Date: Tue, 10 May 2016 13:37:43 -0700
Reply-To: Jeff Schwaia <vw.doka@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jeff Schwaia <vw.doka@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Vanagon rentals are catching on
In-Reply-To: <57317488.4080303@TURBOVANS.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Hey Scott... it's "limp mode", not "limb mode". :-)
Cheers,
Jeff Schwaia
Autostadt West
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Scott
Sent: Monday, May 09, 2016 10:41 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Vanagon rentals are catching on
fwiw,
an aftermarket add-on device to prevent overheating in air-cooled VW's...
like say a VW Bug , did exist i the 70's and may still.
a little cirucit wired to the igntion with a temp sensor on the engine ..
if the engine got WAY too hot, say cooling fan v-belt fell off, the ignition would go into a limb mode ..
it would run, but just enough for you to get off the freeway at half power , for example.
I had some friends tow to me a modern Passat...
the one with the fore-aft mounted inline gas engine ..
that's known for sludging up oil passages.
they had it towed because a huge Red Light in the middle of the speedometer said STOP !
and lots of modern cars can go into a limb mode ..
so it's not totally dead, but it can't hurt itself quite so much.
a engine temp limb mode system could be made to work on a vanagon ..
like say coolant level, coolant temp, and oil pressure , and it goes into a limb mode.
the ignition based circuit above, was not complicated..
small box, 4 or 5 wires, under $ 50.
Yeah..I think there's a lot of risk in renting out vanagons.
they're not idiot=proof vehicles at all.
guy i know rents them out on Oahu, Hawaii..
at least they can't get too far away there ! ..like 2 hour drive max
to rescue the thing.
Scott
On 05/09/2016 02:43 PM, Jim Felder wrote:
> An immobilizer that prevented restarting would not work at all on a
> Vanagon. It would have to shut the car down at 230 degrees or thereabouts.
> It's going to immobilize at some point, why not before the fatal
> damage sets in?
>
> Jim
>
> On Mon, May 9, 2016 at 5:07 PM kenneth wilford (Van-Again) <
> kenwilfy@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> My brother just rented a new Chevy Suburban the other day that has a
>> rumble pack under the driver's seat when you do something it doesn't
>> like, it vibrates. Maybe something like that to scare them? I know
>> it would scare me. :-)
>>
>> Ken
>>
>> On Mon, May 9, 2016 at 6:03 PM, Stuart MacMillan
>> <stuartmacm@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I thought about that too, but you need to be able to get to a safe
>>> place to stop. An immobilizer to prevent restarting?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Stuart
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> From: Jim Felder [mailto:jim.felder@gmail.com]
>>> Sent: Monday, May 09, 2016 12:52 PM
>>> To: Stuart MacMillan; vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
>>> Subject: Re: Vanagon rentals are catching on
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> It would have to have an immobilizer feature to work with the
>>> non-vanagon crowd.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Jim
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, May 9, 2016 at 2:50 PM Stuart MacMillan
>>> <stuartmacm@gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> I would not rent or even loan my van. But if I did, I'd install a
>>> coolant
>>> alarm: http://www.gowesty.com/product-details.php?v= <
>>> http://www.gowesty.com/product-details.php?v=&id=24196> &id=24196
>>>
>>> Stuart
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>>> Behalf Of kenneth wilford (Van-Again)
>>> Sent: Monday, May 09, 2016 10:49 AM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Re: Vanagon rentals are catching on
>>>
>>> Scott, we were learning to be more picky with who we rented to, but
>>> it
>> was
>>> a painful process. People wanted to rent vans to go to Prince
>>> Edward Island from NJ (nope sorry), people wanted to rent them to go
>>> to music festivals (unfortunately that didn't end well either as
>>> alcohol was involved along with domestic violence). As you said, we
>>> tended to think
>> of
>>> these vans as our babies as well. Would you hand you children over
>>> to
>> just
>>> anyone? Some people do, but I don't. :-)
>>>
>>> Ken
>>>
>>> On Mon, May 9, 2016 at 12:00 PM, Scott Quinnett
>>> <dragonflyvans@gmail.com
>>>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> This thread was just brought to my attention. I have been doing
>>>> this business for almost 10 yrs now. When I started there were two
>>>> places in California and one in Hawaii(Maybe two) that, in my
>>>> humble opinion, were basically making average VW campers available.
>>>> Nothing more with
>> one
>>>> exception. VSWagons. I have been contacted by many attempted "start
>>>> ups" over the past few years and a particular spike in attention in
>>>> the last two years. They are looking for insurance, feedback,
>>>> experience, revenue, etc. etc. Admittedly I haven't been very open
>>>> or friendly, I've got a lot to do daily and I'm a
>>>> Mechanic/Technician first, and social butterfly with a cool
>>>> business concept in a far far second. In order for renting to make
>>>> sense and be profitable you have to ask big money. That concept
>>>> doesn't translate until your customers have actually used the van
>>>> and returning with that "ah ha" moment of understanding the value.
>>>> Also, I probably turn away as many people as I rent to. I litterally research everyone who I intend to rent to.
>>>> If your familiar with the TV show Seinfeld, my friends call me the
>>>> "van nazi". "NO VAN FOR YOU!" as I am very stick about who and how
>>>> my campers are being used. I am a self made person and I've built
>>>> everyone of these vans with my own hands and they are mine, my
>>>> daughters if you will. They are not for everybody. blah blah
>>>> blah......but I'm 9 years into with only one failure that needed
>>>> roadside attention.(chest
>>>> pounding) In any case, I'd love anyone to chime in with opinions
>>>> about this. More I'd love to hear the horror stories of others
>>>> having done the same thing. In fact, that might be the whole purpose of my
>>>> participating. It may be a "misery love company" thing. No one can
>>>> empathize with this kind of thing, but can sympathize with the
>>>> concept of morons f'n up your vans. errrrr..... Looking forward
>>>> to hearing from folks. One day I intend on producing a coffee
>>>> table book regarding the horror stories. I believe on VW Van
>>>> owners will
>>> appreciate it.
>>>> Peace.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Thanks,
>>> Ken Wilford
>>> John 3:16
>>> www.vanagain.com
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Thanks,
>> Ken Wilford
>> John 3:16
>> www.vanagain.com
>>
