My definition of a common problem (for this purpose) is one that I've
either heard about or written about over and over on the list -- that means
to me that the problem is common *relative to other problems* on these same
vehicles.  Vanagons are all getting old and many of the problems show up at
high mileages -- in that sense they're not common.  But in a Vgon with
150,000 miles (250.000 kilometres) such things become much more
likely.  With this list we have a population of close to a thousand
vehicles for a sample base.

At 04:10 AM 2/21/2002, Dr. Rainer Woitok wrote:
>David and Others,
>
>Whoa!  Easy!  Before everybody now starts throwing in things that failed
>on their  Syncros, please  consider that  the subject line  says "Common
>problems".  This is not going  to become a list  of _ALL_ the parts that
>could break  ... such a list is  already existing,  it's normally called
>ETKA :-)
>
>So, before we start a list of  common problems we're  in need of a sober
>definition  of  what "common"  should  refer  to.  How   often is a part
>allowed to fail in what time in how  many miles on  how many Syncros (or
>Vanagons) before it is called a "common" problem part?
>
>And we  also have  to consider that  there  may be  regionally different
>lists of common problem parts.   Just  as an  example: the dreaded  head
>gaskets failure,

This is of course a misnomer, since there's nothing particularly wrong with
the gasket -- it's the corroded pits in the sealing surfaces that cause the
trouble.

>which probably most  US based Vanagon owners would call
>a common Vanagon problem, are not regarded a common Vanagon problem over
>here in Germany.  Same holds  for the famous  capacitor between the  air
>flow meter connector pins: almost unknown of over here.

Interesting -- on N of one, my Westy which spent one summer in Germany and
the rest of its 85,000 miles in Scotland, had dripping heads when it came
to the US.  And I personally experienced the AFM hesitation syndrome while
driving down Scottish highways in it, long before I'd heard of either the
syndrome or this list.  And while I'm thinking of it, at that same 85,000
miles the transmission was replaced in Scotland because what I now know is
the 3-4 synchro cracking problem (the VW dealer in Arbroath hadn't a clue
other than "it's busted, swap in a VW rebuilt" for which my sister paid a
sum in GBP I shudder to think of).

Which reminds me:

Stabilizer bar failure (bolt-end breaks off)
Instrument panel -- plastic becomes brittle and falls apart around stress
points like mounting screws.
Cigarette lighter -- loose in dash
Non-power side mirrors -- socket pulls out of mirror (I forget the detail,
but it's fixable by cross-drilling and inserting a hard pin).  This is
really a secondary failure caused by insufficient bearing surface on the
swivel, which requires the swivel to be overtightened to prevent the
mirrors blowing flat against the vehicle at highway speeds.
Early slide windows -- glued bearing pieces fall out.  Later ones are
crimped in somehow.
Clutch chatter
License-plate lights -- rust out internally.
Rubber elbow between airbox and throttle housing cracks
1.9l -- spring clip holding airbox to side of compartment wears through the
plastic ears
Rear side-marker lights -- color fades to pale pink where it's heated by
the lamp.

>So again: when should we start to call a Vanagon problem "common"?

--
David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"