Date:         Wed, 2 Apr 2003 17:27:23 +1000
Reply-To:     Steve Overmyer <s.overmyer@UWS.EDU.AU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Steve Overmyer <s.overmyer@UWS.EDU.AU>
Subject:      Re: VW gutless & unreliable? Another perspective...
In-Reply-To:  <200304011757.h31HvoB4028762@cooper.uws.edu.au>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 12:51 PM 1/04/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>From:    Roy Olynick <rrh@AUTOBAHN.MB.CA>
>
>| It would be nice to know if any one has owned a
>| vanagon new how they feel about their purchase then and 15+ years later.

>                                 ************************
   OK,I can't hold my tounge (or is that my keyboard?) any longer...
   Sorry if this thread is past it's use-by date but I'd like to add another
   (viz,my) perspective on this VW bashing.

   I purchased my 2.1L Waterboxer NEW in 1992.They were still sold here
   in Oz up till the end of that year when the T4 was finally introduced.
   I had wanted one for some years but had kept procrastinating over the
   actual purchase but when the model was nearing it's production's run
   I finally got moving as I still wanted a rear-engine-rear wheel drive van,
   having taken quite some time to accept water cooling let alone the front-
   wheel drive model that was soon to come ;)

   Having looked at some new-ish second hand vans,still commanding a
   high price, I finally decided to go the extra distance,buy a brand-spanking
   new one and not have to deal with any PO's possible neglect.So I did...

   Since 1992,I have done nearly 250,000kms and have NEVER been stranded
   by the van.I do adhere religiously to all servicing intervals and by
doing this,
   I expect I have headed off any potential inconveniences before they ever
   manifest themselves...
   Presumably this is where many owners whose vans have a "past" have had
   bad experiences as they are dealing with previous neglect.No vehicle is
   immune to this problem.
   But is the waterboxer still more susceptable than other makes to this
neglect?
   Possibly since watercooling a previously aircooled vehicle without
changing the
   whole design concept is not without it's challenges,however,for the benefits
   of a rear-eng & RWD vehicle,a most practical load space, good handling,sheer
   driving  pleasure as well as the less tangible qualities such as
"character" and
   maybe  coolness I for one was prepared to take the risk.
   I've driven Japanese vans before and many VW vans too and they are simply
   chalk and cheese.
   VWs feel safe and are fun,the Jap equivalent just a bouncy delivery van
with
   questionable handling & braking characteristics (esp in the wet) unless
carrying
   a goodly load in the  back.Even then they are still barely acceptable.

   It's not like I "baby" the van too much either.It regularly gets driven
for 8-10
   hour stretches at a time.It has to deal with temps in excess of 100F often
   in my travels,as well as coping with snow & ice on ski trips.
   It has dragged a '76 Double Cab on a car trailer for the best part of 500kms
   and hauled one of my railway cars on a trailer over 4000kms as well as on
   many shorter trips.It gets taken down questionable dirt tracks to surfing
   spots,hauls musical instruments to festivals,is camped in and has even
dragged
   small trees out once felled when I have been clearing unwanted re-growth
on my
   property.

   Despite this,the van has it's original engine (except for the
heads,naturally)
   original gearbox,clutch and even exhaust system.It was only recently
shod with
   it's 4th set of tyres and has never had an ounce of rust in it...anywhere.
   It still averages 10L/100kms and does not use oil except a little as
expected
   if towing a heavy trailer.It has always done that,ever since new and oil
   consumption has not increased.

   Things I have replaced...
   the heads and admittedly I was a little PO'ed about that when it happened at
   135,00kms but I did know it would happen one day and it wasn't a surprise.
   It never failed catastropically,just started leaking and  so when I did
get around
   to having it fixed, I did flat-bed it to my trusted VW mechanics,but
just to be on
   the safe side...after all,the towing fee is a much cheaper option than
risking
   anything more expensive.
   Some time later,one of the AMC replacement heads did give trouble too
   however that was an AMC issue with a hole drilled too deep,getting too close
   to the water jacket,causing an eventual leak and not an inherent VW problem.
   It did not break down,just used a bit of coolant  and I fixed that
problem at my
   convenience.

   1 front L-H wheel bearing..water probably entered past the speedo cable
   and it got a little rumbly.Fixed before it went bad.Won't happen again
   now the hole is sealed.

   One of the plastic coolant hoses...small leak after 5 or 6 years.Probably
   shouldn't have happened but certainly wasn't any drama.Noticed a drip,
   ordered new pipe and replaced.

   The alternator...after 8 years it needed new brushes.Fair enough...

   The battery...replaced it shortly after.Not because it needed it yet but
I thought
   it was better to do it before it died and 8 years is a good run for any
battery.

   Alternator belt frays and knocks off minor coolant line.Required
roadside assistance
   this time but only because I'd forgotten my emergency tool kit.I had a
new belt,
   spare coolant but no 13mm spanner! Roadside assistance guy provided spanner,
   I did the rest.

   Is this so bad in 250,000kms & 11+ years of motoring? Well I still have
a slight
   issue with the heads but to me,the rest is only to be expected in a
vehicle that
   gets as many varied tasks to perform as mine....and does it all admirably.

   With the 5 speed gearbox that all (manual) transporters outside Nth America
   came standard with,I don't feel the van is slow or gutless.After many
air-cooled
   VWs I enjoy how it runs and have no wish for a bigger powerplant.I enjoy the
   journey as well as the destination and appreciate the reasonable fuel
economy
   that I consistantly get.

   I have owned a Jaguar in the past as well and know only too well about
cooling
   and electrical problems and being stranded (but aren't they FUN when
going well!)
   The Mazda 1 ton utility truck I had for 8 years was on it's THIRD engine and
   second gearbox when I sold it.Sure it was a second hand truck when I bought
   it but so were all my previous VWs too and I never replaced an engine
more than
   once....and all were owned longer than the Mazda.So much for Jap crap...

   Sure this is all subjective and one WBX owner's experience but I do feel
that
   one tends to only often hear the worst scenarios in a forum such as this.
   The archives contain many tales of woe since this is what these lists are
   essentially for...problem solving, and I thought it was about time it
contained
   at least one largely and previously silent tale of a generally satisfied
T3 owner....

   Sorry it has taken so long to get there...;)

   Steve O
   NSW Australia
   '92 Transporter WBX Kombi
   '68 Beetle
   '00 Transporter 5Cyl Double Cab
   '03 Transporter 5Cyl Double Cab (work truck)