
> leaking again.
>
> why am i telling you guys this? because now i have
> invested about 11 grand in my van, and now am at a
> crossroads. i have taken it to another vw shop in my
> area (this shop specializes in vanagons and vw) and he
> has given me his opinion, which i think is an honest
> one. his view is this. my heads that were replaced
> weren't original german, and the ones i got only last
> about 20 to 30k (sounds kinda hard to believe,
> although the symptoms i am having now are exactly the
> same internal leaky head gaskets), so he thinks i
> should redo the gaskets, rebuild the engine from
> scratch, replace most the coolant hoses (which are
> mostly bad...12 yrs old), replace the radiator, and
> weld some cracks in the exhaust pipes. all of that for
> about $4000-$4500. sounds like alot, but it is alot of
> work. i wish i could do the work, but i can't.
>
> if anyone could give me some advice i would appreciate
> it. do i start over with another van? that doesn't
> sound so good to me. like the rest of you on the list,
> i love the vanagon and i honestly don't think there is
> a comparable vehicle on the road in the catagory
> today.
>
> sorry so long.
> chris
> 89' white wholfie weekender.
>
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