So Tim Parker says:
> 

	 Snip - Snip - Snip!

> Any of you folks out there with warranty adjustment experience that might
> have any suggestions as to my best approach to solving this problem?  I'm
> thinking of writing a "polite" nasty letter to VWoA about it (will be my
> second for this van), because my last complaint to the dealer about the
> clock and fuel pump being a symptom of a more serious electrical problem
> resulted in "that would take a long time and cost you a lot of money to
> have us search out the cause" reply.  Pisses me off.

Plain and simple Tim, dealers and most other garages don't want to work
on intermittent problems.  It's simple math.  If they can't find the 
problem within an hour, then it's costing them too much money.  They'll
park the car and give it the sunshine treatment and work on more lucrative
problems.

Your best course of action that I can see, is either one: pursue it legally
and see if you can arbitrate them to either fix the vehicle or buy it back.

or two: If you really want this van and want it to run right without all
of these problems, you're going to have to get your hands dirty and check
out out yourself.  

If it were my van, I'd probably start with number one and see how much
trouble it was.

In the mean time, while I had the van I'd check every damn wire connector
and connection made on it.  Don't assume anything just because it's only
3 years old.  Start at the battery and work your way along the circuits
that have the accessories that have failed or are intermittent.  Check
every wire every connection whether you're looking at a junction, a 
'T' or a component.  Make sure there is always a good clean solid 
connection.  You want to rule out the possibility that there is no
continuity problem in the wire interconnects.  That is what I suspect
is wrong as most intermittent problems like yours are.  

I suspect, that if you do number two, that you'll probably find the
problem yourself long before any legal proceedings would start....

Good Luck,

Steven 
Sacramento, CA
sjohnson@pcocd2.intel.com