Brent Christensen wrote: > > How much time/money does a well-maintained Syncro takes on a *monthly* basis > as compared to a non-Syncro Westy? Is the difference appreciable? I will be > buying a Westy (or EV camper) soon, and while the 4WD Syncro is *very* > appealing, maintenance costs could be a big mitigating factor... (And IMHO > the EV's just lack "charm" ) Hi Brent! As a Syncro only owner, I cant compare my costs to a non-Syncro 2WD vehicle. Opposed to my old air-coolers(68 Bug, 73 Sqaure), it is virtually maintenance free. The things I have done to my Syncro since I bought it last June is: Replace the thermostat and coolant. Replace the Sparkplugs Replace oil and oilfilter (once) Greased two cv joints (one axle, left rear) some bulbs here and there. Replaced the shift stick. Had it at the dealers for a check (27 checkpoints all over the car) Things that need to be done soon: Replace upper front ball joints (very soon) New tires (no, I'm not buying Yoko's) Replace those dreaded fuel lines. misc. bushings in the front end. tranny and front diff oil replacement (stuff into some synthetics) replace some brakelines. Things that was supposed to be done, but don't bother to do until they fail completely: Starter rebuild/replacement (failed two weeks after I bought the Syncro, but picked it self up, and still going strong) Exhaust system is rusty Other items that should be done during spring and summer: Fix some rust spots and seam rust. An underbody anticorrosion treatment Soundproof the sliderdoor (already did the front doors) Finish the sound system (HA! will never be finished) So, all in all I do not think I have been too frequent at the dealers, or the FLAPS with this car, and that is the basic reason I bought it in the first place, a reliable daily driver to keep the costs down (costs are still up, the Syncro uses as much money in gas, as I used in parts on my '73 Square) PerL 88 Syncro Arendal, Norway |
Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of
Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection
will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!
Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com
The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.
Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.