Date:         Thu, 12 Nov 1998 15:39:20 -0800
Reply-To:     YauMan Chan <YauMan@CCHEM.BERKELEY.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         YauMan Chan <YauMan@CCHEM.BERKELEY.EDU>
Subject:      Re: AllData CDROM Vanagon Shop Manual
Comments: To: CarlMarin@AOL.COM, vanagon@VANAGON.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

I got that CD for the Vanagon too.

A couple of comments to potential buyers.  All the manual is basically the Bentley scanned in.  My problem with it is that the scanning is done with such low resolution that the images are very difficult to read unless you have seen the original in the Bentley. 

The useful feature is supposed to be the hypertext links in the text.  But in looking through it, I found a few very gross errors in the links... since I have memorise the Bentley in the 10 years I had it.  e.g.  Under the section on the Distributor, there is a description of the "trigger wheel" (for digitfant) but this "wheel" is hyperlinked to the WHEEL section of the manual.. which has nothing to do with distributors!.  All the images on the electrical system, like the alternator, the diode assembly etc are so fuzzy that it is totally unreadable.

You are right about the Technial Bulletins..it is the best thing about this CD-ROM There is the tb on keeping silicon away from the o2 sensor because silicon destroys the sensor.  There is a bulletin about the water pump leaking coolant slightly which makes it act as lubricant and therefore normal.. Now if only the dealers who get these TB let the customer in on these stuff in a timely manner ...

Also, the cd rom program when running disables cut and paste capability, so you cannot copy sections of interest to file it or to give to your friends or post to vanagon.com..  I talked to ALLData about this and confirmed that this is a feature not a bug!

My $0.02 worth.

Yau-Man Chan
87 GL