>         We all know that replacing the fuel lines is important in the
> Vanagon, mainly because of their age.  So, does the same apply to all old
> cars that the lines should be replaced?  What is it about the air cooled

yes. and no. it appears that the american rubber hoses SEEM to
last much longer than the German ones. why, i don't know. but
British hoses also seem to have the same troubles as the German
ones: short life.

> vanagons and the water ones that makes this such a problem; and, are the
> older buses at risk of the same problems, 195?- 1979?  If you reply, please

yes, the older buses, beetles, bmw's and porsches are also at
risk. and perhaps the aircooled cars/buses are even more so ...
as the engine seems to run a bit hotter than the water-cooled
engines. surface temperature-wise.

now, the odd thing is, in all the roadside cars on fire that i
have seen, only ONE of them has been a vw. and only one has been
a japanese car. all the rest have been american iron. but since
most of the cars in this area are american (ford or chevy), i
guess that would be expected. just a curiosity.

joel