Tom -

Keep in mind that for most of my life I have been a PM nut, thanks to my
late father who was a Navy plane mechanic, tool and die machinist, aircraft
model maker (display & wind tunnel testing for Northrop-Grumman) and a
consumate hot rodder starting with Oldsmobiles ending up with VWs from 1961
onwards (how many 1950 split window bugs have you seen fully restored with a
2180 stuffed into the rear, tunnel trans and 356B brakes all round?  This
was a daily driver for 20 years for both him and myself).  As with any VW
(or other make) I've owned, PM always comes first.  Even with living
full-time in Ole Putt, I religiously change the oil & filter every 3K, the
square fuel prefilter every other oil change (to prevent fuel pump
starvation and overheating).  Other tune up and rigorous inspections are
done on a regular, periodic basis.

My experience in owning, repairing and driving VWs in almost 50 years has
taught me to carry spares for this and that, depending on the model.  I
don't "plan for failure", but I go by the old fashioned Boy Scout saying "Be
Prepared".  Knowing what could go wrong in the worst location has enhanced
my preparedness.

Regarding ECUs - the comparison of an ECU for the Wasserboxer Vanagon and
the Mercedes is ludicrous.  Vanagon Wassers aren't all that bad, but have a
higher failure rate than the Benz.  I'll continue to go with carrying one.
YMMV
--
Jim Thompson
84 GL 1.9 "Gloria"
84 Westfalia 2.1 "Ole Putt"
72 411 Station Wagon "Pug"
75 914 1.8 (No Name Yet)
Full Timing Since March 1999
oldvolkshome@gmail.com
http://www.oldvolkshome.com
***********************************
On Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 5:25 AM, Tom Hargrave <thargrav@hiwaay.net> wrote:

> I quit carrying spares & tool boxes over 20 years ago. I decided I was
> "failing to plan" which kind of leads to "planning to fail". Also, I've
> driven 40,000 - 55,000 miles / year over the past 10 years, most of these
> miles in what most would consider old cars.
>
> But there is a method to my madness. I'm under the hood of my cars a lot.
> Also, I replace items like belts & hoses & coolant & brake fluid & brakes &
> tires when they should be serviced & not when they fail. Then I throw these
> old parts out because there is no need for a old spare unless the one on the
> car is about to fail. One other note - I replace belts & hoses with good
> parts, not the cheap $4.00 crap from the local McParts store. I believe the
> last Gates Green Stripe V belt I bought cost me $18.00 from NAPA while the
> "supposedly" identical belt from a AutoZone or Advance Auto was in the $4.00
> range.
>
> I also inspect starters & alternators for brush wear. And I replace or
> inspect other accessory items when they rack up a lot of miles.
>
> Your ECU should fall in the inspect & repair / replace category.
> Disassemble it once every 10K miles & look at the wear stripe in the carbon.
> If it shows a lot of wear then relocate the wiper BEFORE IT FAILS. If you
> don't do this then you are "planning to fail" like I used to do 20 something
> years ago.
>
> This may seem like a lot of work but it's nice to know that you can take
> off on a long trip in a vehicle with over 200,000 miles on the clock and
> expect to arrive at the other end with no issues.
>
> I have had some road failures but with one exception, none were in my
> control and none could be fixed on the side of the road or with tools you'd
> usually carry in a toolbox. The one exception was the alternator in my 87
> Mercedes 300SDL - the rear bearing locked up. But even with the alternator,
> I borrowed what I needed from AutoZone.
>
>
> Tom
> www.kegkits.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of
> miguel pacheco
> Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 6:35 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Do U carry spare ECU?
>
> Jim, in your case, not having the part you needed in a breakdown, would
> make a far more interesting story. How about it, has it ever happened?
> You carry far more than I do, and I'm pretty well equipped.
> Miguel
>
> I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
>  - Thomas A. Edison
>