I have over the years been all through my 83 vanagon steering (this
said because I don't remember if later model vanagons have the same
setup, I think they do) It has been wonderfully correct for some time
but there was always an annoying bump where the wheels seemed free to
roam over a rocky road while the steering wheel sat firmly in my
hands, issuing complaint from somewhere below. On straight roads, the
car floated imperceptibly, though was easily corrected by guiding the
wheel.

The problem was fixed in fifteen minutes with the replacement of the
two rubber bushings that fit into the half of the steering column that
comes up from the floor. You drop the upper shaft (no need to remove
the wheel) and pull out the old bushing with pliers, then soap up the
new bushings and press them in with your fingers.

No more bumping sounds, no more slop.

Jim