Roy, I live in Nanaimo and can vouch that Bill and Harry that run Bavarian
are two of the best guys I know for repairs and honesty! Although they are
not friends, they have shown themselves to be extremely honest and friendly
to people in need, and on more than one occasion have come by my worksite
and picked up my 70 bug for a once yearly serious going over. Glad you liked
my home town!, where'd you get a van with AC????
Regards,
Courtney
----- Original Message -----
From: "Roy O." <keepsake@pangea.ca>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2000 9:06 PM
Subject: Trip Report -longish (Pacific Northwest, U.S. and Vancouver Island,
Canada)

> My family and I just finished a 7,700 kilometre trip in our '87 Westfalia
> through North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Vancouver Island. As
with
> most trips in the Westy it was not uneventful (mechanically speaking, that
is).
>
> Soon into the trip, after going over Washington Pass in the North Cascades
in
> Washington state, I noticed oil on the ground after pulling out of a
parking
> spot. Periodic dip stick checks indicated this was not a major leak but
the back
> spray onto the hatch from the accumulation on the engine belly didn't look
> pretty. Driving lonely stretches of highway, especially between major
centres,
> left me wondering if the van would let me down in the middle of nowhere.
Upon
> returning home, my regular independent VW shop inspected the leak,
declaring a
> main seal problem. Easy fix (for a princely sum). It's possible the
pressure
> created by high altitude driving (around 6000 feet) may have caused the
seal to
> leak.
>
> The other problem that did stop the van in it's tracks was an accelerator
cable
> that snapped while driving in Nanaimo, British Columbia. After coasting
over to
> the shoulder, it wasn't more than five minutes after I crawled under the
vehicle
> to investigate the problem, that another Westy pulled up. The driver
generously
> offered the use of his phone and transportation to purchase parts or to
the
> nearest repair shop. I used his telephone to arrange a tow truck and he
drove me
> and my family to Bavarian Imports Auto Repairs Ltd. where the van was
repaired
> within ninety minutes. The irony of the situation was that the campground
in
> which we were staying, was adjacent to the repair shop. We had passed by
> Bavarian Imports Auto Repair many times enroute to the campground. As we
passed
> by the first time, I commented to my wife that Bavarian Imports was on the
list
> of listees' recommended repair shops!
>
> After the accelerator cable problem, the Westy behaved itself for the rest
of
> the trip. Although the North Cascades and the U.S. Rockies were a
challenge for
> the van which is used to driving the flatlands of the Canadian prairies,
the A/C
> was running constantly while driving through Montana (outside temps high
> nineties/low hundreds Fahrenheit), and driving speeds just under 115 kph,
the
> van averaged 23 mpg overall.
>
> Gas prices were all over the map! The highest being on Vancouver Island
(76.9
> cents per litre), the lowest being right here at home in Manitoba (57.9
cents
> per litre).
>
> Highlights of the trip were the North Cascades (beautiful state
campgrounds!),
> Mount St. Helens, Olympic National Park, and the west coast of Vancouver
Island.
>
> Recommended repair shops: Bavarian Imports Auto Repair Ltd, Nanaimo,
British
> Columbia, and Dana Motors, Billings, Montana ( I had the oil leak checked
here
> as a precaution).
>
> Recommended camping: North Cascades and Olympic National Park campgrounds
in
> Washington; Living Forest Campground, Nanaimo, British Columbia; Victoria
KOA,
> just north of Victoria, British Columbia (to all you "snobs" out there,
many
> KOAs are great and every once in a while, it's nice to have a shower, wash
> clothes and swim in a pool).
>
> One word of warning concerning camping in Pacific Rim National Park on
Vancouver
> Island. Reserve your site far in advance. We didn't and were in for an
> unpleasant surprise when we got there. Every campsite in the national park
has
> been reserved for the entire summer! The only alternative is a privately
run
> campground near the towns of Tofino and Ucluelet. These campsites are
> DUMPS! -(overpriced, crowded, shoddy facilities).
>
> What I learned on my summer vacation: 1. Include an accelerator cable in
the
> pile of parts and tools carried in the van. 2. Remove the van bra before
leaving
> home. Having a bra on the van while driving through the Montana heat wave
bumped
> the engine temp needle above its usual position. After removing the bra,
the
> engine temp needle returned to its usual position and remained there. 3.
Be wary
> of pressure build-up in you porta-potty when driving at high altitudes.
'Nuff
> said. 4. There are so many Westies in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and
Vancouver
> Island that you can't spit without hitting one. Most of their drivers
don't
> bother waving to other Westy drivers, otherwise they would probably
develop some
> sort of repetitive strain injury.
>
> It's nice to be home!
>
> Roy O.
> '87 Westfalia GL
> (till death us do part)
>