Just the other day, I had the "pleasure" of removing the battery from my '87
Westy.

Using a battery strap that grips the battery terminals would work if the battery
could be lifted straight up out of the battery box under the passenger seat.
Unfortunately, no matter which way the passenger seat turntable was turned, its
edge would project every so slightly over the battery box thus interfering with
a "straight lift". The battery would catch on the edge of the turntable and the
battery strap would lose its grip on the terminals. Removing the passenger seat
and turntable made the battery removal a simple process, thus thwarting VW
engineers lack of foresight and evil intentions.

Before installing the new battery, I suspended it in a length of bicycle tire
tube and placed it into the box. To remove the battery next time, I will simply
grab the ends of the bicycle tire tube and lift it out. I found this tip in the
Vanagon archives and it works great!

Roy Olynick
'87 VW Westfalia GL
(till death do us part)
'91 Honda Civic SE
'01 Honda Civic LX
www.autobahn.mb.ca/~rrh/Westy_Home.htm