Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 18:00:02 -0500
Reply-To: Bob Donalds <donalds1@VERIZON.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Bob Donalds <donalds1@VERIZON.NET>
Subject: Re: VW supplied reman. 2.1
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Hey I felt left out of this post or is the entropy part about me
B Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: "Pensioner" <al_knoll@PACBELL.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, January 22, 2007 5:53 PM
Subject: Re: VW supplied reman. 2.1
> Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2007 10:02:15 -0500
> From: Greg Potts <greg@POTTSFAMILY.CA>
> Subject: Re: VW supplied reman. 2.1
> >>>>>
> Hi Frank,
>
> It's only a good deal if the build quality is high, and the install
> done right. Not all dealers are willing or competent to work on
> vanagons, either.
>
> I winder what happens if you break down in Upper Podunk Wyoming, and
> the local dealer hasn't seen a Vanagon since 1991???
> <<<<
>
> I'll second the first paragraph. However, in Upper Podunk Wyoming, a
rural
> agricultural area where almost any competent farmer can fix almost any
> mechanical device you may not be so SOL as you might think. If something
> breaks he fixes it chop-chop, he has to. The local John Deere fellers or
> such can also fix almost anything mechanical. However troubleshooting why
> your radio quit is not in their particular line of business nor is knowing
> much about your ECU, printed circuit dash wiring or the bad smell from the
> heater.
>
> As many have graciously hinted, for those of us with 17yr old almost
unique
> vans, learning to fettle about successfully and understanding all the
> basics, owning and reading the venerable Bentley, carrying those tools and
> spares not likely to be found along your route or at your destination,
along
> with general repair materials to improvise, adapt and overcome is the
order
> of the day.
>
> Long gone are the fine cherman mechanics who could fix anything from a
> kubelwagen to a 911S using metric slip-joint pliers and old soviet
submarine
> parts. Now we have only Stephan, Mr. Schwaia, Fred's Garage, Black Rock
> Motors and the Kombihaus and the BusFarmers, who know the ins and outs.
As
> the support for your ancient and crumbling conveyance continues to
> evaporate, it behooves you to take the reins and learn to do what will be
> necessary to keep the ride rollin' and then practice in a warm,
well-lighted
> place using only the tools you brought in the van as if your fixing the
> failure is all that stood between you and the Jihadists.
>
> Preventive Maintenance goes a long way towards peace of mind and infinite
> understanding of your beast of burden.
>
> Do some every month, at least LOOK at stuff and see what it looks like
when
> it IS working. So you can understand what it looked like before it broke.
> Now JB Weld, real steel bailing wire, Cloth duct tape, hose repair tape,
and
> other such things as quick set epoxy are really handy. All the things
you'd
> need to fix a boat stranded on an unfamiliar beach, like.
>
> Visit your loco er local recycler and get a few german wiring harnesses or
> at least a bunch of wire from one or two including perhaps some connectors
> and a few relays and fuses. Now you have the repair materials to fix
yours.
>
> If you modif*ckate your van by wiring in various interesting accessories
> MAKE A DETAILED WIRING DIAGRAM based on the track pages in the Bentley and
> clearly annotated so you can fix your modif*ckations should you have to.
>
> Pick up a bicycle box from the local purveyor and make a foldable
cardboard
> "creeper" for getting out and under. I use a discarded plasticised
> corrugated sign kept on top of the engine cover. Easy to slide around on
> and shelters your backside from the inevitable rocks, thorns, glass and
> scorpions under where your ride died. You don't expect it to go nips up
in
> a warm, clean, well lighted place, do you? Ask vanmanbajadan about field
> maintenance and repairs in the bush.
>
> At the very least, practice changing a tire or two. A cellphone and a
> credit card only works where there is service and landline phones.
Squirrel
> away a few Franklins in the van just to pay for that out-in-the-tules
repair
> in cash. If you never venture beyond the gates of the city then you may
be
> able to just get by. However carry that Bentley. Even the most modest
> mechanic can usually read and understand if he has a manual to do it by.
> No, esmerelda, Mitchell, AllData and the like don't have very good details
> on Vanagons. Get used to driving that "unique whip" and that entails. Be
> humble. Owning a high maintenance lady like ours can be a humbling
> experience, so get a good start.
>
> Understand basic physics, electricity, and simple mechanics so that you
can
> more accurately describe the failure to someone on the list like Benny,
> Frank, Mark, Dan, Karl over the phone, in the dark, in a paybooth, in the
> Mojave Desert. (Mojave phonebooth, May She Rest in Peace)
>
> Read the gospel according to Mark, Frank, BennyHuot, Dennis, Jim, and
> others, there is wisdom and knowledge there. Zen and the art of
Motorcycle
> maintenence is a good read while you wait for the parts to arrive. Keep
the
> phone numbers of your local favorite mechanics in the back of the bentley
> along with Ken and 1/13th and Peter and Ron and your local parts supplier.
>
> Or you can just stay there safe and warm on the porch. The view rarely
> changes.
>
> Entropy is inevitable, the rate of entropy is up to you.
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