Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2003 13:21:16 +0000
Reply-To: kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Kenneth Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: My Advice- Re: Coolant hose fatigue
The question is not how expensive is it to replace the coolant hoses, but how expensive is it NOT to replace the coolant hoses. Right now every Vanagon out there with original coolant hoses should have them ALL replaced if they have never been done. This is for three reasons: time, obsolescence, and cost.
Time. the newest Vanagon is the 91. This is almost 13 years old at this point. The fact that German coolant hoses will last this long is not a reason to keep relying on old hoses. I don't know what the original lifespan was supposed to be but at this point I think it is safe to say that is was less than 13 years (probably 10 at the most). So if you are driving around with your original hoses on your 84 Vanagon (almost 20 years old) don't be too smug. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Right now there are alot of folks out there driving with the only thing between them and a catastrophic engine failure is Mercy. Ignorance is bliss but after reading this email you can no longer profess ignorance.
Obsolescence. In the next 4 to 5 years I know that all of the coolant hoses available for the 1.9l Vanagon will be No Longer Available from the dealer. VW holds the patents on these hoses and if it wants to it can prevent any aftermarket manufacturer from making replacement hoses. Right now the 83.5 hoses have been NLA for years. The 84 hoses have one very large hose that is NLA (I have another hose that can replace it). The 85-91 Vans, so far, have a good supply of hoses. So now is the time to replace your hoses. When they are available and relatively cheap. You say $600 for a set of hoses how is that cheap? It is way cheaper than infinity dollars which is how much you'll have to spend when these hoses go out of production.
Cost. Right now the most expensive hose kit we sell for the Vanagon is around $600 (the older van hose kits are cheaper). All at once you could say that is a lot of money. However spread it over the next 10 years of life for your engine and it suddenly becomes very cheap. It works out to about $5 per month. When you consider the alternative, frying your engine when your wife is driving the van some where far away from home, paying the tow man, not to mention the danger of a side-of-the-highway breakdown (BTDT) with big mac trucks whizzing by, you will never regret getting the new hoses. You will regret sitting there in the freezing cold while your wife and kids look at you in the darkness like you have just failed them (BTDT).
So save money and a lot of stress (beyond money). Put all new hoses and plastic coolant fittings on your van. It is one of the best investments you can make to avoid a breakdown.
--
Thanks,
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
http://www.vanagain.com
Phone: 856-327-4936
Fax: 856-327-2242
> I want to know if anyone can suggest any hoses that I should replace other
> than the one mentioned below (the small 2 inch hose that is about 6 inches
> long and goes from the engine to the long cooling pipes.)
>
> Driving down the freeway to San Diego California my LED light on the
> temperature gauge begins to blink and the van is running hot (the fan comes
> on and goes off.) When I reach my destination I call the VW dealer to ask
> about it. They say to look at the coolant tank, the one where you add
> coolant. It was empty so I refill it and start up the engine. My wife
> notices a leak below the van so I crawl under to look see and notice that
> the small 2 inch hose that goes from the engine to the long cooling pipes
> has a small pin hole leak. (It is probably a 1 & 1/2 inch hose.) I wrap it
> with tape and clamp it to get me home. I had to fill the coolant tank 3
> times to get the LED light to stop flashing. I made an appointment with the
> VW dealer to diagnose everything, replace that hose and flush the system to
> put in new coolant. It was due for new coolant anyhow after about almost 2
> years since the last flush and new coolant. I just do not6 feel like doing
> the work myself.
>
> I am asking advice from those who have had similar problems before. So other
> than this 6 inch long two inch OD hose what other hoses should I get
> replaced? Is it worth the effort and cost to replace all those expensive
> hoses or just wait for them to fail one by one?
>
> William
