>From: Joel Walker <JWALKER@ua1vm.ua.edu>

> i'd advise wearing at least one ear plug (like the kind you can buy for
> shooting pistols ... the little foam thing that sticks in your ear) while
> you are riding in your van with the window down.  i've got a 70 percent
> hearing loss in my left ear, and i'm pretty sure it's because of all those
> years of beetles, squareback, and buses running up and down the countryside
> with only the 2/60 type air conditioning: 2 windows down and 60 mph. :)

I would agree with Joel.  I have a 25% hearing loss in my left ear and a 30%
loss in my right ear.   During my college days I had a bus with a header system
with a glasspak muffler.  When I took long trips (> 1 hour) I would turn off
my hearing aids to keep from going insane and hearing the engine ring in my
ears hours later.

FYI, this hearing loss was not from listening to the sweet sounds of VWs.
My hearing was damaged when I was very young and the loss has not increased
significantly by turning off the hearing aids when ever I encounter loud noises
for long periods (ex. night clubs!).

Jonathan

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Jonathan Dove   jdove@gsvms2.cc.gasou.edu
82 Rabbit PU, 83 GTI, 85 Vanagon, 87 Golf
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