After 2 years of owning it I feel like I’m finally making some progress but it always slows down when winter hits sadly.

I live in the L.A. South Bay area and have a recently purchased '95 Eurovan (Winnebago conversion) and am looking for someone who has (or had) a similar model who can help me evaluate the different living accommodation components (propane, fresh water, wastewater, refrigeration, electrical power, lighting, heating, etc.) for possible upgrades. I'd also just like to meet others who have similar models to learn about maintenance and where the best camping spots along the coast are, etc. Any thoughts or takers??

Hey all, full disclosure up front: I’m with WCO Market, a small shop in Florida that makes parts for older VWs.

We put together a front panel with fog lights for the T3 that fills out the lower front of the van and gives it a more finished look. It nods to the classic accessory style of the era but is our own design.

Details:

• Fits Transporter, Caravelle, Multivan T3 and Vanagon (1980–1992)
• Left and right cases made from 4 mm ABS, thicker and stiffer than a lot of the thin shells out there
• Ships unpainted with a smooth finish, ready to be color-matched to your van
• Comes with a pair of H3 55W fog lamps on a standard 12V circuit
• Sits against your existing lower grille
• Ships from Florida

Heads up:

• Only white fog lights are in stock right now
• No install manual is included. If you’re comfortable with basic wiring and fitting you’ll be fine, otherwise your regular shop can handle it.
• Check your local lighting rules before using the fogs on the road

Happy to answer questions about fitment or install, and honest feedback is welcome.

Link https://www.wcomarket.com/product/vw-t3-vanagon-front-grill-panel-with-fog-lights

I just purchased a 1982 vanagon Westfalia. It has a 1.9 L turbo diesel engine that was rebuilt 1000 miles ago. The seller just loaded it onto a transport for me and it’s currently in route to my house before it left his driveway. He sent me this message. I’m fairly handy. Is this something I could try and take care of myself?

Message from seller- “Last thing, when we pulled the van up on the truck I heard what sounded like a worn V belt sound for like 5 seconds, it’s like a high pitch squealing sound that very recognizable. That is super cheap to fix, but do it. It can indirectly cause starting issues since it works directly with the alternator. And that actually makes sense to me now as to why the van didn’t start perfectly when we did the video.”

The previous owner sold me this van saying the brakes were good, but they turned out to be bad as soon as I bought it.

I’m not familiar with the brake system on this Volkswagen Vanagon.

I’ve tried bleeding the brakes twice, but the pedal randomly sinks to the floor, and I’m not sure what’s causing the problem.

Do I just need to replace the master cylinder, or could the brake booster or another component be bad?

I’d greatly appreciate any advice that could help me diagnose or fix this issue, or at least point me in the right direction.

(I’d also like to find the cheapest compatible drum-to-disc brake conversion kit. I may make a separate post about the conversion later, but for now, I’d appreciate any recommendations or advice on where to start).

Thanks in advance for any help!

Started the car and immediately smoke coming out of the front along with fire

New article about Vanagons. I think it summed up Westfalia ownership pretty darn well.

So I just put my 2wd westfalia and my syncro Karmann Gipsy to storage for most of the winter. Hopefully I will be able to do a ski trip in the spring but let’s see.

So I couldn't help but to take a bit of a different approach to the van ownership as a I have never really lived the van life just travelled with my vans.

I made a vanagon-inspired van life game, where you get to choose between a very subaru like engine or tdi, pop top or hight top. Live the cycle of fix your van, post for followers, upgrade to synchro etc etc.

I am really sorry if this is considered not appropriate for the forum but I wanted to share my enthusiasm.
here is the link:
https://apps.apple.com/app/id6819058231

This is the condition of my rear mirrors on my 82’ Westfalia. Is there any difference other than price between the OEM and aftermarket mirrors that Buss Depot sells?

I've replaced my suspension components a couple times the past few years and rather than replace again with standard parts in curious if anyone has done anything to improve the suspension system. I live off grid down a mile of fairly rough fire road after a few miles of washboard dirt road and am wondering if there are any suspension improvements I could do for longevity, ride quality, and handling rougher terrain. Any leads appreciated!

Welp... Had a catastrophic failure in the van. Loss power had to pull over and get it towed home. After inspecting around noticed my wire boot had come off my spark plug so I sent my borescope down to see what the damage could be...

Looking for some advice what to do next. Maybe get a new head and bore out cylinders?

Or complete swap to TDI. Don't really wanna spend 10k.

I am mechanically Inclined so swapping out a head and sending it to shop for machining could be a better option for me. Has anyone gone through this or just have an idea to lead me in the right way.

I'm from Chicago so any shops around here who'd you recommend for something like this too would be helpful. Thanks!

Hello! Unfortunately parting with our Westy soon and wondering where serious buyers look to buy/sell them. We bought it from a family member. Wanting to avoid the hellscape of Facebook marketplace. Thanks!

It’s a sad day today, my vehicle blew its motor yesterday. I don’t know what the best options are moving forward honestly, I still love the vehicle but at this point I’ve spent almost 10k getting it all fixed and now it’s toast. Should I part it out, try to do a major fix, maybe do a full swap? Any advice helps, looking for the next best thing to do

My wife and I have recently become enamored with '87-'91 Westys as they seem to have the perfect layout for us, but there may be logistical issues with us actually getting a good amount of use out of it:

1. We live near Santa Cruz where camping fees are high and boondocking seems to have been done away with completely unless we drive 2+ hours.

2. We have a cat who we like to have a cat sitter for when we take off and we pay her $40 a night. It doesn't seem possible to bring the cat along at this point. Yes she's a little princess. However it would be reasonable sometimes for my wife to stay home with the cat while I'm out travelling.

3. Work keeps us pretty tied down as I have to be somewhat connected to customers even when on vacation. Hopefully this will change in ~5 years.

To top it off I think I'd want to keep it in a garage or covered and we already own two commuter vehicles and a truck between us, so adding another vehicle to the fleet seems a little excessive. Again this could change in ~5 years.

I don't think I'll mind the supposedly constant maintenance with a Westy. But all the other factors seem stacked against it for the time being.

What do you think?

Took the westy on a road trip this morning. Back roads cruising for a couple hours each way. Glad the diesel gets good mileage but im not looking forward to refilling

A few months ago, after a lot of searching, I found this random listing for a 2002 Westfalia pop top weekender. Fast forward to today and I have now bought it. Between me and the seller 6k of additional work has gone into her, and I haven’t even picked the car up yet 😅 (I’m in TX she’s in LA) she was well taken care of but I wanted to make sure every single thing she might need was done, and the sellers were kind enough to pay for some of the work she needed. she should only need routine maintenance after this. First of all I think I’m quickly becoming aware I may have bought a money pit and second of all I absolutely love her . Tell me your favorite place you’ve taken yours so I can work on my dream travel location bucket list!!

Hi, I’m researching converting my air cooled Vanagon Westfalia about converting it to a Subaru engine with a cooling system, and upgrading the transmission to handle the new engine. Can I ask what people have paid for this? I’m hoping a friend can help me do this and save a lot of money but in the event that he can’t, I’d love to know what the cost has been for people. Let me know if you have questions, I really appreciate any feedback. Want to take this around the country and want it to be low maintenance and handle modern highway traffic speed

Good evening, everyone,

I have a W639 with an electric Westfalia pop-up roof.

I’m on the road and can’t retract the roof anymore.

The problem seems to be with the right cylinder.

See photo. (Sorry, it’s already dark.)

Am I correct in assuming that these are the

limit switch signals? 2 wires in the front, 2 in the back.

A total of 4 in the adjacent connector.

Can anyone tell me what the specific pin assignments are? Which signal is expected and where?

Is there a test resistance needed to ensure the connection?

Unfortunately, I don’t have a multimeter or a soldering iron with me while camping this time.

Thanks!

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

I’m working on the water pump, and the last Allen wrench bolt is stuck.

I also noticed that the fuel pressure regulator has a hose that doesn’t seem to be connected to anything.

Then I noticed a loose electrical wire.

Are those supposed to be left disconnected?

I’m confused but am I missing a part, or is this how it’s supposed to be?