Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2012 11:58:51 -0600
Reply-To: ralph meyermann <ralphmeyermann@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: ralph meyermann <ralphmeyermann@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: '86 Westy coolant questions
In-Reply-To: <4F7DD4A5.2040300@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Welcome to the list!! Sorry I can't chime in with the cooling issues Im
only 2 yrs into westy ownership and haven't had those issues "YET"!!
Velma 82diesel 1.6 na westy
On Apr 5, 2012 12:40 PM, "JRodgers" <jrodgers113@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Karen,
Welcome aboard. Nice to add a new name to the membership.
I just wanted to address the issue of "difficult to work on" and will
let the other list members address the other issues for you.
The Vanagon is actually on of the easier vehicles out there to work on.
I have had any number of mechanics stand back aghast when my van came
through the door, only to love the thing after they see how easy they
are to work on. Any competent shop with competent mechanics and a copy
of the Bentley should be able to work on your van. The biggest problem
with most mechanics is lack of familiarity. You must remember, even the
newest of these vehicles is now 21 years old. The last ones sold in the
US were the 1991 models. At 21 years, most mechanics with an average age
of 30-35 were only 10 years old or so back then. They only know
vehicles built since then unless something put them in position to work
on the Vanagons. But fewer and fewer shops work on the vans.
Unfamiliarity and false rumor makes them reluctant to work on the vans.
Because of all this - it behooves the owner of any Vanagon based vehicle
to do as much service and maintenance work as they can themselves. And
it pays to learn and study the machine so that when you do have to take
it to a mechanic somewhere, you pretty much know what the problem is,
and y ou can talk with the mechanic about it. He has the general
automotive mechanical experience, and as such - with Bentley in hand -
should be able to fix about anything that needs fixing. It's not that
hard. It just needs doing. Like the old saying goes - "if work gets
done, somebody has to do the work"! So it is with the mechanic.
Good luck with your repairs. Hope you find the right mechanic.
John Rodgers
'88 GL Driver - ol' Red
'88 GL Driver - Volksiebus
'91 Carat Driver - ol' Blue
On 4/5/2012 9:04 AM, Karen Doherty wrote:
>
> He seemed less than excited about working on it, and...
