Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 08:59:21 -0700
Reply-To: YauMan Chan <YauMan@CCHEM.BERKELEY.EDU>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: YauMan Chan <YauMan@CCHEM.BERKELEY.EDU>
Subject: Re: Waterboxer reliability and longevity issue / Subaru 2.2 / etc.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Ah.. the problem here is the key work "LUCK" I don't think owning a car should have to depend on luck. I too have had good luck with VW cars.. I own a 1978 Audi Fox which I purchase new and put 240,000 miles on it.. I also owned a 1980 Rabbit which a friend gave to me dead and a 1979 Rabbit which another friend gave to me dead. They were all nursed back to heath.. gave one to my mother and the other to my cousin... but they all (along with my Vanagon) have a problems - they require constant care and feeding.. a lot more than the average Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Suburu. When I gave my Audi with 200,000 miles to my sister-in-law, I became her mechanic when she went to College with it. The next 40,000 miles was royal pain for me.. I constantly have to bail her out of trouble.. Finally when she graduated, she bought a used Toyota Camry from an unknown party with 135,000 miles on it and since than the only help she has asked for is to change the wiper blades!! Now is that LUCK or is it statistically significant that Japanese engines are more forgiving to the mechanically challenged?
The moral of the story is that if you are a mechanic and love to fiddle with your engines, you will love German engines.. especially VW.. and if you do take care of it it will last a long long time.. I spend more time fiddling with my Vanagon than my wife on weekends...that's why it has given me 135,000 miles of service (still on the original head gasket!) On the other hand if the only thing you want to learn about cars is where the dip stick is, German cars are not it. (I was told that Mercedes is an exception but could afford one to find out!) Just ask some of your Honda/Toyota/Suburu-owning friends when was the last time they changed their coolant.. I bet probably never since they bought the car.. and they keep running... try that with a VW and it dies with a puff of steam or smoke on the highway! So, if you bought your Waterboxer used and the previous owner is all thumbs or treats it like a rice burner with minimal care, you will have to nurse it back to health with a lot of time and money.
my $0.02 worth..
Yau-Man Chan
87 GL
>>> Karl Mullendore <Westys4evr@AOL.COM> 10/12 8:01 PM >>>
Feel like I should jump in here in defense of our German engineers-I haven't
yet heard anyone telling about the GOOD luck they have had with the original
engines! I personally service and have owned several very high mileage
waterboxers. One,a ' 91 with 180K dependable miles (ORIGINAL head gaskets-no
leaks!), an ' 85 with 190K,same dependability and original gaskets, a previous
personally owned ' 84 Westy with 180K,still doing great, and now my current '
87 Syncro Westy with 253K,gaskets replaced at 150,and still running great with
minimal oil usage!! I am SURE there must be others out there in this group.
The point is,almost ANY modern engine will go 250K if it has regular and
proper maintenance. Take care of these boxers and they will last as well as
any asian engine. Regular oil and coolant changes with the best filters and
fluids are the key. Good luck to all!
Karl
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