Hi List,

Once again it seems some whiners are expecting far more from these well
designed and uniquely useful vehicles. Please note the following:

1) Since the Vanagon is now out of production 10 years, most of the
existing Vanagons are at or approaching the limit of their useful
service life. This means that to enjoy their original reliability, the
Vanagon must be reconditioned to "original" VW specifications.

All too often at 100,000+ miles, a 2nd, 3rd or 4th owner will replace
only one part when the system really requires disassembly & overhaul or
they try other "money saving" great ideas. This sets the stage for
future repeated down time & repairs, sometimes catastrophic & expensive.
It's unrealistic to expect indefinite reliability when the original and
previous owners have driven the useful life out of the Vanagon.

2) The quality of usual Vanagon diagnosis & repairs is typically
terrible and border-line fraud! Even repair shops claiming to be
European car experts do lousy Vanagon work and cover it up with fantasy
explanations that would rival Walt Disney. Apparently VWoA did a very
poor job of training their technicians in Vanagon technology and
consequently today guesswork is wide-spread. A "try this or that" repair
at a cheap price that fails again or causes collateral damage is
actually quite expensive. Vanagons are not simple air-cooled machines
from the 60s that could be "figured out". Thank God! I enjoy the
reliability of digital fuel injection, A/C, heat in winter, power
steering and all the other things that make the Vanagon unique. However
all repairs must be COMPLETE repairs, performed to factory
specifications by COMPETENT technicians using appropriate special tools
when required -- nothing less will provide the relability inherent in
the Vanagon design.

Conclusion: There is hope. Performing repairs yourself using factory
tools and methods is the most reliable. This requires that you become
familiar NOW with all the Vanagon Protraining materials and the Bentley
manual. Don't wait until you're in the middle of a complicated procedure
to "go to school". Also it will be necessary to invest in some special
equipment. If you're not inclined to do repairs then find a repair shop
that really knows the Vanagon and follow their recommendations as to
what to do and when. The Vanagon really is a reliable vehicle WHEN
serviced correctly.

Regards,       John