Date:         Tue, 16 Aug 94 17:05:52 PDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         gsady@mcd.intel.com (Gene Sady)
Subject:      Help with engine rebuild '87 [W] Vanagon

Greetings,
	This is my first post to this list after about 2 months of
reading. It sure is a busy one.

	I need some guidance on a problem with my recently purchased '87
camper Van. I was not very careful at getting the Van inspected before I
purchased it from a dealer in Santa Rosa, CA that deals exclusively with
VW camper vans. What I have discovered since January is that this van
was previously owned by someone either living in a snowy (and hence
saltly) climate or near the ocean. There is considerable amount of
corrosion on the underside of the vehicle.

	The first thing that went was the exhaust system. My mechanic
suggested replacing it completely because it had some much corrosion
that it was the best thing to do. That was a $500 hit.

	The next major thing was a coolant leak from one of the heads.
It was disassembled and inspected and found to have a lot of corrosion
and pitting inside the engine. The mechanic said this is commonly caused
by someone not being very religious about changing the coolant. They
recommend a rebuilt engine and replacing all the misc. hoses, fuel
lines, etc. I got the quote today from this guy. It's over $5K!! Of
course he is adding in some items like a new clutch (80 K miles), water
pump and things that are worth fixing since the entire engine is pulled.

	What I would like to know is there an easy way for me to verify
that some of his prices for parts are reasonable? (He has one hose clamp
on the quote for $21!!). I have a list of VW parts places. Would they be
willing to quote me prices over the phone? The price for the rebuilt
long block engine is $2100.

	Secondly, what recourse do I have legally with this "dealer"?
Can I have this vehicle towed back to him and demand my money back? Or
is it the old "buyer beware" line that you are all going to tell me
about. I really like the camper vans, but I'm not too thrilled about
spending every spare cent to get this thing running the way it should
have when I bought it.

Thanks for any help or condolences you can offer.

Gene Sady - gsady@mcd.intel.com

MCD Design Systems Support, Intel Folsom, m/s FM3-100, (916)356-6851