Yes, I clearly remember this happening (96 thru around 98) and there was
quite a lot of chatter on this list regarding that (check the archives)
(this was before the Bus Owners spun off to their own list[s]).  Quite a few
Bus (and I believe some Vanagon Air Cooled) owners were able to take
advantage of this recall campaign of the day and VW paid for EVERYTHING.  It
primarily dealt with the asbestos issue of the insulation of the heater
boxes and hot air hoses coming from the Heater Control Boxes (also replaced
under this campaign).  This was not dealer generated, but truly a
VOA/NHTSA/EPA generated event at the time.

However, this may have been a one-time exception to the rule that VW Doka
Jeff indicates in his post, which is the most current at this time.  But I
bet when you get the EPA involved in something like the heater box/asbestos
situation, it could result in a larger campaign over and above what the
NHTSA rule(s) are.
--
Jim Thompson
84 GL 1.9 "Gloria"
84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt"
73 K Ghia Coupe "Denise"
72 411 Station Wagon "Pug"
oldvolkshome@gmail.com
http://www.oldvolkshome.com
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On 7/9/07, Jeff Stewart <fonman4277@comcast.net> wrote:
>
> Good luck with getting the dealer to do those recalls.  VW will not
> reimburse them for the work since recalls are only valid on vehicles less
> than 10 years old.
>
>
> Are ya sure about that? In the late 90's a buddy of mine got his heater
> boxes replaced on his '72 Westy because of the asbestos issue. Even more
> unbelievable, it was not running at the time and VW sent a mechanic to his
> house, and he replaced them on the van in front of his house out in the
> street!  Jeff