Hey I felt left out of this post or is the entropy part about me

B Bob

----- Original Message -----
From: "Pensioner" <al_knoll@PACBELL.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, January 22, 2007 5:53 PM
Subject: Re: VW supplied reman. 2.1

> Date:    Mon, 22 Jan 2007 10:02:15 -0500
> From:    Greg Potts <greg@POTTSFAMILY.CA>
> Subject: Re: VW supplied reman. 2.1
> >>>>>
> Hi Frank,
>
> It's only a good deal if the build quality is high, and the install
> done right. Not all dealers are willing or competent to work on
> vanagons, either.
>
> I winder what happens if you break down in Upper Podunk Wyoming, and
> the local dealer hasn't seen a Vanagon since 1991???
> <<<<
>
> I'll second the first paragraph.  However, in Upper Podunk Wyoming, a
rural
> agricultural area where almost any competent farmer can fix almost any
> mechanical device you may not be so SOL as you might think.  If something
> breaks he fixes it chop-chop, he has to.  The local John Deere fellers or
> such can also fix almost anything mechanical.  However troubleshooting why
> your radio quit is not in their particular line of business nor is knowing
> much about your ECU, printed circuit dash wiring or the bad smell from the
> heater.
>
> As many have graciously hinted, for those of us with 17yr old almost
unique
> vans, learning to fettle about successfully and understanding all the
> basics, owning and reading the venerable Bentley, carrying those tools and
> spares not likely to be found along your route or at your destination,
along
> with general repair materials to improvise, adapt and overcome is the
order
> of the day.
>
> Long gone are the fine cherman mechanics who could fix anything from a
> kubelwagen to a 911S using metric slip-joint pliers and old soviet
submarine
> parts.  Now we have only Stephan, Mr. Schwaia, Fred's Garage, Black Rock
> Motors and the Kombihaus and the BusFarmers, who know the ins and outs.
As
> the support for your ancient and crumbling conveyance continues to
> evaporate, it behooves you to take the reins and learn to do what will be
> necessary to keep the ride rollin' and then practice in a warm,
well-lighted
> place using only the tools you brought in the van as if your fixing the
> failure is all that stood between you and the Jihadists.
>
> Preventive Maintenance goes a long way towards peace of mind and infinite
> understanding of your beast of burden.
>
> Do some every month, at least LOOK at stuff and see what it looks like
when
> it IS working.  So you can understand what it looked like before it broke.
> Now JB Weld, real steel bailing wire, Cloth duct tape, hose repair tape,
and
> other such things as quick set epoxy are really handy.  All the things
you'd
> need to fix a boat stranded on an unfamiliar beach, like.
>
> Visit your loco er local recycler and get a few german wiring harnesses or
> at least a bunch of wire from one or two including perhaps some connectors
> and a few relays and fuses.  Now you have the repair materials to fix
yours.
>
> If you modif*ckate your van by wiring in various interesting accessories
> MAKE A DETAILED WIRING DIAGRAM based on the track pages in the Bentley and
> clearly annotated so you can fix your modif*ckations should you have to.
>
> Pick up a bicycle box from the local purveyor and make a foldable
cardboard
> "creeper" for getting out and under.  I use a discarded plasticised
> corrugated sign kept on top of the engine cover.  Easy to slide around on
> and shelters your backside from the inevitable rocks, thorns, glass and
> scorpions under where your ride died.  You don't expect it to go nips up
in
> a warm, clean, well lighted place, do you?  Ask vanmanbajadan about field
> maintenance and repairs in the bush.
>
> At the very least, practice changing a tire or two.  A cellphone and a
> credit card only works where there is service and landline phones.
Squirrel
> away a few Franklins in the van just to pay for that out-in-the-tules
repair
> in cash.  If you never venture beyond the gates of the city then you may
be
> able to just get by.  However carry that Bentley.  Even the most modest
> mechanic can usually read and understand if he has a manual to do it by.
> No, esmerelda, Mitchell, AllData and the like don't have very good details
> on Vanagons.  Get used to driving that "unique whip" and that entails.  Be
> humble.  Owning a high maintenance lady like ours can be a humbling
> experience, so get a good start.
>
> Understand basic physics, electricity, and simple mechanics so that you
can
> more accurately describe the failure to someone on the list like Benny,
> Frank, Mark, Dan, Karl over the phone, in the dark, in a paybooth, in the
> Mojave Desert. (Mojave phonebooth, May She Rest in Peace)
>
> Read the gospel according to Mark, Frank, BennyHuot, Dennis, Jim, and
> others, there is wisdom and knowledge there.  Zen and the art of
Motorcycle
> maintenence is a good read while you wait for the parts to arrive.  Keep
the
> phone numbers of your local favorite mechanics in the back of the bentley
> along with Ken and 1/13th and Peter and Ron and your local parts supplier.
>
> Or you can just stay there safe and warm on the porch.  The view rarely
> changes.
>
> Entropy is inevitable, the rate of entropy is up to you.