Yeah.  There's a little notchy thing that the plastic pull tab was attached
to.  Just pull it toward the front of the van an 1/8th inch or so and the
tire carrier will drop to the ground with a mighty clang.  Speaking as the
voice of experience, DO NOT LET IT HIT YOUR FINGER ON THE WAY DOWN.  It
broke mine.

Karl Wolz

|-----Original Message-----
|From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
|David M
|Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 5:22 PM
|To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
|Subject: How to get that (bleep) spare tire out (continued)
|
|Finally got time to wrestle (very apt word) with this problem. After
|liberat applications of bolt-buster and wrist-crunching hammer blows and
|1/2 hour of back twisting contortions with a lug nut tool of unknown source
|(not VW but a perfect fit), I got the bolt off. Bolt says DERA 88 on the
|head if that means anything. I breathed a sign of relief and visions of
|bikini-clad babes on a tropical beach wafted before me. Then I pulled the
|plastic pull-tab thingie to release the mechanism and... snap. This
|pathetic piece of inadequate German engineering snapped in two. What a
|sorry excuse for a mechanism this is!. Now I am in need of even more urgent
|help as to how to release the spare tire. I now dare not even risk driving
|the van to a tire shop. I'm hoping there is some arcane trick to operating
|the release. H-E-L-P!