Jason, I redid the A/C in my '84 last year. I = got parts from list vendors (compressor, receiver/dryer, expansion valve, and = Freeze-12) and took it to my neighborhood tire shop to put things together. Shop has had some good A/C people and my understanding = is that it isn't hard if you know what you are doing. Maybe an hour or so = to put in the new parts and then the shop's usual charge for refilling the system.

I line in a very hot part of Georgia, and temps = inside the van are around 120F when I go home in late afternoon. It takes around = 15 minutes of highway driving to get comfortable. Make sure that your = cooling system is in top notch condition. Only thing that I have had to do = this Spring is add 2 cans of Freeze-12.

Compared with my '98 Montana, cooling is lacking = mainly because there is only one air handler in the Vanagon, and I suspect that = old wiring is keeping the fan speed below what it would have been originally.

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2001 = 10:39 AM

Subject: Texas A/C = Questions

Alright...here goes. I have a = 1984 Vanagon. It has the a/c unit that is mounted just behind the = driver and front seat passenger, and passes overhead. It currently does not = work because the compressor is bad. I got an estimate from my local = VW mechanic to fix it, and it was by no means cheap. But I was = about to have him do it anyway, when he then added that if it were his bus, he = wouldn't bother. He went on to elaborate that in his opinion I probably = wouldn't be happy with the results of the system when it was operational. = He didn't think it would cool adequately, but what almost concerned me = even more is when he said that in a few years, I would probably just have to = replace the compressor again. Since the repair was so expensive, this was = not an attractive proposition. So I passed on it. This mechanic = is an excellent one, and I normally trust his opinion explicitly, but I'd = like to get some list-member feedback from people operating this a/c = configuration in hot areas (preferably hot, humid areas, as I'm in North Texas). = It would be really nice to get some cooling in this vehicle for those hot = summer days other than that provided by simply opening my windows.

1) Does the system do a decent = job of cooling down the van. I know not to expect it to freeze me out = like the a/c in my wife's 98 Cabrio. But would it at least function as = well as, say, the 1979 Scirocco I used to own? That is certainly adequate = for me.

2) Have you had to replace the = compressor or other expensive components of this system on a regular or frequent basis?

Thanks in advance. I really = need some advice on this topic.