Watch it on VW and power steering fluid, remember that until about
'88 - '90 they used standard ATD Dexron Mercon or whatever.  Easy to
spot if you have RED sweet smelling fluid.  Then they switched to a totally
incompatible hydraulic oil, which as has been noted goes about $10-$15
the pint from them.  This is a dark brown or green color.  Typically the
ATF was used in systems with the old style resivoir, short dumpy round
one like the Vanagons have with fiber filter ring in the bottom, though
this is not a hard and fast rule merely an observation as later VW's
with the oil typically have thin tall resivoirs.  If you want to change
the ATF using one's simply go buy ATF, I reccomend springing for a new
filter for the resivoir though about $5 last I bought one at the dealer,
you unscrew the resevoir cap and then put it in, you might clean the
resevoir BTW.  For those of us with the later oil, I have a great
reccomendation as well, go check a real good quality import only auto
place.  As Audi switched to the other oil back in the mid 80's my local
place carries GERMAN made (forget the company but it is one of the
familiar big name German OEM parts suppliers, in fact may be a brake
manufacturer, can is totally in German text, hell probably VW's
supplier) oil for a little less than $10 a liter last time I
looked, of course I didn't notice the stuff until after I bought a pint
from VW to top off the Corrado and Passat.  Still for Vanagons, I'd make
damn sure it doesn't use regular ATF, I thought they all did.

John
ja@coe.wvu.edu