Kirk,

This is not really an answer to your (friends) dilemna, but I had to 
write when I saw mention of "Gandalf's"  When I lived in SF I was 
attracted by their ad with the picture of the "VW wizard" in the yellow 
pages.  I had been hearing a valve lifter tapping slightly on occasion 
while warming up my Westy, then it would go away and stay away.  As I have 
since been told by several 
reputable sources, including seeing posts about this on this list, this 
is a common problem with Vanagons.  It can mean time for a valve job 
(especially if the sound doesn't go away) but that is a worst case 
seanario.  Usually it is just a sound if you can live with it.
My point?  A Gandalf's mechanic (Roger I believe was his name, 
maybe even the owner) told me I needed a new engine or a rebuild, no if, 
ands or buts about it.  I doubted this, said I'd think about it and 
decided to pass.  I then proceeded to gather the info mentioned above.  
Roger even called back twice to ask when I was going to schedule my much 
needed engine replacement.  Well, 30k later (which includes 3 road trips 
of 6k+ apiece, subjecting my van to torturous weather, altitude and hill 
climbing conditions), the same engine runs perfectly.  Sorry Roger, I 
don't think so.  
Don't take this wrong, I'm way over it (for all I know these may be your 
friends), but that was my singular, what I would call, very negative 
experience with 
this shop. As far as I'm concerned, they wanted to charge me $3000. for 
unneccesary work.  If my experience with them was supposed to be "magical," 
then I would have to say it was the dark side of the force.  I will 
never give them my business or recommendation.
As I posted earlier, I recommend Fred's Garage in Redwood City for Bay area 
residents.  I hope your friends were rescued.  Are they on a surf trip?

Good luck,

Charles
'83.5 GL Westy

On Sat, 25 Jan 1997, Kirk van Druten wrote:

>          FWD>Help!!! Broken down on a dirt road in Costa Rica! 97-01-25 10:=
> 02:57
> Hey everyone,
> 
> My friends Dave and Whitney are in their '88 Westy in Costa Rica!  They =
> drove it all the way down there from the San Francisco bay area!  I just =
> got the following message from them.  I gave a few basic troubleshooting =
> ideas and some experiences I had while troubleshooting my dying ECU =
> computer but thought I would forward his message to the wisdom of the list.=
> 
> 
> I'm off list at the moment-I'll be your best friend if you email any =
> troubleshooting tips directly to him (and copy to me if possible).  His =
> address is davidadair@aol.com
> I'm at lansharks@batnet.com  Thanks mucho in advance.
> 
> Kirk out
> --------------------------------------
> Date: 1/25/97 7:48 AM
> From: DavidAdair
> Serious question, dude-man.  Driving down a dirt road, no problemas, going
> maybe 25 mph, and the car died suddenly, no sputtering, no nothing, just
> dead.  Still have electrical systems, battery, etc., just absolutely no
> ignition.
> 
> We've had a number of occasions where the car "burps", and stalls for just =
> a
> second, like what I remember you describing yours doing.  I've also heard =
> of
> someone who's VW used to crap out for 10 minutes, then run fine again for =
> a
> month, when it would happen again.  We've been baking in the sun for about =
> 3
> hours, waiting for a mechanic to show up, and nothing's improved.
> 
> Question on my mind is primarily whether the "computer" could totally die.
>  Also, I've only checked the basics, like loose wires and made sure the =
> rotor
> is turning.  What else should I be checking?  Since it was so sudden, it
> seems like it must be electrical, like a loose or broken wire or that durn
> computer.  Where is the computer, anyway?  Is it the funky piece next to =
> the
> air filter?  What about the "controller" under the back seat?
> 
> If you can e-mail some response pronto, please do.  We're probably spending=
> 
> the night here, and can call in for messages.  If you can relay =
> information
> from Rodrigo if the need arises, that would be awesome.  Depending on what
> the mechanic can find or not find, we'll just call Rodrigo directly, since =
> he
> speaks Spanish anyway.  I appreciate any advice you have.
> 
> Cheers mon,
> 
> Dave (and Whitney).... late-breaking update:  we got towed to a garage =
> where
> a German guy looked at our car and found only a little bit of testability =
> in
> the ignition system.  It looks like we'll replace our control unit.  I =
> called
> Gandalf's to find out how difficult it is to get the part, cuz we're going
> nowhere til we get it.  I'll keep you posted.
> 
>