Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2013 10:26:44 -0800
Reply-To: neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: neil n <musomuso@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Friday Philosophy: On Previous Owners
In-Reply-To: <07529798-4E2D-4F38-A631-436FF43DFDE2@gmail.com>
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I've complained online, and muttered under my breath, references to
the "PO" or "DPO" about their work. Of course I too may one day have
that term used on me. There's always learning curves. Electrical is a
good example. I've labelled most of what I've done on my '81 but with
a recent dash removal, see more wiring that needs to be documented.
The '88 I purchased had a number of kludges done. Maybe some were road
side fixes, like the honkin big Robertson screw wedged up against a
headlight "ring". I see those as a "no harm no foul" thing. But. Some
were just bad work and/or examples of manhandling. The snapped off
drain tube on the Dometic fridge could be an example of both.
They all carry a history and have a story.
My '81 looks the worse for wear, had high KM's when I got it, but c/w
a stack of receipts. It was well loved by all measures. Ironically my
'88, with purportedly low miles, looks far nicer but has had some
spotty work done to it. I don't recall seeing any examples of that on
my '81.
Can't judge a Vanagon by it's cover?
Neil.
On Fri, Jan 25, 2013 at 5:02 AM, Jarrett Kupcinski <kupcinski@gmail.com> wrote:
> I am coming up on six years of Vanagon ownership in March of this year. Olly came to me by way of a dealership in Colorado. Before that he lived for a bit in the Pacific Northwest, but he began life in Texas like so many German immigrants.
> What I do know is that Olly has been both loved and neglected. For the most part he came to me blessedly stock, although less than fully functional. I say “blessedly” not because I believe that a stock van is inherently better, but because it made learning about the ins and outs of Vanagons a lot easier in a place where there are few references other than Bentley and the list. Electrical gremlins are much easier to exorcize when the diagrams approximate reality.
>
> That being said, there are signs-a-plenty that Olly has been captained by others. Patched metal, taped wires, jumped connections, POR-15’d spots, and stripped non-metric bolts point to both care and neglect. Most often I curse the previous owner’s bone-headedness, like when I find that BOTH the front door wiring harnesses were snipped instead of being disconnected properly just a few inches further under the dash.
>
> It’s frustrating to stumble across such examples the PO’s handiwork while I’m in the middle of fixing something else, but lately I’ve been trying to view these scars as talismans. That the repairs were done at all is an indication that someone, somewhere along the way wanted to keep this van on the road a little longer. That those folks cared about this van, even if they lacked expertise or proper tools. Many vans are not so lucky. Mine was, and so it has to come to me.
--
Neil n
65 kb image Myford Ready For Assembly http://tinyurl.com/64sx4rp
'88 Slate Blue Westy to be named.
'81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco" http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
Vanagon VAG Gas I4/VR Swap Google Group:
http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines
