Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:39:46 -0400
Reply-To: Daniel O Stevens <dosteven@SYR.EDU>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Daniel O Stevens <dosteven@SYR.EDU>
Subject: VW Tech manuals, Must haves,
and DIY maintenance & vehicle reliability
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
With the Spring fever and getting ready for summer maintenance that's been happening.
I wanted to take a moment and make mention of some great reads and essential technical help manuals.
Some of the questions are quite genuine but quite basic and really essential to know, even if one doesn't plan to wrench on their VW.
as the owner of a classic car 20-30-40yrs old, you probably will have to at least assist and inform your mechanic.
unless they're an experienced VW tech, they can change the parts but not necessarily know the where & Whats that make it unique.
Don't assume & think that your mechanic has any of these mentioned manuals. It's YOUR CAR it's YOUR interest, it's YOUR investment...
Protect it with information & knowledge even if you only tell the mechanic there's a technical book on the seat.. when I do house calls to help bewildered VW owners, I don't always remember my books, so it's nice to have it handy with the car for reference..
Often the novice questions are quite capably answered within the VW troubleshooting forums, these aren't just places for bored VW types to sit around the 'virtual campfire' and talk shop. the beauty of the VW hobby is the interest in it's members to help other VW owners.
so go out, read thru on some of the VW specific forums and get to know & understand your car & your VW hobby community.
your best online resource for used VW manuals is in the technical & manual classifieds on www.thesamba.com/vw<http://www.thesamba.com/vw>
* 1st and fore most is the John Muir book, "How to keep your VW ALIVE" a step by step guide for the complete idiot.
Now don't go getting offended, he didn't mean any harm. it's all in good fun and reliable understanding of your VW. In fact his may be the original idiot's guide self help book that started those yellow books. in any event it's available NEW at nearly any bookstore, you can probably even check it out of some larger libraries.
but a quick search http://tinyurl.com/c7rkk7 will bring you a bunch under $20 delivered.
* 2nd is the Bentley Technical manual, these are more important then the Haynes manuals but only by a little.
The Bentley is more technical. a little thicker, but the reading and instructions are a little more technical. they can be moderate to pricey at your local big box book store, but again there are great used deals online. and a Bentley travels in EVERY VW I own or maintain within the family. it's as important as the battery and keys.. none of which you NEED but are handy in their own unique ways. follow here for Bentley searches: http://tinyurl.com/dat3x6
* 3rd the Haynes manual, these are on the shelf at most auto parts stores, though maybe not for your make/model. they are cheap and really should be in every library.. cheaper then the cost of an oil change. and will show & tell you how to do that on your own.. Most Jiffy-lubes don't know your antique vehicle and can cause SERIOUS damage to your engine, in both the wrong oil & or filter or over tightening the fasteners/drain plug.. in a VW type-IV (Bus/vanagon) motor the drain plug threads into a fitting in the engine block and if stripped or worse cracks out entirely will essentially RUIN your engine.. this is fairly common in Water boxer Vanagons as well. tight is just snug with a little umpff.. not a large handled wrench with a grunt... VW engines are aluminum/magnesium not cast iron/steel. Haynes manual search: http://tinyurl.com/dkjq78
* 4th, is a very useful engine guide, How to Rebuild your VW engine, Even if you aren't planning on it, add this to your Christmas wish list.. it's fairly inexpensive and handy with allot more specific technical details and images. your family would rather buy you this then another tie anyways.. it's a fun gift. again don't think that your mechanic has this or any of the other mentioned manuals..
Search for how to rebuild: http://tinyurl.com/cbclfm
* Bug Me Videos, http://www.bugmevideo.com/ good for tutorial and reference
<http://tinyurl.com/cbclfm>
Then there is a slew of other VW technical books, manuals, and cheat sheets. some VW dealer some small production and some just plain cute. I made no mention of Chilton's guides, these are fine to round out a library, but are not preferred by the VW community. but can be bought for as little as $10/shipped http://tinyurl.com/dzoxkz
I do want to thank you if you've made it down to this point and it is all of our goal & intentions to keep these VWs on the road as long as possible.. they are endearing and unique.. for the spirit and the "je ne sais quoi"
The Classic VW says unknown adventure & timeless memories all in the same silent image, favored by children and those who've driven one forever.
You've already taken that step, by searching out other VW minded people, within your local VW club or within the online community thru these yahoo newsgroups or VW specific message board forums.
Here are only a few online technical article sites. asking www.google.com<http://www.google.com> is the help advisor that is always up, ready and waiting to reply.
* Super beetles.com Technical Tips and basic maintenance http://www.superbeetles.com/Tech_talk/jan.htm
(an Excellent resource for the novice DIY VW owner)
* Air-cooled.net http://www.aircooled.net/gnrlsite/resource/articles.htm
* Nate's air-cooled Tech http://www.aircooledtech.com/
esp how-to speak Air-cooledeze http://www.aircooledtech.com/aircooled_glossary/
* Ratwell.com http://www.ratwell.com/ This site should be a TOP BOOKMARK in ANY VW favorites list.
* Bartniks technical guide.. http://www.type2.com/bartnik/tech1.htm
don't be fooled into thinking it's ONLY T-2 related, this is a MUST read/review for all VW types
(interesting coincidence is that he's recommended the same manuals in the same order..
I did not know till I wrote & researched these links)
I know I've overloaded this email with text and semi-gibberish but it's as important as your VW is to you.
print it off, toss it in the glove box, in the front page of your manual or just squirrel away in your Email saved messages.
Thanks,
Dan Stevens
President
VW Club of CNY
Co-founder
Empire VW camping club
| 
