I couldn't agree more about buying the manual... I would also recommend
getting a copy of ETKA.  Master Bentley give great info but lacks in
drawings where ETKA can really help.

Jere
90 GL/Carat-a-version
88 GL

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Alex Towner
Sent: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 11:22 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Buy the Bentley manual!

At the risk of being a (big) prick, let me admonish some of my fellow
listees who have yet to see the light.

BUY THE FRIGGIN' BENTLEY MANUAL!

I've seen too many people asking questions here that the manual explains
very well. Certainly members of the list can elaborate on subjects in the
manual. I'm not upset that people are asking these questions on the list; I
just get the impression that quite a few Vanagon owners are making their
lives needlessly difficult for the sake of 70 bucks.

Let me make the financial argument. If the average shop charges $50 (at
least) per hour and the manual allows you to do only 2 basic repairs that
you wouldn't have been able to do otherwise, you are already ahead of the
game. You could even buy a Bentley manual on eBay for about $30. If you
can't pony up $30, you should give up on trying to operate a Vanagon now.
Old Volkswagens are not for the destitute. Go buy a used Corolla; you'll
feel better when you can pay the rent.

One final point: Even if you don't work on your Vanagon, the Bentley manual
will educate you on the inner workings of your VW like nothing else.

For your own good, stop trying to dig a ditch with a spoon.

No, I don't work for Bentley.

Alex
living in VWGULAG