The good and bad reasons for keeping our buses going ..

[cotswoldiver]

Having had a great trip to Spain & France last year in the Westy plans were set early in the year to head for Scotand. Primarily the West Coast but with a couple of islands to be thrown in and a stop over in Dornoch to catch up with old friends.
had a two night stay in the Derbyshire Dales, headed over to Troon and then northern part of Loch Lomond with a short bimble along the West Highland Way before heading to Mull and ever upwards of the west coast.

This is what makes it so worth while, camped up on Mull on Fidden Farm near Fionnphort

Mull 2 by cotswoldiver, on Flickr

And this is what makes it as frustrating as hell as yet again an annual holiday gets aborted due to a problem. This time a fuel leakage somewhere. Not in the engine bay, all fuel lines checked before the trip but it looked liked an engine out job as it was probably somewhere at the bottom of the tank - just not easily accessible. So as this finally came to a head on Thursday having stopped at two garages to see if it could be solved, having looked at it on the ramp head ruled heart and RAC brought us back last night. Ironically of course saved the fuel! Just lost half the holiday

Abort Scotland by cotswoldiver, on Flickr

Big tip - if I ever suggest planning a trip away, run a mile in the opposite direction it will save you a lot of grief. This despite spending another small fortune getting the westy in as good as nick as possible to enjoy the trip. In all honesty, I am hanging on to ownership of the bus by the smallest of fingertips at the moment.

Lost for words & trying to finding someone local to me to fix this and look at the on going popping issues - still have an air problem. Despair is a good word at the moment

 

[ozziedog]

Oh mate,, my heart sank when I read that, where are you and the bus exactly then and maybe we could recommend someone close to you. I know you`ve had a bit of tough luck with it, but it can`t just keep going wrong, remember these got a great reputation for being so reliable it`s just that some were kept going on a shoestring when the prices were a lot less and they just didn`t get the bit of tlc that all machines require.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Hang on in there matey

 

[geordie]

Sorry to hear, hope you get it sorted.

Geordie

 

[cotswoldiver]

Oh mate,, my heart sank when I read that, where are you and the bus exactly then and maybe we could recommend someone close to you. I know you`ve had a bit of tough luck with it, but it can`t just keep going wrong, remember these got a great reputation for being so reliable it`s just that some were kept going on a shoestring when the prices were a lot less and they just didn`t get the bit of tlc that all machines require.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Hang on in there matey

Cheers Ozziedog
Thought I had everything cover this year - the westy has spent more time in Thornbury this year than on my own drive :lol:
Things come to try us, just wish they would try someone else for a change

 

[monkeyvanwestybike]

Just been to cornwall saw loads of bays working ok
And saw a merc vito camper on AA truck
and another miserable looking pair at side of road with a broken down T5 waiting for assistance

it will be ok keep at it

 

[Hilly_70]

It's always disheartening bud when it happens..

I've had problem with mine over the weekend.. Broke down at the gates to a show and I had to mess about to limp it home..

I just pushed it in the garage and left it there till I feel like it.

Even said to the mrs I was gonna get rid .. First time I've said it in 11 years..

The mrs always says she loves the bus but hates going anywhere in it with me as I'm always paranoid something is failing.. I just can't help it!

BUT ..

I think back to why I bought it..

I got sick of new cars failing on me .. Just had a bad time with next to new cars costing thousands and then letting me down ..

The bus however, I expect to break .. I don't want it to obviously but feel 'less disappointed' when it does than I did before..

I think what I'm trying to say is we accept them for what they are .. Breakdowns and all .. Because the modern option as a recreation vehicle .. Just ain't us

Hilly

 

[Clem]

Damn.

To be honest a fuel leak 'shouldn't' be too big a fix, but I appreciate its too late now. Hope it gets sorted swiftly and you can plan for another.

 

[ozziedog]

Clem,, I think that`s the whole point of this thread,,,,,,,,,, He dosen`t want `another `fuel leak :shock:

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,,, He`s running out of things to go wrong surely :mrgreen:

 

[009]

so sorry to hear about this but don't let it put you off!

10 years from now when you're in your bus at another amazing beach you'll look back and say "do you remember that bl**dy fuel leak we had when we were in ...... and got the AA home?" and laugh at it as you sit in your bus and grab a beer!

Hope you get it sorted.
Good luck!
DON

 

[58paul]

welcome to the brakedown club, as it stands I think I must hold this years record, I am not going to exaggerate in any way, it started within 50 minutes of being on a French toll road and my newly replaced points failed and we were held up in a hotel for 2 days whilst waiting for a new set to arrive( note to self don't forget to take spares,
Back on the road and 40 klm later we are stopped again,crap getting into carb, filter was clean so changed fuel lines as I thought must be pipe being stripped from inside due to ethanol in fuel, sorted so we carry on to the final destination Anncey in the Alps, drove around for 2 weeks then problem started all over again so carb off and as good a clean as I could on side of
road, cutting a long story short we were taken on breakdown trucks to 4 different garages all of which only gave us false hope
and repairs that only lasted about 20klm and then back on the side of the road again, so we ended up in a taxi going the 140 miles to paris to fly back to uk then got hire car from Luton because we couldn't get four tickets on the Gatwick flight (oh forgot to mention 2 kids 5and 8) then drove home to near Bexhill in Sussex and Kevin my trusty camper arrived back 3 weeks later on Saturday 12 Sept , in total we stopped in excess of 30 times but the worst thing of all was the bloody handle broke on the kettle .last Friday we took a chance and bounced all the way to the grillnchill had a fab weekend and then bounced home again it took us 2 hours to do the 20 miles back home again, so don't loose hart as things can only get better.
P.S that was the third time the van has been repatriated from France in 5 years.

 

[Nugsy]

The mrs always says she loves the bus but hates going anywhere in it with me as I'm always paranoid something is failing.. I just can't help it!

same as, my misses often asks why I love it so much if every time we go any where, i'm constantly listening for new noises

ironic thing is, its been off the road longer this year than it has in the last 4 years due to an incompetent garage as opposed to just driving it

 

[cotswoldiver]

Damn.

To be honest a fuel leak 'shouldn't' be too big a fix, but I appreciate its too late now. Hope it gets sorted swiftly and you can plan for another.

Agree Mike, but there was no sign of any fuel leak inside the engine bay, & the external filter was ok, but the area above that appeared to be the point the fuel was dripping out of. But, went to pick up the bus tonight after the engine had been taken out, fuel tank checked etc & nothing could be found. I asked them to change all the lines again anyway for biofuel type as it seemed to make sense with everything out even though the lines were ok. Drove away, no smell of fuel so a complete mystery. And guess what- another problem arose - drove so far down the road & had to turn round as brakes seemed to be about 10% effective & had no trust that it would stop.

It's just one issue after another on what is a well sorted westy ... Just so frustrating

 

[Clem]

 

[Nugsy]

That sounds like the servo isnt connected, did you have a hard pedal?

 

[monkeyvanwestybike]

If it is faulty Servo
Don't buy the cheaper option!
Stick to German

 

[cotswoldiver]

That sounds like the servo isnt connected, did you have a hard pedal?

Good call Nugsy

The workshop spotted that it looked like during previous work carried out for me, it had been fitted incorrectly so they changed the hose and connected the right way round. But apparently they were so used to servo hoses just 'staying connected' and not using clips to secure so air just wasn't being used as intended. All back together now, 3 clips attached to keep it in place, re tested and I'm back across to collect it tonight. Workshop full of well meaning, they did test drive originally and just thought it was spongy brakes on an old vehicle and that I had obviously got used to driving it like this and compensating stopping distances accordingly. Not so, but all sorted now.

Following Alex (VW Heritage)recommendation, off down to see Graham at Rawspeed in Plymouth next Friday for a second opinion on how it is set up and then will sit down with a cool head and decide whether I'm going to call it quits and sell it in the totally sorted condition it is knowing that I will take a hit but recoup a chunk of my outlay, or take another chance on 'what else could possibly go wrong' and smile more often again. I know keeping a 43 year old bus on the road is a lesson in patience, a test of one's insanity, careful use of overdraft facilities and cash-flow management but weighed up against the joy these wonderful products of 'pre emission result testing fiddling' by VW can give it's a tough call - and those that have followed my random posts on adventures in three different westys will know that I've stuck with this time and time again when things go wrong ... this time I honestly don't know :?: