Volks,
        where do I begin...
         In '97 I bought my first car, a '71 Westy. I knew NOTHING about auto
mechanics and even less about VWs. Turned out that bus had cracks in both
heads. Compression was down in the 40s. With the help of a new friend (who
had worked at a VW shop for years) we rebuilt that engine and bus in his
garage. Then I moved to Chile (South America), where I went to Auto
Mechanic's School and worked at a VW garage there. I only saw aircooled
stuff, and even stuff we don't have here (see that "Brasilia" in VWT last
month? I worked on a few. 411s? 412s? Those, too. Mexican beetles and
buses? yup. Even drove a '98 Mexican Beetle off the showroom floor for a
test drive and almost got clobbered by a public transportation bus. You
should have seen how white the salesman's face was!) Came back to the
states, sold the '71. Bought a '74 Westy and totally restored it. Put 8k
miles on it, driving all over the East Coast with my wife and little boy.
Sold it a month ago. During that time I restored a friend's bus, a
neighbor's bus and my sister-in-law's bug. My wife wanted something more
"modern" and comfortable,so we stepped up to a Vanagon this past weekend.
        I am a Teacher in the Philadelphia Public School System. My wife stays
home with our child, expecting our 2nd one in March. I live in a row home.
That right there should explain why I don't have more than one VW at a time
;-)
        Now, why do I ask "dumb" questions- Well, I've already made hundreds of
dollars'  (maybe thousands) worth of "dumb" mistakes that I could have
avoided if I had just done my research first. Looking it up in the manual,
asking a friend, or asking the lists. I saw this problem with the bed a
potential expensive mistake. I couldn't find the owner's manual in the
Vanagon, so I figured I would ask the list. Thank you to those who
responded. I now know how to make my bed (and sleep in it).
To Tim in SJ- what the heck are you talking about? (that damned silver
thing next to the steering column)
My ignorance shines again.
See you guys on the road,
Joel