Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 17:54:07 -0500
Reply-To: "Donald A. Drisdell" <DDrisdell@CI.CAMBRIDGE.MA.US>
Sender: Vanagon mailing list <Vanagon@Gerry.SDSC.EDU>
From: "Donald A. Drisdell" <DDrisdell@CI.CAMBRIDGE.MA.US>
Organization: City of Cambridge, Massachusetts USA
Subject: (Fwd) Re: EV Airconditioning
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Anthony Parise and I exchanged several messages directly to each other
after an initial communication on the list. We realized that others on
the list may find some aspects of our exchange of interest.
Don Drisdell
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From: "Anthony Parise" <aparise@fast.net>
To: DDrisdell@CI.Cambridge.MA.US (Donald A. Drisdell)
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 14:05:01 +0000
Subject: Re: EV Airconditioning
Priority: normal
> From: DDrisdell@CI.Cambridge.MA.US (Donald A. Drisdell)
> Organization: City of Cambridge, Massachusetts USA
> To: "Anthony Parise" <aparise@fast.net>
> Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 10:02:36 -0500
> Subject: Re: EV Airconditioning
> Priority: normal
> On 5 Sep 97 at 16:13, Anthony Parise wrote:
>
> > From: "Anthony Parise" <aparise@fast.net>
> > To: DDrisdell@CI.Cambridge.MA.US (Donald A. Drisdell)
> > Date: Fri, 5 Sep 1997 16:13:44 +0000
> > Subject: Re: EV Airconditioning
> > Priority: normal
>
> > > From: DDrisdell@CI.Cambridge.MA.US (Donald A. Drisdell)
> > > Organization: City of Cambridge, Massachusetts USA
> > > To: aparise@fast.net
> > > Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 17:40:46 -0500
> > > Subject: EV Airconditioning
> > > Priority: normal
> >
> > > Anthony:
> > >
> > > I just returned from vacation myself, so this message may be too late
> > > to be useful, but I have recently dealt with the loss of air
> > > conditioning in my '93 EV. The dearlership dignosed a bad "receiver"
> > > -- a cannister-like component that looks like an oil filter, located in
> > > the right front wheel well just ahead of the tire. The unit was badly
> > > over-heating. They also replaced the fan resistors.
> > >
> > > Don
> > > --
> > > Don Drisdell, Deputy City Solicitor
> > > The City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
> > > 795 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-3219
> > > (617) 349-4121 FAX (617) 349-4134
> > > drisdell@ci.cambridge.ma.us
> > >
> > >
> >
> > Well, I finally got mine repaired, and guess what? Exactly the same
> > thing wrong. As it was explained to me, the fan resistors went ( I
> > suspected a fan problem early on ) and afterwards a solder fuse in
> > the dryer ( same description and location as the "receiver" you
> > describe above ) blew out from the system overheating. The first guy
> > who filled the system carges us $100, even though that eventually
> > leaked out too. Add another $500 to have it done properly.
> >
> > It looks like another VW weak point. The blower resistors are
> > probably rated at too low a wattage and/or are improperly ventilated.
> > One problem then leads to another.
> >
> > The joys of owning a VW...........
> >
>
> Anthony:
>
> As it turns out we paid about $100 to the first guy who looked at our
> van and recharged the system, then paid another $500 to fix the problem
> correctly. Maybe there is some comfort in the consistency of the cost
> for repair? I think the joys of owning a VW are especially heightened
> with these EV's, since there are so few of them that getting parts is
> even tougher than with other VW's. So far the only mechanical problems
> we've had have been a broken power window cable (which I understand
> became a recall issue), brake work (normal wear, but very expensive
> parts), and this air conditioning problem (by the way, my mechanic
> called the part a receiver/dryer). What I am much more concerned about
> is rust, which has developed in both rear wheel wells, along the post
> at the front of the sliding door, and along the bottom edge of the left
> central panel. We took it to the dealer and they told us we had to see
> a VWA rep. We waited weeks for a Chris O'Hara, Customer Relations, to
> show up here in Massachusetts, and when he came he gave us an insulting
> lecture about pebbles bouncing up from the road and causing tiny nicks
> in the paint finish. Bottom line, not covered, warranty only covers
> penetration. When we bought our van we received a big hype about the
> superior paint finish, now I realize we have a serious rust problem
> that we will be fighting for as long as we own this van. There has
> been some discussion on this list about water based paint processes
> being used by VW, but the information has been sketchy. Having any
> rust problems?
>
> Don
>
>
This is all quite interesting, and maybe we should be sharing this
info with everyone on the list. Anyway, I do have a rust problem in
the well around the license plate, but nothing else rusting through
yet. I'll check the wheel wells for rust when I have a chance. Yes,
$600 would buy quite a large home air conditioner, but it just
repaired the one in the EV. Moral of the story is to shut the A/C
down if you suspect a problem. That way at least you may save the
dryer.
Well, I'm installing power locks in my '90 Vanagon, and am working on
custom contacts I built for the sliding door. My first attempt at it
worked OK except for alignment of the contacts, which eventually
worked themselves askew enough to caust the contacts to bind. My new
design eliminates that and it is almost completed. My contacts are
MUCH bigger and more robust than the orig. equip. types, and,
material wise, much cheaper. I'm also going to install power windows
in it, and as many gadgets as possible. What it really needs is a
new engine, but I just had the right side heads done, so I'll have to
keep it a while.
See you later.
--
Don Drisdell, Deputy City Solicitor
The City of Cambridge, Massachusetts
795 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-3219
(617) 349-4121 FAX (617) 349-4134
drisdell@ci.cambridge.ma.us
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