Date:         Tue, 9 Mar 2004 12:52:56 -0500
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: coolant hoses (Cost, it the only issue)
In-Reply-To:  <404DF200.7000307@fyi.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

> >John is right, my advice is to replace every darn hose in the van no
> >matter what the cost.

>  This is just all around bad advice.  If cost is no issue
> just wait till you break down. Call a cab, fly home, and have a
> truck get the vanagon tow it, fix it, and ship it home.....
>                                 Cost, it the only issue



There are some things that are more important than cost. Your safety,
your time, and your peace of mind, for example. Lest you think I am an
alarmist, the following is an absolutely true story.

A coolant hose burst on my '89 Westy at 11 PM on a Friday night, 250
miles from home, on a dark highway with my wife and then-2-year-old
daughter in the van. We had been on our way to a much anticipated four
day camping trip.

I was forced to drive about a mile or so with no coolant to the nearest
spot with a shoulder, causing the engine to overheat. We then spent an
hour on the shoulder of a busy highway in the middle of the night
awaiting a tow truck, with my wife holding our toddler while trucks
wizzed by dangerously close at 70 mph.  We also had to wake up a friend,
who drove an hour round trip to come get us and put us up for the night.

I discovered the next morning that when the van overheated it blew a
head gasket. I also learned that the only mechanic nearby who had ever
seen a Vanagon before was booked for two weeks. Even if I could have
tackled such a large job in my friend's driveway with only hand tools, I
couldn't get parts for four days. Nobody within a 100 mile radius had
even a head gasket kit, much less the dealer-only hose. Since it was a
Saturday, even if I had my shop overnight them to me, the next FedEx
pickup would be Monday for Tuesday delivery. Best case would be that
we'd be stranded in the middle of nowhere for at least half a week or
longer.  As we both had jobs and other responsibilities, this wasn't an
option. We had no choice but to have the van towed 250 miles back home.

Our long awaited vacation was ruined. Instead we spent the weekend
scrambling to find our way home. My wife and kid were in harm's way on
the shoulder of the road in the middle of the night. We inconvenienced
friends. We had to rent a car to get home while I paid $$$ to have my
van sent 250 miles on a rollback. All for a burst three dollar hose.

Yes, it was an expensive incident, and that sucked. But what sucked even
more were the the immaterial losses. Our ruined vacation that we'd so
looked forward to, the frustration and disappointment, the stress, and
even the potential danger of a roadside breakdown in the middle of the
night.

When I got back, I replaced every hose in my Vanagon. This was the only
way that I could see myself trusting it again on a long trip, without
stressing out looking at the coolant gauge every minute on a long drive.


Even though as the owner of The Bus Depot I had more resources than most
Vanagon owners, none of that could help me in this situation. If it
could happen to me, it could happen to you.  Take my advice, bite the
bullet, and if you don't replace every hose, at least give every hose a
very serious look for even the slightest sign of wear and replace any
that are suspect. Yes, it's expensive, but think of it good preventative
maintenance, and part of the cost of ownership of a Vanagon. Look, if
you haven't done it before, your rubber hoses are 12-20 years old by
now, and certainly due for replacement. It's not like you'll have to do
it every year. Spend the money once and hopefully you'll be good for
another 12-20 years.

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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