hey, im back (sort of) have a little time to go online since we are getting
the remnants of jeanne now..

anyway.. how many of you think your van is solid and rustfree?  might want to
look..and do some fixes and preventive maintenance before you go thru another
winter..with roadsalt eating away at your van..

ive said this all before, and and will say it again..

1)those of you with campers.. CAULK YOUR EXTERIOR FILL PORTS!!   yep.  got
seam rust along the horizontal rocker seam under your fill ports?  its water
coming in around the fill ports.  when westfalia-werke does the camper
conversions, they just hack 3 holes in the side, and pop the fill ports in with nothing
more than a foam gasket to keep water out.   well foam degrades over time.
and water pours in around these outlets, soaking the insulation behind your
kitchen cabinet,  and never dries out.. water takes the path of least resistance
to escape, the seam.. therefore seam rust.   if you want to see a worse case
scenario, stop by for a visit..i have a blue 80 westy parts van that the
drivers side is completely gone from rust.
caulk the perimeters of your fill ports.  cheap and easy to do..regular
exterior silicone or latex will do.  alot easier than replacing rust holes..

2)  remove those stupid black plastic plugs at the bottom inside of your
hatch.  one on each side..round..about the size of a dime.   they do nothing but
hold water in.  every van i ever get i always pop them out, and am drenched by
water that has been sitting in there..

3) those of you with '88-'91 vanagons with the fiberglass bodykits... do you
know what is lurking under that long drivers side rocker trim? and under the
rear fiberglass  bumper endcaps?  might want to take a 10mm socket w/ extension
and take a peek, and remove your rear bumper to check the seams under the
fiberglass endcaps.  that long fiberglass drivers side body cladding
convieniently hides the horizontal seam..and some of the vertical seam.. which vanagons
are highly prone to rusting..    out of sight, out of mind, eh?  no..    more
like out of sight, out of control..  look and see so you can address the problem
before it becomes a nightmare.. i just parted out a '90 carat that had a nice
big hole under the body cladding..slowly getting bigger every year unaware to
its owner..

4)  check under your drivers/pass dogleg step rubber pads.  they pop thru
holes in the step w/ rubber tabs.  odds are you probably have a bunch of rust
under there..

there are other areas to check, but these are the main ones..  get rid of the
rust before it makes you have to get rid of your van...

chris