Reminds me of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".  I was well on my
way to gearheadedness when I read it, but a great read nonetheless....
bmc  :)
Ben McCafferty
ben@volkscafe.com

Volks Cafe
1823 Soquel Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA  95062
831-426-1244
http://www.volkscafe.com

> From: Leon <korkwood@WSHOST.NET>
> Reply-To: Leon <korkwood@WSHOST.NET>
> Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 22:40:30 -0800
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Fast German ruined my dash, now what?
>
> If they did such mess in front i can only imagine what is hiding inside
> bell housing...
> Over 20 years ago i took my 64 Bug to replace clutch. 3 months later throw
> out bearing
> fork broke 30 miles from home. Took Bug back but they were very happy to
> tell me 90 day
> warranty expired.This time i decided to do it myself...
> Sure enough their "new" clutch was not new at all and i ended installing
> new clutch kit myself.
> This and couple of other "professional jobs" provided plenty of motivation
> to become my own mechanic.
> Contrary to some people believe the higher  bill doesn't reflect higher
> quality. Bad mechanics are very consistent in how they "fix" things...
> Leon
> 85 Subwagen Cruiseship
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, 14 Jan 2003 21:04:29 EST, Jeff Oxroad <Oxroad@AOL.COM> wrote:
>
>> I had Fast German Auto in Santa Ana, CA put a clutch and pressure plate
>> in my
>> 83.5 Westy. The total was $325 with parts and labor which I paid in full
>> via
>> American Express.
>>
>> When I checked my bus the rear deck was greasy and the rear bed cushion
>> was
>> not reinstalled over the engine door. When I went into the cockpit for a
>> rag
>> to whipe down the back I found heavy grease smuges on the door. I
>> considered
>> neither of these a big issue. Evidence of sloppyness certainly, but maybe
>> an
>> oversight and forgivable at that. (I mention all this so you get an idea
>> of
>> the whole situation.)
>>
>> But now when I looked in the cockpit I saw the black face plate to the
>> instrument pod--the one that housing the headlight and hazard switches
>> and
>> insturments-- was cracked in the area of the headlight switch. Also the
>> black
>> textured finish on the face plate of the instrument cluster had been
>> eaten
>> away by some chemical or solvent where there was evidence of a spill and
>> a
>> splash. In fact some of the solution was still wet where it had obviously
>> splashed on the instrument face plate.
>>
>> I then noticed fluid on the rubber floor mat and on the steering column,
>> and
>> theorized it was brake fluid. I immediatly got the sales rep. who I had
>> just
>> paid and he got the mechanic to come out to my bus.
>>
>> The sales rep. asked if the mechanic had cracked the dash or spilled
>> anything
>> in the bus, and the mechanic replied something like, "No. We'd have no
>> reason
>> to be in here."
>>
>> I whiped up some of the fluid with my finger and noted it seemed to be
>> brake
>> fluid. The mechanic then "remembered" and said he had filled the resevoir
>> but
>> had not spilled any fluid. The fluid I saw, according to the mechanic,
>> was
>> Simple Green which they use for clean up. (Simple Green by the way is a
>> mild
>> soapy solution)
>>
>> The mechanic went on to say that brake fluid always spills when you fill
>> up
>> the resevoir because of where the resevoir is placed. This is another
>> contradiction to earlier statements, first that he had not been in  the
>> cockpit and second that wehn in fact he was nothing spilled.
>>
>> Then,with the mechanic and sale rep present, I took of the cover from the
>> instrument pod exposing the brake fluid resevoir. The underside of the
>> instrument pod cover had spots of brake fluid where it had obviously
>> spilled
>> when the cover was off and most likely upside down on the floor or dash.
>> And
>> then I noticed fluid sitting inside the clear plastic over the
>> speedo--meaning there was a pooling in the bottom of the speedo behind
>> the
>> glass where the fluid had obviously seeped. The small "shelf" under the
>> speedo also had the finish removed where some solvent or the brake fluid
>> had
>> obviously spilled. And of course there was brake fluid around the
>> resevoir in
>> the recesses and the like.
>>
>> The instument pod by the way was brand new from the Bus Depot a few years
>> ago--not a used unit, but brand new. At that time I had bought the new
>> unit
>> after rejecting several instrument pods I pulled from junk yards because
>> the
>> face plates and the clear plastic were scratched as a junk yard find is
>> likely to be.
>>
>> I am meticulous about my bus and am 100% certain the instrument pod
>> faceplate
>> was not cracked and 100% certain the finish was not compromised and there
>> was
>> no fluid in the speedo or on the steering column or the floor mat. And as
>> I
>> mentioned the mechanic at first denied he was near the instrument cluster
>> then denied a spill and then denied the crack--all in the presence of the
>> sales rep.
>>
>> After the mechanic returned inside I spoke further with the sales rep who
>> said there was nothing he could really do as he was "in the middle." To
>> the
>> best of my knowledge there was no one else from Fast German on the
>> property.
>> I had thought the sales rep was a manager in my dealings with him until
>> he
>> came up with the "in the middle" comment. The sales rep stated he would
>> call
>> me when they got a wreck with an instrument pod face plate and would have
>> the
>> mechanic swap my instruments into it. (Having installed the later model
>> pod
>> into my 83 I know it is not a simple swap depending on year. Also the old
>> speedo, my original speedo is quite brittle as are some other components--
>>
>>
>> but
>> not the brand new face plate.)
>>
>> The shop is 50 miles from my home which makes the trip difficult and
>> about 2
>> hours long each way in LA traffic. Today I parked my other car at the
>> train
>> station in LA for $10, took the train to Santa Ana for $9.50, and walked
>> 4
>> miles to the shop from the train to pick up the bus as bothering another
>> friend to put 100 miles on his car to drop me in Santa Ana seemed like a
>> little much.
>>
>> Now I have to take out the instrument cluster and find exactly where the
>> brake fluid went down in the dash and clean it up as it is a corrosive
>> agent.
>>
>> I called Am EX and they said I would have to wait till the charge
>> appeared on
>> my statement to contest the $325 charge with no adjustment for damage.
>> The Am
>> Ex rep. Then tried to sell me travel insurance at $19.95 per trip by
>> plane. I
>> declined.
>>
>> I called a VW dealer and it seems a new face plate goes for $251. (I'd
>> have
>> to double check.)
>>
>> Needless to say I am not comfortable returning to Fast German Auto and
>> having
>> hammer hands reinstall my brittle speedo  and components in a used, more
>> than
>> likely well-used, instrument pod face plate.
>>
>> I turn to you all in you wisdom and understanding of Vanagons to help me
>> understand what would be a fair solution to my dilemma. And how I might
>> proceed.
>>
>> I sure appreciate your time.
>> TIA
>>
>> Jeff
>> 83.5 Westy
>> LA,CA
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Leon