2017 - Year In Review Stats

[EZ Gruv]

For the 10th year in a row...it's time for an annual review!

Post your basic stats!

1977 Deluxe Westfalia - 2.0L FI Type IV - Only comes out for events and social calls.

Miles driven: 1441 (down 300 from last year)
Gallons of fuel consumed: 78.827
Overall MPG: 18.31 - down .4 but with the little it gets driven, who cares.
Number of Oil Changes: 1
Number of Valve Adjustments: 1
Other maintenance of note: Fresh NGK spark plugs, refreshed the windshield wiper system, installed a hard/hot start relay, new CB antenna

Just for fun stats:
VW Shows attended: 12
Non-VW Shows attended: 4
Trophies won: 1 - That's one more than I shoot for, but it was a nice surprise
Campouts: 3 - Buses By the Bridge, Blackstar, VWs in the Gorge

Favorite photo of my bus, the green one.

_________________
Eric
1977 Deluxe Westfalia - 2.0L FI Type IV, Completely Original
Photographer for HotVWs, VolksWorld, AirMighty, VW Camper & Commercial, Hayburner, and more.
My Photography Page.

[airschooled]

One more camping trip.........


Robbie
_________________
Learn how your vintage VW works. And why it doesn't!
One-on-one tech help for your Volkswagen:
www.airschooled.com

[Wasted youth]

Prob'ly about 2,000 miles... just happy I can drive it again!

[rsbadura]

1979 VW luxury bus to Westfalia Berlin camper conversion - 2.0L Type IV -
used for camping weekend and holiday trips - and some car shows often with my Karmann Ghia or Eriba caravan.

Miles driven: 3500 (only - in some years 10.000 miles)
Gallons of fuel consumed: - (uninteresting)
Overall MPG: - (less than the VW specified 11.8 L per km, if I checked it)
Overall oil consumption: less then 0.2 L per 1000 km (621 miles)
Number of Oil Changes: 1
Number of Valve Adjustments: 1
Other maintenance of note: new vee-belt, old renewed drive shafts (because 2 new repro joints get chrushed after 300 miles )

Just for fun stats:
VW Shows attended: 2
Non-VW Shows attended: 5
Trophies won: - (not my focus, have enough by 20 years with my Karmann Ghia )
Campouts: 40 - to and around Mediterranean island Sardinia, some weekends Baltic Sea, classic car meetings.

Favorite photo of my bus (this year) - the orange one

Wish you all a nice season 2018...
_________________
Rolf-Stephan Badura
1970 VW Karmann-Ghia Coupe
1979 VW Bus L to camper conversion
1982 Eriba Pan travel trailer
2017 VW CrossPolo
HAZET classic tools

[EZ Gruv]

[Abscate]

[sodbuster]

Bunch of damn fun in 2017!
Any keeping track of it past that takes all the fun out of it! At least for me anyway.

OOOPS! looks like EZ Gruv caught us in the act! HA!

[Abscate]

I can't top 40 nights Camoibg, but number of nights spent in T4 and billed to the company as per Diem , 15


_________________
.ssS!

[Bleyseng]

Got out camping a few times this year but still not enough times.
Gas mileage is around 14 mpg
1 oil change and valve adjustment
new rear glass with defrost is nice
new SS exhaust is really nice

_________________
70 Ghia Black convert-9/69 build date-stock w/133k 1600 SP-barn find now with a rebuilt tranny and engine
77 Westy 2.0L w/Ljet, Camper Special engine-95hp and with LSD!(sold)
76 Porsche 914 2.1L L20c, 120hp Djet (sold)
87 Syncro Westy Titan Red 2.1L 2 knob 100k miles

[Spike0180]

1970 Transporter

Busses Name: Brutis Patches Izabich
Miles driven: 1700ish
Number of new engines: 1
Gallons of fuel consumed: Enough to not run out.
Overall MPG: poor. Probably around 13-20
Number of Oil Changes: 3
Number of Valve Adjustments: 3
Other maintenance of note: tie rods, rear wheel bearings, alternator, soft brake lines, installed oil temp sensor and gauge, new speedometer, fixed some electrical problems, and lot so and lots of tuning and learning about my engine and its difficulties.

Just for fun stats:
VW Shows attended: 1 (without the bus though)
Non-VW Shows attended: 1 (woodward dream cruise
Trophies won: Hahaha
Number of breakdowns: 3... none of which were detrimental.

Favorite photo of my bus, the teal and white one.

_________________
Brutis Patches Izabich: 1970 VW Transporter - 1776cc DP
Current State: Projects never truly end...
Location: Grosse Pointe, Michigan
Other cars: 2003 F150, 2003 Jetta GLI vr6-6sp

Sambastic: adj; the quality of being nit picky, elitist, expecting everyone to do things the way they believe is best with no regard to situation, "sambastic"

[Manfred58sc]

69 ex-adventure wagon

miles driven : 25, on fresh 1600 build

All rust repaired after 30 years of neglect

Campouts : zero ( that is just wrong )

Car shows : zero ( hate em' for the most part )

Except for a 2 year hiatus 1999-2000 this is the least diving I've done since I bought it in '85. Hoping for a good year and open roads
_________________
Fat chick owner/operator

[EZ Gruv]

[Rag00oll]

1971 Campmobile

Years Owned:6
Total miles driven since ownership: ~50,000
Miles Driven This Year: ~8,000
Oil Changes: 2
Valve Adjustments: 2
MPG: ~17-24... not good this year
Number of New Engines: 1, it was a used short block with pistons and cylinders. Last engine had terrible endplay

Maintenance:
4 New balljoints
All new tie-rods
New soft brake hoses up front
New e-brake cables
New generator and regulator


Needed maintenance:
New rocker panels
New passenger quarter panel
New lower b pillars
Patch doglegs
Fix windshield rust
Paint

Campouts: 0
Roadtrips: 1- PGH>PHIL>GETTYSBURG>PGH

[vwwestyman]

Dang, you're 4 days too early! I'm not quite done either. Drove the '73 to my folks for a Christmas visit Saturday to pad the mileage the other day. Kept it at home for the second trip because it had snowed and the roads were salty.

One of them will go to Nebraska on Saturday. I had my uncle pick up a Craigslist-found wake board tower and will need to pick it up when I go up for that side of the family's festivities.

So I'll get a few more miles to add to my stats! Then I'll have to dig out the old phone so I can get the mileage data off it. I couldn't get it to transfer properly to the new phone.

With two trips to Colorado under it's belt, the '78 should have a decent showing this year.
_________________
Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[russwiththebus]

1978 Standard Westfalia - 2.0L FI Type IV

Miles driven: 2,854 (down 2,369 from last year)
Gallons of fuel consumed: 197
Overall MPG: 16.8
Number of Oil Changes: 3
Number of Valve Adjustments: 1
Other maintenance of note: This was a unique year because the engine locked up back in June and so it got a rebuild and back on the road in November. So there was a lot of time missed. Usually I'm on the road a lot more and average at least one camping trip a month.

Here's the details on the new engine:

Type 4 2.0L (GE engine code)
Hydraulic lifters
Fuel injection
New: fuel lines, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter, thermostat, spark plugs (NGK B5ES), front and rear main seals, oil cooler (and seals), clutch disc, engine seal, alternator belt, distributor and coil (Pertronix Flame Thrower w/ Ignitor module)

Other stuff done this year (I took the opportunity while the engine was out):
Aux battery (Added a deep cycle and the relay)
Installed fuse blocks for accessories and USB ports
3rd brake light from GoWesty
LED strips installed in cabin
New shift bushings
Most interior/exterior bulbs replaced with LEDs
New wiper blades
New radio
New foam in upstairs mattress
New starter battery
Bleached poptop ceiling (It was nasty!)
A bunch of new stickers

Just for fun stats:
VW Shows attended: 2
Non-VW Shows attended: 1
Trophies won: 0 (Didn't compete)
Campouts: 7 (It's usually more than this)

Favorite photo of my bus this year (taken at Wildcat Lodge & Campground in Suches, GA):

Looking forward to more trips in 2018!

[MorkC68]

1973 Kombi converted to a Camper - 1.9L Twin Carb' Type IV

Miles driven: 2375 (up 325 from last year)
Gallons of fuel consumed: not measured
Overall MPG: ~22 - I don't tend to bother too much, I enjoy it for what it is
Number of Oil Changes: 1
Number of Valve Adjustments: 1
Other maintenance of note: Reproduction Alternator replaced with a Bosch one, taken off our '77 Westfalia

Just for fun stats:
VW Shows attended: 1
Non-VW Shows attended: 0
Trophies won: 0
Campouts: 17 over 22 nights - Techenders, Camping in the Cotswolds, Dent Music and Beer Festival to name a few.

Favourite photo of my bus, Gusbus in the morning sun:

_________________
Major; 1977 Westfalia Campmobile
- Subaru EJ20
- Koni Classic adjustable dampers & Empi Heavy Duty Anti Roll Bar
- 180W Solar System

My blog: https://twolatebays.wordpress.com/

[kokanee]

I put 2500 miles on mine the 6 months I have owned it.
RTwo long camping trips

2 liter
Scat c25 cam
1.8 liter heads
Weber 40 idfs
One oil change
One valve adjustment
Motor is now out to reseal had some oil leaks

Rebuilt transaxle

[airschooled]

1969 bus "Buddy." Driven daily and driven hard.

Miles driven: 18,968.5 (down 3637.1 from last year, probably from breaking my ankle and not driving for a while )
Gallons of fuel consumed: a little over 1,100, my records aren't complete.
Overall MPG: 19-20-ish
Number of Oil Changes: 6
Number of Valve Adjustments: 7
Other modifications of note: I added brighter reverse lights, picked up a new dent in the front bumper, added two interior lights, and hit the rev limiter three times instead of five this year. I painted a few trim pieces too, ya know……

Total repair cost: $3.67 for one new generator brush, one idiot light bulb, and one valve cover gasket.

Just for fun stats:
Shows attended: 4 Pomona Swap Meets, 2 Cars and Coffees.
Campouts: A few dozen in four states.
Miles on my right side valve cover gasket: 36,893.4

Favorite photo of my bus, from a summertime desert flog in 108° temps, smack in the middle of a 980 mile drive without stopping for more than gas.

Love you dudes. See you on the roads,
Robbie
_________________
Learn how your vintage VW works. And why it doesn't!
One-on-one tech help for your Volkswagen:
www.airschooled.com

[GoBigEmma]

Okay, now that the old year is truly over (and yesterday's hangover is over too), time for a few yearly stats. Our records are incomplete since we drowned the book keeping them in a river somewhere in Belize, together with the rest of the bus. Metal seems to be pretty okay with water, but paper and ink fare less well. So, most of this is from memory.

1975 bus "Big Emma". Driven from Southern California to Belize over the course of 9 months, then dumped her in a river, got her out, back running, stuffed her in a container and brought her home to Illinois, where she sits in a garage waiting to be fixed up and hit the road again.

Miles driven: about 25k
Gallons of fuel consumed: ummm, like a lot.
Overall MPG: somewhere between 10-15, brought down by weight and low-quality gas.
Number of Oil Changes: around 5 or 6
Number of Valve Adjustments: none, because hydraulic valves
Other modifications of note: A gazillion minor repairs, but few major issues. Changed out the alternator and fuel pump. Took out the engine for fun with Robbie.

Just for fun stats:
Shows attended: 1 Pomona Swap Meet, somehow managed to miss everything else.
Campouts: Not sure, but maybe around 200?
Number of breakdowns: real ones, where she wouldn't want to go any further without towing: 1, in a river in Belize. Minor ones where we got stuck by the roadside for an hour or so: about 10.

Favorite photo of my bus: There's a bunch over on our thread (see signature), but here's one we like a lot:

Happy New Year folks, 2017 has been a heck of a year and it wouldn't have been half as good as it has been without this awesome community. Here's to 2018, let's make it even better (and a little less wet). Cheerio!

Emma & Sven
_________________
1975 Bus "Big Emma", 1.8 FI, Hydraulic lifters
Interrupting our Pan-American Roadtrip for post-flood repairs: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=657738
Follow the trip on our blog: http://www.gobigemma.com

[richparker]

‘68 Tin Top Westy, The Bone Bus.

Miles driven: 7457
Gallons of 91 used: a lot of adding I don’t want to do
MPG: 16.5/town 21.5/highway
Oil changes: 3
Valve adjustments: 3, but they’re more like checks
New sets cork valve cover gaskets: 3
Adjusted brakes: 4
Transaxle oil change: 1
Rotated the tires: 1
On road oil consumption: none

Fun stats:
Multi night festivals: 2, one with out Lil P which involed lots of MTBing for me!
Number of MTB races the bus took me to: 8
MTB rides with the bus: countless, enough to ride 700 miles solely off road
Snowboarding days with the bus: 9, I take the truck when it’s snowing
VW events: 1, The Southwest Colorado Off Road Adventure!
Days I dropped Lil P off at school in the bus: Damn near every day.

Total Cost to Repair: $0

Favorite pic: hard to pic just one, so here’s two.

Giving Lil P five as I came through staging at the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde MTB race. I was on a team that was sponcered by Ska Brewing.

Near the Dry Fork Trail Head, Durango.

_________________
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’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
’63 Deluxe Build