At 12:03 PM 2/7/2013, Lisa Bloch wrote:
>It's been warm enough in Seattle recently to drive around without
>turning on any of the climate control fans.  I'm leaving the
>adjustable vents pointed at the side windows, but I notice that when
>the van is in motion there is a distinct draft across my knees and
>lower legs.  Is this to be expected or have I got a problem?

There's a strong ram-air effect on these vans (unlike my Geo which
has hardly any) so if the flappers are open you'll get air through them.

Top lever - windshield air, right is on.
Second lever - heat, right is on.
Third lever - bottom air, left is on.
Fourth lever - cabin roof vents (unheated), left is on.

The reason for the odd layout is so you can get full defrost simply
by shoving everything to the right and setting the blower to speed
2.  Why VW thought that was important is not clear to me.  It
certainly has confused many people who haven't read the owner's
manual carefully, to the point that there are quite a few who will
swear up down and sideways that the manual is wrong.  It's not wrong,
but it is very different from the single-lever air control that most
of us have gotten used to, and breaking the "right equals more"
convention certainly helps with the confusion.

Yours,
David