Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (March 2003, week 4)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Fri, 28 Mar 2003 09:36:44 -0800
Reply-To:     Jeffrey Earl <jefferrata@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeffrey Earl <jefferrata@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      What to look for?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Brien,

When I bought my first Westy three years ago, I too was a bit intimidated by the enormity of my undertaking -- figuring out how to properly use all the camping fixtures, my first diesel engine, and just getting a 20-year old vehicle up to snuff for the kind of traveling I hoped to do.

Start by attending to all the obvious faults, which typically make themselves apparent by means of loud noises, leaking bodily fluids, smoke and flame, etc.. Once you've quelled such immediate mechanical uprisings, start working on the more routine maintenance items. Somewhere near the front of the Haynes and the back of the Bentley manuals you will find recommended maintenance intervals. Combine these two lists into one, erring on the side of shorter intervals, add items learned from listmembers here and other Vanagon owners, then get cracking.

You'll probably find such maintenance occurring at intervals of 3, 6, and 9K , with some progressively more involved jobs at 60 and 90K. If you suspect the POs neglected such maintenance, you may want to take a proactive approach and start working forward (or a retroactive approach and start working backward, depending on your perspective). I have found this way to be very helpful in ramping up my familiarity with the Vanagon, while gradually improving the mechanical soundness of it.

But Vanorak is right: make the Haynes and Bentley manuals your preferred summer beach reading, carry them onboard during trips, and then just get out there on the road.

Jeffrey Earl 1983 diesel Westfalia "Vanasazi"

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! http://platinum.yahoo.com


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.