Maureen,

you wrote:

<<   While the air conditioner is wonderful, I have been careful to
 turn it down or off if the temperature gauge moves above the
 indicator light. I have even turned the heater on when I was in
 bumper to bumper traffic to keep the temp indicator near the light
 and not above it. Am I being too cautious?  >>

   In a word, yes.  in general most vanagons will run with the temp
indicator right on the LED or just above, and with our heat here in
Atlanta, and dense traffic with the AC on, mine's guaranteed to be
running somewhere above it.  Here's what the owner's manual for
 the '89 has to say about it:

"When the engine is working hard and in stop-and-go traffic
or in hot weather, the needle can show a very high temperature,
but this is not serious as long as the warning light does not flash."

George, homesick Boston native
89 Westy, "Wernher"
109K miles & counting