> I quote
>
> I am a mechanic at a VW dealership, TRUST ME. you do not want a
> vanagon, we
> will not even take them in to work on!! I heartily recommend either
> buying
> an asian or domestic van, or holding out until "Project M"- our new
> minivan
> arrives next year as a 2008.

my question is, with appologies in advance to any real dealership
mechanics on the list, is ...

would you, as a vanagon owner, believe ANYthing that a dealership
service department personnel tells you?

i've been driving (and fiddling/working/tinkering on) vw buses now for
37 years ... since i got out of the army in 1970. vanagons for 28 of
those years  or whatever math it makes from december 1979. :)

and quite frankly, i've yet to run across a vw dealership person who
knew ANYthing about vanagons, much less how to fix them.

just because someone is a vw dealership mechanic does NOT mean he
knows how to fix ANYthing. he could be the lowest totem on the pole,
and get all the oil changes dumped on him (cause the more senior
mechanics grab all the high-paying jobs so they can maintain their
lifestyles).

and if the dealerships had known anything about vanagons, we wouldn't
have needed to create this mailing list!!!

in my damnably humble opinion!
unca joel