Hello Everyone,
My wife and I will be traveling throughout the US and Mexico for three
months. The total trip should be between 18,000 and 20,000 miles. Knowing
what a great source of information, knowledge and experience this site is, I
wanted to ask for any suggestions/advice/experience with regard to preparing
my Vanagon for this trip.

First let me give some history on our Vanagon. We own a 1991 Vanagon GL
Camper, 2.1L with 90,000 miles. I am the 3rd owner, 1st owner is unknown and
had the vehicle from 0-60K miles, 2nd owner had from 60,000 to 85,000 miles,
and took very good care of the vehicle (regular maintenance, kept records,
etc.). I have owned it for the last 9 months and have put on about 5k miles.
I had the front and rear brake pads changed, freon put into the system, had
overall check and maintenance done by local VW dealership and garage. They
told me the van checked out in excellent shape. For this trip I am having
installed an auxiliary battery, inverter, 30 amp recharger, Carver P4 heater,
auxiliary propane tank. In addition I have installed a Catalina 2500 awning,
Thule rack and storage box, and Fiamma bike rack.

What I am trying to do with this posting is prepare/anticipate any mechanical
difficulties that may be common to the 1991 Vanagon between 90,000 and
120,000 miles based on your experience. Also, I am looking for any
suggestions or "pearls of wisdom" to make this trip go smoothly with regard
to the Vanagon.

I have 5 areas I would like to ask your suggestions/recommendations on.

1) Based on the history of our Vanagon given above, what mechanical failures,
if any, might I expect in the 90,000 to 120,000 mileage range and is there
any preemptive measures I can take to avoid these problems? For example, it
has been suggested to me that I have a new clutch installed based on the
mileage. Another person suggested at 90,000 to 120,000 the heads might start
to give me a problem. Any thoughts or suggestions to these or other issues
you might have experienced?

2) It has been recommended that since VW parts may be scarce in some parts of
Mexico I should take the following items: Spare Alternator, Power Steering
Pump, Replacement Belts, Fuses, Spark Plugs/Wires, Oil and Fuel filters. Are
there any other parts (mechanical or otherwise) you think I might want to
carry with me?

3) I have a friend who has experienced the "Westy Buck." Can anyone shed
light on this subject and/or give recommendations on how to avoid having this
happen?

4) Any general comments/thoughts I should be aware of with regard to the
Vanagons performance in the 90,000-120,000 mileage range?

5) Since this is the 1st trip we will be taking for this length of time, any
general comments/thoughts/suggestions on how to make this trip as trouble
free as possible, mechanical or otherwise? (Yes, my wife and I am very
compatible, therefore one possibility down).

Thank you for any help you might have to offer pertaining to any or all of
these questions, it will be of great help.

Sincerely,
Doug Hornberger
1991 Westfalia Vanagon "Romer"