Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 13:36:47 -0400
Reply-To: Bulley <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Bulley <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Subject: bad head gaskets, not: bad mechanic???
Westy Woes-
Sounds to me like your van was a ticking time bomb, and it just happened to
blow on your mechanic. Not his fault. Most any mechanic worth his salt
would have warmed the van up the same way.
There is nothing inherently tortuous about letting a vehicle (in good
condition) idle for days, much less 30 minutes. Your owner's manual warns
against this for SAFETY reasons, and not because running the motor at idle
will blow it up.
If I were you, I'd be ecstatic that this malady surfaced safely off the
road, and not while you and your family were sitting in busy traffic or
such. With an e-mail address like "Westy Woes", what do you expect?
G. Matthew Bulley
Director
Bulley-Hewlett & Associates
www.bulley-hewlett.com
Cary, NC USA
888.468.4880 tollfree
-----Original Message-----
From: Westy Woes [SMTP:traveling@DOGS-LIFE.COM]
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 1999 11:27 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: bad mechanic???
Hello list,
Dropped off my 84 westy at the mechanic for a tune up and because it
was
sometimes difficult to start when engine was warm.
He calls and says he left it idling in the shop for 30 minutes (to warm
it up good before checking for hot start problem), and the head gaskets
blew
out on him. I seem to remember the owners manual saying something about
never leaving this vehicle running unless you are behind the wheel or
driving it, but he says no, he *tests* westies like this all the time, he's
a factory trained VW guy.
All I know is it was running when I brought it in to him, now I'm
facing
at least $1100 for head gaskets, which he says really aren't enough, I
should replace the heads too, since the head gaskets were replaced before,
and for that cost I could replace the whole engine.
I'll be calling my lawyer today just to see if there is any legal
recourse I can take against this guy. Seems like for a VW *expert* he
shouldn't have just let the vehicle run unattended for so long and
subsequently blow up on a hot summer day. Especially if it says right in
the
owners manual not to do that. Or am I wrong? I sure would appreciate any
input you fellow westy owners may have to share with me.
Many thanks.
Stranded in Pacific NW...:(
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