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www.vanagon.com also has some eurovan content.
Also, someone inquired about buying through AAA. I bought mine this way after trying to negotiate with three different dealers. I bought mine at substantial savings over all the dealers through AAA. Interestingly, AAA acquired it from one of the dealers I had been negotiating with!
www.eurocampers.com
www.shadyboy.com
I've also heard good things about the Catalina brand of awnings. There are several sizes. I think 8.5 feet is the model usually employed by vanagon/eurovanners. See
www.campingworld.com.
Finally, Steve Lashley (vanagon.com listmember who started a small business importing real German camping accessories) has several wonderful awnings, including some models with a sidewall or two. He also has tents to attach to your van for the ultimate accessory.
I know that eurovans require either bolting some mounting device or those add-on drip rails. I'd love to tell you more, but I don't own any of these. There are many owners of these on the vanagon and eurovan mailing list. See www.vanagon.com for details. I would suggest DIGEST mode as there are often 80-100 emails a day on the list. Great way to keep your VW running and learn how to make your van better for camping.
KarenS
Vans host
in US and LOVE it! No problems at all! Been to
Eastern Seaboard in Canada, out west to Manitoba,
and all Mid-west and Eastern US. I'd never buy one new-I'd buy a good used one. They're out there-if you look. (We use ours only for major trips (only 34,900 on it-I'll be using it 20 years from now!)
On awnings: never used 'em. Just set up a
screen house next to van. You can get a tent-like
deal that has a shockcorded affair that fits around your open tailgate.
KarenS
Vans host
your ripply tires are caused your tires turning at an angle relative to the direction of the vehicle - i.e.- by misalignment - get your wheels aligned - it will save lots of money in the future
VW hasn't been helpful, the dealers know nothing, and NHTSA hasn't crashed one. Can anybody help?
Good luck!
KarenS
Vans host
When we took it to the dealer, the horn wasn't working either (the horn and radiator fans are both on fuse circuit 13), so I was sure something was wrong with the electrical circuit. The dealer replaced both horns and they work fine. BUT the overheat conditions remains.
Has anyone had experience with this problem?
J. Freeman
A mechanic told me the Caravelle is safer than minivans, because everyone sits higher than whatever cars you're likely to collide with, and the energy from the impact travels under the passengers. I'm not an engineer, and don't know if this makes sense or not. The Caravelle is certainly a lot heavier than most cars on Norwegian roads (blessedly free from SUV's, which are too expensive and drink too much 4-dollar a gallon gas), and that weight is a big advantage.
I think that the most vulnerable point for these vehicles is the side-impact, so look both ways before crossing the intersection!
Scott
I cannot find safety information either. Please let us know if _you_ can. I'll just put my faith in the operator, the ABS, the seat belts, and all that mass up front. Plus hot bags of gas exploding in your face if you really need 'em. And maybe being up so high. For slippery conditions, the locking differential doubles (or more) the drive traction. Do other vans have these? They're cool!
I looked into tax deductibility. IRS sez you gotta have a potty in there to make it a "second home." I wonder if a portable one would suffice. Some of the Busses of yesteryear had one between the non-swiveling front seats. Or get a loan secured to your house if you can, then it's a given. I was able to from my credit union. "Consult your tax advisor for details."
The '93 that overheats: the fan is controlled by a thermal switch soaking in coolant, possibly screwed into the radiator (don't know). With a clip lead/wire you can wire around the switch and see if the fan(s) kick in. If so, that switch may be your problem. Dealer shoulda done this. Or wire the fan(s) directly to the positive battery terminal to see if they work. If all else fails, get thee to a radiator shop. It could be time for a coolong system check, maybe a new radiator or a boil-out if the old one's crudded up. Good luck, these things can be hard to pin down, especially with an older, tired engine that puts out more heat.
lastly, a word on reliability. If you want a laugh, or to get sympathetically depressed, or to feel superior in your choice of VW, go see what the poor folks who bought GM Astros/Safaris have to say. It'd be funny if it weren't so sad.
as to how big the folding table is, how close it is to each the rear-facing seats and rear seats? I'm interested in whether 5-9 year old kids can actually (and safely) use the table while the Eurovan is in motion without having to "stretch" too far forward away from their seatbelts
Thanks!
On the subject of tires, these vans require special tires (reinforced sidewall). The load rating for these tires are higher than the standard tire size. When I purchased my van 4 years ago, someone had put standard tires on it and it handled poorly. I realized the problem about a month later when checking the air pressure in the tires. The sticker on the driver side door post listed a higher tire pressure than the air pressure listed on the tire side walls. When I went to the tire stores, I found out that the tires were not commonly stocked, but could be specially ordered. The tire size is 205 65R 15 98S. The 98 is the load rating. The loading rating needs to be this number or higher. This is important as this is a heavy van and lower rated tires could be dangerous.
http://homepage.mac.com/jgolden/carfire.html
The room inside is incredible and the power of the VR6 is too good to believe. We hope that somebody knows if a running board is available on the aftermarket. My wife and I are both under 5'8'' so getting out and in is sometimes "a little difficult." If you do, please reply.
Even though it is a 1999 model, the dealer did not receive the van until March of this year. We also noticed that the radio and A/C seem to be 2000 versions. Am I rightwrong?
Here's to all the happy VW owners...we're a breed apart!!!
The problems I had with My Euro Van are similer to what I have read here.
1. In the summer it had a problem overheating and the horn did not work.
2. It almost caught fire, it was smoking and I disconnected the battery.
3. Service was a problem. The dealer would keep the Van for several days. because of parts on order, and it was expensive
overall I liked My Euro Van. Its is a great family Van and was great on trips
from a VW dealer and got a not too bad deal on it ($24K). The van only had 60 miles and it actually looked & smelled like a new car. I have been very pleased with my purchase since then and the van really runs great ! The more I drive it, the more internal beauty I discover about it. The thing really impressed me is about the power from the VR6: even at over 80mph the power seems like never ending upon request, and the van tracks very well on the road. The auto air-cond. really cool down things quickly (I live in PHX area) and the ABS works excellent. Give a test drive on it before you put your deposit on other minivans.
Also wanted to mention that after reading many of the other Eurovan messages, that the price of $37,000 seems rather expensive when compared to other mini-vans, but not so expensive when looking at the conversion vans or even the new Eddie Bauer edition subaru. (It's the same price, and also has a waiting list in this area.) I just think one usually gets what they pay for.
Thanks to anyone who can help.
Eurowinnie van does not have enough room to deploy the Z-bed and also have the middle two person seat in place. Maybe you could install a rear facing jumpseat out of a Eurovan MV behind the passenger seat. This would be costly and you'd still only have seating for three (with the rear bench made into a bed.)
AC- only if you leave the engine running. Same with the Sportsmobile unless you park where you have access to 110 (normal household electricity).
FWIW I visited the Indiana Sportsmobile www.sportsmobile.com factory this week and was VERY impressed. There are so many options on these things. Definitely first rate quality. No plastic stuff like the Eurovan. Sportsmobile can get pricey, if you throw in 4wd and all the other goodies like generators. However, if you outfitted one like a Eurowinnie Camper, you could get more vehicle for the same money and have no difficulty finding parts.
The VW brought back memories of my husbands childhood... good memories. So I wonder what his reaction to the Sportsmobile might be.
I do wonder what a Eurowinnie is... this may show my ignorance of the VW camper culture, but I'll ask anyway.
I have thought about accessing and cost of replacement parts and repairs. Our first vehicle was a Diahatsu Rocky;we loved it. (In fact, I saw the Rocky driving down the street and followed it into a parking lot to give the current owner a business card if he should ever want to sell it.) The draw back is that the company didn't do well in the US and pulled out. All of the parts have to be ordered from Japan. So thanks for reiterating this point.
A real overheating problem (or at least running hotter than normal) has occurred with my van. As mentionned in post #139 there are two ceramic resistors (mistakenly called fusible links or fuses) which are supposed to lessen the initial current draw through the fan relay while the fans are spinning up to speed (the white powder mentionned is the actual ceramic/glass compound of the resistor breaking down with heat - do not touch these while the fans are running - they are extremely hot). I have had to replace both of these resistors (only available at the dealer) and the original fan relay which controls both fans (it melted because one of the resistors burned out and the remaining fan would operate non-stop trying to cool the engine). The relay was replaced with two starter relays which have proven totally reliable for over 80000 kms. This is not a recommended fix by the dealer, however I have had no trouble with it or experienced any overheating since. The temperature sensor is in the radiator itself and they very rarely cause any trouble whatsoever.
Hope this helps,
A dedicated Eurovan owner
Winnebago now converts the vans. The vans can be had as Eurovan Campers,
http://www.vw.com/camper/specs.htm
or Rialta campers
http://www.winnebagoind.com/rialta.htm
Some claim that fit and finish have suffered under Winnebago. (Of course some claim that only German brake pads will suffice.) I have no first hand experience with the newer vans. Winnebago does use components (ie refrigerators) for which parts and service are readily available in the US.
Happy Hunting
My experience also is that the bed DOES fold down with the middle seat in place. Now my middle seat is the single seat (the 'Buddy' seat) which allows full use of the refrigerator, not the double seat.
As for leaving the engine running to keep the AC on for your pets while stopped, I do not recommend this. We tried it, only to have the Service Engine light come on and not go off for weeks. You also run the risk of the catalytic convertor causing a fire depending on where you park. Bar-B-Que puppies are not a good thing! Instead, we run two DC small fans through the auxiliary battery, park in the shade, and keep the top vent open as well as whichever screen windows open we feel safe with. We placed a thermometer inside to monitor the temperature and make sure there is plenty of cold fresh water. We also carry a small (5000 BTU) air conditioner which we can install in the front passenger window and plug in when we are near an AC electrical source. Finally, we have tinted our windows for cooler temperatures inside as well as for privacy for our dogs.
Now as far as the question of the table being near enough the back seat to be usable while the kids are still belted, be assured that the tables are fully adjustable back and forth so you can put them wherever you want; also you can use either two or just one of the tables.
Since you mentioned kids, please know that a 9 inch AC/DC color TV/VCR combination fits exactly between the two front seats, can run off the Eurovan's auxiliary battery, and is real nice when the going gets tough, if you know what I mean. Hope this information helps.
Thanks,
Ken
I have a 95 Eurobago (the other term for the winnie conversions). we're fairly happy with it. for those searching in earnest for good maintenance, shopping, repair info & general email conversation about the eurovan, look over the user group: http://www.egroups.com/group/ev_update
it's a chatty group, but usually excellent advice.
What do you wish you knew or had considered prior to buying your van?
Did you find your dealer good to work with? so far, mine is an [non-permissible content removed].
Is there a way locate vans or must I really wait til spring on a populated waiting list?
What options should be avoided or included?
Do you find the stereo adequate?
What aftermarket stuff did you find that works well?
Are there persistent or common problems I should be aware of?
I live in northern UT so this will experience both temp. extremes. Does the furnace work in temps near 0 deg.F?
What type of carriers work well for XC skiis and poles? Canoe?
Nuff with the questions, thanks for your time. Ken
If you don't need the poptop, regular MV's can be had for thousands off their sticker (at least on the east coast). Of course, thousands off the sticker is still thousands too high.
Consider a Sportsmobile, also. If you don't get wild with the options, one can be had for around the cost of the VW. And you won't have to deal with VW parts and service dept's...
www.sportsmobile.com
Believe me, I bleed vw. There's a vanagon in my driveway right now. But I don't think the future of the Eurovan is bright. I'd never buy a used one because there just aren't any on the road. The service tech's at my local dealership have never worked on a eurovan. This all leads up to VERY high parts and labor costs.
I just hope the next generation vw van is marketed a little more effectively.