Date: Tue, 31 May 2005 17:25:00 -0700
Reply-To: Zoltan <zolo@FOXINTERNET.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Zoltan <zolo@FOXINTERNET.NET>
Subject: Zoltan: Re: Halifax to Vancouver & back
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=response
In my opinion, one keeps an eye on all things at all time. For a very long
trip one should take small items that if they go would immobilise the van.
Mostly electrical, but I would include some hydraulic items too. Even a
water pump is not large and heavy. You would have to go through in thought
what those items are. Here on the list I don't know if we have an accepted
list that one should take for a long trip. I think, we don't have a finally
accepted list after all the lamentations and suggestions from all the
members.
Sometimes, I would like if there was a place in our website where we would
have the best of all the suggestions on all the problems written down other
than reading through all the postings through the ages. This way we would
know what the result of all the input was cristallising in the best answers.
Finding the best solutions for the problems immediately without wasting all
the time reading so many postings through years.
In this case now we would have a small and a long list of items for constant
keeping in the car and for the occasional long trips. Mechanics all over
the US are looking at a car they never seen before without admitting it and
accepting your keys with all the confidence in the world without telling you
that they don't have a clue to the problem.
But they like the challenges and they will take the job on and they will
charge you big time for all the time they spend learning your car. In the
process they can do great damage that can not be repared and they will not
admit and blame you or VW.
So, the best is to take some parts that will keep the car going and take all
the tools you would need for all those jobs. The tools should be in the car
always anyway, I think.
Together with some of those items that can give you a hard time anytime on
the road and instead calling around and towing a the likes, you should fix
it right there.
That's all for today on this.
Zoltan
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Rodgers" <inua@CHARTER.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: Halifax to Vancouver & back
> Good luck on your journey.
>
> Zoltan is right. Though there are plenty of mechanics and shops around,
> nobody is going gong to know your van like you do. So you are in a
> sense, all alone. If you tended to every thing befor departurpe, chances
> you will have a trouble free trip. Just do your routine maintenance as
> you go and you should be ok.
>
> Longest trip for me so far was the leg from Anchorage to Birmingham in
> my old '85 GL - 4500 miles. NO problems at all on the journey until 60
> miles out of Birmingham, and the water pump went out. Had to be towed
> that last 60 miles. Frustrating.
>
> But that pump had 200,000 miles on it so it all was forgiven.
>
> Good journey and fair weather to you.
>
> John Rodgers
> 88 GL Driver
>
> Malcolm Stebbins wrote:
>
>>We leave tomorrow for an 9,000 or 10,000 mile trip across Canada and back
>>through the northern US
>>in our 91 Westy. I've never made a trip of this length without some
>>mechanical failure. So what
>>will it be this time???? May the Vanagon gods watch over the van.
>>Malcolm
>>
>>
>>
>>__________________________________
>>Do you Yahoo!?
>>Yahoo! Small Business - Try our new Resources site
>>http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/resources/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
| 
