> 
> I dropped off the van this morning to ask them to rotate, balance and align
> the tires. I also asked them to check brakes and a noise in the right front
> wheel. They just hit me on the phone. Eighty bucks for the stuff I dropped it
> off for, and they told me about the following:
>

<tale of woe deleted for space savings>
 
> Now my Qs:
> 
> I believe this to be quite high, can any brick owners (mine is 1985 by the way)
>  think of any reasone the dealer should do these jobs, can they be trusted else
> where?  I have never worked on the van so my confidence in my abilities is
> limited.  I do have bently though.  Any thoughts?  If they're involved, send me
>  a phone number and I'll call (my nickel)...if that is... it's more convenient.
>   Thanks in advance!
> 
> Barry S. Nichols                 BSNICH01@ULKYVM.LOUISVILLE.EDU
> 7004 Ethan Allen Way             BSNICH01@ULKYVM
> Louisville, KENTUCKY  USA 40272
> PH: (502) 583-5835 (machine answers--it may be rather odd)
> 

Barry, I don't know a whole lot about vanagons (except that the heads 
leak antifreeze or something :) ) but I can tell you this.  Don't pay 
someone to work on your van!  If you have the time you can do it.  I 
have only limited intelligence myself (hell I can't even spell) but 
with the proper books and this list you can do all this yourself.  The
money you save on labor will buy you any tools you might need and when
you are done you will have a fixed van, a bunch of new tools, and the 
satisfaction of knowing that you are a better person for it.  Come on
folks let's give Barry the support he needs to get this done.  Go and 
rescue your van from those mechanics and never look back.

Jim and his '71 with a lot of miles and a little rust but running just
great all the same thank you very much.

-- 
James A. Brill Jr.         \\  //     I need a steam shovel mama
jbrill@unlinfo.unl.edu   \\ \\// //   to keep away the dead, I
University of Nebraska    \\//\\//    need a dump truck baby to
free-lance homo sapien     \/  \/     unload my head. --Bob Dylan--