IF I had a "Do Over" card...

[djkeev]

So, we have all made "improvements" or modifications to our Vans.

If you had a "Do Over" card, what would you NOT do again?

For me, job 1 ...... Jeep Wrangler outside mirrors.
They worked just fine but for the effort involved? I'd choose a different path.

Dave
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Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[harvgwen]

I haven’t had the van long enough to give much useful input, but I installed a GoWesty Aux battery kit. It didn’t work with my Subie conversion, so I installed a far superior ACR system.
For the number of Subaru conversions there are, you’d think GoWesty would put a disclaimer on the description indicating that it doesn’t work with a Subaru alternator.
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1986 Westfalia Vanagon, 2.2 Subaru
British Columbia, Canada

[CessnaJon]

Not sure why the GW kit wouldn’t work with a Subaru. Alternators are alternators, regardless of national origin.
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1973 Westy (shared birthday)
1990 Westy Multivan
2015 Passat TDI 6sp
2015 Sportwagon TDI 6sp
LR-JET, Gulfstream 159

[?Waldo?]

In looking back on all of the Vanagons I have owned, the common "do over" theme is that I wouldn't have spent any time/money on fixing/maintaining any of the stock engines and instead would have promptly converted each of them to mTDI.

[fxr]

[old_man]

[Yellow Rabbit]

I would have installed a 3 window tent years ago.

[skills@eurocarsplus]

[kourt]

The time and money I spent on acquiring and maintaining Vanagon rectangular European E-Code glass headlights. Broken glass, rusty reflectors, crappy buckets, broken aiming screws, bad wiring, burnt out bulbs, blah blah blah. A bunch of old crap!

Once I put in the JW Speaker 7" rounds (with a 1985 grille and GW buckets), the churn stopped. They have been the best lights. I have not had to think about them since I installed them, except to say to myself, "gosh, I'm glad I installed these JW Speaker 7" rounds."

Also: any time or effort spent on the Westy water tank level sender. What a terrible system. There are so many alternatives. I ripped out the OEM junk and modeled my new sender/gauge after this setup.

Also #2: the OEM poptop vent. Replaced it three times, each time due to rust and rattling. What junk. Maxxfan.

Also #3: the gauges! How terrible. Speedhut.

I should just go offline now. I keep thinking of the terrible systems I replaced, and it's annoying to realize how numerous they are.

kourt

[4Gears4Tires]

I wouldn't cut the entire rear quarter off to fix the bad lower section. Aligning large body panels is tricky and requires really good attention to detail. An 1/8" out means the sliding door inside handle rubs the body.

At least I learned my lesson on the passenger side for the driver side which has no sliding door.
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'87 Syncro
Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition

[Sodo]

I would buy wheels that fit rather than adapting Audi wheels that nearly fit.
Because I got them for $25 each.
I had to buy spacers and install longer studs.
And the hubcaps cost $20 each.
They ended up costing as much as wheels that simply bolt on.

I’m happy with the look though; and they are kinda classical. 👍🏽👍🏽
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'90 Westy EJ25, 2Peloquins, 3knobs, pressure-oiled GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[Crankey]

I can't think of anything. Even my overreach on the engine swap was fun to do and I learned a lot along the way. That's the only thing I'm going to do over but I still don't regret it.
Crappy auto parts store tint maybe...not that tough to scrape off.
I don't regret the six sets of cool ass wheels but I would like to find time to complete refinishing and assembling them.
Thanks to Chris Schimke and his sizing advice, Mellow Cat for helping me out in my first couple years of ownership and Kirsplat for wrench assist and hosting engine swap #1.

[Zeitgeist 13]

My regrets are mostly focused on my engine swap. Since I chose the road less traveled and built nearly everything associated with the swap myself, I didn't really have much of a template to guide my designs. In retrospect, I think I would've used the stock Mk4 engine mount underneath the cam pulley, and redesigned the trans mount to look more like a Syncro, with a dogbone mount to deal with lateral motions. I also would've mounted the exhaust entirely to the drivetrain, and not the body. And most of all, I would've converted the van to automatic at the time of the swap.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Love My Westy]

Since I paddled and open whitewatercanoe that weighed 54lbs, and my buddy paddled a whitewater kayak that weighed about 40 lbs, I installed the heavy duty Jackbombay Poptop shock. Even with that we had to work togerher to pop the top with the boats on. Without the boats, I had to put my full weight on the poptop bar to pull the top down. I ended up with the rivets in one of the poptop hinges poping loose, and issue that was solved with a short bot and fiber locking nut. Then I found the other hinge on the other side was all bent up and needed to be straightened. and the best way to do that was to cut and weld it. Needless to say, I don't carry that much weight and expect to raise the top anymore. There are limits. I now have the medium weight struts and I remove my canoe before raising the top. I think it was more the bringing it down with all my weight that did the damage.

[ZsZ]

I went mTDI. With todays mind I would go eTDI however it was a cheaper and easier solution then.
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Zoltan
1.9 MTdi 2wd Multivan (ex Caravelle)
Van since 2006, engine since 2008

[syncro surf]

I regret not buying a spare syncro transmission when they were readily available and cheap, but my biggest VW regret is selling my 61 mango/seagull bus for $2000.

[jlrftype7]

[jlrftype7]

I regret not buying more Mefro Steel Wheels when they were available, along with the plastic hub caps that fit them.
I was trying to save money with just 1 set of Five wheels when I switch over to 15" tires, and just swap out the All Season Tires to the Snow Tires when it was time, all on one set of rims, instead of my usual practice of having tires mounted on rims ,ready to go when it was time for the seasonal swap like with our other vehicles.

Now I need to decide what other 15" rims to get since the Mefro's are gone I guess from production.
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'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto

[mikemtnbike]

If I'd known when I bought my van how much I'd enjoy it as a camping/adventure rig, I probably would have held off and bought a stock camper that was more sorted from the get-go. Meaning, spending around 20k rather than 3k up front, which would probably be about the same out-of-pocket if I am honest with myself/budget.
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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

[Schnippzle]

#1 Don't buy a 1.6CS for £2400 which was more rust than van.