Date:         Sat, 26 Mar 2011 19:52:10 -0400
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Alternator question
Comments: To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>
In-Reply-To:  <0c9601cbec0c$911b28b0$6401a8c0@PROSPERITY>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 07:21 PM 3/26/2011, Scott Daniel  - Turbovans wrote:
>and I'm not asking you to explain how the wiring works..
>I'm teasingly asking you ..
>why did they build it that way !??

Sheesh.  I guess that was too subtle for me.

So the question is "Why did VW do their sensible and legally mandated
power-on indicator-lamp test for the OXS light by wiring it into the
ALT light circuit instead of by building a separate little electronic
circuit that would detect that the ignition was on but the engine not running?"

I think (at this point) that you know the answer as well as I do -
they did it because it was inexpensive.  And because in their
foolish, foolish way they printed an owner's manual for the vehicle
that pointed out the failure warning lights (three) and the service
reminder light (one) and expected that people who had bought a
fifteen thousand dollar vehicle would read the 125-page booklet that
comes with it.

In their gibbering self-satisfaction they failed to understand that
in the US market they needed also to fit a little mechanical bird
that would sing "This is a service reminder; since you've thrown away
the manual it means that it's time to replace your oxygen
sensor.  There is no need to be alarmed or to fail to pay attention
to the other lights which are Warning Lights(TM) and mean you have to
stop the car and get out and see what is wrong.  We know the book
said that too, but since you've thrown it away we thought we'd just
point it out now."

Hokay?

[/sarcasm mode]

If it sounds as though I think you're wasting my time...I do.

Yours,
David