Vanagon EuroVan
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Date:         Fri, 21 Jul 2006 18:57:44 -0400
Reply-To:     Christopher Gronski <gronski@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Christopher Gronski <gronski@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Desperate!
Comments: To: s.t.fraser@rogers.com
In-Reply-To:  <002701c6a850$9f605b20$755dc746@t41>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

You would be surprised how cheap (especially when judged against your existing repair bill) renting a one way uhaul and an auto trailer would be. This is how I got my parts van back from Michigan.

I checked online and you can pick up Sunday in Harrisonburg (which seemed like your last location - but obviously this could be modified) for $386 for the 14' truck and $59 to $69 for the tow dolly (depending on if you have to tow "four up" or not). This includes 3 days of use and 596 miles free, should be enough to get you home.

Better yet drop the van in London Ontario, I know a Vanagon guy that wirks fairly cheap. BTW - Who is your Toronto mechanic? Please tell me it is NOT Salim's!

Chris Gronski London, Ontario

On 7/15/06, Larry Chase <roadguy@roadhaus.com> wrote: > s.t.fraser, > > What a terrible road trip. > > If I have read your posting correctly ... You seem to be stranded in > Harrisonburg, VA. > > Here's a listing of the VW Repair Shops that our community has submitted > reviews on. > > http://www.roadhaus.com/shops_advanced_search_results.php > > I don't see any listed for Harrisonburg, VA but here are several good shops > and a couple of > "bad shops" scattered around VA. > > However you are only 100 miles from one of our list members who has a shop > in Gapland Maryland. > > Westy Ventures > 3333 Gapland Rd. > Gapland, Maryland 21779 > Phone: 301.432.4645 > karl@westyventures.com > http://www.westyventures.com > > Owner: Karl Mullendore > > Karl is off camping this weekend ... But if you give him call on Monday, he > may be able to help. > > You can trust Karl 100%. > > The other resources I can suggest are the Vanagon Rescue Squad & Aircooled > Interstate Rescue Squad > > Vanagon Rescue Squad > > http://www.vanagonauts.com/?catid=74 > > Here's a listing I threw together of every VA member within 100 mile of you. > > Looks like 7 members. > > Aircooled Interstate Rescue Squad (A.I.R.S) > > http://www.type2.com/rescue/ > > Here's a listing I threw together of every VA member in the State of VA > > http://www.roadhaus.com/temp/Airs%20Listing%20VA.txt > > Looks like 67 members. > > You stated ... > > "My wife has health issues and has to get back to Canada for medical > appointments. We just want to go home. I would be happy for any > suggestions. We have paid over $7000 in repairs in the last 6 weeks. > We can't dump the van because we need to get all our stuff and our > cat back to Toronto." > > > There are lots of options. > > 1) Get the Van properly fixed, drive home and put this nightmare behind you. > > 2) Rent a vehicle to drive back to Canada and have your Van Shipped back > home. > > 3) Rent a vehicle to drive back to Canada and make arrangements for someone > to sell your Van ... But please > don't consider that unless you feel that's the only option. > > There is lots of resource within this incredible community to help a > stranded traveler. > > I've just scratched the surface. > > Tell us how we can help further. > > > good road, > good adventure, > good life, > > larry chase > www.roadhaus.com > soon to be roadhaus.org > > - - - > > Desperate! > Posted by: "the_sun_has_got_my_hat_on" s.t.fraser@rogers.com > the_sun_has_got_my_hat_on > Sat Jul 15, 2006 7:04 am (PST) > My wife and I live in Canada and have come to the US for a vacation > in our 1987 automatic Vanagon which we purchased just over a year ago. > > We have had an unbelievable amount of trouble with our van this trip > although we drove it 10,000 miles last year without any real problems. > > A few days prior to leaving Canada we had a full service performed on > the van by our mechanic for a cost of $1000 (oil change, transmission > oil change, coolant power flush, new plugs, leads, distributor cap > and rotor arm). > > The morning we left Toronto the van stopped dead in the middle of the > highway 15 minutes away from home so we had it towed back to our > mechanic who cleaned some corroded connections in the digifant under > the back seat. He told us he had corrected the problem and to enjoy > our vacation. > > We left Toronto again and got to Pennsylvania where the van wouldn't > start when we tried to leave the campsite we were at. After about an > hour it did start. I suspected the starter motor solenoid so began > trying to get help but couldn't find anyone who worked on older > Volkswagons. The following day while we were trying to find help > near Gettysburg it happened again and after an hour or so it started > again. We took it to a Volkswagon specialist who checked it over and > said it seemed fine and that we should be okay continuing onward. > > Like a fool I continued and it happened again at Front Royal VA but > restarted shortly after. We continued again and it happened on the > Skyline Drive (Shenandoah). We continued as far as Waynesville VA > when the transmition started slipping really badly and when we > stopped at a campsite it wouldn't start again. > > This time we had it towed on a flatbed truck to a VW guy. He put a > booster on the starter motor and fixed the radiator fan. As he > didn't do work on automatic transmissions we had to find a > > transmission place and arranged to have the transmission rebuilt and > a new torque converter fitted. > > Everything was great and we continued our trip. About 10 days later > the transmission started slipping again so we took it to Aamco and > they took the transmission apart. They told us that the transmission > had not been rebuilt and only part of a kit of soft parts had been > used. The pump was cracked and not replaced, the sun gear was very > worn and the original torque converter had been painted and put back > in. We had paid $2200 for the first rebuild and $2500 for the second > one. > > A few days later a coolant pipe broke and we needed another tow. The > pipe was replaced by a VW guy in Harrisonburg but now a day later we > have more trouble. > > The van started running badly but intermittently. All of a sudden it > felt like the choke had come on, thick black exhaust, sort of > chugging and loss of power until I floored it and then it would run > and accelerate ok until I eased off on the gas, then it would chug > again. Also it used half a tank of gas in 27 miles. > > We took it back to the garage but they said they don't really know > what the problem is. After they adjusted the idle, adjusted the > mixture, tested the injectors (which they said had problems) they > said it may be the sensor on top of the air filter. They have the > van and will order the sensor on Monday but they are not positive > that will cure the problem. They have told me that if the part does > not cure the problem they cannot return it so I will have to pay for > it even if I don't need it and have also said it probably won't be > cheap. I don't have a problem with paying for a part that I do need > but am concerned that I will have to pay for a part which won't > correct the problem. > > We left Canada for a 2 week trip intending to get back by 12 June, > it's 14 July and we are still stranded in Virginia. > > My wife has health issues and has to get back to Canada for medical > appointments. We just want to go home. I would be happy for any > suggestions. We have paid over $7000 in repairs in the last 6 weeks. > We can't dump the van because we need to get all our stuff and our > cat back to Toronto. >


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