When I bought my '85 Weekender about 4 years ago, it also had the cooler ( I first thought it was a window air conditioner the seller had just left in the van) but mine worked. I was going to toss it, as it took up way too much room and I didn't ever see using it. Decide d instead to stick it on Ebay where it sold for around $150.00 IIRC. You never know!    Jeff Stewart ----- Original Message -----
> Neil, I hate to throw stuff out.  There might be a person on
> thesamba.com
> that would rush right to your place and take it if you offered it for
> a low
> price or free.  Maybe they need it to complete their full show quality
> restoration of an 85-86 era Wolfsburg Westy Weekender.  They are so
> rare.
>  Brown with brown interior for some reason is the most common color
> scheme.
>  I am actually joking about them being rare.  At least at my shop they
> aren't.  I have one customer that has two, another has one and I went
> to
> inspect a fourth one in Deptford for a customer the other night.
>  Three of
> these are 85s and one is an 86.  They are all brown on brown. None of
> them
> has the cooler.  I have only seen one cooler in real life and that was
> in
> an 86 Syncro Wolfsburg Westy Weekender (Brown on Brown of course) and
> the
> lid was messed up.  So maybe that person will want yours!
> Welcome to the list!
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> www.vanagain.com
> On Wed, Jun 25, 2014 at 10:46 PM, Neil Cebara <neilcebara@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Hi all!
> >
> >  First time post, first time Vanagon owners.... We just purchased an
> > '85
> > Wolfsberg Edition in March which we love!  It needs a bit of love,
> > but
> > that's what we're here for. Love. We have it in slop buckets.. ;>)
> >
> >  It came with its stock Dometic RC160E thermoelectic cooler.... the
> > top-opening kind ..bolted to the floor behind the passenger seat.
> >  I've
> > tested it, and talked to a local servicing shop that thinks they may
> > be one
> > of the only shops in the country still able to service the RC160E.
> >
> >  Verdict?  It doesn't work.  The control board is probably shot,
> > which is a
> > $200 replacement.  The other electronic piece (might need that, not
> > sure)
> > is a $400 replacement.
> >   So... I'm going to upgrade to a more recent type of 12v
> > thermoelectric
> > cooler. (After I reinstall a secondary deep-cycle batt!)
> >
> >  But what do I do with this Dometic cooler?
> >      Should I just recycle it through my city's various recycling
> > options?
> >      Or is there a market out there of people wanting to repair
> > these
> > relics?
> >   I'd be happy to even donate it to someone if they were going to
> > fix it
> > up.  It's in otherwise good shape, it just doesn't run the fan and
> > cool
> > anything.
> >
> >  Any thoughts or experience on recycling versus finding someone to
> > take it?
> >
> >  Thanks!
> >  .
> >  Neil & Chelsea
> >  '85 Westy
> > *  "Phaedra von Vanagon Westphalia-Wolfsberg"  aka Phae, heir to the
> > fabled
> > Westphalia-Wolfsberg throne.*
> >
> --
> Thanks,
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> www.vanagain.com