Date:         Sat, 10 Jun 1995 00:01:43 -0400 (EDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Terry Tan <terrytan@ritz.mordor.com>
Subject:      Re: FTC, VWOA, Head gasket problem (fwd)

Forwarded message:

> From: Terry Tan <terrytan@ritz.mordor.com>
> Message-Id: <199506100347.XAA05719@ritz.mordor.com>
> Subject: Re: FTC, VWOA, Head gasket problem

> Date: Fri, 9 Jun 1995 23:47:04 -0400 (EDT)
> Cc: terrytan@ritz.mordor.com
> In-Reply-To: <v02110101abfdc1a080c6@[144.7.15.113]> from "Paul Uusitalo" at Jun 9, 95 12:47:52 pm
> X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL23]
> Content-Type: text
> Content-Length: 4469      
> 
> > 
> > David Kao sez
> > >
> > >OK, so far there are only a few of you responded to my plea. I guess most
> > >of you do not have the problem?
> > >
> > >The number of responses is too few to support me the point that it is indeed
> > >a VW engineering problem. So it will be hard to finger point to VW for
> > >compensation for the repair. It will be up to the arbitrator to determine
> > >my fate.
> > >
> > >Anyway, I managed to get an estimate from a dealer today without having to
> > >take the engine apart. It is $2071.34 including replacement of both heads.
> > >I don't really like to pay this much to fix it. I'll probably exchange
> > >the westy's engine with the 84 vanagon and keep the vanagon for occasional
> > >use or sell it or use the rest of it as parts source for the westy.
> > >
> > >Thanks much for those who responded to help. Very much appreciated.
> > 
> > 
> > David:
> > 
> > I don't quite know what to make of the response here either. I was under
> > the impression - a few months back - that we had reached a critical mass of
> > Vanagon owners with this problem. Now it doesn't quite seem the case.
> > 
>  I dont know myself either !!!
>  It may seem that either too many of us are just too resigned to hope that
> something can be done or VW may have offerred secret settlements to those
> who had complained. You can be sure I am not one of those.
>  I am still mad as hell in the way they treated me. i.e Worldwide VW, the
> regional center of VW in the East Coast.
> 
>  I also mentioned the fact that I have a lawyer friend who will prepare
>  the class action case for certification for around two grand. All we
>  need is minimum of three persons to get this suit going. If more individuals
> join in the cost will be prorated and the cost will be worth our while.
> 
>  I have not got one response from you fellas or my posts must have 
> been missed due to the memorial day holidays when the listserver went
> on autopilot.
>  So if there are still parties interested pls response or forever hold
>  your breath.
>                              Terry T.   terrytan@ritz.mordor.com
>  
> 
> > As I've said before, when you drive around Seattle and see just how many
> > Wasserboxer Vanagons are driven just like normal cars (no yearly VW Blue
> > only coolant changes, etc) by people who obviously don't have 2k drop for a
> > new set of heads it does make one wonder as to how prevalent this problem
> > is.
> > 
> > On the other hand, I know for a fact that VoA has actually repurchased
> > Vanagons (ok, well at least 1) from people as part of a settlement of this
> > acknowledged problem.
> > 
> > It's really to bad that VoA doesn't come clean and tell us the whole story.
> > 
> > Given the wide discrepancy of owner experiences and VoA responses to this
> > problem, my gut feeling is that somehow there were flawed engines produced
> > concurrently with non-flawed engines, whether from a different plant, on a
> > different line, or possibly even when assembled by Helmutt instead of
> > Dieter. Furthermore, I think it took them 'till about '87 to realize they
> > had a problem, and 'till about '90 to actually do anything substantial
> > about it (haven't heard of any head leaks from these years - yet). But I
> > bet by now they can look at you engine's serial # and know if it was
> > defective or not.
> > 
> > I think there are a lot of us (like me) who fear the fateful day when the
> > coolant starts to disappear in large quatities, or expand radically from
> > exhaust blow-by, or drip all over the driveway. Whether it will happen or
> > not, I don't know, but we definitely need to stick together on this and
> > keep track of our various experiences.
> > 
> > By the by, as you consider what to do with your engine, keep in mind that
> > at last notice, a factory rebuild Wasserboxer engine was going for $2380,
> > which (according to a posting of about a year ago) works out to around $3k
> > dealer installed.
> > 
> > Paul
> > puusital@adobe.com
> > 

    Only a squeaky wheel will ever get any grease !
>   So to those of you who feel that VW must be responsible for their
     engineering defects, keep this post alive so that those who missed it
     will know it its not a dead issue.