cool,
and the AllData Do It Yourself subscription is how much a month ?

I think the pro shop version is pretty expensive, per month.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dennis Haynes" <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, September 12, 2010 8:40 PM
Subject: Re: Transmission slippage - help!

> Another great investment for those that rely on others for work is a
> subscription to Alldata Do it Yourself. (Alldatadiy.com)
>
> They now give most of the same information that shops have access to
> including parts prices and labor. For a 2.1L with AC and power steering
> the
> shop time is 3.1 hours. The book price for the pump is $148. They also
> give
> the warranty rate which is only 2.2 hour for this job.  They also give you
> the skill level required. Note the water pump is a "B" task.
>
> Water Pump
> 025121010CX $148.00   Notes
>
>
> Labor Information Skill Level Mfg. Warranty Standard
>
> Water Pump
>
>
> Replace
> B 1.6 2.2   Notes
>
> With AC
> B 2.1 2.9   Notes
>
> With PS
> B 1.8 2.5   Notes
>
> With AC & PS
> B 2.2 3.1
>
> Dennis
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans [mailto:scottdaniel@turbovans.com]
> Sent: Sunday, September 12, 2010 11:22 PM
> To: Dennis Haynes; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Re: Transmission slippage - help!
>
> For sure,
> generally , having a 20 + year old vanagon as an only car is
> .........challenging let's  say.
>
> One fancy place I lived, we used to joke that you needed a reliable
> japanese
> car for when your german car was in the shop.
> Vanagons are a bit like that.
> they are wonderful ......and I tell people they need special care and
> understanding.
> They are not some 80's era toyota you can just drive into the ground,
> doing
> barely more than oil changes every once in a great while ...they're closer
> to the other end of the scale.
>
> and as mentioned....many parts in them are 'due' if they have not been
> done
> already by a previous owner.
>
> at the minimum, if not doing some of the work yourself, you need a
> technician and a shop you trust, and have an on-going working relationship
> with.  And not at 100 per hour either.
>  Bit of a joke - that would work out to 600 dollar water pump jobs.
> They do take possibly 4.5 hours , plus parts and fluids, bleeding etc ..
> pushes 500ish ...but if a shop really charged 100 per hour ....it would be
> well over that.
>
> if anyone has the offical shop time on a 2.1 wbxr water pump that would be
> interesting to know.
> Might be online somewhere.
> but that's for newish vehicles that don't have rusted parts and that need
> special understanding.
>
> main point, find someone you trust, and stick with them.
> People that will not give a good extra little  bit of helpful energy here
> and there ..
> I generally don't deal with them.   There 'should' be things like ...a
> loose
>
> screw tightened here and there, a squaky latch lubed ...like overall
> attention to detail.
> You find someone like that, that cares and tries as hard as they can ..
> stick with them for sure.  Somewhat rare too.
>
> and finding vanagon savvy shops can be tricky , but they're around.
>
> oh, and buying a used one ..once in a while there is a used car or van
> that
> belonged to someone who really took care of it, dealt with anything not
> right right away.
> it's rare ..but that's who you want to buy a van from.  Just saw one the
> other day ..
> one owner for 15 years, huge stack of receipts, and he wasn't even asking
> that much for his 86 GL in fine condition with brand new tires, etc.
>
> on the other hand ..some people will not do anything to a car as long as
> it
> manages to fire up and go somewhere without breaking down.
> that is of course the kind of person you do not want to buy a used car or
> van from.
>
> now ..the trans, what is the plan ?
> hey ...at least you have a great resource here ! that'll sure help.
>
> scott
> www.turbovans.com
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dennis Haynes" <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Sunday, September 12, 2010 7:39 PM
> Subject: Re: Transmission slippage - help!
>
>
>> Please accept my apologies. My response was a bit hard but it was not in
>> response to your gender.
>> I regularly see folks get these vehicles based on a perception of that
>> "great VW' tradition. While these vehicles are great for many reasons,
>> getting a 20 year old high mileage vehicle of any nature should not be
>> considered for long term, reliable, it has to run every day, easy to keep
>> transportation.  If you really "Can't have any getting stranded" then you
>> may have to re-evaluate having a vehicle like this as your only vehicle.
>> The
>> reality is that any vehicle even new ones can and do have failures.  I
>> can
>> tell you some stories about my 2004 Diesel Pusher motor home.
>>
>> Engines and transmissions rarely fail without warning or cause. You are
>> getting the warnings. Fluid changes, magic treatments,  adjustments etc.,
>> is
>> just denial of the inevitable. Unless you tell a shop differently, most
>> will
>> only point out things that need to be done immediately and if you are not
>> using someone that knows these things intimately you will also get some
>> poor
>> advice.  At some point you may find that the purchase price was just the
>> down payment. This will happen quickly if you live in an area with
>> $100/hour
>> labor rates  and retail parts pricing. If something has not been replaced
>> in
>> the last 5 to 10 years you will at some point have to deal with it. This
>> includes heater cores, radiator, brakes including calipers and
>> drums/rotors,
>> wiring parts, and the suspension. Some of these repairs will require down
>> time.
>>
>> If you have not already done so, one of the best investments you can make
>> is
>> a towing plan. If you notice most participants on this list do much of
>> their
>> own work. Get some books, including the Bentley service manual and
>> consider
>> some other education. Auto mechanics and basic electricity will get you
>> through most any situation and some of the night courses can be a lot of
>> fun.
>>
>> And since you are a girl, welcome aboard and let us know when we can
>> help.
>>
>> Dennis!
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>> Of
>> Annie
>> Sent: Sunday, September 12, 2010 12:05 PM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Re: Transmission slippage - help!
>>
>> Dennis -
>>
>> I may be just a girl, but I'm not that dumb. ;-)
>>
>> Of course I didn't think "all I had to do was just drive it." As I
>> mentioned
>> in the original post, I bought it in January and had the transmission
>> serviced. I actually had more than that done - tuneup, oil change, new
>> exhaust, flushed the cooling system, new brakes, new CV joints, new wheel
>> bearings all around, new axles in the rear and much, much, much more.
>>
>> No, I'm not stupid.
>>
>> *Annie Anderson* Blogger, Designer, Thinker & Mom
>> web: annieandersonblog.com email: lsandrsn@gmail.com
>> twitter: silverlunace <http://twitter.com/silverlunace> facebook:
>> anniesanderson <http://facebook.com/anniesanderson>
>> *Blazin' a trail where there is no path.*
>>
>> On Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 6:55 AM, Dennis Haynes
>> <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>wrote:
>>
>>> At 25 years and 175,000 miles that tranny owes nobody anything. The
>>> symptoms can be a hydraulic problem or the clutches are just plain
>>> worn out. You need to get it properly repaired before you burn it up
>>> an make it non-rebuildable. Hopefully you didn't buy that vehicle
>>> thinking all you had to do was drive it.
>>>
>>> Dennis
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>>> Behalf Of Annie
>>> Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 2:23 PM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Re: Transmission slippage - help!
>>>
>>> Ok . . . this morning after I took my kids to school, making sure it
>>> was good and warm by time I got home, I checked the fluid level again.
>>> It was a little below the lower dot so I added some fluid and brought
>>> it up to about midway between the dots.
>>>
>>> I haven't driven yet since I added more fluid but I will check it
>>> again after I get home this afternoon from picking up the kids and let
>>> you know what happens.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> ~Annie
>>>
>>> On Tue, Sep 7, 2010 at 9:40 PM, Annie <lsandrsn@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> > No, I'm sure it isn't overfull. It's a little below the top mark. I
>>> > am always super careful when I put fluids in anywhere to ensure I
>>> > don't get too much.
>>> >
>>> > It's got 174,000 miles on it. But I've only owned it since January.
>>> > Had a bunch of work done to it including a complete trans service
>>> > back in February/March. From what I can tell, it was very well cared
>>> > for in its early life. The guy I bought it from, however, had driven
>>> > it pretty
>>> hard.
>>> >
>>> > I will double check it tomorrow and make sure again that it's not
>>> > too full just to be even more absolutely sure. I'll let you know
>>> > what I find out. If anyone else has any other thoughts in the
>>> > meantime, please
>>> do
>>> share!
>>> >
>>> > Thanks!
>>> > ~Annie
>>> >
>>> > On Tue, Sep 7, 2010 at 9:18 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans <
>>> > scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> maybe Daryl will comment.
>>> >>
>>> >> one things ...make super sure it is not overfull.
>>> >> that's like fully warmed up and parked on the level, the AF level
>>> >> must not be above the top mark on the dipstick. Hyper important.
>>> >>
>>> >> re the comment " I just thought
>>> >>
>>> >>  perhaps it was because I'd driven quite a few miles traveling back
>>> >> and
>>> >>> forth
>>> >>> to Seattle and Bellevue "
>>> >>>
>>> >>
>>> >> that by itself will not cause a problem ..
>>> >> it should be able to drive tank after thankful after thankful, back
>>> >> and forth across the US several times if you ask it to.
>>> >>  Just 'driving it normally' doesn't make it act up unless something
>>> >> is worn or tired.
>>> >>
>>> >> how many miles on it ?
>>> >> be super sure it's not overfull.
>>> >>
>>> >> Scott
>>> >> www.turbovans.com
>>> >>
>>> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Annie" <lsandrsn@GMAIL.COM>
>>> >> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>>> >> Sent: Tuesday, September 07, 2010 8:47 PM
>>> >> Subject: Transmission slippage - help!
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>  Hi, all
>>> >>>
>>> >>> Seems I'm having some transmission slippage. I've got an '85 GL
>>> >>> with an auto trans. I've checked the fluid levels numerous times
>>> >>> and it's right where it should be. I did add a little a few weeks
>>> >>> ago but it wasn't too low. I haven't noticed any fluid leaking from
>> anywhere.
>>> >>>
>>> >>> The slipping seems to happen shifting from 2nd into drive and then
>>> >>> once you come to a stop and the transmission downshifts. Sometimes
>>> >>> it's like it doesn't fully disengage or something as it kinda
>>> >>> "clunks" once you've stopped and makes the van lurch slightly. I
>>> >>> hope what I'm saying makes sense. ;-)
>>> >>>
>>> >>> It also seems to slip once you've slowed down a little and then go
>>> >>> to speed back up again - it's like it doesn't engage again. It
>>> >>> started this a few weeks ago but it was very intermittent at the
>>> >>> time and I just thought perhaps it was because I'd driven quite a
>>> >>> few miles traveling back and forth to Seattle and Bellevue for two
>>> >>> weeks every day. (About 130 miles or so per
>>> >>> day.)
>>> >>>
>>> >>> Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions etc would be greatly appreciated.
>>> >>> This is my only vehicle right now and the kids just went back to
>>> >>> school today.
>>> >>> Can't
>>> >>> have any getting stranded!
>>> >>>
>>> >>> Thanks!
>>> >>> ~Annie
>>> >>>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >
>>>
>>>