Date:         Fri, 9 May 2003 17:01:48 -0400
Reply-To:     Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Subject:      Re: Tiico Engine Questions
In-Reply-To:  <3EBC0A5D.B56D05FA@earthlink.net>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

         Ah, an opportunity to sound off about something I know nothing
about (ain't the internet wonderful that wa <:-).

         I'm convinced that the deep-down reason I own a Vanagon (besides
the fact that I like to camp), is that I just like quirky stuff. My Westy
is unusual, kinda cool and not everybody has one. That attraction to the
quirky even makes me like the wasserboxer that moves it. I enjoy the
obvious ancestral relationship to the air-cooled 1600 cc engine that moved
my ol' 1973 super beetle, and the sheer chutzpah of a water-cooled
rear-engine machine. Henry Ford would be horrified, and even Ferd Porshce
would probably scratch his head...

         That said, I'm very happy to know that there are a couple of
different options available to me on that dark day when my heads begin to
drip coolant on the driveway... I still don't know if that day will lead me
to a simple (?) head replacement, a nice, new, enhanced wasserboxer, a
Suburu powerplant, or a TIICO conversion, but I know that the result will
remain comfortably quirky and fun (if challenging) to own and maintain.

         All in all, I'm very happy to know that there are lots of options
available to keep my brick running for years to come! Let's hear it for the
shared madness and engineering ingenuity that keeps these delightful freaks
of automotive engineering on the road! Thank you to all that design,
fabricate, and make available the ideas, parts and accessories that fuel my
addiction.

         VIVA LA VANAGON!!!

         *Whew* - Happy Friday, All!

Tim




At 01:06 PM 5/9/2003 -0700, mark drillock wrote:
>Let's just say that not all kits have been right. What has it been, 3
>years since the first ones? Plenty of people had wrong/missing/bogus
>parts. Maybe it has all been straightened out in current kits. With all
>of the promise that the TIICO kit had for committed Vanagon owners, I
>hope that it is straightened out. Not a street legal product for sale in
>California though. There are nice Vanagons parked now after getting
>TIICO engines when the company was claiming they could get through smog
>check. These owners are in limbo unless TIICO gets CARB approval for the
>kit and their time and money are gone. Without passing a smog check they
>can't get current tags. Without current tags you can't even park on your
>own driveway in many areas.
>
>Mark
>
>
>Ri wrote:
> >
> > Amen. Peter has been incredibly responsive on every phone call, and
> > every email. Everything was quick, complete and nicely done.
> >
> > Why the flames? Fear and ignorance?
> >
> > Glen & Ri
> >
> > 1987 Westfalia
> > 1967 SingleCab
> >
> > On Thu, 2003-05-08 at 17:08, Dan wrote:
> >
> > > tiico is taking a bad rap from a few customers,  their are us
> customers who
> > > are 100% satisified.  how many kits sold and may be 10-15 oil problems
> > > maybe.  thoes who do not have tiico seen to knock it down pretty Quick.
> > > Peter is 100 percent their for you if you contact him, however it
> seem a few
> > > people cry to the list and rant on and on about something that really
> doesn
> > > not exist.  may be I am just a lucky customer.
> > >
> >