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Date:         Fri, 22 Jan 1999 13:49:18 -0500
Reply-To:     "G. Matthew Bulley" <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "G. Matthew Bulley" <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Subject:      Philosophy, long, working on VW's
Comments: To: "physicshelp@rocketmail.com" <physicshelp@rocketmail.com>
Comments: cc: "type2@type2.com" <type2@type2.com>,
          "vanagon@vanagon.com" <vanagon@vanagon.com>

Folks-Still lurking on T-2, off of Vanagon.com. I had a few hours this morning, and need to offer a contrasting opinion on something. Forgive the length...it's a soapbox issue for me.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY-Never work on your VW. --- why you should use your time more wisely and how to pay someone to service your car flawlessly.

Flesh Reading Ease: 68.8% Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Est.: 7.3 Word count: 1,804

George Lyle wrote: "No mechanic is going to be as careful as you can be when working on your bus. I'd recommend that you do as much of the work as you can. Unless you have a real "guru" mechanic, _you_ are more knowledgeable about how to fix buses, simply because you read the list!"

Mr. Lyle is right. A few mechanics can be careless, and you do have a lot of knowledge available to you through this list. However, these reasons may not be enough for you to waste time mucking around under the car. I offer an opposing opinion, to the "you've ought to work on your own car," phil osophy.

First, one must do a little soul-searching and ask, do I TRULY ENJOY working on my VW? Is it my "hobby"? Is there nothing in the world I would rather do than work on my car? If so, my argument will fall on deaf ears. Further, if you live in Jordan, Montana, and you truly have no competent service person within 400 miles, this argument may be invalid.

For the rest of you: This discussion will explore whether it is truly REWARDING to forego important stuff like spending time with your kids, or spouse, or camping, or taking classes or whatever to spin a wrench on your VW. Read on.

I own daily-driver VW's, these are # 12 & 13 for me; an '85 Jetta TD and an '82 White Westy. I started working on VW mechanisms half a lifetime ago, when, at 18 years old I bought an unbelievably crappy 914 for $1,000 (compression: 60, 90, 30, and 100). Eventually, I rebuilt VW & Porsche air-cooled motors professionally. I know how to work on VW's.

At one point in life, (college) times were tight, and I found some joy in the diagnosis and resolution of motor problems at my hand. My motivation however, was primarily financial. I was sure that I was "saving" by not paying someone $40-$55 an hour to spin a wrench. Eventually, however, I recognized that the savings just weren't there. I wish to share what I have learned since. For example, during a motor rebuild on my (former) 1976 bus.

If I recall the numbers correctly, I got an estimate from a reputable shop. With an appointment, I could drop the van in early in the morning, and pick it up late in the evening, same day; they could even take me to work and pick me up in the evening. Cost: $1,100 for a 6 month warrantee motor, and labor of $600 to R/R. Additional parts (motor mounts, clutch disc, oil, etc) brought the bill up another $350, for a total of $2,050. Caesar got $90, for a grand total of about $2,150. Next, I checked on parts and machining prices and found that I could get all the parts I needed for about $900, and the machine work would be about $350.

Prima facie, $2,050 was $800 more than$1,250, so I pulled the motor, split the case, yatta-yatta-yatta.

Sixteen days later, I finished "saving myself $800". Right? Wrong.

Here's what the real tally looked like:

* I'd had to take two days off work to take parts, and retrieve parts from the machinist and run related errands. ($100/day, at the time) * I'd had to purchase a number of necessary tools and supplies, (jack stands, piston ring compressor, solvents, Plastigauge, valve lapping paste, etc.), the re-usability of which was near nil for me, since I don't often perform major service * I'd had to pay extra machine shop prices because of rusty studs I had broken, etc. during disassembly * I had ruined a pair of coveralls, a socket drive, numerous rags, and permanently oiled the workbench and garage floor. * I squandered countless late-night hours, wearily scrubbing my hands and nails, to appear human to the general public. * I suffered the scorn of my family and friends as they endured my caustic-smelling, car-less, collapsed, corpus at the dinner table, and on related errands. * I permitted smelly car parts, tools, and clothing inside the sanctity of my home * I suffered elevated blood pressure and restless sleep as I pondered "Am I doing this exactly right? -- Did I remember to torque the blah-blah to 80 ft/lbs.?? -- Was that rear oil seal installed straight, or was that a slight bend I saw?"

In the end, the $800 would have been a small-priced toupee for eliminated aggravation. This same scenario played itself out, to varying degrees, even to the most minor service.

I am all for learning about your vehicle. I am all for learning enough to recognize the severity of flaws, (a rough idle caused by aged spark plugs, versus a rough idle caused by a burnt valve). I would, however encourage this: use the information on the list to make a competent assessment of your VW's problem, locate good parts at fair prices, and FIND A COMPETENT AGENT TO FIX IT. Now, I know this runs a bit contrary to the VW philosophy, so hear me out.

Your TIME and AGGRAVATION are worth something; that "something" is far more than your current hourly wage. If you knew you only had a few HOURS to live, what dollar figure would you pay per hour to hold a loved-one's hand one more time, or spend a few minutes with your kids while they did their homework? $20 per hour? $50? I'd imagine most of us would pay hundreds of dollars per hour, if we knew it was our last chance to be with friends and family. How much would you pay per hour so you could perform "Just one more valve adjustment on my VW"? We never know when our time will come. Spend your time like the precious commodity that it is. Spend time with people, not things.

Financially speaking, a popular wealth-building philosophy gives us a simple rule to guide action. If, instead of your current wage, you would prefer to make $100,000 per year, find out how much you would need to make per hour, and NEVER do any activity that compensates you less than that amount. If you take out two weeks of unpaid leave, there remain 2,000 working hours in a year. If you want $100,000 per year, never do anything that compensates you less than $50.00 per hour. While I haven't hit the 6-figure mark yet myself, my disposable income, time for volunteering, and time for and self-enrichment jumped dramatically when I quit wasting time on things that didn't exceed compensating me $50+ dollars per hour.

I stopped spending 15 minutes driving across town to get "$.49 per pound Chicken", when the grocer down the block had them for $.79 per. I was making a 30-minute round trip to save myself less than $5.00!!! I stopped pressing my own shirts. I would spend 15-20 minutes per shirt, up to two hours of my time, when the dry-cleaners would launder and press for a dollar a shirt!!! A cleaning service takes care of many of the mundane household chores. Most importantly, I keep the cars in top shape by taking them to mechanics. I no longer have to carry tools, spare parts, or Aspirin for worry-induced headaches. When I hear an odd noise, I investigate, buy the parts, and have it repaired. End of story.

Smart businesses have adopted this same philosophy: "Do what you do BEST, and OUTSOURCE the rest". I don't care what type of work you do. If you enjoy what you do, eliminate the cluttering obligations in your life (like working on your car) and concentrate on your work at least 40 hours each week. You will get ahead faster than all the other "distracted" Joe's and Jane's in the company. The money will follow. If you don't like what you are doing, change jobs. Find what you love and do that. You'll never make anything doing work you don't like. There has never been a time in our economy when it was easier to find meaningful work; go get some.

In conclusion, keep your relationship with your vehicle in perspective. It is an appliance for moving from one place to another. For VW owners, we are fortunate in that (many believe) our appliances have souls, and those souls respond quickly and favorably to fastidious maintenance. Use this list. Learn to hear the difference between a CV going bad, and a wheel bearing going bad. Crawl around under your VW and learn all the nooks and crannies, cables and seals.

When something goes wrong, TAKE IT TO AN AGENT. Tell him what you believe to be wrong, and what you believe would be a good fix. Discuss your expectations explicitly, (I will need the car back no later than 4:00p.m. tomorrow, and I don't want any greasy fingers on the bodywork; can you meet those expectations?"). Listen carefully and thoughtfully to what he says. When you come to pick up the vehicle, ask to speak with the person who worked on your car. Allow some time to talk with him about what he found, examine the decrepit parts, and the vehicle. Ask questions.

If there are any problems with the service, courteously reflect back to your expectations, and ask them to remedy the problem. Keep in mind the old adage "You catch more flies with honey than you do with Vinegar". Treat the shop with respect, and they will respect you. Make this a relationship, not a one-time transaction.

If all is in order, compliment him specifically on what you liked about the service, (i.e. " I appreciate that you tightened the belts while you were in there, and that there aren't any greasy fingerprints on the body.) If the service warrants it, write a note of recommendation to the Better Business Bureau, and send a copy to the garage. Most Garages rely heavily on recommendations and referrals for marketing. This helps.

Last of all, discreetly give the mechanic who got filthy for you a recognizable tip. He will be sure to take fastidious care of your VW when he recalls the crisp pair of Jackson's you gave him last time around. Base the amount on the quality of service, and don't be miserly. If you can't afford to tip today, come back when you get paid. It will be appreciated even more when they realize it was a bit of a sacrifice. If a lesser tip is warranted, so be it. Your agent will make the Great Service = Big Tip, Crappy Service = Small Tip connection.

Like all relationships, endure the problems, and make it work. Spending a little time on this relationship is far more efficient than spending time on your back with oil dripping in your face.

Think it over. And have a great weekend no matter what you do.

Camping this weekend near Salisbury, if the weather isn't too foul,

G. Matthew Bulley Minister of Innovation and Efficiency Bulley-Hewlett & Associates www.bulley-hewlett.com (888) 468-4880 toll free


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