My vanagon is just about the noisiest animal I have ever
experienced- (a notch above riding on the back of a wild boar)
Id like some advice on eliminating one of the most annoying sounds:

The spare tire under the front end seems to squeak and groan
as it rubs against the metal sandwich it is contained in.

I actually had a $1000 front end job done, thinking it was
my shocks!  To my surprise, the van handled a lot better,
but was still squeaky as all get out!

The bolt holding the spare-tire pan is  pretty stripped, so
Im going to have to get it replaced...it might not be as tight
as it could be.

should I spray rubber undercoating liberally on the tire-touching
metal surfaces? or will really tightening down that front tire-pan
fix it?

Does anyone else know what noise I am talking about? :)

Matt Weatherford  Atlantis Diagnostics Int'l (206) 487-7826  mattw@atl.com