I see.
I am wondering though, what this means -

"Mine is a 89 bluestar so it's just the center cap "thingy ".

Still can't figure that out. Something about center caps for your wheels ?
oh I get it ..
reference to my saying check the hubcap installation ..
That applies to center caps too.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Harry Hoffman" <hhoffman@ip-solutions.net>
To: "Scott Daniel - Turbovans" <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>;
<vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2011 5:29 PM
Subject: Re: How to determine when you need new shocks???

> Ok, cool.
>
> I bought the tires from bus depot but alignment was all outta whack, which
> for the most part is fixed.
>
> All tires read around 38psi. This is on the hankook 185r14 all around.
>
> Mine is a 89 bluestar so it's just the center cap "thingy ".
>
> Love this list and all of the advise!!!
>
> Scott Daniel  - Turbovans <scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
>
>>that is the 'scientific' method..
>>bounce the suspension up and down a few strokes by pushing on the say, the
>>front bumper.
>>When you stop pushing ..
>>it should finish its stroke and stop immediately.
>>
>>if there is any minor 'still cycling' ...
>>or if you know the shocks have many miles on them,
>>or see oil seepage out of the shocks..
>>they're due.
>>
>>sounds like upper inner A-arm bushings squeaking to me.
>>
>>Assuming a tire store mounted and balanced them ......You might check the
>>tire store's work.
>>There is no reason to assume they adjusted the tire pressures to vanagon
>>tire pressures specs.
>>or that they got the lug nuts tightened properly, and evenly, and not too
>>much ..
>>and they were careful with the hubcaps.
>>I don't even let any tire store touch my vans and cars. I bring them the
>>wheels only.
>>And even then..
>>I have to tell them I am willing to pay extra to have it done right,  and
>>carefully.
>>
>>Scott
>>www.turbovans.com
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Harry Hoffman" <hhoffman@IP-SOLUTIONS.NET>
>>To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>>Sent: Friday, July 22, 2011 3:06 PM
>>Subject: How to determine when you need new shocks???
>>
>>
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> So, I just bought a new set of tires from Bus Depot. They are the
>>> Hankook 185r14 set. Cracked my bumper backing up to the "loading dock"
>>> :-(
>>>
>>> The van drives incredibly now!!! It's such a huge difference... but now
>>> when I'm driving over bumps and what not I feel like I'm back in college
>>> (or worse yet passing my parent's bedroom) and hearing a squeak, squeak,
>>> squeak when going over uneven surfaces.
>>>
>>> So, how do others determine it's time for new shocks? Do you push down
>>> on the bumpers and figure out how much (and how quickly) the van comes
>>> back up? Or is there a scientific method to computing this?
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Harry
>>
>>
>