"...had a Le Car"

Nitwitism was prevalent in the Le Car's heyday as well.  A friend who owned one was complaining how the heater was not working in hers and embarked on a road trip during which the car overheated.  Um...no water and therefore no heat?  She could not be bothered to check it or let someone else do it.  Just complained.

Stephen

--- On Thu, 8/14/08, Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> From: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: Are Today's Young People Mechanical Nitwits?
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Date: Thursday, August 14, 2008, 2:43 PM
> They were 38hp if I remember correctly. And if you ever
> revive your
> desire for french motoring and want to hear the
> city-horn-country-horn
> sound again, let me know and I'll send you some of
> those rare renault
> lug nuts (if you had one you'll remember what I'm
> talking about,
> two-piece gadgets) and some bolt-in hubcaps in nice shape.
> Probably
> have some wheels under my dad's shop, too.
>
> When mine cracked a block, my dad welded up the crack with
> some steel
> strap and I put in a bunch of Barr's stop leak and
> drove on. I don't
> think we even pulled the engine to do it. Once the whole
> drive train
> fell out in the road an a friend of mine and I walked to a
> house and
> bummed a bunch of coat hangers from a woman and used them
> to strap the
> engine and transmission in to make it back to my house.
>
> I don't think my dauphine ever reached 70. I have owned
> a total of
> four of them, my first (first car) purchased for what I had
> in my
> pocket at the time: seventy-nine cents. I bought a pair for
> $500 once.
>
> But YOU... YOU had a Le Car! Hahahahahah!
>
> Jim
>
>
>
> On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 1:34 PM, Scott Daniel  - Turbovans
> <scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
> > oh you had a Duafine - I'm sorry !
> > lol.
> > Caravelle- I even have a real Renault factory parts
> book for a Carravelle,
> > the sproty coupe version that generation of Renaults.
> > ( I owned about 8 Renualt 16's .........a
> 'real car' that.  And some Le Cars
> > too. )
> >
> > I don't think washer fluid would hurt the coolant
> even slightly.  Be good
> > for it almost.  A tiny bit of detergent/cleaner is
> fine I think.
> > Daufine's can't actually sustain running at 70
> mph on a hot day with any
> > kind of load without overheating.
> > Very underbuilt for Western US conditions.
> > Had a freind in Colorado with one - it really
> couldn't do the freeway for
> > long periods on a hot day.
> > what are those, like 45 hp ?
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim
> Felder" <jim.felder@gmail.com>
> > To: "Scott Daniel - Turbovans"
> <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>
> > Cc: <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
> > Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 11:19 AM
> > Subject: Re: Are Today's Young People Mechanical
> Nitwits?
> >
> >
> >> Back when almost all gas stations were full serve,
> I had an attendant
> >> attempt to fill up the radiator of my Renault
> Dauphine with gas. I had
> >> another guy at an oil change place put washer
> fluid in the coolant
> >> overflow behind the license plate door on my
> vanagon. Good thing I was
> >> watching. Can you imagine the head corrosion?
> >>
> >> Jim
> >>
> >> On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 1:05 PM, Scott Daniel -
> Turbovans
> >> <scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> you might also appreciate that when vanagons
> first came out,
> >>> a few gas station attendants flipped open the
> license plate door at the
> >>> back.........
> >>> ( since many cars of the era had their gas cap
> back there )
> >>> And when they saw a cap and filler neck, they
> put gasoline into engine .
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ----- Original Message -----
> >>> From: "John Rodgers"
> <inua@CHARTER.NET>
> >>> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> >>> Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 10:07 AM
> >>> Subject: Re: Are Today's Young People
> Mechanical Nitwits?
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> Congrats on your daughter's derring-do
> in the mechanical world!
> >>>>
> >>>> I can't tell you how many times the
> guys at the various auto
> >>>> quick-service places have asked me where
> the engine was in my van.
> >>>>
> >>>> I never ceased to be amazed.
> >>>>
> >>>> John Rodgers
> >>>> 88 GL Driver
> >>>>
> >>>> Jim Arnott wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Warning!!! Proud papa alert.... and
> NVC
> >>>>>
> >>>>> My eldest dau, 27, came home from
> visiting friends the other night.
> >>>>> Walks
> >>>>> into the house and asks me, "Do
> you ALWAYS get hurt when you're
> >>>>> working on
> >>>>> cars?" I respond that mechanical
> things frequently demand blood
> >>>>> sacrifice.
> >>>>> She goes on to comment that when she
> was putting the front suspension
> >>>>> back
> >>>>> together on her friend's Mitsu,
> she pinched her hand. Did papa proud!
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Want to give your kids a clue?  Make
> their first car a Beetle. Give
> >>>>> them a
> >>>>> Muir Bible. Help them maintain it but
> don't do it FOR them. Worked for
> >>>>> me.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> So no, they're not all clueless.
> But the vast majority are. Of the
> >>>>> 20-30
> >>>>> kids that float through my home, there
> are about three that could show
> >>>>> me
> >>>>> where to check the oil on their rig.
> Those three could also change
> >>>>> said
> >>>>> oil. The rest? I'd have to show
> them not just how, but THAT the hood
> >>>>> opened.
> >>>>> Id10ts.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Jim
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>
> >
> >