TheSamba.com :: View topic - airschooled - asiab3@mac.com

Sat Feb 09, 2013 1:17 pm

Bought a pair of vent wing latches from Robbie recently. Great transaction. Great communication. The package arrived quickly, was well wrapped and the items look perfect. Thanks!

Also:
[email protected]

Tue Nov 14, 2017 8:38 pm

Robbie is a good a person as I know. Bought some items and paid the same day. Great person. Would sell without any reservation to Robbie.

Mon Feb 19, 2018 9:13 pm

We were lucky enough to be one of Robbie's first clients for Airschooled and it was exactly what we needed as desperate new bus owners.

After reading forums and manuals for hours on end, Robbie's expert eye was immediately more helpful in leading us through learning basic maintenance than anything else we'd tried. We've done two video chat sessions with Robbie and are very excited to be working with him in person when he travels in May.

Personally speaking, no matter how many hours we put into trial and error and how much advice we sought out through owners manuals, we still felt it essential to be able to speak with a more knowledgeable VW owner. Robbie is not only incredibly knowledgeable but is a patient and highly effective educator.

We would enthusiastically recommend to any other new VW owners or owners struggling to understand these mysterious beasts to contact Robbie for some "airschooling".

Tue May 01, 2018 7:06 pm

I'm 2016, I bought a '76 Riviera camper van off eBay, sight unseen and with great ignorance. After it was delivered, I discovered a PO had swapped out the 2.0 liter fuel injected engine with a 1.7l dual carb motor. And California required it to have fuel injection to even have a chance to pass the smog test.

That's when I first met Robbie. He met me at a VW salvage yard with the hopes of finding a usable 2.0 with FI, but we weren't successful. So we had lunch and discussed the idea of adding FI to a 1.7 that wasn't designed for FI. Neither of us were positive it would work, but with Robbie's guidance, I acquired all the FI components. He walked me thru the cleaning and testing of all of them, and installation on the engine.

It was about 3-4 months to go thru this whole process, but in the end, my van started and ran well, and PASSED SMOG on the first try! Without Robbie's input, guidance and encouragement, I wouldn't have had the knowledge to consider such a transformation.

In the following months, I continued to be Air Schooled by Robbie on various systems I was unfamiliar with. Now I'm much more confident in working on Chloe. She's now my daily driver for work, and we are going on several camping trips this spring and summer, as well as a trip from So Cal to Seattle in July.

Wed Aug 29, 2018 7:18 am

I have had Robbie help me several times. The first time he answered a plea for help in the bay forum. He was on a cross-country trip and stopped for a couple days to help me assemble my bus. He saved my butt on that one – I had promised my son I would drive him to his wedding and I wasn’t close to being done. I have also had him come back for a day of traditional (AKA paid) repair work, and I have taken advantage of his Airschooled phone support.

I think Robbie’s services are exactly what this hobby needs. I know just enough about my bus to be dangerous. I can do 75% of what needs to be done on my own, with the help of TheSamba and Bentley. However, something always seems to come up that requires the input of an expert. Robbie’s annual visits are great for getting your bus in order for the season, but his phone and video chat support is perfect for those questions that require an immediate response or those mission-critical issues where you really need an expert’s advice. This is way better than dropping your bus off at the repair shop and getting it back (hopefully) fixed. Robbie takes the time to educate you and has the patience and background to do so effectively.

Been there, done that, and have the Airschooled t-shirt to prove it!

Fri Oct 26, 2018 2:29 pm

Oct 2, 2018 I had the immeasurable pleasure of being Airschooled by Robbie! Being a very non-mechanically inclined person, I had been looking forward to the day for weeks with the hope that I would get to know my '77 Westy a little bit better. I was not disappointed! From the minute Robbie promptly showed up at 8:30AM in his bus (Buddy) to the minute he left, it was a day full of hands-on bus education! From front to back, we went over so many big and little things-which was a perfect overview. He was INCREDIBLY patient, and you can tell he loves what he does and he loves TEACHING people! He even managed to overcome one of the pesky electrical problems that had plagued my bus since I became owner. It was amazing to watch him think things through, show me what he was doing and then had me do it! I said to Robbie at one point in the day that I wished he lived closer...but for now I'll have to wait until he and Buddy make it back to the East coast again...until then, safe travels!

Sat Nov 17, 2018 5:54 am

Experienced mechanic here, high intermediate level

I was on a biz trip and had a problem with a relatives car, 3000 miles from home. Rodent damage to steering sensor on a 2013 Golf

Option A ..go buy a bunch of redundant tools and fix

Option B. Dealer harness repair of $2000

Option C. Robbie was cruising by so we texted and met at Home Depot

I've seen a lot of people work technical stuff ( I work in electronics, optics, precision ,mechanics professionally) so I recognize the skilled hands of a craftsman quickly. He is about 20 years ahead of where you would expect a craftsman of his age, and is fastidious to detail. Watching electrical work on Samba has taken decades off my life, but I think I got it all back watching Robbie work.

Sun Apr 21, 2019 10:28 am

Robbie McCarthy has been helping me restore a '77 VW bus over the last year and a half. His partnership on the project has been very important. I have found him to be competent, intelligent, and honest. His experience with the late Bays (including the T4 engine specifically) is impressive. He has a great personality and diverse interests. Recently I have asked him to assist with maintenance and repairs on several of my other German cars. Yesterday I watched as (in a matter of a few hours) he diagnosed and repaired some engine management issues on my BMW2002tii. With only a minimal background on that specific vehicle he reviewed the maintenance manuals on-hand, evaluated the system and commenced with a methodical series of checks to diagnose and ultimately repair some neglected engine (running) problems. I could have dropped one of my favorites off at a specialty shop, waited days/weeks, and paid substantially more to (hopefully) get the same outcome. Instead, both Robbie and I learned a few things and the car runs beautifully. Next week Robbie will be helping me with vacuum issues on a Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel. A combination of his fascination with mechanical systems and his willingness to expand his knowledge-base makes me confident that the problems will be resolved. As I get older and need some assistance with my auto projects I will look to Robbie. This feedback should serve as an unqualified endorsement of him and his Airschooled services.

Thu May 30, 2019 8:37 pm

Robbie is a great guy who really seems to care about people and old cars. I have a ’71 Ghia and a ’76 Bus they are both better through meeting Robbie.

Amongst other things, he has helped me:

Tune my 71 Karman Ghia to smooth perfection.
Rebuild steering boxes,
Change Wheel bearings,
Remediate noisy CV joints
Discover an out of balanced fan hub on my bus
Tuned AFMs
Drop an engine

He has helped me tackle each project with a curiosity and fastidiousness that others will not have the patience for. Each time we catch up I am left with more confidence in my cars and myself. Don’t hesitate to call him.

Thu Oct 10, 2019 2:43 pm

Robbie is hands down the best. Thoughtful, precise, and always on point with his instruction, guidance, and physical help. Couldn't have done it without him!

Tue Oct 22, 2019 7:14 pm

I cannot say enough good things about Robbie of Airschooled. Having never met me or talked before I reached out on TheSamba he stopped and spent an evening with us on less than 24 hours notice while passing through our area (on Halloween no less!). Since then I have enlisted his (paid) services twice in the 3 years since to help me get my 78 bus up and running. Not only has his expertise and counsel helped me finally feel comfortable working on my own VW's for the first time, but our recent work (converting my 78 Type 2 back to FI in 2 days time!) has given me my first legally running/licensed air-cooled VW in 25+ years and renewed my passion for these wonderful vehicles.

I would advise anyone to consider hiring Robbie's assistance, whether onsite during his yearly cross-country tour, or over video/phone chat. Not only is he both extremely knowledgeable while still being humble, he is simply a blast to hang out with as well.

Mon May 11, 2020 11:20 am

Five Thumps Up for Robbie!
Our 69 Bus needed a lot of general maintenance done. I am not young and a many routine jobs have become a challange. Since Robbie's Grand Tour this summer is a victim of Covid I contacted him to do several hours of work on the bus.
This was not designed as an AirSkooled educational session. I needed the work done. It was a great experience. I have been working on VWs on and off for 50 years and I did learn an number of things from him.
Robbie is first and foremost a pleasant and very bright person. He is a teacher at heart. Our meeting was in the midst of Cover and he was extremely careful abut distancing, masks, etc.
I had asked him to change the plugs, points, consensor, rotor and distributor cap. The front brakes were pulling and I asked him to replace both hoses, bleed and adjust the brakes. The muffler tip had rusted and I had the part to replace. He took are of these quickly and efficiently.
In addition, he noted that the following issues: the intake boots were cracked and needed replacing, the right engine mount was missing a bolt and was non functional, the exhaust damper had a line of rust holes and the generator pulley was missing the Woodruff key. He manufactured a Woodruff key and the other items will be dealt with later.
Robbie is an excellent wrench. He has an amazingly thorough knowledge of VWs, and that knowledge is both the book type and (more importantly) the practical side. He knows what will work and what will not!
I was very satisfied with the visit from Robbie and I will call on him again.

Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:27 pm

SO far, Robbie has helped me two years in a row - we've fixed the sliding door, added an LED light strip in the cabin, straightened the steering wheel, installed front and rear hitches. installed a rear camera, installed a trailer plug in, adjusted valves, installed ice scrapers and replaced the distributor in a crunch the night before a show with a 72 beetle distributor - Robbie had already gone to the camp with everyone else, when I called him to let him know the distributor we installed stopped working. He drove back to my place (at least 45 minutes away, and helped me troubleshoot the distributor.
As I write this, he is on his way from San Diego to help me troubleshoot, once again - this time Pancho is making a really loud noise, that does not go away after warming up.
The best thing about Robbie is he is an excellent teacher - who can explain and show even the most rock-headed mechanic (me) how to work on my bus - and he does it without belittling or ever sounding superior - even though his VW knowledge is amazing - he can tell you what things were changed every model year, and his love of air-cooled engines rivals Porsche!
Robbie is worth every penny he charges - and he's awesome to hang out with!

Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:52 am

After a few weeks of trying to get my bus to start, we finally arranged a FaceTime call with Robbie for some help. He quickly ran us through a troubleshooting workflow that got us pointed in the right direction. Even after the call, Robbie kept in touch via text with more suggestions and ideas and eventually we sorted all my issues and got it running.

I can do most everything myself on my bus, but it's nice to have a "lifeline" sometimes when I'm stumped. Robbie provides a great service to the VW community!

Sat Oct 19, 2024 9:18 pm

Robbie, I have a 76 Westy that I have restored from front to back. Original motor n
was rebuilt by Frenchy Dehoux here in Arizona ( hope you have heard of him!)
Anyway, when I bought the bus the fuel injection was GONE, so bought a new pair of (Spanish) 40 IDF Carbs. We live in a small mountain town in Arizona
(Payson) at 5500 feet, and am having a hell of a time getting it to run a good bit leaner, not fouling the plugs. My concern is that these carbs are VERY picky, and if I travel to lower or higher altitudes I will have to rebalance, cladjust them (?). My questions to you :

1. Am I correct in my assumptions?
2. If so, would it be possible for you to find the parts to install fuel injection again?
3. Any idea of how much this transplant surgery would cost?
4. And, would you travel to Payson? It’s about an hour and a half
north west of Phoenix on route 87.

Thanks, Bob 480-363-7212

Tue May 06, 2025 2:05 pm

I am long overdue to update my thoughts about Robbie/Air-schooled.

For the past 6 years or so Robbie has done most of the maintenance and repairs on our bus.
He is very pleasant to work with.
He is supremely knowledgeable and capable.
He is practical and reasonable.
He wants his customers to be happy.

In my dealings with him, one big incident over the past 9 months was the clearest demonstration.

Disclaimer: Robbie told me he *never* wants to be involved with another similar situation.

The background goes like this. Late last year we returned from a short trip to find that someone had vandalized the Bus. I went out to drive it briefly after our return and something was not right. Smoke, weird smells and a mechanical screaming - perhaps from the bearings - all happened in a two block drive. It appeared that white paint had been poured into the gas tank and into the crankcase. The short drive managed to pump that paint through the tank, fuel lines, fuel pump and carb. White smears on the oil dipstick.

I filed an insurance claim and the process began. Robbie was willing to do the initial tear down and come up with a damage estimate. Very long story short. The paint got everywhere. Then engine was frozen. It needed a short block, new tank and sender, fuel pump and carb.

The insurance company hired an "outside consultant" to assist in the review of the damage and the cost to fix it. The Consultant was worse than useless. He did not know VWs. His determination of allowable costs (example: labor rates) were 25 years behind the times. He caused more problems than he solved.

Robbie found himself as the go-between amongst the insurance adjuster, the (useless) outside consultant, the policy holder (me) and the vendors. It was a very frustrating exercise.

Robbie handled everything with amazing patience but was very firm about what needed to be done and the cost to do so. Eventually the insurance company agreed to everything and the Bus was returned to function. I cannot express how grateful we are to Robbie for taking on this project. Our Bus is once again back on the road.

We continue to have complete faith in Robbie and his skills.