Date:         Tue, 04 Nov 1997 16:00:56 -0500
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Gary Norris <rnorris@wam.umd.edu>
Subject:      Fram Double-Guard Filters and Steering Wheel Odometer Woes

Hey, All,
	Has anyone used the Fram Double Guard Oil Filter on their Vanagon? 
Here is the box blurb on its attributes:

	"Contaminants from combustion and other
        sources can lodge in tight engine passages,
        causing serious and costly damage to bearings,
        cylinders and other moving parts. On average,
        a car's oil passes through its engine and
        through its oil filter about 12,000 times for
        every 3,000 miles driven. If you're looking
        for a filter that keeps dirt out and your engine performing at
        its peak - check out Fram Double Guard. Twice the protection
        makes this product twice as appealing! 

        The Fram Double Guard oil filter provides double the defense
        against dirt and wear for less than the cost of separately
        purchasing a bottle additive and filter, with the convenience of
        using only one product. These filters stop dirt more than any
        other leading filter, 96 percent +, versus an average of 74.6
        percent for the other leading brands. Thus, fewer damaging
        particles reach the engine. Fram's secret? Fram's superior
        media is combined with DuPont Teflon PTFE. 

        Teflon PTFE, the same material used in Slick 50, helps create a
        lasting, micro-thin coating that prevents potential
        metal-to-metal contact during the first start-up and for up to
        50,000 miles. Each filter provides the same amount of Teflon
        PTFE as a quart of the leading oil additive. Although you will
        still need to replace your oil and filter every 3,000 miles,
        Double Guard needs to be used only once a year for year-long
        PTFE protection. 

        Initial product research indicated that there was wide consumer
        acceptance of the new Fram Double Guard. Seven out of 10
        respondents rated the concept as excellent or very good, and 70
        percent strongly agreed that Double Guard was a convenient
        way to use an additive and that it would help protect their cars
        engine during start-up."

I bought a couple at a FLAPS that was having a going-out-of-business
sale for $4.00 a piece.  I knew they were normally expensive so I picked
them up.  Should I use them?  Are there problems with the
teflon-impregnated filters?

By the way, I can't see my dash through my steering wheel either.  At
6'3" and over 300 lbs. I have trouble fastening my seatbelt too.  I
don't have a swivel under the driver's side and even with the seat as
far back as it goes my legs get cramped on long trips.  There was more
driver room in my '57 Beetle.

I'm contemplating being surgically shortened to accomadate my Westy
better.  
-- 
*********************************************************************
             _________________ 
            |                 |   Gary Norris:
           (|_________________|)    '86 Volvo DL  
            |\  \    |    /  /|     '86 Cabriolet  
            | \  \   |   /  / |     '73 Thing 
           | - \___________/ - |    '87 Syncro Westy
           | 0 |           | 0 |     19' Manatee runabout
           |___|__|_____|__|___|   rnorris@wam.umd.edu
            |__|           |__|     "My cat's breath smells like cat
                                     food" - Ralph Wiggum