Ken,
I totally agree with what you have said. The dealers's antics only create
more of the work both you and I love the most, VANAGONS! I'd much rather
work on a Vanagon any day that some of the newer machinery on the road
today.

Karl
Westy Ventures
301-416-2453

----- Original Message -----
From: <KENWILFY@AOL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2000 9:50 PM
Subject: Dealer Brush-off was: Dealer ripoffs

> I think this price list is not really a rip off as it is a brush off.
Most
> dealers that I have dealt with hate to see Vanagons come in.  The
mechanics
> are working by shop time and get good at doing jobs on Jettas and Golfs so
> they can do the jobs quicker than shop time and make good money.  When
they
> see a Vanagon come in, they see a car they rarely work on, something that
> they are going to lose time on (lose money), and also a car that, since
they
> aren't familiar with it, may come back several times as they try to
diagnose
> a problem/fix something.
>
> One of the strategies they like to use to get rid of unwanted customers is
to
> make the work so expensive that they will either make a bunch of money off
of
> you, or it will force you to go somewhere else.
>
> This is why I started my business.  I heard all of the horror stories of
> spending $2000-3000 just for head gasket replacements.  People were forced
to
> go to the dealer around here because there was no other place to go.  Now
> they have a choice and I make money doing something I like.  Everybody
wins.
> :)
>
>
> Ken Wilford