Tool Kit (suggestions) for Road Trip

[02Berry]

Things we needed on the last big road trip:

10mm nut & washer for the sliding door rail.
Taillight bulb.
Trim tools (for pushing the beading back into the tent mounting channel, also for removing passenger door panel).
Screwdrivers.
10mm wrench.
Allen wrench(es). Not sure of size, but metric, of course.
18" length of rebar to insert in the lug wrench for added torque when removing wheel nuts.
Headlamp (for wearing while peering into the dark places at inconvenient times).
Box of nitrile gloves.
Rags/paper towels.
lubricant for the window regulator/tracks.

[Oh yeah, we also had to replace the radiator fans, but for us, that was a matter of taking it to a shop.]

We also needed to wash our windshield now & then, especially in insect-rich places -- I mean, the wipers do their job, but for travel enjoyment, a fully clean windshield is really nice.

And I'll ditto the GoWesty pre-programmed Scangauge, for watching transmission oil temp. (We already have their transmission oil cooler installed)
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Learned to drive in a '67 Splitty.
First car, '72 Squareback.
New to '02 T4 EVW world.
Third generation VW camper household.

[lavabiscuit]

Thanks for the great tips! I feel very well informed from reading these forums.
I unfortunately had my first mechanical issue already. Driving from picking up the van to the eastern Sierra I had some serious overheating. The radiator fans weren’t running unless the AC was on (saw this mentioned in a post here.) I was able to get it to Tim Miller at Sierra German Auto, and he traced it to a bad sending unit which is on order now.
Here is a picture at the mechanic’s. Funnily enough, there was another Eurovan with fan problems there at the same time.

[67rustavenger]

My 03 EV had the same failure, before I bought it.
A mechanic in Mt. bypassed the trans cooler when he "so called repaired" the cooling fans.
The end result was, a complete transmission replacement with a different trans due to it completely welding all the internal goodies together. It wasn't pretty and it was, Expensive to replace.

It's rude but, if you can, keep a sharp eye on the mech. while he does the repair on your EV. You don't want to go through what the PO of my van did.
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I have learned over the years.
Cheap parts are gonna disappoint you.
Buy Once, Cry Once!

There's never enough time to do it right the first time. But there's always enough time to do it thrice.
GFY's Xevin and VW_Jimbo!
2003 Astrovan? GFYS again, Xevin!

[Endopotential]

A bit of thread digression, but...

Lavabiscuit - sorry you're getting to bond with your new van in such fashion.
While you're at it, replace these green resistors which are found underneath the front bumper. They help control the speed of your radiator fans. They're often corroded after 20 years and cheap and easy to replace. You'll need 2 of them

https://www.amazon.com/ROEDE-701959263D-Resistors-...8&th=1
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2002 Eurovan Weekender

[lavabiscuit]

Thanks, I was wondering about that. I’ve heard that when they go, it can be pretty bad. Will do it!

[lavabiscuit]

Sorry, another question. Might as well keep it in this thread I guess.
I was practicing a tire change to make sure I had what I needed and knew how to do it. Good thing, because I can’t get the freaking wheel back on. I can get it up to where the center of the rim hangs on the part of the hub that sticks out, but it won’t go all the way on. There is still a large gap between the wheel and the hub. So even though the bolt aligns with the hole, it doesn’t reach. I’ve just learned about wheel hangers, and I’m definitely going to get one, but even with the wheel close to where it needs to be, I can’t get it that last half inch in. Any suggestions? Thank you!

[67rustavenger]

[jjvincent]

[WorthaTry]

A week or so after I got my EV home it occurred to me to check and make sure it has a jack. You know, just in case. After not finding it I consulted the manual and discovered I had to remove the bed platform to get to it. Rummaging around in the cubbies that revealed I found the jack, a collapsible tire cross lug wrench, and a variety of items one might want in case of road emergency, or at least one might receive for Christmas from someone wanting to give you something for your cool van. The potentially useful items of interest that I wasn't expecting were a tow strap, and a tow hook designed to be inserted into the receiver hitch. Those might actually be worth adding to the Road Trip Took Kit list.

After reading about the tire changing challenge I checked again today to see if by chance there were any wheel hanger pins, but alas, no. Here's the Amazon link if anyone else needs them: https://www.amazon.com/Steel-Wheel-Hanger-Alignment-Guide/dp/B07SFKHGTR
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2001 EV MV Wk