Date:         Sat, 24 Nov 2007 18:21:41 -0800
Reply-To:     Shawn Wright <vwdiesels@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Shawn Wright <vwdiesels@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: What do I need?
In-Reply-To:  <699b6e3f0711241312l23216471mf0f1d7e77430cad4@mail.gmail.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Is it the bumper, of the flexible plastic air dam below the bumper? Fiberglass
bumpers were stock on most models from '88 on, I believe. My '88 Westy
has them, and my previous driveway was *very* steep, yet I rarely scraped
the air dam unless taking it too fast. I removed the air dam a few years ago
though, as I was scraping it too often with back road outings.
I suspect your front springs are sagging if you hit that easily.
Measure from the edge of the wheel arch to the ground at each wheel, and
let us know what you get.

On 24 Nov 2007 at 13:12, PB <pbrattan@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> Thanks for welcoming me to the "Poor Mileage Club!"  Upon purchase of the
> van I received thousands of dollars of repair receipts; all fairly recent.
> I also had it checked by an independent VW mechanic, and it passed with
> flying colors.  I used the check sheet for the AUL warranty.  This evening
> I'll probably read the link to the poor mileage pages.  I've read about a K & N
> Engine filter improving performance.  It would probably be a good idea for me to
> try it.
>
> As far as trying to take the freeway to work, it actually takes MUCH LONGER on
> the freeway than on the surface streets, despite the fact that it's a straight
> on and off freeway route!
>
> As for the dipping - my van DOES have fiberglass bumpers.  That's how it
> came.  Was that an "upgrade" done by one of the P.O's?  What are my options
> regarding the bumper?  As I see it from a newbie point of view, my options are:
> change the bumper, get new shocks, or get bigger tires.  New shocks sounds like
> a possibility.  I've seen lots of references to Bilstein shocks, but I haven't
> checked into anything, yet. Patti ****************************** On Nov 24, 2007
> 12:44 PM, Michael Elliott <camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi Patti, welcome to a small club of Vanagon owners who are experiencing
> > pretty darn poor mileage for no known reason. We feel your pain. My 1984
> > Westy achieves a mighty 15.5 mpg on the highway, while others with the
> > same vehicle type get two to three more miles per gallon. My city driving is
> > more like 11 mpg. I get about 240 miles per tank on the highway.
> >
> > Many of the group's list contributors have offered suggestions for things I
> > should consider (see http://camping.elliott.googlepages.com/poormileage for
> > some of the things I've looked at). No explanation for the poor mileage has
> > been found yet.
> >
> > But more than one list contributor has been pushing me to get my wheel
> > alignment checked. I noticed uneven front tire wear last January, so bad
> > that I had to take my van to a shop where the fellow spotted worn out
> > upper ball joints, and swapped the unworn rear tires for the front so I
> > could get home. But even after replacing the ball joints, the front tires
> > started showing the same wear pattern, so I took the darn van to an alignment
> > shop last week.
> >
> > Of the 14 measurements that their system made (caster, camber, toe, and
> > others), my van was out of range on nine of them. So they adjusted
> > everything -- everything except rear camber, said it's not adjustable.
> >
> > Given the tire wear, a certain percentage of engine power has been
> > consumed scrubbing rubber off the tires. So next week I'm going on a trip on
> > which the mileage has been previously measured. If the problem has been wheel
> > alignment, I'll know it.
> >
> > Fingers crossed!
> >
> > Maybe there's something on my poor mileage page that will explain your
> > fuel consumption. Pretty much everything that anyone has suggested is
> > there.
> >
> > --
> > Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> > 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> > 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> > 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> > KG6RCR
> >
> >
> >
> > On 11/24/2007 12:18 PM PB wrote:
> >
> > > Would I need new shocks, a wheel upgrade to 16" or both?  I have to
> > SLOWLY
> > > creep out of my normal driveway into the street, as if I'm driving on
> > > eggshells in order to avoid hitting the street with my front bumper.
> >  This
> > > is not a steep driveway at all.
> > >
> > > Another question:  with local driving - no freeway, I have a range of
> > 169
> > > miles on a tankful of gas.  That seems extremely low.  With freeway
> > driving,
> > > my range increases to 189 - 200 miles.  Since I live only 3 miles from
> > my
> > > job, I don't do much freeway driving.  What's this all about?
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > > Patti
> > > Still very much a newbie
> > > 90 Westy automatic
> >


Shawn Wright
http://members.shaw.ca/vwdiesels
'88 Westy 1.6TD 5 speed
'85 Jetta Diesel 1.6NA