Date:         Thu, 12 Apr 2001 09:06:59 -0700
Reply-To:     PSavage <psavage@SABER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         PSavage <psavage@SABER.NET>
Subject:      $5,000  On Preventative Maintenance
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

'Morning Volks,
Many have asked how I spent $5,000
in the 18 months I've owned my 1985 Wolfsburg Westy.

***Bought van from single PO with 194,000 original miles,
19,000 miles on the rebuilt engine.
(Without consultig my paperwork, here's the rundown)

Immediately swapped faulty rack & pinon steering for a
good used one.
Replaced bad master clutch cylinder.
Installed new starter.
New Air Flow Meter & several small related parts
"Cleaned up" some iffy-looking wiring.
Complete tune up
(At this point, Dec of '99, I drove van to Mexico & back--
for a total of 15,000 miles without mechanical trouble.)

Last summer, I had the van gone over thoroughly.  Based on
findings, I had the following work done.  Now, bear in mind,
many of these parts/systems might have worked fine for months,
even longer--but I planned driving the van again to Mexico.

New alternator
All fuel lines replaced
Coolant flushed & bled
New coolant overflow tank installed
Many coolant hoses replaced
New throttle switch installed
CV joints replaced
Ball joints replaced
Front arm bushings & camber adjustment
Spare ECU mounted in engine compartment
Complete tune up
Front & rear brakes & rotors
Front end realigned
All electrical grounds cleaned & polished
Replace spade connectors in fues panel
etc...

Note***with few exceptions, the van was clean & running
well.  But with lots of miles on her, many parts/systems were
bound to go bad.  Were I not adventuring in a third world
country, I would have dealt with these parts one by one