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Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles?
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amyshannon
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 7:51 pm    Post subject: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

After soliciting advice here i had the trans fluid changed on my 2002 van at over 200,000 milles. I am the original owner and it had never been done.

Well i took apart the filter, the fluid was dark brown but not burnt smell. Inside the plastic casing was a sponge like material folded once onto itself. I examined it carefully . No metal or plastic pieces....just sand like grit that may have been metal..... smaller than sand particles.

Am I the luckiest Eurovan owner? Anyone else have stories of original transmissions lasting into this mileage range?
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 4:35 am    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

That's the highest mileage I know on original trans oil , well done.

I'm guessing you drive expertly, ie , not like a ( bad word deleted) and your prudent driving practices have been good to your car, your wallet, and your fellow drivers.

I salute you.
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Stripped66
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 7:49 am    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

amyshannon wrote:

Am I the luckiest Eurovan owner?


Probably. May the luck continue to be with you!
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66brm wrote:
Bodacious wrote:
Why not just make a custom set of wires with a Y splice in them. Then you could just run one distributor.

I don't think electrickery works that way
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:51 am    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

There is a big difference between Eurovan AT and Eurovan camper AT experience, I think.

Locally, sampling about 30 EV owners in my area, none have had AT transmission trouble, with mileages from 50-200k.

The only guys who bleat the transmissions are weak mantra are those selling cooler kits, snake oil, or just got the 'deal of a lifetime' on a used EV - and just found out why.
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jjvincent
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 10:21 am    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

What it seems to be is that people are buying a 15 year old "deal of a lifetime EV" that has been babied from day one (as per the previous owner). Then when they get it, all of a sudden the transmission is not shifting right. This is because the previous owner knew this and got out of it before you got your own dream vehicle. Yes, there are the ones who have owned it since new and are doing fine. Most of the transmission horror stories are not those people.

How do I know this? Well, I worked on Porsches and Audis for years. So, when you stick to those two brands, you pretty much know what will break and when per model.

This is why we seen lots of aircooled 911's that a new proud owner comes in and is asking about that slight noise when they are accelerating on the highway. Someone told them (usually the previous owner) that it's just a exhaust gasket and it's cheap (which they are) and they just never got around to having someone replace it (how convenient). The reality would be, it would be two broken case studs which requires a complete disassembly. The noise is actually the head coming off of the cylinder when the cylinder pressure gets high enough. So, in the mid 80's that was a $4K job.

Best thing to do is just go buy a 2002 F150 with 200K on it. The chance that it will never have an issue like the spark plugs breaking off in the head, the cooling system shot, the rear axle leaking or the transmission not shifting just right is rare.

It's just like the friend of mine buying the 1998 Dodge 1500 pickup because it was a stick. As we know a manual never breaks. So when the layshaft bearings (which were already making noise) failed, that transmission was junk and there was no real way to rebuild it (we tried). After talking to a Dodge mechanic, they knew of the problem and it was quite common. Thus the previous owner unloaded it before he had a $50 pickup truck. Thus the exchange one from Dodge was NLA and a used one (which we found 5 in the US was a minimum of $2K. He bought it and guess what. within a year, same noise. So, it got unloaded onto the next sucker.

Maybe like the 2000 Taurus wagon my in laws bought a few years ago. They got it in June and loved it until the first cold snap. Why? No heat. The heater core was completely plugged and obvious someone else had been working on it because it had splices on both hoses. Top it off when we looked at it, the coolant smelled like ATF. Guess what that means, the trans cooler is leaking. It took me two days to change the radiator because it's a reap PIA and the trans lines were completely rusted in it. So, that required new lines too. As for the heater core, I was advised by my friend that works at the Ford dealer, "You don't want to change out that heater core unless you can bench press a few hundred pounds (the dash assembly is really heavy)." When the transmission decided to not go in reverse in the winter unless you revved it up, I told them, "Get rid of it." Which they did.

Another one is my neighbor that bought a Jetta GLI (with the same motor as the EV) and it had the check engine light on. The previous owner actually bought the crank and cam sensors but "Didn't have the time to put them in." Guess what, it wasn't the sensors but needed the timing chains. Go figure.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 10:41 am    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

There must be a lot more late model EVs in the west. There doesn't seem to be any discrimination of van type for the transmission failures either. Not something I would call robust.
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Zeitgeist 13
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 10:51 am    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

I would say that anecdotally I've observed Seattle area Craigslist EV ads for several years now, and the trans thing comes up time and again. Based on what I've read from the cognoscenti here, I'm willing to bet that most of those trans issues could've been resolved by measures well short of a total rebuild.

I now know that the trans in my Vanagon's donor Jetta TDI (basically the same unit as the EV) was probably just having ribbon or valve body issues, so the trans paranoia isn't confined to EVs. BTW, that Jetta had 204k and the trans was just flaring intermittently in third gear. The trans in my EV (150k) has a harsh first/second shift if I don't feather the throttle during that transition. I'm hoping to limp it along for as long as possible. 200k out of any automatic trans is a pretty stellar accomplishment.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 10:57 am    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

jjvincent wrote:
What it seems to be is that people are buying a 15 year old "deal of a lifetime EV" that has been babied from day one (as per the previous owner). Then when they get it, all of a sudden the transmission is not shifting right. This is because the previous owner knew this and got out of it before you got your own dream vehicle. Yes, there are the ones who have owned it since new and are doing fine. Most of the transmission horror stories are not those people.


A transmission failure is a transmission failure. It doesn't matter if it's the original owner who first noticed it and decided to sell it, or the new owner who just discovered it.
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66brm wrote:
Bodacious wrote:
Why not just make a custom set of wires with a Y splice in them. Then you could just run one distributor.

I don't think electrickery works that way
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 12:11 pm    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

Stripped66 wrote:
jjvincent wrote:
What it seems to be is that people are buying a 15 year old "deal of a lifetime EV" that has been babied from day one (as per the previous owner). Then when they get it, all of a sudden the transmission is not shifting right. This is because the previous owner knew this and got out of it before you got your own dream vehicle. Yes, there are the ones who have owned it since new and are doing fine. Most of the transmission horror stories are not those people.


A transmission failure is a transmission failure. It doesn't matter if it's the original owner who first noticed it and decided to sell it, or the new owner who just discovered it.


But it matters to Craigslist and the Samba, because the ones that work great never show up here, with a few exceptions.

Nowadays any car ages is much more a function of how it is treated than the design or manufacturer - of course there are exceptions. Ive got a 99 Volvo with the infamous Magetti Marelli throttle that will poop the sleeping area - and if you read the Fora you get people who will say never-never-never. Mine lasted to 137k, then I got the bill - I paid it, now Im at 200k - driving a tier 2 luxury car on a few pennies.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 12:28 pm    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

Are you saying that the demise of the auto transmissions are operator error?

I had a 97 auto jeep cherokee as a work vehicle for a few years early in my current job, that was shared with a few others for driving to cell sites. It was pretty abused and in no way driven carefully. That thing would just not die.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 12:34 pm    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

My working hypothesis is the Eurovan (EV) and Eurovan Camper (EVC) have different MTBF due to both load factors and operator characteristics. You also have to reach outside the Samba to sample correctly.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 1:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

What you have to remember is this. If you bought an EVC 15 years ago brand new for $40K and the transmission took a dump today, you'd not think of as a major problem. You got 15 years of service out of it and haven't made a payment on it for 10 years. So, you can live with the $5K bill to fix it. If that same EVC (owned by someone else) was sold at year 14 and you bought it for $30K just to find out a year later, you are faced with the $5K bill, you'd be a bit upset and tend to think that the transmissions are junk and don't last.

Also, no two vehicles have the same operating parameters. Take an EV that has 100K on it and has been driven in the NYC area, it's spent in about every area. Take one that is the same age and mileage but in Topeka Kansas, not the case. It's just like with plastic cooling system parts. The rate of failure in Phoenix is much higher than lets say, Portland Maine.

What cars really should have is an hour meter on them. If I'm driving across Kansas for 5 hours, I can rack up way more miles than driving around Brooklyn. The mileage put in Kansas is way easier because of the smooth, straight and flat roads. Plus you are running at a steady state for long periods of time as opposed to accelerating and decelerating where the transmission is shifting constantly and you are turning the wheel, going over crappy roads and idling in traffic.

Then there's people like me who have used the pulp out of my EV and I expect things to fail and wear out as opposed to someone else with a GLS that hauls around the kids and have never put more than 800lbs in it.
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jjvincent
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 1:19 pm    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

Isn't there someone here who just bought a 1993 EV with a manual only to find out it failed. If I was that person, I'd think that the manuals are no good.

One other point, the percentage of manual Eurovans is quite low, thus the number of failures is low. The frequency of automatic transmission failures will be reported much more then.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 2:21 pm    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

I've owned close to thirty cars over the last three and a half decades, and after a year of ownership I feel like I need to admit that the EV is hands down my favorite vehicle to date. I still can't wait to climb in and hit the road...despite that stupid harsh first/second shift.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 2:57 pm    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

jjvincent wrote:
Isn't there someone here who just bought a 1993 EV with a manual only to find out it failed. If I was that person, I'd think that the manuals are no good.


better bookmark that one.

No, really, it just sucks to see people surprised and deflated by the auto transmission issues, after their likely emotional purchase. I'm of the mindset that you tell people it's problematic, because it is, and at least they know what they are getting into. But no one selling vans will do that due to $$.

I love my Weekender too, but I'm listening/smelling/feeling for my own issues. I at least know what I'm getting myself into.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:01 pm    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

one of the mechanics that I worked with had a 1980 Audi 5000 Turbo that he bought in 1983 (it had a blown turbo). Over the next 20 + years he got it all the way to 650K. The transmission broke at 500K. The 2nd gear brake band piston broke in half which we had never seen ever or since. So, I had enough used Audi transmission parts (because many failed around 100K - 150K), I had the piston and a band. As for the two clutch packs (they were 3 speeds) they literally went back in because they were within spec. Only the pistons were changed out with the best I could find in my box of goodies.

The engine burned an exhaust valve at 550K and luckily we had a used head off of anther engine because it had hydrolocked (the turbo intake seal went out and pumped 2 quarts of oil in the intake. Ruined the bottom half for the head was fine.

The cars demise was a huge rainstorm and high winds and his old tree in his front yard fell on the car. Thus totaling it.

That car was beating the odds and just basic maintenance along with his 75 mile each way trip to work on the highway, made it last.

Then there was the customer that put 400K on a 1978 928 and it met it's maker in the great flood of 93 in Missouri. At 375K we did finally change out the head gaskets because there was only so much stop leak you could put in it.

That guys business partner put 450K on a 1979 Porsche 930.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:07 pm    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

Joshwa wrote:
better bookmark that one.


Here you go: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=678773
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:56 pm    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

Forgot about that one. Thought you were referring to the guy who lost reverse. The teeth were ground off.
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 6:24 pm    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

imagine after a month and you had to put in another manual transmission. Wouldn't you think that they were junk?
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 7:26 pm    Post subject: Re: Highest mileage Eurovan w/o transmission troubles? Reply with quote

Not until I had checked around to see if I got unlucky or if others were having the same problem.
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