Date:         Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:46:44 -0700
Reply-To:     Roland <syncronicity1@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Roland <syncronicity1@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Smog test failed - here is my plan
In-Reply-To:  <4A677C19.1090506@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Mike (rocket),  thanks for the experience at VW paradise, I hadn't heard
anything negative yet.  Even Mark Drillock suggested they were OK about year
ago or so in a PM exchange with him.  They did 2 thing for me, did the R&R
on the transmission a couple years ago $531, and debugged/fixed a running
problem they isolated to the ECU $608 [I'm a quicken fanatic, easy to find
these things.]  There is another VW shop here in North County where I had a
very bad experience, so that is why I will go father to VW paradise (maybe
that just happens once in a while).  I heard your suggestion on Hugo's as
well, and am very interested to try that shop, even farther from home, but I
may try it when I have another opportunity for deep work.

David, thanks about the oil change tip, saw that in another archive
suggestion.  I just changed it couple weeks ago when I was under and dirty
from replacing the water pump.

Aristotle: Your right, California is very nice.

Roland

On Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 1:52 PM, Rocket J Squirrel <
camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote:

> I had a pretty bad experience with VW Paradise's work several years ago
> when a 71 baywindow that I bought from a third party suffered from an
> overheated and locked engine. The engine had been rebuilt by VW Paradise
> (had their stamp on the top) and as I dug into it I found that it was very
> poorly put together - I found a bolt rolling around in the bottom of the
> case, several stripped studs, and a small host of other problems all of
> which pointed to lack of attention by whoever built up the engine. The
> details are hazy, sorry, in the old memory, but my frustrated rants exist
> forever in the archives of the Usenet: rec.autos.makers.vw.aircooled
>
> Long story short, I was sufficiently put off by their lack of QC and the
> loud music and grab-assing I saw back in the mechanic's bays that I didn't
> let them near my bus. That was around 2003 or so and maybe things have
> changed.
>
> I always had good work on Mellow Yellow at Hugos Foreign Car in Encinitas,
> on coast highway. Plenty of Vanagon experience.
>
> --
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> Bend, OR
> KG6RCR
>
>
>
>
> On 7/22/2009 12:02 PM Roland wrote:
>
>  Yes, one of our favorite subjects:  good old CA smog test, '89 2.1.  It
>> has
>> passed twice before without needing help, but not this time.
>>
>> It has high hydrocarbons at idle, which means it is running rich.
>>
>> So, I plan to change cap, rotor, plugs which is the advice I gathered from
>> the archives.  Also will use a bottle of injector cleaner for the next few
>> days.
>>
>> Actually, I am going to let the shop do it, since they have a pre-test
>> capability and work with the local official smog check station to get it
>> passed.  VW Paradise (http://www.vwparadise.com), north San Diego County,
>> have had some work done there before, seem like pretty good guys.  Seems
>> there are always 4- 6 vanagons there in various state of repairs.
>>
>> I would do those "tune-up" items myself, but by the time I get it done,
>> and
>> maybe adjust the AFM (which I've never done), I'd be guessing, and then go
>> back to get it checked again, and if it fails, then guess again, and go
>> back.  The process stinks, given all the governmental stuff in CA, I am
>> getting sick of this state anyway (sorry for the editorial).  Recent
>> reports
>> show the smog test system as useless:  now there are so many newer cars on
>> the road which don't go bad, that this whole smog test junk is just a tax
>> on
>> older car owners.
>>
>> Things I learned from the Smog Test station (who is a really good guy):
>> - don't use premium fuel - it will increases the probability of failure.
>> - don't ever buy ARCO gas, he was adamant about this!
>> - California has a CAP program which my Van qualfies.  I have to mail in
>> an
>> application, then if approved I go to a CAP qualified repair facility, and
>> I
>> pay the first $100.00 of smog repairs, then the state pays the next
>> $500.00.  But many of these "certified" CAP stations refuse to touch
>> vanagons.  Takes about 2 weeks to hear back from the state after you send
>> the application.
>>
>> Any comments appreciated.
>>
>> Roland
>>
>>