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Date:         Tue, 9 Mar 2004 12:02:56 -0800
Reply-To:     zolo <zolo@FOXINTERNET.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         zolo <zolo@FOXINTERNET.NET>
Subject:      Re: coolant hoses (Cost, it the only issue)
Comments: To: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Ron, It was a typical case, the one we buzz by every day. We don't like to get near a dead or the dieing, perhaps. Carrying that small repair kit for all the hose sizes you have in your car, would help until you get to the place where all the hoses or the one, can be replaced with the hard to get original. We don't put enough emphasis on the parts we should carry. These are not only cars, but motorhomes too and as such we do go to places where there are not even humans around, let alone a Vanagon enthusiast or a mechanic that even seen one of these the road. It was for this reason why I thought that air cooled campers would be safer to go into the wild. It would be one selling item on your list if you had a package for carrying essentials. Just an idea. I am glad that eventually all have worked out for you and no great harm was done. Zoltan ----- Original Message ----- From: "The Bus Depot" <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2004 9:52 AM Subject: Re: coolant hoses (Cost, it the only issue)

> > >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 > > _____________________________________________ > Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT


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