>Whenever I read a disparaging remark about the WBX, quite frequently it's
>from Stan Wilder. While I respect his undying affection for the
>air-cooled boxer, the 2.1L WBX is far superior to any air-cooled motor.
>Unfortunately the last new WBX was sold 12 years ago so in engineering
>terms, the WBX powertrain is now at the end of it's service life. In other
>words, the original & previous owners have enjoyed all the reliability &
>service designed into the WBX and then they cleverly sold them to us, the
>Vanagon list members. That's OK since a worn out 2.1L WBX can be a diamond
>in the rough............However.........
>
>The reconditioning of a tired 2.1L WBX powertrain must be 100% complete &
>professional or disappointment will surely follow. Replacing of only one
>coolant hose when 6 need renewal sets the stage for untimely failure.
>Further the old air-cooled "points & plugs VW mechanic(P&P)" is unfit to
>diagnose and repair a 2.1L WBX. The WBX technology requires a VW technician
>with factory training and Digifant diagnostic skills.
>
>Incomplete(half-assed)reconditioning and air-cooled "P&P mechanics"
>performing "replace this and see what happens" diagnosis have clearly
>Demolished the 2.1L WBX's reputation. First by generating high repair costs
>due to unnecessary component replacement and secondly by failing to diagnose
>critical mechanical shortcomings in time to avoid a major mechanical
>failure. When catastrophic failure occurs, the untrained P&P mechanic is not
>likely to take an ad out in the newspaper to announce that they clearly
>missed a critical diagnosis. More often than not, the incompetent mechanic
>simply condemns the WBX and/or the Digifant system as a poorly designed
>loser technology and waxes romantically back to the reliability of the
>air-cooled days.

Oh come on! The WBX is merely a beetle engine modified to take
watercooled top-ends. It has ZERO high-tech in its design and has
serious design flaws in its headgasket mating surfaces. The
propensity for breaking conrods is also a design flaw.

ANYone competent at watercooled engine repair would be perfectly
suitable for work on these engines. I'm sure most decent aircooled
mechanics are good at watercooled work as well.
--
Andrew Grebneff
165 Evans St, Dunedin 9001, New Zealand
<andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut