Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 21:41:41 -0400
Reply-To: Bulley-Hewlett & Associates <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Bulley-Hewlett & Associates <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Subject: No emergencies anymore, (longish) was: emerg. repairs/solutions
How about posting some 'bailing wire and string' fixes we've used to get us
home when something craps out. I'm not talking urban legends here, but
practical vanagon fixes that have worked long enough at least to qualify as
a 'repair'
With my aging rusting motor I'm getting leery of spontaneous failures, so I
carry odd's 'n sod's along with few parts under the bench.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Tim-
I know I'll get grief from some folks on this one... I thought I'd give you
the straight scoop on what I bring in the van on long trips. Nothing. The
beautiful and Talented Suzanne, and that's about it.
Now, I am not trying to brag. And I'm not pulling your leg. I truly bring
nothing. A quart of oil, a pair of pliers, a screwdriver, and a AAA card,
that's it. We just got back from a 600+ mile trip up to Blowing Rock,
Grandfather Mountain, all over off road near the Blue Ridge Parkway, Mt.
Mitchell (highest point in US Eastern US), and Asheville. I brought my
pliers, and my screwdriver, but didn't need either of them.
I'm spelling out a different philosophy here. "Preventive maintenance".
I used to subscribe to the school of "reactionary maintenance", whereby I
hauled around the complete inventory of Snap-On tools, and a small parts
shop in preparation for my next maintenance interval. The vehicle would
signaled this interval by creating an odd noise, producing copious amounts
of smoke behind or inside the vehicle, suffering extreme loss of fluid, or
yielding failure of a critical system when called upon.
As I travel North Carolina, I can point out various landmarks where I once
broke down in a variety of VW's and Porsches during my "reactionary
maintenance" phase; the road in Wilson where a worn out ball joint finally
failed, and I hit the curb at 30 mph, the parking lot at St. Mary's College
in Raleigh where my rubber fuel injection line burst (thank God, no fire),
the expressway near Burlington where my inner CV joint broke the last bolt
holding it to the drive flange (at 70 mph), the highway east of Farmville
where I spun a bottom end bearing at 2:00 a.m. in December, costing me a
motor rebuild, and a long, cold walk.
No offense; reactionary maintenance stinks. The constant "What-If?
Butt-Pucker". Constantly asking your travelling companions "Did you hear
something?" or "Does that smell like coolant to you?" Foggetaboutit!
We don't go anywhere now unless the van (or Jetta) checks out to be
A-prime, ready to go. When we take the car in for service, we never look
for the cheapest way out, we look for what else might need doing while
they've got it ripped apart.
Case in point: on my Jetta TD, the top radiator hose needs replacing. Costs
$79 for a new top hose. But the deal is, ALL of the hoses are the same age,
as is the water pump, (and the thermostat is a few years old). I will have
ALL of them replaced simultaneously, along with having the block, radiator
and heater core flushed, the expansion tank replaced, and the coolant
changed. Total cost, about $360. But I won't have to worry much about that
system for years. That's a great feeling.
Because of this radiator hose deficiency, the Jetta is "not available" for
trips. In my mind, it bears to much likelihood of failure, so it stays here
in town. If something of equal importance were wrong with the Westy, it too
would be off the road until it was repaired.
Now don't get me wrong. We are not rich (except in spirit). Sometimes it is
a protracted, grim struggle to earn the $$$ to keep up our vehicles this
way. The peace of mind, however, is without price. At a moment's notice, we
can take the Westy on a grueling, mountainous, gravel road expedition
without concern about breakdowns. The Jetta is usually the same, and will
be again shortly.
While I know multiple anecdotes for the roadside mechanic, I would rather
recommend that you save a few dollars in the long run, and PREVENT
automotive failure, rather than suffer at the hands of it.
Best of Luck,
G. Matthew Bulley
Principal
Bulley-Hewlett & Associates
Communications for Organizational Development
www.bulley-hewlett.com
(888) 468-4880 toll free
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