Yeah, but sometimes there is a part, such as the recalled support for the
a/c duct that you can get for $12 at the dealer but nowhere else.  You can
always fashion a fix, though.  I usually steer clear of the dealership, but
I feel they should service the van if I chose to, especially since they are
the original seller at this particular dealership.  No biggie...I found the
fuses I needed and now onto the test procedure. Thanks dudes and dudettes.
Michael in San Antonio
91GL Weekender AT 2.1L 'Gringo'

On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 10:22 AM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 7:40 AM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@cox.net> wrote:
>
> > Michael, for a dealership not to work on older vehicles is common.  For a
> > dealership that does work on older vehicles, it may not work on Vanagons.
> >  My local VW dealership long ago stopped servicing them, but given its
> > reputation for poor service and disdain for customers, that's no loss.
> >
>
>  Having your VW dealership tell you they won't work on your Vanagon....that
> is good.  You now won't ever be tempted to "just take it to the
> dealer...get
> the problem fixed..don't care how much they charge..Need the van fixed.."
>
>  I've never taken mine to a dealership, but I have done with other
> vehicles.  Once the warranty has expired, and most of the time while it was
> still valid, that has been a BIG mistake.
>  I don't think dealerships, at least the ones I have dealt with, know or
> care very much about what they are actually doing.  They are out of touch
> with their customers on repairs...They seem to be connected to the Parent
> Company and not to the customer.
>  Dealerships almost always seem to charge outrageously high hourly rates
> and
> to do many service tasks "by rote" rather than with any skill.  The
> underwriter "looks it up, writes it up and tells you what you will pay"..
> The Tech who does the work, he is thinking more about going wake boarding
> next Saturday than fixing your vehicle..and the Cashier down the hall is
> worried about her broken nail and can't be bothered to take your credit
> card
> right then..
>
>  Consider it a good thing that dealership won't do anything to you..You
> won't be "tempted" to 'just take it to the dealer' so you won't be getting
> overcharged and under- repaired by them.
>  Don Hanson
>