Hi Loren,

I agree 100% with both of your main points. I just felt obliged to
respond to the campout maintenance comment since I attend a lot of
campouts and also run TCWBC and BOTC.

I do as much work as possible on my own vans, and I try to do as much as
possible BEFORE a road-trip. I have a local shop that is
Vanagon-friendly and Frank Condelli is not nearly so local but has a
well-seasoned ear that I can lean on when I need it.

My local shop (Nick's Auto Clinic in SW Scarborough) is excellent. Sure,
Nick can be a bit crusty at times, usually when he thinks you've caused
the problem by trying to rethink or patch up the original system instead
of repairing it properly. A lot of the time he's right. I send my bus
and vanagon there when it's a repair I don't have tools for, don't have
time for or just can't handle it. (Ie, water pump repair in February).
My parents do the same with their vanagons.

It is a nice thing to have a vanagon mechanic available when you need
one. Even with this list, I still need some extra help from time to time.

Happy Trails,

Greg Potts
1973/74/79 Westfakia "Bob the Tomato"
1987 Wolfsburg Weekender Hardtop
www.busesofthecorn.com
www.pottsfamily.ca

Loren Busch wrote:
>  Got to jump back in on this thread I started and that seems to have drifted
> a bit.
> First, I read the comment about 'so bring your Vanagon to a VW event for
> repair' as a tongue in cheek comment and not meant seriously.  Second I had
> two points to make in the original post: The value of a top mechanic that
> really know the vehicle and the fact that many problems (and I mean many)
> that occur in older vehicles like ours are really very simple but the
> tendency is to assume major problems and start replacing parts, sometimes
> expensive parts, and hope the problem will go away.  Loooking back at my
> original message I don't think I emphasized that second point very well.
> Now back to the regularly scheduled programing....
>

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