who fixes when it breaks down

[vw76westy]

Just curious
Do you do the repairs yourself or do you have a reliable vw mech
I used to do the work myself then I started working full time,then got married & had children
i realized if I wanted a reliable everyday driver I would not have time.
So now when something is not right & its going to take more than an hour to fix I drop it off with my mech
So now I spend my weekends camping w/family somewhere in westy instead of trying to figure out what’s wrong with it

Also how many miles per year does your bus average
I do about 8000mpy

[visibleink]

There isn't an option for all repairs.
_________________
Been on the samba so long I remember petting that dog to see VWs, WYHI, and green bug girl.

<-- Helga, she slammed her dub in '53 and adjusted valves with her teeth

[david_594]

[visibleink]

[david_594]

Yup, .5 miles. I bought the bus with no motor. I built a new motor for it and have spent the time ever since fixing other little issues with it and redoing the interior. I drove the bus around the block a few times and determined the brakes had to be redone. Replaced all the brakes and realized ball joints were shot....

I also think the transmission is the exception to the "All repairs" category. Its usually cheaper to just swap used than rebuild anyways.
_________________
1968 westy weekender
2000 jetta tdi
79 vespa p200e

[DubKru]

enh, maybe. But if you want to know it will last , do it yourself. plus its fun. I am my own VW mechanic, I just wish I was paying myself so I could buy more bus shit.
_________________
2L, Raby cam, HAM Heads, Mallory, Dual Dell 40's, Porsche discs, Fuchs (Colored matched not to my bus),tunin' the crap out of it, slammed on Wagenswest suspension.

[VeeDubzz]

I dont trust anyone else to do what needs fixin.
_________________
Steve
VeeDubzz in my past:
1968 Bug
1972 Bug (avatar pic)
1971 Westy
1971 Squareback

[busfreak_71]

Just me, myself and I doing the repairs/restoration on my bus...
_________________
'71 Tin Top Westfalia
'99.5 Bora TDI
'85 Jetta Coupe
'85 Mercedes 300SD

Resident Off-Grid hippie and diesel advocate.

[cr@M]

I do all my repairs because i want to learn how to do everything myself. It's satisfying and i love the feeling. I know my bus inside and out.

There is also only one shop on town that works on Type IVs, which sucks royally for me cause he ain't cheap. Everyone else just does bugs
_________________
1972 Deluxe named Lucidity
1973 Transporter

"He who fights with monsters must see to it that he himself does not become a monster...
when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
-Friedrich Nietzsche
_________________

[katkat]

There isn't an option for "spouse does all repairs."

He fixes it, I drive it....I also fetch beer and tools as needed
_________________
Cat,
77 Baywindow
63 Airstream Overlander

[stupidsongs2]

I bought my bus just over a year ago (Nov 1st was a the day i got it running) i bought it with 4400 miles on it and now i have...12,200?

so 8,000ish. prbly more this year, as I'm down to one car.

[stupidsongs2]

[Redd73]

i do most of my own repairs. i have two VERY excellent VERY experienced local vw mechanics who can fix anything i break when im doing my own repairs.

i had one of them balance the carbs, set the timing, and do a general check up to see what it needed to get to running right when i first purchased her. now that i know what its supposed to sound like and have gotten in there and done some basics like valve adjustments and such i can start doing more of the stuff myself. i will ALWAYS attempt to diagnose any problems and see what i can do to fix them. if i get in over my head or dont have any idea what the problem is its nice to have those guys to help out.
_________________
"...theres nowhere to go but everywhere." - Kerouac

------
73 Westy 2000cc w/dual solex (engine code GE) + aftermarket AC

[frank79]

I do every stick of my own work too. I have fought through everything that has broken or needed maintenance...and learned a lot doing it.

First year - 500 miles cause I got it reliable near the end of the year
2nd Year - 11,500 miles
This Year- 10,400+ and counting

There is no air cooled VW mechanic near me in Northern VA. This is the middle of nowhere. Maybe in WV but I never looked.
_________________
"Big Fat Momma" - she's slow but she's mine.
1979 2.0L Campmobile

[pwilson]

I have only had my Westy for three months, but have done everything myself. I hope that things will stay that way. In these three months I have put almost 4,000 mostly trouble free miles on her. Hopefully this too will continue.

[vw76westy]

i guess im lucky to have a good mech thats resonable with his pricing
im at a point where i take to him for everything

he keeps the bus just as reliable as my daily driver.
i guess thats what allows me to put 8k +miles a year

you guys are saying you do the work yourself but only drive 1 mile a year hhmmmmm....
thats where i was untill i acepted the fact that the only way i was going to have the time to go camping was if i found a good type4 mechanic
[they are just as hard to find as some parts]

anybody out there with a daily driver that does all the work themselves

[cc79westie]

It's great to do as much as you can on your own ( for experience and money saving), but it's also not bad to know a V.W. mech. who can take care of what you don't want/feeling like working on. They seem to me to be a fading breed. When vehicles get this old you want to know what to do to fix them (or know somebody). I would'nt think of taking my other car (84300zx) to a dealer these days, but I did in 98 for a clutch. I guess you just may be in good company to know a old school mechanic if you feel comfortable like that on certain repairs. Works for me.

[david_594]

[vw76westy]

& how many weekends did that take

[DjEep]

about 30-40k a year so far in two years on two buses (20-30k a year on one, 10k on the other).

I've done everything since a shop fucked it up. Went to Alaska and back, no mech's along the way, been camping a thousand times in between, no mechs, save for a local guy who let me use his tools and gave advice on a brake job. Done a couple clutch jobs, a few head swaps, some FI work, carb work, type1, type4, that brake job, alternator, etc....

And I never did more than an alternator swap on a honda before I bought a bus. Just too dang easy, yet important, to take to a shop.

But of course I'd have someone else rebuild a tranny for me...
_________________
No, you are not "tripping"
That is an emu.

Maybelline, 1968 Cold-Weather Westy, 1600cc Doghouse SP Stump-Puller
Betsy, 1965 Ghia, 1776cc DP w/ 34pict3, dizzy still in test phase
Casper, 1966 Standard Patina Original Barn Find, up for grabs soon....