I live in Tempe and can highly recommend that you work an extra job to get
the AC fixed!!!!!!!! Cant stress that one enough. Karl Wolz also lives in
Phoenix Metro area. I recommend a shop in tempe (very close to campus and my
house) called Competition Engineering. There currently specing/balancing my
bottom end for my 80 Westy. You can tell its a great shop when you pull in
the parking lot. All the workers drive VWs. Vans/busses almost every space.
These guys are all VW heads. They live and breath it.

If you passed CA emissions I wouldn't worry. Most likely you will pass AZ
emissions. Cross that bridge when you get to it. Alternative help... very
little when your talking about 115 degree days and 100 degree nights.  Put
your money into the AC rather than tinting. But don't fret its a dry heat
:-)

Vans heat up like ovens in the summer heat. If your not driving it to school
that's a different story, you could possibly live without AC.

I made it through school at ASU with no AC in my 88 F150 but got it fixed
when I graduated. Well worth it. You can do it but I would get a small job
to finance it or borrow the money.

Welcome to Tempe, there are a ton of great weekend getaways for camping vans
in AZ, you will realize that you made a good choice to complete your
schooling here after a few months. What are you studying?
SeanG

>From: Wilson Sweitzer <wilson.sweitzer@USA.NET>
>Reply-To: Wilson Sweitzer <wilson.sweitzer@USA.NET>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: moving to Phoenix area - need advice
>Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 10:34:32 PDT
>
>Hey everyone -
>
>I'm moving from the Orange County, CA area to Tempe, AZ in August and I
>have a
>couple questions to help me get prepared.
>
>1) Can anyone recommend some good Vanagon mechanics in the Tempe area?
>
>2) What are the emissions, registration requirements in Arizona? My van is
>currently registered in Georgia, but managed to pass California emissions
>last
>year.
>
>3) The A/C hasn't worked since before I owned the van. I haven't needed it
>much in temperate California, so I never bothered to have it checked out. I
>believe it died due to a refrigerant leak, but I have my doubts about
>whether
>the rest of the system is functioning - it hasn't been used in at least 3
>years.
>I've been assured that my beloved vanagon will be rendered virtually
>unusable
>by the Arizona summer heat. What options do I have? I'll be a full-time
>grad
>student, so money will be hard to come by. Any low-cost alternatives to A/C
>repair? Would tinting the windows help?
>
>I could use all the advice I can get.
>
>TIA,
>
>Wilson
>
>Irvine, California
>85 GL - still waiting for a name
>
>____________________________________________________________________
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