Hi, My name is Ben... Covid has killed my shop

[djkeev]

[VicVan]

Hi Ben,

I'm so sorry to hear that. Your website is the first place I found some information back when I bought my first Vanagon (How do I bleed this &%$ cooling system?), and has been a staple of my vanagon library ever since. Thank you so much for all the help you gave us.
I am sorry your shop has to end like this. As somebody I know from Québec likes to say, "ya rien qui arrive pour rien". Hang in there.
À bientôt !
JB
_________________
'90 Little Blue Truck, 2WD auto, FAS GenV 2.0 NA (AVH)

[ftp2leta]

Thanks you all for your good words.

I did a lot for the community since the past 18+ year and for over 400 of my customers over 18+ years. I have travelled a lot in my 5 Westy, met great people.

I have receive today 50$ (Paypal) from someone here of course, not sure who?

I will use it to keep my website online for a wile.

No I don't want to work on Vanagon anymore.

VW Westy owner have change over the years, they now have money, they don't understand that doing a Subi conversion can be hard because parts and not always available.

So they sue me because I am running late.

Enough of that.

Ben
_________________
Working with rust, grease, dirt and dust is a sad truth.
------------------------------------------------------
FI part for sale: http://www.benplace.com/parts_sale1.htm
My site: http://www.benplace.com/vw2.htm
Subi conversion: http://www.benplace.com/vanaru_eng.htm
Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/ftp2leta

[vanis13]

[Povi]

[Butcher]

Good for you. More good/great mechanics need to just say "I'm done!".

The internet is a great source but I say, have Amazon and YouTube fix your car. I do not have this problem, but whenever someone wants to bring their parts for me to install or say there is someone cheaper, I politely say no.

Maybe some day, the tables will turn and good work will be appreciated and rewarded. There are two sides of the story, but rarely does social media support a business, especially an automotive business.

[gbrandt]

Hey!

I JUST used your site today to remove my dashboard. You probably don't remember me but I stopped by your shop just to say hi back in 2011 as I was travelling through from Calgary to Newfoundland on vacation.

I have some infrastructure and may be able to host your site for you, its all static info anyway. Let me know if you are interested and we can talk details (size, number of hits a day etc)

Gregor
_________________
'Lucky' our 1987 Red Westy, ASV 1.9 TDI ~130HP, Peloquin differential (had a GW 2.3 that we loved, but it died, we drove it hard!)
We've driven in 49 countries and 5 continents to date
Canada to Argentina and back, 2015 to 2017.
Canada to Europe and back (including Turkey, Morocco and Iceland), 2017 to 2019
Mexico 2022-2023
https://www.instagram.com/live.travel.play/
http://livetravelplay.ca

[dobryan]

Ben, I would contribute to have someone host your site to help folks in the future. You put your heart and soul into it and I do not expect you to maintain it. But passing it on would be great.
_________________
Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[vanis13]

[jimf909]

^^^ That's brilliant. It would make a great sticky here (although I have no idea how that would work).

@Ben, I'm sad to hear of your troubles. The info about Vanagons you've posted here and at your site has been gold to me. Thanks for making my life with Vanagons better than it would have been without your advice.

Here's hoping all goes well for you.
_________________
- Jim

[mikemtnbike]

In on funding hosting…don’t want your awesome information, Ben, to vanish like Boston bobs. I never would’ve known to whale away on a head with a hammer to free it from the pistons without your site.
_________________
1991 Vanagon GL 2.1 AT Westfauxlia. "Frankie" Totaled https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764510&highlight=carnage
1995 Eurovan Camper "Marzivan"
2020 GTI SE manual

[djkeev]

[rogertj]

Hi Ben I don't have the pleasure of ever meeting you but if you ever need free hosting let me know I would be more than happy to help you out. I have mine with HostGator and have unlimited hosting space

You helped me with your dash removal photos of your website now my dash is looking shiny and my radiator fan relay got replaced thanks to you.

Again, If you are interested in my help with free hosting let me know true my email

Personal email:
[email protected]

Business Email
[email protected]

I'm based in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico and I know how and why are you going true. Covid and bad customers are just not the right combinations. You have my full support. Maybe after I get some money in I will also send you some but right now I am going to a similar situation to yours here at my country. Here you receive no stimulus check or nothing, cero, nada. So its been hard after my Vanagon died on me on December 2019 and Covid hit on January-March 2020 I was basically finished with my tourism business https://wildbaja.net/ but like we say here in Spanish "Para atras solo para agarrar vuelo" meaning that if you do one or two-step backwards it is only to start the flight!

I wish you well and hope to receive your email soon.

Blessings my friend.

Roger TJ
_________________
Roger
Had a Carbureted ABA after engoing the heck out of it now going for ABA 2.0 Jetta EFI ill put a garrett in to the tin can later or maybe go electric?
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

[si2t3m]

Sad news

Best of luck in your new endeavors
_________________
Marc-André Morin
90 Westy Syncro EJ25
90 Weinsburg Syncro EJ22
76 Westfalia EZ30D
72 911 Targa
70 914-6 conversion
69 Ghia convertible
68 912 coupe
67 912/911 coupe

[VdubVanner]

Good luck, Ben! I know that I've had a look at your wonderful site over the years and appreciated it. Hopefully, Gregor Brandt can help preserve it somehow.
_________________
"Fritz", a temperamental and unforgiving 1989 Westy that proudly bears his German flags and status as a member of the exclusive GoWesty Belly Flop Club.
1989 Westy Makeover: GoWesty 2.3L Engine plus plus plus https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

[snowsyncro]

So sorry to hear of the customer abuse and Covid troubles Ben.

Next time you are back to Nova Scotia (and I know you will be), I have lobsters and beer waiting.

RonC

[bobbyblack]

The fight to keep (old?) VW's running, and customers happy is not easy. I am not even able to get any local help for my fleet. I do the entire work myself, short of rimming tires. I am constantly referencing the Ben site information, and hope that it does find a new hosting situation, the loss would devastate many here.

As for getting a law suit brought against you, I am so angered, too many feelings to put in words! Some of them might have to do with deciphering who that person is, and adding the right tools to be sure the job gets done. Maybe not as the original request might have been made though. For certain, whomever it was is not welcome here, in my opinion.

I've seen plenty of threads here on how someone thought they were wronged, and for whatever reason put up a thread that points fingers. That sort of thread has always nauseated me. Fortunately, I seem to have a good enough memory that I no longer participate in any thread they are involved in. I don't respond, nor wish to help or participate in any of those persons' attempts to cast doubt, or disrupt someone's business. Those sorts of folks are cowards.

To Ben, thank you for all you are and have done!

To the person who was that last straw, you should be ashamed, and I wish the Evil Eye be on you the rest of your miserable days.
_________________
'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[DanHoug]

Ben- you MAY not know how influential you've been in the Vanagon world but take heart that you've made a great contribution and are very well known across North America. your treatise on sealants, tested empirically, is my go-to.

many thanks. i know how it is to just get to a point, even with something you're really good at, and have to leave. i just did that with my radio broadcast career and feel great not having the pressures. Onward!
_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com

[ftp2leta]

I read you all, (Funny story about language:), so many years ago, I though the word READ made no sense for a French speaking guy! I read something, or I have RED something, past or present?? Some nice folks told me it's the same in English??? It's READ no matter what.

You... HERE, the good old timer explain to me how it was, the English language.

Because before people where criticizing my poor English here and elsewhere ( I am a French Canadian).

Even French folks where criticizing my website because my written French is not perfect also.

In my head I was sad... but I did continue to built and elaborate my web site as best as I could. I said the basic is there so for the one that criticize the way I write the heck with them.

Since always it was important to share my knowledge, why, because an old men that I loved (dead today) explain to me when I was young that life is about sharing.

Thanks for your great comments. Some made my cry.

Benny
_________________
Working with rust, grease, dirt and dust is a sad truth.
------------------------------------------------------
FI part for sale: http://www.benplace.com/parts_sale1.htm
My site: http://www.benplace.com/vw2.htm
Subi conversion: http://www.benplace.com/vanaru_eng.htm
Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/ftp2leta

[dhaavers]

Love to you always, Ben...

You've guided me through some major work, most of which I never imagined myself doing.
Great teachers will always be a blessing, and you have blessed many. We miss you already.

<3 <3 <3

- Dave
_________________
86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS>