Playa dust is way over-rated.

My '84 Vanagon has been to BM 6 or 7 years now.  It's never had a bath after
(it is my beater), and I can unequivocally state that it has not been
damaged one bit.

My Schwinn playa bike has been there 5 years, and has had no maintenance
other than cleaning and lubing the chain.  It too, has shown no adverse
affects from playa dust.

My feet are another story...

Cheers,

Jeff

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Keith Ovregaard
Sent: Friday, August 21, 2009 7:22 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Burning Vanagons ? ;o)

> what do you do after the burn to remedy the ills of playa dust?

Rent a car, van, RV!!

That alkali dust is really corrosive, especially when it gets wet. I
used to get bikes in for repair when I had a bike shop and some had
chains rusted solid.  Anything with a chrome finish took a hit. Mild
steel parts got crusted over real good, of course. Even stainless
steel parts got trashed. Then there's the thick layer of dust inside
the van. There is no place that it doesn't get into... the vents,
instrument panel, CD/cassette player, behind cabinets, you name it.
So, if you have a beater vanagon or bus and don't mind the
aforementioned damage, go for it. But if your van is a treasured part
of the family that you've spent gobs of $$, blood, sweat and tears...

If you do take your van, I'd highly suggest thoroughly cleaning the
van ASAP, before the caustic attack get too far underway. Wash her
down top to bottom and don't forget the under-carriage. Compressed air
makes getting the dust out of the dash and other nooks and crannies
easier, then vacuum everything you can get into. Apply wax to the
paint and lube everything.

Hope that helps.

Keith O.
90 Westy Syncro "VikingWagen"